Car Services and MOT - Special Offers at Halfords/Nationwide Autocentre

moneybabe

Thought I'd share some offers I've seen recently at Halfords Autocentre for MOTs and Services. Following the recent takeover by Halfords they are doing some special deals which are detailed on the Halfords website or the Nationwide Autocentre web page (via Halfords. These include half price MOT and reductions on all services and a combined service and MOT. - You can book on line.

TiTheRev

...and there's a good reason for that. You will get a fail certificate followed by a bill for brakes/exhausts/suspension work that can 'easily' be rectified while the car is there. £20 MOT, but guaranteed bill for potentially unnecessary work afterwards. It's all about getting unsuspecting consumers through the door with the cheap MOT and then creaming the work off them for the 'failures'.

Barge pole and dont touch?

somech

i'll give you an insight into this company when you drop off your car for a service you'll be asked if you want to flush the engine oil with a tin of £20 powermaxx you get offered a fuel cleaner treatment £20, theres a 99% chance your car will fail the mot, on the service you'll be sold an antifreeze change £27 brake fluid change £30 wheel alignment £22 and wheel balance £5.99 per wheel add these little bits on to the basic service price and its not quite the bargain deal it seems.

managers are told to push these extras and report their sales every night to their area managers. anyone with an ounce of common sense would'nt go near them

pwllbwdr

None of which happened when I took my car there for an MOT last month.

somech

pwllbwdr wrote: »

None of which happened when I took my car there for an MOT last month.

the add on's i qouted are service based and not used for mot's

Venezia

Horrid company, horrid staff. Car failed last week - refused their offer to have the work done by them and the guy/manager became very rude. Went to a different garage and had the work done considerably cheaper. Took it for retest and we were kept waiting for over 5 hours with the excuse that they were short staffed, hmm. Only went there to use up my Tesco coupons. Lesson learned, will stick to our Local council testing station in future.

Road_Hog

Normally I'd stay a barge pole length away from these sorts of offers, for the reasons already stated.

However, I had a car to go in for its first MOT (08 plate), which had only done 15K and had had a main dealer service just before Christmas. So I felt that either Halfords/Nationwide were going to pass it or the main dealer was going to do the work for free since anything should have been picked up in the service (yes, I know there is a slight chance that something new could have happened between Xmas & Feb).

Sailed straight through, with just an advisory on the front pads (which I will replace myself soon) and on the windscreen wiper. An MOT for £27, result. Bet there aren't many cars that make it through without some fault being found.

myhooose

Had a service and an MOT done for our 03 Scenic there recently, booked online at a reduced rate. It passed the MOT ok. No extras were pushed, they just took the keys and rang me when it was ready. Main reason for going there was it was open on Saturdays and the MOT was about to run out. The week after I took my 03 clio for a half price MOT booked on line. I was half expecting it to be failed on something but it passed ok, Again no extras were pushed.

atrixblue.-MFR-.

nationwide autocentres is part of the IFA, so any branch can buy parts from a motor factor (IFA registered as parts are booked to them through the IFA portal system) as part of the alliance at a set rate discount, they pay very little for service parts as its their main work factor, they then sell these parts to customers for full RRP's making a wide profit on exhausts, service and suspension and braking jobs.

with warrenty work they asked to to supply main dealer parts, we would buy them in cost plus 10% they would then sell them at RRP plus 10% profit +vat.

the amount of jobs they bodged up was unreal, the stuff sent back for warrenty claims shouldnt of been sent back as their so easy to fit. we've had callipers back,stearing racks, suspension tops rounded off, timing belts, head gaket sets, valves,brake hoses. rear drum shoes shredded chipped or bent, cv boots kits torn. and man did they lose bolts and nuts we used to buy them in packs of them to stock up on every few weeks.

i wouldnt trust them to change a tyre valve cap.

Road_Hog

Just following on from my original post. There were two advisories on the MOT pass. One the windscreen wipers, which were just starting to fray at the tips and secondly the front brake pads.

The pads they said would need to be replaced within the month. So I bought a pair of pads from the local motor factors and went to fit them today, a month after the MOT.

The pads still have a good six months left on them (average mileage), about a third of the pad left.

Nice try Halfords, how many would have just agreed to have the pads replaced there and then.

Road_Hog

Sorry to bump this up again, but I had to just post this.

I didn't look at the test sheet and quote, because it was the wife's car and I was primarily concerned with getting the MOT certificate so that the tax disc could be renewed at the end of Feb.

The wife dug out the quote sheet. Over £116 just to replace the front brake pads, no discs, just pads. They wanted about £24 to replace the front windscreen wiper blades. £140 for front pads and wiper blades, nice work if you can get it.