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

jlrtech

some of the patrols i work with (aa) swear by nationwide/halfords autocenters , and that just says it all :rotfl:. they will con you 95% of the time , who in there right mind would pay 116 quid for front pads !

bluebird111

I have just taken up the half price MOT offer and was failed on the headlamp aim being too low on one side. This is something that seems to crop up on every MOT I have (speed bumps, vibrations etc to blame i'm guessing), but I have never been failed or charged for it- the garage will normally just sort it out and mention that they have adjusted it for me.

I was charged £12.49 to adjust the lamp taking the total cost to £39.91.

Something to bear in mind if you are taking up this offer, they tend to be mean on the things that your local garage would let slide. It still worked out a few quid cheaper than normal, but I wouldn't bother again- would rather give my money to a local business.

pitkin2020

In fairness to these sorts of places you have two types of outlet, the good or the bad. There is no middle ground just like kwik fit. You will either have an excellent level of service and everything is done as should without being ripped off or you get the other end of the scale where they will literally bend you over the counter and ride you till you scream for mercy lol.

I have used places like this when and only when every other option isn't available but the service is so hit and miss its just worth it. Perfect example above by bluebird. Yes you saved a few quid on the MOT but you got charged for adjusting a headlamp, had the bulb blown you probably would have been charged for the bulb, plus fitting. I know my local garage when doing an MOT will sort out the little things they can do there and then like bulbs etc and you just pay for the part they are the sort of places where customer service matters and they want you to come back. These chains rarely care as most of them are just employees of a faceless company.

s_b

These chains rarely care as most of them are just employees of a faceless company.

on bonus and target
dont do target--sacked
dont do bonus--minimum wage

Keeop

Very interesting!

Took my Beamer in for an MOT, a.) because of the half price offer and b.) becasue it's the nearest 'garage' to my place of work.

Failed on headlamps and not enough oil to test emissions! Result, adjusted headlights and an oil top up, which I can't prove actually happened. So, in the end, it cost more than a standard priced MOT.

I'm pretty sure I was stitched. The main dealer replaced my front lights six months ago and would assume they'd aline them properly? They also serviced the car 11 months ago and it has only done about 3000 miles since. It is just over 4 years old btw. So, I'm pretty sure I was taken for a ride but because they fixed the probs themselves, I couldn't check it elsewhere.

Moral? Never going there again. It's interesting to hear that others have been pulled up on the same issues, when using the half price offer. Very interesting.

Cheers.
Keeop

tandf

Of course there's no excuse for a customer being ripped off whether it's by a main dealer, an independent or a fast-fit type chain. Maybe I've been lucky but I think I've always been dealt with fairly by the local kwik fit. I once took a car in with what I thought was a blowing exhaust. Turned out to be a problem with a clamp which they changed for free.

They must be under tremendous pressure to sell. On another occasion sitting in the waiting area I couldn't help but overhear a telephone conversation one of the lads was having. It was clear he had been promoted to manager but couldn't stand the pressure to hit targets so had reverted to the ranks. "At least I'll be able to sleep at nights" he said.

mcjordi

first post praising kwik fit? hmmmm

WhiteHorse

TiTheRev wrote: »

...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?

Bullseye. A friend of mine has just had this very experience.

mikey72

My local (full price) mot station checked my sidelights. Hit the rear cluster a couple of times, it came back on, he passed it.

Road_Hog

tandf wrote: »

Of course there's no excuse for a customer being ripped off whether it's by a main dealer, an independent or a fast-fit type chain. Maybe I've been lucky but I think I've always been dealt with fairly by the local kwik fit. I once took a car in with what I thought was a blowing exhaust. Turned out to be a problem with a clamp which they changed for free.

Hello Mr.Kwik-Fit, nice of you to drop in.