I had an extremely frustrating experience with Midas that involved three different locations,…read moreapproximately $1,500 in repairs, and a car that still was not functioning properly afterward.
My Nissan Juke was having problems with stalling and acceleration, and I barely made it to the Alpine location. I had previously used another repair shop in town, but I was trying to save money because that shop was more expensive and times are tight.
Initially, I was told the problem was the crankshaft sensor, at a cost of about $500. Before I got the car back, I was told it also needed a throttle body, adding roughly another $1,000.
After almost a week, I was told the car was ready. At pickup, they also mentioned that the vehicle was showing transmission codes, but I was told it was working.
Unfortunately, I got on the highway and didn't even make it to the Plainfield exit before the car started jerking and having acceleration problems again. At one point, it would not go above approximately 25 mph on I-96.
I was fortunately able to slowly get the car to the Plainfield Midas because getting it back to Alpine did not seem feasible. I called the Alpine location and was told the Plainfield location would take care of me at no additional cost. My understanding was that they believed the throttle body might need additional training or programming.
I picked the car up the next day, but it soon began having acceleration problems and stalling again. When I called, I was told the issue might be related to codes that were still stored in the vehicle and that I should ask a Nissan dealer to clear them. The Nissan dealer wanted approximately $120 for that service, and Midas offered to cover half.
When I expressed my frustration, I was told, in substance, "We fixed the problem. Your car wouldn't start, and now it does."
At that point, the possibility of a transmission problem became a bigger part of the discussion, and I was told that Midas could not address that issue. This was especially frustrating to me. If the transmission was potentially responsible for the symptoms I originally brought the car in for, I wish that possibility and its implications had been made clearer to me before I authorized approximately $1,500 in other repairs. I might have made a very different decision about how much additional money to put into the vehicle.
I was then directed to the 28th Street location because I live in Ada. There, I was told that my Juke was still showing a crankshaft sensor code, and they were finally able to replicate the stalling/acceleration problem I had been experiencing. Ultimately, however, I was told they were unsure how to resolve it.
I was offered a $400 reduction related to the crankshaft sensor charge. I agreed because, by that point, I simply wanted to be finished with the situation. However, when I received my bill, the $400 reduction I had been offered was not reflected on it.
After my experiences with the three locations, I no longer felt that I was getting an adequate resolution. I contacted the company servicing the Midas credit card I had recently opened and attempted to dispute the charges because I was dissatisfied with the work. I was told they could not access the necessary information, and the dispute was closed.
The end result of my experience is that I spent approximately $1,500, visited or dealt with three different Midas locations, and my car was still experiencing the problem that led me to seek repairs in the first place.
I understand that diagnosing automotive problems can be complicated and that replacing a part does not necessarily guarantee that every problem with a vehicle will be resolved. My frustration is that I spent approximately $1,500 based on the diagnoses and recommendations I was given, the original symptoms persisted, I was subsequently told the transmission could be involved, and a $400 reduction I was offered was not reflected on my bill.
I can only speak to my own experience, but based on that experience, I would not use Midas again and would not recommend them to others.