Dodgy Kwik Fit

neilb740 · 6th July 2017, 12:09

Its an old video and you may have seen it before.
I only posted it because one of the mystery shopper cars they put in for service is a 75

just shows how these chain garages rip you off though!!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jHYrn6F4_LI

SCP440 · 6th July 2017, 16:22

As bad as Halfrauds in my view, I have enough horror stories on both of these outfits to fill a book.

The problem is they work on peoples fear of bad brakes and worn tyres.

The worse part in my view is they often rubbish componets for maximum profit in the beleif that the majority of people only keep there car a few years so are unlikely to ever bring it back for a warranty claim.

Dont even get me started on either outfit servicing A/C systems. Shall we just say they keep the rest of the A/C industry busy sorting there mistakes.

MSS · 6th July 2017, 16:34

We need to be careful with terminology - the likes of Kwik Fit & Halfords do not service your aircon. They recharge it using a machine that runs a standard programme.

I once took a car to my local Kwik Fit for an aircon recharge. The machine refused to recharge the system due to it not being able to hold vacuum. The operator gave me the number of an aircon service technician and sent me off without charging a single penny despite having spent 20 minutes on the car.

At the end of the day if you want expertise it costs.

Getting good service from any garage requires the car owner to build up a relationship with the chosen workshop that is mutually beneficial. Most owners just want a cheap fix to pass the MOT. Spend some time in any repair workshop - cars, garden machinery etc. - and you will see what I mean

I am not defending Kwik Fit, just highlighting that things are never quite as one-sided as we would like.

SCP440 · 6th July 2017, 20:37

As much as I agree with you a customer of mine went into Halfrauds with his Subaru for an A/C recharge and he was told they service at the same time, the receptonist obviouly thinks that machine services the system as it refills it?

Anyway while he waited there were several technicians looking at his car and eventually they had to admit they had a problem and the compressor on his car had split open

. When he took it somewhere else they reckond they muct have overfilled it to do that.

They offered to refill it for free if he had the car repaired, guess what he didnt go back.

HarryM1BYT · 7th July 2017, 08:25

My personal experience of them, is that if you must use them = use them only for a specific task you know needs to be done and ignore any suggestions they make for extra work they suggest needs to be done, or at least check yourself that it is essential work. If they get their hands on your car they will at best look for extras, at worst lie about unnecessary work. Often they will claim work has been done and just not do it, even when you have specifically ordered work done.

guru · 7th July 2017, 08:38

Going back a bit but Kwik-fit tried to rip me off Mrs Guru when she took the ZS there for tyres whilst I was working in the States. They basically told her that she needed new brake discs and pads all round.....not cheap on a ZS 180! Thankfully she called me and I told her to get the car back and take it to our regular mechanic. After doing the old 'we can't let you drive out of here with it in that condition' routine they eventually gave her the car back, she took it to the mechanic who confirmed that was absolutely nothing wrong with any of the discs or pads!

On the flip side though I've used their mobile tyre service a few times recently and to be fair they've been very good. I did have a problem after the rears were changed in the winter, one of the balancing weights came off the day after they fitted them but to their credit they came back out to the car less then 24 hours later and sorted the problem with no fuss. On the whole though I wouldn't use Kwik-fit for anything other then tyres.

Gate Keeper · 7th July 2017, 09:04

3 weeks ago, a tyre went to pieces on the M4 by Reading. After putting on the spare on with help, I went into the nearest KF to get the one tyre replaced and swapped back. A simple solution and I could carry on with the journey.

They seemed busy, all 14 bays had cars in them, but they were able to book me in fairly quickly

They said one tyre was not a good idea, that I needed 4, as the one change would not look right and could affect the driving of the car. They also said I needed Pirelli and with a discount it would cost £390 fitted for the four. I declined and just bought one tyre. With that came the free offer of laser alignment testing, which threw up a flaw in one of the wheels. It was out by 0.2. To put that right was £90 which I did not buy into. Job done and I went on my way

Rooney · 7th July 2017, 09:12

They're crooks.

They've always been crooks and they've always played on people's fears to extort money.

The worst kind of scammers imho

BoroRover · 7th July 2017, 19:26

Quote:

Originally Posted by Rooney

They're crooks.

They've always been crooks and they've always played on people's fears to extort money.

