Wrestlers, drill sergeants and other television customers who told the Meineke muffler shop man they weren't going to pay a lot for their mufflers probably did if they lived in New York.
The city Department of Consumer Affairs, announcing the results of a two-month investigation, said customers paid an average $99 for muffler repairs at 20 Meineke Discount Muffler Shops in the city.The muffler chain, based in Charlotte, N.C., says in its advertisements it will replace and install a muffler for between $18.93 and $26.95.
"Our investigation found that the cost of going in for a muffler repair ranged from $60.20 to $303 - a far cry from the advertised maximum of $26.95," said Commissioner Angelo Aponte.
Meineke has agreed to withdraw its ads, which have run for several years and show Meineke satisfying disgruntled customers ranging from mummies to Secret Service agents.
During the investigation, inspectors took unmarked Department of Sanitation cars certified free of mechanical defects - except for a 2 1/2-inch hole punched into the side of the mufflers - to 20 Meineke franchises.
At 17 of 20 locations, Meineke wanted to charge between $29.88 and $65 for the muffler alone, more than the $26.95 price in the ad, and 10 of the shops wanted to charge extra for clamps and labor.
Of the three shops that agreed to sell the muffler at the advertised price, charges for pipes, clamps, labor and sometimes unnecessary repairs put the totals between $45 and $151, the department said.