KwikFit - Overcharging, Lying Robbers - Avoid - I saved £400!

[budwieser]

Originally Posted by marky

Its the rubber bushes on the end of the anti roll bar

Oh, Anti rollbar bushes. Cheers.

[Escapee]

Quite a few employees at my last place of work in Tewkesbury used the Peugeot dealer, because they had a Rapid fit centre. I took it in for an oil change and had problems because they said my link bushes front and rear were worn, and both CV boots were split. They said it would be "£6 00 thank you sir" I said no thanks as I had replaced the one CV boot about 3 weeks earlier. The front link bushes were worn and I picked a pair up for £18 each at the motor factor, they were considerably better made than the original french crap and took about 20 minutes a side to fit.

I heard lots of similar stories and recently heard one about a timing belt problem causing hundreds of pounds worth of damage, it had been fitted at the same garage about 10 months ago. One of the guys I worked with took his Fiat Multipla in there for a service and they got the wrong rear brake shoes, they reluctantly put the car back together for him to go home and it leaked all the fluid out on the motorway because they had not re-fitted a part correctly.

Its a lottery with garages, and main dealers can often be a very bad experience.

[etccarmageddon]

I've had no problems with kwik fit - when I've taken the car in for new tyres they've always advised me not to bother when they think there is still enough tread. I think it'd down to the branch you deal with - the one I deal with usually is managed by a lad who has been working there for at least 10 years and is a decent lad.

[handyman]

For another recomendation, Whilst the actual car sales part of Stoneacre Middlesbrough is a shambles and you be avoided at all times the service side is 1st class A1. Whilst they are targeted for amount of work done they do it through getting repeat business.

[ad14211]

the reason i used kwik fit was because my insurance company MORE THAN gave me a free MOT if i renewed my insurance with them, but the MOT had to be with my local Kwik Fit branch. Anyway they performed the MOT and phoned me to say my brakes needed replacing and will cost around £400. I was going to tell them to do the work because my mother was very ill at the time and could do without the hassel ,however i told them to do one but they said i would have to pay for a re test £55 if a took it somewhere else. i took it too my usual mechanic and he said the brakes would be OK for At Leat another year with the mileage i do. I've just had it MOT'd for this year and been told the brakes should last at least for another 6 months. Suppose the moral of the story is there is no such thing as a free MOT and I will never use Kwik Fit again.

Originally Posted by ad14211

the reason i used kwik fit was because my insurance company MORE THAN gave me a free MOT if i renewed my insurance with them, but the MOT had to be with my local Kwik Fit branch. Anyway they performed the MOT and phoned me to say my brakes needed replacing and will cost around £400. I was going to tell them to do the work because my mother was very ill at the time and could do without the hassel ,however i told them to do one but they said i would have to pay for a re test £55 if a took it somewhere else. i took it too my usual mechanic and he said the brakes would be OK for At Leat another year with the mileage i do. I've just had it MOT'd for this year and been told the brakes should last at least for another 6 months. Suppose the moral of the story is there is no such thing as a free MOT and I will never use Kwik Fit again.

You do realise this thread is 5 yrs old

Anywhoo in relation to your experience ,you did get your free MOT ,and of course you will have pay for a re test because your car failed ,the re test is normally at a reduced price or free if done within a 7 day period at the same test center ,but if you go elsewhere you will have to pay full price because a different test center will have to do a full test .Don't forget that an MOT test is now computerised and your car is now registered as a fail in the DVLA data base and will not be updated unless you get a pass certificate
The other thing to remember is that MOT's are subjective .One tester may have a differing opinion to another ,they will be close but not identical depending on how strict a tester is and since all the testers have said your breaks need doing soon i would get them done

[Sirius]

Originally Posted by martyh

You do realise this thread is 5 yrs old

Anywhoo in relation to your experience ,you did get your free MOT ,and of course you will have pay for a re test because your car failed ,the re test is normally at a reduced price or free if done within a 7 day period at the same test center ,but if you go elsewhere you will have to pay full price because a different test center will have to do a full test .Don't forget that an MOT test is now computerised and your car is now registered as a fail in the DVLA data base and will not be updated unless you get a pass certificate
The other thing to remember is that MOT's are subjective .One tester may have a differing opinion to another ,they will be close but not identical depending on how strict a tester is and since all the testers have said your breaks need doing soon i would get them done

When you mention Kwikfit to a friend of mine he always says you cant get any more crooked than a kwikfit fitter, I think he had a bad do with them at some point.

Personally i find them fine and have never had a problem with them.

I however agree with TheBluRajah's original opinion.

Originally Posted by martyh

You do realise this thread is 5 yrs old

So what?


for the poster for managing to do a search and adding to the thread. Keeps it all nice and neat! :Angel:

[Welshchris]

Kwik fit even lost the contract for Motability a few years ago because of complaints. My dad had a focus and a puncture in one of the back tyres and took it to them as they had the contract for Motability at the time. There was no one else in the garage at the time and no other cars in. It took them almost 3/4 of an hour to sort it out so much for Kwik Fit! My friend who lives in Plymouth also had a large payout from them after he was on Holiday in Western Supermare and had a puncture and took his car in for repair. On the way home his mrs said she could hear a rattling sound from the back of the car and thought it was was the baby so they pulled over. He checked the wheel they had repaired to discover that the wheel nuts hadnt been tightened and the wheel was moving around and vibrating. I will never deal with them.

[Hom3r]

I can say I have never had any problems with Kwik Fit.

But I now get my sevicing & MOTs by yhe local Ford dealer, it may cost a bit more but I get genuine Ford parts installed.

What car do you own to warrent £400 for brakes? I paid £200 for front discs and pads on my 55 plate Mondeo, and that was at Ford.

[Lord Nikon]

Front discs, under 20 each, pads, about 18 a set. fit them myself. Oh, Mustn't forget - brake cleaner about 4 quid for a can. (New discs are coated in grease to stop them rusting.)

[papa smurf]

we use kwikfit for our fleet of vans- my experience is they aint quick and rarely have the right tyres in stock, but if you have hours to waste sat in their draughty reception go for it , i can honestly say its never been an enjoyable experience compared to other tyre fitting company's which are imo much more efficient .

Originally Posted by papa smurf

we use kwikfit for our fleet of vans- my experience is they aint quick and rarely have the right tyres in stock, but if you have hours to waste sat in their draughty reception go for it , i can honestly say its never been an enjoyable experience compared to other tyre fitting company's which are imo much more efficient .

I've used National tyres before and found them good ,as it happens i only went there because the Kwikfit 200yrds up the road was out of stock for transit tyres ,i mean it's only the most popular van on the road

[papa smurf]

Originally Posted by martyh

I've used National tyres before and found them good ,as it happens i only went there because the Kwikfit 200yrds up the road was out of stock for transit tyres ,i mean it's only the most popular van on the road

thats what i always find no trany tyres- there's millions of them on the roads and it always comes as a surprise when you ask for one