ykp53

well the answer to my break problems is the proportion valve is stuck. i have no rear breaks at all. midas says they want 250-300 to replace it. the part is only 65 from zip. they are saying it will take 4 hours of labor. is this really that hard of a job. or is it a weekend job? i think they see a corvette and think i have deep pockets or they just dont want to do it so they are raising their price.

daniel77350

the guys that did my breaks charged me $300 and all they did was replace 1 rubber hose, that they cut, and bled the breaks. I was po'ed, the only reason I didn't do the breaks myself was because I didn't know what I was doing. I have since learned to do what needs to be done, it won't go there again...I think you can do it alone, but i heard horror stories about it being difficult to get to with the engine in the car. :lol: I say go for it.

Daniel

Jester69Stingray

Dont ever go to MIdas for anything. You will get charged 2-3 times to much for anything there at least that has been my experience. I have found that there is not really anything i cant fix on my car with the proper tools and a manual.

ZD75blue

I got qouted at midas for an exhaust system for the '75 they wanted right over 1000 dollars, just for the pipe not the labor. I said no way, it would have been custom anyway... the fella said i would have to take it back for touch ups to make sure i paid them abunch uh to make sure that it fit perfectly :rolleyes:

ZD

SLVRCPE

I just replaced the valve on my 74 , this is not a 300 dollar job thats for sure!
Just make sure you have the right tools ( Flare nut wrenches, and not a cheap set) and the job is not that hard.. took me roughly 3 hours and most of that time was looking for the right tools in a messy garage. :jester

daily_driver

3 hours is way too long hehehehheeh!!!

lets say 30 min......

and dont forget the flare wrenches....

PRNDL

shouldnt 4 hours at midas be $40? I had them bump out my 2.2" elbows to fit onto my 2.5" mufflers. They charged me $10 for 2. That's about all I would let them do. MJ

ykp53

his estimate has a $55/hr labor charge on it and that is also what the sign with the prices says. i think i will do it myself and spend the 200+ on other toys. :lol: :lol:

Tom454

I went to a local Midas shop recently (Saturday) just to ask a simple question (was dual exhaust a factory option on any 1986 smallblock Silverado pickups). The DF (dumb f...) that answered my question had such a wise-butt, snotty, obnoxious, rude attitude that I will never go back there even to ask directions. I just smiled, said thank you, and walked away. I wonder if that Franchise owner knows how his help are treating customers?

Anyhow, the brake job can be a real PITA if you have rusty lines. If the lines are rusty, they will sometimes rust-weld to the flare nuts. Then, when you try to turn the nuts, the brake line twists and breaks off. If possible, I use heat (and penetrating oil) to free up the lines. Sometimes they are so rusty that even a torch will not save them. If that's the case, you will need an inverted flare tool to fix the lines, or new lines. This is very common if the car has been exposed to salt.

Mild climate cars do not typically have this problem... but it does happen.