Dangerous incompetence from Kwik-Fit

bluewater

I had new disks and brake pads fitted to my car a month ago by Kwik-Fit at a cost of £264.59. Last week my wife was driving on a motorway and had occasio to brake quite hard and there were no brakes! She only narrowly avoided an accident. She coaxed the car home and I noticed brake fluid on the front offside tyre and on checking the brake fluid resevoir it was almost empty. I took the car to my local garage who reported that the brake pipe had been fitted the wrong way round and so had been rubbing on the tyre and it had eventually worn through. They replaced the pipe at a cost og £90.

I think that Kwik-Fit should at least pay for this repair but how should I approach them? Should I write to the branch concerned or their head office. Would a letter from a solicitor be better than one from me? Shoild I lay it on strong or be measured and reasonable? Any help in dealing with this would be appreciated. Thanks

Tozer

Have you made any contact with them yet?

Without being nasty, why the hell did your wife "coax" the car home if there were no brakes??????

dacouch

Should have used Kwik Fit inn Redruff as apparatly they are the nuts

The_Pedant

If you're able to get any sort of statement from the garage, outlining their findings then you would be in a far, far better position to proceed with a claim against Kwik Fit.

I would probably feel inclined to send an initial, strongly worded letter outlining your claim to the local branch, and probably send a copy to head-office. This covers both bases, so to speak.

Brooker_Dave

bluewater wrote: »

I had new disks and brake pads fitted to my car a month ago by Kwik-Fit at a cost of £264.59. Last week my wife was driving on a motorway and had occasio to brake quite hard and there were no brakes! She only narrowly avoided an accident. She coaxed the car home and I noticed brake fluid on the front offside tyre and on checking the brake fluid resevoir it was almost empty. I took the car to my local garage who reported that the brake pipe had been fitted the wrong way round and so had been rubbing on the tyre and it had eventually worn through. They replaced the pipe at a cost og £90.

I think that Kwik-Fit should at least pay for this repair but how should I approach them? Should I write to the branch concerned or their head office. Would a letter from a solicitor be better than one from me? Shoild I lay it on strong or be measured and reasonable? Any help in dealing with this would be appreciated. Thanks

Why would anyone remove a brake (flexi?) pipe to do a pads and discs change?

Wayne3765

Brooker_Dave wrote: »

Why would anyone remove a brake (flexi?) pipe to do a pads and discs change?

I'd guess it was to stop the weight of the caliper pulling on the pipe.

Most people just tie the caliper up so the weight is off the pipe but as a lot of krap fit staff probably have trouble doing their laces up.....................

Brooker_Dave

Wayne3765 wrote: »

I'd guess it was to stop the weight of the caliper pulling on the pipe.

But then you'd have to bleed the brakes?

Nobody doing a discs and pads change would take the flexi pipes off.

Wayne3765

Brooker_Dave wrote: »

But then you'd have to bleed the brakes?

.

Obviously , I'm not trying to say that they did the right thing in taking the flexi off just suggesting a reason why they might have done it.

Brooker_Dave wrote: »

Nobody doing a discs and pads change would take the flexi pipes off.

Like I said above - Most people would just tie the caliper up but we are talking about krap fit here.

Probably someone stood there for 10 minutes wondering how to get the disc off with the caliper dangling in the way and thought " I'll use one of those molegrip thingies to take it off "

Brooker_Dave

Wayne3765 wrote: »

Obviously , I'm not trying to say that they did the right thing in taking the flexi off just suggesting a reason why they might have done it.



Like I said above - Most people would just tie the caliper up but we are talking about krap fit here.

Probably someone stood there for 10 minutes wondering how to get the disc off with the caliper dangling in the way and thought " I'll use one of those molegrip thingies to take it off "

But why take the flexi off altogether, you'd just take it off at the caliper, this story makes no sense.

CHR15

If you take the flexi off, you can charge more money than you could have for a disc and pad change maybe.

I doubt I am the only one to think only the pads needed changing in the first place without even knowing more about the condidtion of the discs

Brooker_Dave

CHR15 wrote: »

If you take the flexi off, you can charge more money than you could have for a disc and pad change maybe.

I doubt I am the only one to think only the pads needed changing in the first place without even knowing more about the condidtion of the discs

But why take the flexis off?

It would be a pointless thing to do.