The worst kind of scammers imho

The full tyre check they carry out, whether you want it or not, is a precursor to a report that new tyres are needed as a matter of urgency. And an offer by KF to do the work of course. We members are savvy types, and smell a rat, but there are so many out there that don't know much about their cars, and submit to scare tactics, and handing over their hard earned. Shame .

Jim Jamieson · 8th July 2017, 07:29

I have to say I've visited two local Kwik Fit branches, one for my 75 MOT and another to repair a puncture on a family members car.

In both cases I received very good service.

Unfortunately I can't say the same about Parks' Jaguar Ayr.
They attempted to sell me new brake pads all round for my XF costing £540
According to Parks' my rear pads were worn 90% and front ones worn 80%
Six months later with a further 8k on the clock my brake pad indicator came on so I purchased a new set of pads. When I went to fit them they were only worn about 50%

Last September they failed my car on MOT saying it required new rear upper arms. Reluctantly I got the work done at a cost of £760 but later found the parts were not worn. This was confirmed by three other test stations.
I re fitted the original parts and got the car re tested with a pass.
The car is almost due again for test and I'm confident the suspension parts will pass again.

6th July 2017, 12:09	#1
neilb740 I really should get out more....... MG ZT 1.8 Join Date: Oct 2011 Location: Crewe Posts: 2,298 Thanks: 110 Thanked 362 Times in 237 Posts	Dodgy Kwik Fit Its an old video and you may have seen it before. I only posted it because one of the mystery shopper cars they put in for service is a 75 just shows how these chain garages rip you off though!! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jHYrn6F4_LI

6th July 2017, 16:34	#3
MSS This is my second home Rover 75CDT, Jaguar XF-S 3.0V6, V'xhall Omega V6 Estate, Twintop 1.8VVT, Astra Estate and Corsa 1.2 Join Date: Dec 2007 Location: Suffolk Posts: 7,083 Thanks: 283 Thanked 624 Times in 440 Posts	We need to be careful with terminology - the likes of Kwik Fit & Halfords do not service your aircon. They recharge it using a machine that runs a standard programme. I once took a car to my local Kwik Fit for an aircon recharge. The machine refused to recharge the system due to it not being able to hold vacuum. The operator gave me the number of an aircon service technician and sent me off without charging a single penny despite having spent 20 minutes on the car. At the end of the day if you want expertise it costs. Getting good service from any garage requires the car owner to build up a relationship with the chosen workshop that is mutually beneficial. Most owners just want a cheap fix to pass the MOT. Spend some time in any repair workshop - cars, garden machinery etc. - and you will see what I mean I am not defending Kwik Fit, just highlighting that things are never quite as one-sided as we would like. Last edited by MSS; 6th July 2017 at 17:48..

7th July 2017, 08:25	#5
HarryM1BYT This is my second home 75 Contemporary SE Mk II 2004 Man. Sal. CDTi 135ps, FBH on red diesel, WinCE6 DD Join Date: May 2010 Location: Leeds Posts: 17,273 Thanks: 2,160 Thanked 2,061 Times in 1,586 Posts	My personal experience of them, is that if you must use them = use them only for a specific task you know needs to be done and ignore any suggestions they make for extra work they suggest needs to be done, or at least check yourself that it is essential work. If they get their hands on your car they will at best look for extras, at worst lie about unnecessary work. Often they will claim work has been done and just not do it, even when you have specifically ordered work done. __________________ Harry How To's and items I offer for free, or just to cover the cost of my expenses... http://www.the75andztclub.co.uk/foru...40#post1764540 Fix a poor handbrake; DIY ABS diagnostic unit; Loan of the spanner needed to change the CDT belts; free OBD diagnostics +MAF; Correct Bosch MAF cheap; DVB-T install in an ex-hi-line system; DD install with a HK amp; FBH servicing. I've taken a vow of poverty. To annoy me, send money.

