Complaint Review: Midas - Alexandria Virginia

I drive a 1996 Dodge intrepid 3.5. The water I drove into was on a road that was pitch black. The water was up to my tires. As soon as I came out of it, my check engine light was blinking and my car was bucking when I accelerated. I took it to the Midas the next day and they said it was coming up in the computer as a misfire with one or more cylinders. The machanic said that if I got new spark plug wires($260) then that should fix the problem. After he puts them in he reved the engine for about 5-10min saying that he was trying to burn engine oil that had spilled into the cylinders. When he thought he had it fixed the check engine light came on again. They replaced my air filter($20) and let the car run for a while. They wanted to run another test but I had the feeling that they were just trying to get my money. So I just drove the car home about 3miles. When I got it home I could hear metal banging. I called the Midas and spoke with the mgr. he said the longer they let my car run the loader the noise got.

I drive a 1996 Dodge intrepid 3.5. The water I drove into was on a road that was pitch black. The water was up to my tires. As soon as I came out of it, my check engine light was blinking and my car was bucking when I accelerated. I took it to the Midas the next day and they said it was coming up in the computer as a misfire with one or more cylinders. The machanic said that if I got new spark plug wires($260) then that should fix the problem. After he puts them in he reved the engine for about 5-10min saying that he was trying to burn engine oil that had spilled into the cylinders. When he thought he had it fixed the check engine light came on again. They replaced my air filter($20) and let the car run for a while. They wanted to run another test but I had the feeling that they were just trying to get my money. So I just drove the car home about 3miles. When I got it home I could hear metal banging. I called the Midas and spoke with the mgr. he said the longer they let my car run the loader the noise got.

I drive a 1996 Dodge intrepid 3.5. The water I drove into was on a road that was pitch black. The water was up to my tires. As soon as I came out of it, my check engine light was blinking and my car was bucking when I accelerated. I took it to the Midas the next day and they said it was coming up in the computer as a misfire with one or more cylinders. The machanic said that if I got new spark plug wires($260) then that should fix the problem. After he puts them in he reved the engine for about 5-10min saying that he was trying to burn engine oil that had spilled into the cylinders. When he thought he had it fixed the check engine light came on again. They replaced my air filter($20) and let the car run for a while. They wanted to run another test but I had the feeling that they were just trying to get my money. So I just drove the car home about 3miles. When I got it home I could hear metal banging. I called the Midas and spoke with the mgr. he said the longer they let my car run the loader the noise got.

I drive a 1996 Dodge intrepid 3.5. The water I drove into was on a road that was pitch black. The water was up to my tires. As soon as I came out of it, my check engine light was blinking and my car was bucking when I accelerated. I took it to the Midas the next day and they said it was coming up in the computer as a misfire with one or more cylinders. The machanic said that if I got new spark plug wires($260) then that should fix the problem. After he puts them in he reved the engine for about 5-10min saying that he was trying to burn engine oil that had spilled into the cylinders. When he thought he had it fixed the check engine light came on again. They replaced my air filter($20) and let the car run for a while. They wanted to run another test but I had the feeling that they were just trying to get my money. So I just drove the car home about 3miles. When I got it home I could hear metal banging. I called the Midas and spoke with the mgr. he said the longer they let my car run the loader the noise got.

How deep was this puddle? You can file a claim on your car insurance for flood damge, though if you drove into the puddle (rather than water rising around your car while it was parked) that would likely be charged to you as an at-fault accident. After a car has been submerged in water of any depth, it is almost always considered totalled. The "redneck tune-up" doesn't cure anything. If an engine has ingested water thru the intake (which takes a very deep puddle) it will either blow the engine instantly or the water will clear out in a few seconds of normal idling with no damage.

Antonio, Too much of this post makes no sense from a mechanic's standpoint. "..A large puddle got into my car". Ok, WHERE exactly? And exactly what happened then? "..The machanic told me if I he changed a wire($260.00) it would correct the problem". I don't know of any $260 wire on any car. Exactly what wire was this? You did get a written estimate/workorder, right? What exactly does it say? What did they find on the engine diagnostic? What codes? .."The machanic reves up my engine for 5-10mins. to burn oil in cyclinders". If you have that much oil in your cylinders, you have serious mechanical problems anyway, and not the fault of Midas. Now, for the million dollar question! WHY, exactly do you feel Midas owes you a new engine? What exactly did they damage? Please explain.

Was this a real mechanic, because that is bizarre unless you mean water. The only oil in your cylinders is supposed to be there. The air filter needed to be changed, that's a given. If it was wet, you went in deeper than a "puddle," and I'd be seriously looking for a new car, because water damage is a never-ending nightmare.

I've bogged down my car a few times by hitting big puddles. I usually let if sit for an hour and it'd fix itself. If you have an older car, sometimes water can get into the distributor, whicgh usually requires removing the cap and spraying contact cleaner into it. In some cases, you can blon an ignition modules due to excessive water, but only if theres a a crack in the ceramic housing of it. What's the year, make a model of your car. Did your engive throw a rod or something?