Chev milks clients!

Not sure if this is the right forum or not,

My mother just took her malibu into the local dealer to get her oil changed and they tell her her muffler is connected to a pipe underneath and they say the whole thing needs to be replaced, they quted her something like $500+ (CDN) dollars to use "GM" parts and $260CDN for aftermarket parts. I have a haunting suspicion she is getting ripped off but I have no knowledge of cars at the moment, can anyone recommend perhaps shed some light on this situation?


Reply
Ya, forget taking it to GM if the warranty won't cover it. Tell her to take it to a muffler shop like Midas, for they have pretty consistent fees and you don't have to worry about getting ripped off if you have no clue on the matter.

Books: There are plenty out there, depending on how in depth you want to go.

Online: http://autozine.kyul.net/technical_school/tech_index.htm
also http://www.howstuffworks.com

But remember, we here are ready to answer any of your questions.