Midas..the garbage touch !
 

I was out of town..wife gets a groupon for Midas oil change.. She says "just oil change" they recommend over $1700 in repairs..including odd brand tires for $900. Not happy she demands just the oil change. She told me they practically threw her keys to her..
Check engine light on,, I came home yesterday. She hasn't driven in a week..using my Ridgeline.Came back on here..GREAT forum !
So..car starts running poor.. I bought good air filter and cabin filter..I have a cheapie code reader..P1516 and 2176..googled the codes.
Air filter seems it was "checked" the screws all loose..the cover flopping around and cold air hose ripped and shoved behind cover. the grommet mount bracket broken on passenger side.
. NEVER..never go there again.. No reason to complain..they will deny everything. I managed a 11 dealer chain..Saturn my last stop in car biz..
Wife loves her HHR..we find it excellent around town or Tucson to Breckenridge Co..
Well..it kept me from fixing the blown U Joint on my resto mod..53 Stude 383SBC etc). Lit up the tires one to many times..buying filters for HHR. so..didn't get to work on it..but her Red HHR is excellent..159,000 miles..

If any one here works at a Midas..maybe your's is different. I had bad experience years ago. NEVER AGAIN..
Could this be why it's missing..with decreased engine power..? Felt from inlet hose..mixed with gummed gas..and filt dust.. She drove maybe 150 miles in town,,Tucson dust..
https://cimg6.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.che...2b8546912a.jpg
Filter looks like a moron forced it back on UPSIDE down.. Cleaned MAP..obviously cleaned the TB and runs perfect..

Yes, that is an extremely filthy TB! The ultimate cause of the codes, it may have broken something else in the TB.
Midas is pretty famous for that kind of experience, along with fake repairs; ATF flushes that never get done etc. AND unplugging MAF sensors on purpose.

midas is a hack joint. I was between jobs as a young lad & took a job @ midas. 1st thing I was taught was whenever you rack a car, get the squirting oil can & squirt a couple shocks, then bring out the owner & show them, "they need new shocks"......

I left after that lesson.......................

Jiffy Lube is no better. Had a free oil change their. Broke cold air intake hose. Cracked oil filter cap. And left with CEL on. NEVER AGAIN !!!

That is horrifying! Ever since the Midas place near my office told me "we don't do mufflers anymore" I have wondered why they are still in business.

As to chain operations, I have been using and trusting and been 100% satisfied with Pep Boys for years. I generally only use my local guys (I know them all and they know me as a "car guy") but I have had good results with other locations in some situations.
Not saying your Pep Boys are as good as mine, but they have regional guys who check up on each location regularly.

True words.

One of my son's took his F150 into Midas I think for a oil change ! Said he need brakes and a radiator hose ! They gave him a ext of around $1500.00 :O MY PT retirement job is in a auto parts store,I picked up Premium pads WAGNER OEX and the new coated rotors. Him and a buddy installed them for a cost of 300$ A buddy went to a different Midas shop and they hosed him 1300$ for a front brake job :O , My daughter went to a Jiffy Lube and they tried to up sell her for a bunch of things, I warned her years ago that when they try and up sell you just say your father will take care of it :O V.I.Pin a different town tried to upsell my daughter about 900$ during a inspection :O Took car to her regular mechanic and GREAT shop said all that not needed fixed the minor issue for about 250$ so the scammers are out there and there has been some stories on TV about a lot of places where they are told to Up Sell

Thays crazy, They don't do mufflers anymore. Geez

Stainless steel mufflers killed the business.

That doesn't hurt my feelings for midas

Car runs well..but SEL light came on yesterday..over week after. Wife is about 60 miles away. Car running well just SEL steady. She filled gas yesterday so maybe cap. Also one of her tires senors is out..reads --. And Discount tire rotates and never rests location.. No problem as I am old fashioned (build Hot Rods and vintage Jags) so..I check tires manually..

I'll scan when she gets home..

I got an idea ! Why don't you go to Midas ? :skull1:

Car ran fine all week..about 175 miles. No codes..rev nice. Yesterday..stumbling and poor idle. Wife 90 miles away..drove home. Codes now P0171 and P0300. Just examined and cannot see if vacuum lines leaking..or inlet tube cracked or leaking. MAF sensor ? I showed the amount of filth passed through to TB..maybe MAF damaged ?
Hurting after pulling driveshaft out of my HotRod..and hammering out U joint. But wife's car is first..!\70 year old guy..who does a lot of stuff..so aches are normal..lol
I fixed and restored the felt tube...cleaned more in TBI..using bore scope tp see in..
I am not usually a replace and hope guy..MAF cleaner first.. But code is lean cyl 1 I would not expect just cyl 1 to be due to MAF..

Old carb analog guy in digital world !
Any ideas ?

It's running well.. Cleaned MAF.w/MAF cleaner Cleaned the Throttle plate back side w/TBI cleaner saw more crap on back of throttle plate.. Good..cause I am beat. Pushing the Stude back and forth to get room to climb under and pull the driveshaft..
My cheapie reader can't clear but a friend has GM scan tool.. Ill see him manana..

I am officially retired for the night..except for babysitting 1.5 years old grandson..
Thanks folks.. Her Little Red Wagon runs again.. We'll see

The codes are lean bank one(there's only one bank), and unknown cylinder misfire. Not lean cylinder one.

Thanks...makes more sense,, Runs well now..but we'll see what occurs.. Thanks to all here your info is essential.. If this was a problem on my old sports car or hot rod the fix is direct..and I have years of experience.

Don't kill the messenger! The computer just tells you about problems it does not cause them.
The computer just is more sensitive than you. You never knew there was a tiny vac leak in the carburetted cars or the misfire once in a while that isn't really a misfire (really an incomplete fire). It worries about damaging the cat most.

Mechanic friend once owned a Midas franchise. He was a good mechanic and the shop was trustworthy, but Midas added little value, the contract was expensive and he couldn't get out of it, so it made life difficult.

In the case of a franchises, it's the people, and each store will be unique. That said, I wouldn't go anywhere near a company store.

"A Midas franchisee was sued by the state of California in 2009 for using bait-and-switch methods of defrauding consumers. In 22 locations throughout the state, the locations were accused of luring customers into the store by advertising cheap auto-service, and then upselling them by up to $1,700. The findings came after a four-year undercover investigation."

source - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Midas_(automotive_service)

That's a shame..................

https://cimg3.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.che...a898407cfe.jpg
Midas exhaust repair
This was a bolted joint with one snapped bolt that I needed repaired for a state inspection. Saw the quality job months later. Good thing they specialize in exhaust work!

Actually that is not a flange joint from the factory, it is supposed to be solid pipe.

Actually was a joint, I should have mentioned it was on a Saturn Aura not an HHR