Help! (my exhaust mods are not going as planned :( )

The Verdict...

So I went and got my car yesterday.

They still had it on the lift so I could see, which was what I asked. I looked, I noticed where the custom-fabbed H-pipe had been cut out and capped and welded - is that acceptable? I've asked two other people and they seem to think this is all right.

The conversation after was fairly unpleasant. The service writer basically kept making excuses for the fact that he never left specific instructions to the mechanic not to start the job, so really, none of this was my friend's fault - he just got caught in the middle of it. And they insist he spent "nearly 6 hours" working on my car. Looking at the job that was done, and how the exhaust is not set up, I still can't see it, unless that 6 hours included a coffee break every hour, lunch, snacks, time to change the radio station a few times and the typical bull****ting that can go on in a shop. Insane.

In the end, (hah, and after him asking me "Are you calling me a liar?" and me replying "Yes, I am!"), the price he offered me was three hours labor, plus $125 to put the Flowmasters on when I brought it back, and I said no, that I wanted to pay three hours labor, PERIOD, and I think just to get me out of his shop he accepted, and gave me a voucher to have the Flows put on free of charge. But I have to go back again this weekend >_< They got a welding ash on my passenger seat, and my seats are tan cloth. When it rains, it pours. So they're going to clean that Saturday.

All bull**** aside, I have to say that the work that was done is immaculate, which is why I wanted this particular guy to do it in the first place. And he shimmed my tailpipes perfectly, in spite of looking at me like I was from mars when I told him to please do that, as I was not planning on cutting the bumper. In spite of everything, I'm very happy with the job that was done. All said and done, it's louder than I expected for a stock GT exhaust, so at this moment in time I am considering forgoing the Flows and just returning them. There is hardly a difference in sound when the car is idling and driving at certain speeds, but turning the engine over and revving it's plenty noticable, and there is a more noticeable rumble between 2k-2500 rpm (I forget exactly where atm); I was hoping for just a little bit more, but I'm thinking at this point that adding the Flows will be too much, unless I go to something smaller like a 50 series, so I think I'll just wait for now. Oh, and I can feel a difference in the car as well. It's slightly punchier in 2nd and 3rd, and thankfully I did not seem to lose any low-end torque with this, which was a concern of mine, as my car is a bit sluggish off the line in certain conditions as it is.

Anyway, to all of you who gave me advice on what to do with my little machine, thanks for the help, it's been much appreciated. On to the next project, lol.



-Lynn.

Long read, but IMPORTANT.

Sorry, but I'm trying not to sound like an ***hole, but your "friend" completely ****ed you over. They installed the GT for you because as you said they said that you were eventually going to. That indicated to me that they though you were just another stupid women who's way over her head and doesn't know anything she's going. What they charged you for it was a rip off anyways. I bet the parts that they gave on your car, were probably some leftover parts that someone left in the shop. Now, the real kicker is that they started to install unwanted parts on YOUR car without YOUR permission. If someone did that to me, I would come in there making so much noise that they'd go deaf. First of all, I wouldn't pay them. If they wouldn't let me take my car, I'd call the cops.

If you didn't authorize the work, then legally, THEY DONT' HAVE A RIGHT TO DO ANYTHING, unless you say so. Since you didn't tell them to install it, and they did then legally they can't charge you for that. If I were you, I'd go there and threaten to sue them. If I were you, I'd also go and file a police report ASAP. The longer you wait, the more it looks like that you wanted it and then decided that you didn't like it. By paying for it, it makes it a little bit harder because people usually won't pay for something if they're not satisfied for it. I could see in your case that maybe they wouldn't release the car to you and that you had no other choice. So, I would file a report right away and then tell them that your going to sue them if you don't get your money back. Also, a good thing is that you wrote all this stuff on stangnet. That can be used as evidence. Whatever you do, do not edit anything that you wrote here, because then it will be useless since it lost it's creditablity. Good Luck.

zincyellow03, you are correct, yes, however, let me clarify a few things:

Yes, they did the work without my permission, as I was supposed to either make the decision on what to do or take my car home (and at the time I was planning on taking the car and all my parts home), so I am DEFINITELY pissed about that.

