92 Lumina Muffler

[ksloss]

I am away at college right now and I know that sometimes Auto Service places can have a tendency to rip off young women when they go to get their car serviced. So I have a question. When I am in Drive but stopped underneath my car there is a loud clanking noise, is this my muffler? And how much should I expect to pay to get it fixed? Thank you so much for your help. It is greatly appreciated.

[dwalmop]

Could be a muffler, or a pipe somewhere else underneith leading to the muffler, or a hangar that holds everything up that has fallen apart. If it does need a cat-back exhaust, you can expect to pay up to about $200 to get it fixed, more if yours has a dual exhaust system. If you simply need a hangar replaced or something, it shouldn't be more than $25-$40.

[jeffcoslacker]

A more powerful aftermarket stereo will drown out most annoying sounds like that. From the way you stated it, it sounds like you don't hear it idling it nuetral or reverse? Chances are good it is just a broken hanger or heat shield. For that kind of work, I prefer the non-chain exhaust shops. They will usually just tack weld it down or cut it off, whichever is more feasable, and the cost is minimal. The chain stores will not (due to liability concerns) do any kind of quick and dirty repair like that, and they love to do their "inspection" and scare you with all the bad stuff they find under the car. This can be usuful if you know what you are looking at, but very intimidating to someone who doesn't. And they play on your ignorance of the systems under there to make you feel uncomfortable about not fixing it while you are there. Not wrong, or illegal or anything, just hard sell. As long as you actually need the service in question, there is no foul. But trying to pin down how serious it is, and how critical for it to be corrected and how soon can be tough. If you get a second opinion, never mention the first shop. See first if they spot the same problem, then find out their assessment of it. Compare cost and warrantee. If they don't see the problem the other shop spotted, mention it while the car is still hoisted, and go from there. If it becomes clear that the car actually needs the repair, and you have two shops involved now, the one with the car on their rack will usually do whatever it takes to get the job, beating the other guy's price, or whatever, so you are in a strong position at that point. Don't let them know that you aren't real savvy. Insist that they show you what is failing, and demonstrate how they can tell. Ask them what symtoms that would cause in driving the car, and see if you concurr. I never had a problem with customers who asked a lot of questions. In fact, I enjoyed giving lessons. That's because I never wanted to sell someone something they didn't need, or have them wonder if they did. I always let them in on the repair from start to finish. Find a place like that, and you'll do fine.