7th July 2017, 08:38	#6
guru Posted a thing or two MG ZT, Rover Sterling, MG ZS EV & BMW X5 Join Date: Nov 2010 Location: The Norfolk Broads Posts: 1,491 Thanks: 20 Thanked 196 Times in 117 Posts	Going back a bit but Kwik-fit tried to rip me off Mrs Guru when she took the ZS there for tyres whilst I was working in the States. They basically told her that she needed new brake discs and pads all round.....not cheap on a ZS 180! Thankfully she called me and I told her to get the car back and take it to our regular mechanic. After doing the old 'we can't let you drive out of here with it in that condition' routine they eventually gave her the car back, she took it to the mechanic who confirmed that was absolutely nothing wrong with any of the discs or pads! On the flip side though I've used their mobile tyre service a few times recently and to be fair they've been very good. I did have a problem after the rears were changed in the winter, one of the balancing weights came off the day after they fitted them but to their credit they came back out to the car less then 24 hours later and sorted the problem with no fuss. On the whole though I wouldn't use Kwik-fit for anything other then tyres. __________________ My car history http://m6jkk.com

6th July 2017, 16:22	#2
SCP440 I really should get out more....... MG ZT-T 260 Join Date: Feb 2016 Location: Witney Posts: 2,504 Thanks: 6 Thanked 910 Times in 571 Posts	As bad as Halfrauds in my view, I have enough horror stories on both of these outfits to fill a book. The problem is they work on peoples fear of bad brakes and worn tyres. The worse part in my view is they often rubbish componets for maximum profit in the beleif that the majority of people only keep there car a few years so are unlikely to ever bring it back for a warranty claim. Dont even get me started on either outfit servicing A/C systems. Shall we just say they keep the rest of the A/C industry busy sorting there mistakes.

6th July 2017, 20:37	#4
SCP440 I really should get out more....... MG ZT-T 260 Join Date: Feb 2016 Location: Witney Posts: 2,504 Thanks: 6 Thanked 910 Times in 571 Posts	As much as I agree with you a customer of mine went into Halfrauds with his Subaru for an A/C recharge and he was told they service at the same time, the receptonist obviouly thinks that machine services the system as it refills it? Anyway while he waited there were several technicians looking at his car and eventually they had to admit they had a problem and the compressor on his car had split open . When he took it somewhere else they reckond they muct have overfilled it to do that. They offered to refill it for free if he had the car repaired, guess what he didnt go back.

7th July 2017, 09:04	#7
Gate Keeper This is my second home 4X4 Join Date: Jul 2010 Location: Nairobi Posts: 20,050 Thanks: 8,286 Thanked 7,017 Times in 4,160 Posts	3 weeks ago, a tyre went to pieces on the M4 by Reading. After putting on the spare on with help, I went into the nearest KF to get the one tyre replaced and swapped back. A simple solution and I could carry on with the journey. They seemed busy, all 14 bays had cars in them, but they were able to book me in fairly quickly They said one tyre was not a good idea, that I needed 4, as the one change would not look right and could affect the driving of the car. They also said I needed Pirelli and with a discount it would cost £390 fitted for the four. I declined and just bought one tyre. With that came the free offer of laser alignment testing, which threw up a flaw in one of the wheels. It was out by 0.2. To put that right was £90 which I did not buy into. Job done and I went on my way

7th July 2017, 09:12	#8
Rooney Suspended MG ZT 135+ Rover 75 CDTi Tourer, 75 2.5 V6 Saloon Join Date: Oct 2014 Location: County Antrim Posts: 2,027 Thanks: 835 Thanked 882 Times in 557 Posts	They're crooks. They've always been crooks and they've always played on people's fears to extort money. The worst kind of scammers imho

8th July 2017, 07:29	#10
Jim Jamieson This is my second home Rover less ! Join Date: Jun 2011 Location: Tarbolton Posts: 3,442 Thanks: 393 Thanked 888 Times in 542 Posts	I have to say I've visited two local Kwik Fit branches, one for my 75 MOT and another to repair a puncture on a family members car. In both cases I received very good service. Unfortunately I can't say the same about Parks' Jaguar Ayr. They attempted to sell me new brake pads all round for my XF costing £540 According to Parks' my rear pads were worn 90% and front ones worn 80% Six months later with a further 8k on the clock my brake pad indicator came on so I purchased a new set of pads. When I went to fit them they were only worn about 50% Last September they failed my car on MOT saying it required new rear upper arms. Reluctantly I got the work done at a cost of £760 but later found the parts were not worn. This was confirmed by three other test stations. I re fitted the original parts and got the car re tested with a pass. The car is almost due again for test and I'm confident the suspension parts will pass again.