But in the end, I am all right with this today. I'm disgusted in the way it went down, and I will never, ever go back there for even an oil change ever again, and I made sure that they knew that, and WHY (because they railroaded me into something that I had not yet asked for), but it is done, the guy I wanted to do the work did it, and I came away with his supposed 6-hour job at half price.

Granted, like all the rest of you are saying, there is no reason why this should have taken him so long, but everyone in that shop swears he was on my car that long. Boy, if that's the case, I don't know how he's making any money for them, but whatever. Not my concern. The end result, as I already mentioned, is superb. THAT is why I paid them; because the f-up was the service writer's, and not the tech's, as it came down to it.

I am still not thrilled that I ended up paying close to $300. in labor (including tax), but here is the thing: yesterday morning I called all over my county, and as ridiculous as this sounds, I could not find anyone else, other than Meineke, that would bend pipe for me and do this custom install. Nobody. I had yet to get through to a couple of speed/racing custom shops, but other than that, it was looking like I was only going to be taking my stuff and heading on down to the Meineke, and they said there that they did Mustangs frequently, but I have no idea what the quality of that shop's work is. I knew this guy. I knew that even despite the fight that happened over this, the CAR would be fine.

Don't think I've already accepted this whole incident. I plan on writing a nice long letter to Midas Corporate, because I know that it will come down on their asses since I know how that shop works, and that because of bad profits in the past, corporate watches them, so I will get the last laugh. And I went today and they cleaned my seat while I waited. We had a few words, I reminded the sevice writer that he was way out of line with what he did and that I still felt no reason to pay them anything other than what I did because he took advantage of the situation, and I really do not feel he thinks he "got one over" on me now, because they had to classify that job differently on their books since it was so drastically under-priced. He's not stupid. He knows what he did. But being caught in a lie like that, and especially by *gasp!* a woman, who is not supposed to know anything about cars, well, I can see where it might be a little damaging to his fragile male ego (said with loads of sarcasm, please). He knows he breached my trust. He just didn't want to come clean with it, and so he blamed it on the tech behind his back, to which I mentioned how typical that was, that they were blaming each other.

I had budgeted $300. in labor, just in case. I'm not happy with the way things happened, but I am happy at this point that my car sounds good, feels good, and that I remained within that $300. mark. Even if it was through a big ordeal. And I will take pride in going elsewhere for my tires when I get my new wheels put on, which I had just the day before said I would buy from them. HAd the car out on the highway before, and I will have the weekend to drive it around some more, but honestly, I think in the end, they may have inadvertently done me a favor (the hard way, lol), because I think I'm going to leave it just the way it is.

Thanks for your advice and your concern, though. Oh, and I think you tried to IM me, but here at work we have popup blockers and all kinds of stuff. If you still want to talk or something, try me over the weekend.

-Lynn.

It could have taken him 30 hours, it doesn't matter. It should be free for you because you didn't authorize it.

If they did six hours of work, they're going to charge you six hours of work and not reduce the price unless they're at fault. That way they'd make no money. A shop can pay how much they want for labor. They can't charge you for something if you didn't approve it. I notice that you keep mentioning him as a friend. If I had "friends" like this I'd be happy not to have friends. That wasn't right what he did. Since you knew him, I'm pretty sure he knew how to get in contact with you and ask.

Writing a letter to corporate isn't going to do anything. And it sounds like they just admitted messing it up to you. If I was you'd go there and threaten to sue(small claims court). That should scare them and you should get a refund or something. It takes a few minutes to file a claim, and it should cost you between $10-15(Any you might not even have to go to court, it will send them the message and maybe mitas will give you a refund so they don't have to go to court).

The decision is up to you, but it sounds like they took advantage of you and they're going to keep taking advantage of people until someone stops them. Atleast file a complaint to the better business bureau. Someone has to teach them that they can't do that, it's not ethical. Another thing is that, it's your money. I don't know but you could be making a million dollars a year or even a thousand dollars a year. It doesn't matter. I bet you work hard for your money, so why would you just let someone rob you like that? Oh, by the way what did you with the exhaust system that you originially had?

I refer to him in this thread as "friend" only because I'm talking about two different people here, and the one guy, the tech, is the guy I know. But no, no longer a friend, that's for sure. He was negligent in the fact that he just walked in to work and started working, before asking anyone what was to happen with the car, yes. A responsible person would have asked. And no offense here but... he is a guy. That does not excuse him, but when he told me "I just came in, saw the car on the lift, saw the parts laid out, so I ASSUMED it was all to be put on," well... it does not surprise me one bit, that this was his reasoning. The guy's a bit of a burnout, missing a few cells. But he can do excellent things with a welder and pipe bender.

