OK, I guess all chain muffler shops are probably bad, but I had found a hot rodder manager at the local Mieneke muffler shop here in Katy TExas who at least seem to understand what I was talking about. Ive got SLP headers to install and I just havent' got around to doing it, I checked with this guy a few weeks ago and he told me $200 with no problems. OK this is a pretty good price I know. But I go there today and that guys is gone and he is replaced with the ******** of the year. This guy is used to dealing with women driving Expeditions all day long. He tells me that it is illegal to put a cutout in front of the CATS. Now I didn't think so, it would be closed and only opened for off road use, but I could be wrong, so I give him the benefit of the doubt. I tell him I have stage 8 header bolts, and he says oh "grade 8" and I so no, not grade 8 hardness, but stage 8 special bolts for not backing out. He's not listening. ANyway I tell him about the $200 the guy had mentioned and he says "Im not interested". What? IM the client jackwad!! I didn't say you have to do it for that. Anyway, I guess I should expect this kind of hurry in, out the door, little work, charge a lot, philosophy. Thats the way these shops work.

If you want it right, youve got to do it yourself. I knew this but just forgot in my busy schedule. I can do it better and for no money, just my time and bruised knuckles.
Meineke sucks!

 

very true- and a price of $200 is a great price i wish i could find a price like that. u should have done it while u can --

 

Yeah, I kind of knew that $200 was a good price, but I didn't say this new guy HAD to do it for that, I did mention it because the other guy had said that. This guy should have said, "Well sir, (sir not really necessary but appreciated), I can't do it for that but I could do it for $300" or whatever, instead of crappy attitude, "Im not interested in doing it". I had a similar experience when I took the car to Mikes Muffler to have the Borla catback put on. I watched the guy doing other cars and they just pop them out fast. When he came to my car it was like, (whiny voice) OH wow man, this slightly different than a quick perfect installation, or something like that. I guess its a job and you get tired of it.

On the other hand, Im the customer and I can choose to go somewhere else, and will. NO Mieneke, no Mike's

 

yeah it took me awhile to do headers myself but at least i still had the car with me and if i broke something i broke it and not some shop that might not tell me they broke something and could cause problems.

 

You would think that some one worked in a place like that, they would have some idea of what you want to do. WRONG. I went to the local midas to get a price on a custom y-pipe for a dual cat set-up. He insisted that third generation camaro did not come from the factory with dual cats. I showed the dip-sh_t my car, and I happened to have a camaro history book inside my car at the time. The guy felt foolish after that.

 

Man I have to thank my lucky stars that we have a good exhaust shop here in town that knows what he is doing. I took my car in yesterday to have the y-pipie made for my hedman lt's and he let me watch the entire thing, made sure I was happy with the way he was doing it plus we B.S.'d the whole time about cars.

 

I'm not certain, but it probably is illegal to install the cutout before the cats. No shop here in Illinois will do it because its illegal. I'd save the money and install them yourself.