But see, you're not understanding. Or maybe I'm not explaining everything. I don't think this was the case here. I think it was plain carelessness on the part of the service writer, once the whole story came out and I figured out what had happened. Period. He was supposed to have left word to leave the car until he talked to me. He never left the note with the work order, or rather, he left an incomplete note with the work order, that never got around to mentioning that he still had to talk to me. OK, whether that was accidental or malicious we'll never know, but I personally feel it WAS accidental. But again, that does NOT excuse him from the fact that it caused this whole mess, and that he then tried to lie on top of it. So no, I don't think they're making a habit of trying to screw every other customer that walks in the door there, but they really screwed this one up, and then refused to own up to the mistake, until I caught them at their own game. If there is one thing about me, I do not go into a shop and just nod and yes and absently agree to whatever drivel I'm being fed.

I kept it, although I as of yet have no place to put it, which is a definite problem.

-Lynn.

So it's your fault that they arn't organized and messed it up. So you end up left to chew the $300+ bill and the cost of the exhaust that you already bought. Your saying that you caught them in there own game, but you did. They're the ones with your money and you got something that you didn't want. Am I the only one that sees something completely wrong here?

No, not my fault, their fault, we already established that. (and technically, $255.00 + PA state sales tax, so a total of $270.30) And I get everything that you're saying. I do. Honestly. And you are 100% correct. But I am trying to just let it go at this point because I got an excellent job and I like how the car sounds, despite the *coughs* mishap. It would be different if I didn't. And remember, too, I still have the right to bring it to them and have them install aftermarket mufflers free, if I decide to still do that, but I really am happy with how the car sounds now. I am a big believer in fate. Call it silly if you will, and not to go waxing all philosophical on you, but I think right at this moment that the fact that those Flows did not make it onto the car happened for a reason. If I had taken the car out of there, I would be installing the Flows somewhere else, and I'm thinking now that I might actually HAVE been unhappy with the sound, that they would have been too much for me.

If I did not like the end result, there would be bigger problems. And I realize that me accepting what the end result partly frees them from some of the what, responsibility? Of what they did? I don't even know what word to use. But it's over and it's not worth it anymore. The bottom line to me is that I am happy with the outcome, and I overpaid a little bit, yeah, but I guess I have learned a lesson for next time, and I will never, ever, leave my car for work with anyone while I'm not there again. If they can't do it for me on a Saturday, when I can stay and oversee it, then they don't get my business.

If it's any recourse, I sure as hell did not admit to THEM that I was happy, lol, and when I went on my lunch break today for the seat to be cleaned, I was just as pissed off about all this as I was yesterday, so it's not like I gave anyone the feeling that "Oh, everything is fine and dandy now, because the car sounds all right."

Again, thanks for all your concern though. You guys on this forum have been great to me, and have really taught me a lot just in a few months, and I have other things to do that you can all help with, too.

-Lynn.

Well, if your happy, then I'm happy. I'm also a believe in fate, and you might be right, maybe the flows would have been too much like you said. Good Luck!

Can you post pics of the finished product? I would love to see the work that was done to it.

One part that's a shame is they installed a H-pipe, and then cut and capped off the H-connection. That was totally unnecessary extra work. True, the V6 engine does not need a crossover on the midpipe (i.e. an X or H connection), but they certainly do not hurt anything and might even improve the exhaust tone slightly.

Good choice by the way in my opinion by staying with the stock GT mufflers for now.

I guess in the end, everything is all right, but boy what a mess, huh? Thanks for all your help and great advice in my quest to do this exhaust.

And zincyellow03, seriously, thank you for your concern. It's really good to know I can come here and be welcome in a mostly male-only crowd and you guys not only take me seriously, but look out for me Very appreciated.

You guys on the V6 forum are awesome.

-Lynn.

I will have to see if I can get it up on a lift somewhere to snap a few pictures. I'm certainly not bringing it back to the place that installed it, that's for sure, lol.

-Lynn.

No problem Lynn. The V6 forums are here to help you.