Blown exhaust - underneath all corroded

atrixblue.-MFR-.

MaggieBaking wrote: »

As already discussed, I was pleased with Kwik Fit's service - have no complaints and would happily go there again. I get the feeling a lot of people in the trade think that they're stealing business, underpaying their mechanics and do bodge jobs. I am sure all of these things are true in some form - however if they were all as crap as you say they would have been out of business already.

They replaced our exhaust 2 years ago, and as I've already mentioned the corrosion in our car is beyond the bit they replaced so what they've done still works fine.

kwick !!!!!! can be good for exhausts, depending on make and model and branch. but has a bad rep for doing a discounted MOT then failing your car for needless work that costs £££'s to fix and shock you into thinking your cars going to kill you or a pedestrian if you drive it and should leave with them to save you your family and the rest of the world. unfortunatly they will stay in buisiness, they have a exhaust side to them that is handy but anything mecanicle i would stay clear of.

most common things they will fail or give advisories for but NOT ACTUALY ANYTHING WRONG WITH THEM ARE:

tyres, shock absorbers, top mounts, springs, discs,pads,drums,shoes,catayctic converters,exhaust system,wheel bearings, wipers, bulbs, engine mounts, gearbox mounts, hand brake cables.

then they express that you should have the engine serviced.

pitkin2020

MaggieBaking wrote: »

As already discussed, I was pleased with Kwik Fit's service - have no complaints and would happily go there again. I get the feeling a lot of people in the trade think that they're stealing business, underpaying their mechanics and do bodge jobs. I am sure all of these things are true in some form - however if they were all as crap as you say they would have been out of business already.

They replaced our exhaust 2 years ago, and as I've already mentioned the corrosion in our car is beyond the bit they replaced so what they've done still works fine.

NO offence but your a kwik fit customer through and through. You were talking of almost scrapping a car over an exhaust and asking if it was safe to drive, so I would say you have very little knowledge of cars. Thats not a bad thing at all but like I said your the exact type of customer kwik fit love. They did you a repair by the sounds of because you probably didn't want to shell out for a complete system. As they did a repair the first time your likely to go back to have the whole system replaced when the time comes......big money for the single part plus fitting.

I would put money on it if you went back for a quote they would now tell you the whole lot has to be replaced in one piece, they suddenly wouldn't be able to weld another section in......

MaggieBaking

pitkin2020 wrote: »

NO offence but your a kwik fit customer through and through. You were talking of almost scrapping a car over an exhaust and asking if it was safe to drive, so I would say you have very little knowledge of cars. Thats not a bad thing at all but like I said your the exact type of customer kwik fit love. They did you a repair by the sounds of because you probably didn't want to shell out for a complete system. As they did a repair the first time your likely to go back to have the whole system replaced when the time comes......big money for the single part plus fitting.

I would put money on it if you went back for a quote they would now tell you the whole lot has to be replaced in one piece, they suddenly wouldn't be able to weld another section in......

I'm confused that you feel you've "found me out" about my lack of knowledge of cars. Obviously people who are mechanics don't take their cars to Kwik Fit. They know of a cheaper, better solution, or garage to go to. Trades know trades.

My builder recommended I went to a garage in the back end of nowhere in a dodgy looking industrial estate to get the nail taken out of my tyre, I did and it cost me £6. I'm sure that Kwik Fit would have charged a lot more and some mechanics in Kwik Fit would have recommended a new tyre.

As for my panics to do with the car - I was unaware what further corrosion had caused damage under the car, as said my husband will need to drive 10 hours motorway driving in a week and I was worried he wouldn't be safe. My car is worth under £1k, if it needed a new exhaust system (at maybe £400?) it would possibly be the end of the car's life. The car has been corroded for years and I have no doubt that the cost of sorting out that problem will eventually be prohibitive.

All I'm saying is that Kwik Fit do a service that suits the average joe well sometimes. In the same way many will still shop at Tescos, even through they know they could get superior meat at a better price from their local butcher.

pendulum

pitkin2020 wrote: »

NO offence but your a kwik fit customer through and through. You were talking of almost scrapping a car over an exhaust and asking if it was safe to drive...

Nail on the head there!

MaggieBaking wrote: »

... I get the feeling a lot of people in the trade think that they're stealing business, underpaying their mechanics and do bodge jobs.

Trade knows what they're like but so does clued up public.
Add something else to your list: adding unnecessary work. It's their biggest crime.
Did you know they've been on Watchdog for it?

People go there because of the heavy advertising and availability of branches... and because they don't know better.

If you don't know much about cars and you keep using Kwik Fit you will get burned

mikey72

pendulum wrote: »

Nail on the head there!


Trade knows what they're like but so does clued up public.
Add something else to your list: adding unnecessary work. It's their biggest crime.
Did you know they've been on Watchdog for it?

People go there because of the heavy advertising and availability of branches... and because they don't know better.

If you don't know much about cars and you keep using Kwik Fit you will get burned

If you don't know cars and use a dodgy back street garage you'll get burnt.
At least Kwik Fit will be there tomorrow, and if you complain, you'll usually get some sort or aftersales.
If you complain to a dodgy backstreet garage they might not be as approachable.

pendulum

Which is why it's so important to find a friendly garage run by an older (experienced) mechanic who comes recommended and has a reputation to keep. And not a dodgy backstreet garage OR Kwik Fit.

MaggieBaking

pendulum wrote: »

Nail on the head there!

Again, my problem wasn't just the corroded exhaust - the whole underneath of the car has a serious problem with corrosion. Knowing it's put a hole in the exhaust system means that there could be further problems that I wasn't aware of as they wouldn't make such a noticeable noise!!!

And if the exhaust system did need replacing, which from my description you had no way of knowing how bad it was bad all over - I'm sure the car would be a write off.

pendulum

If you think your car needs a lot of extra work in addition to the exhaust, then that's even more reason to not go to Kwik Fit. Take it to a proper mechanic and pay a decent price for an honest job.
Kwik Fit don't even do all work. They may have left problems that they could not fix which a proper mechanic would pick up.

cyclonebri1

Why didn't you read this forum before you gave your lifesavings to Crikjcarp?????

There is seldom a good word to say of them on here. figure why???

pitkin2020

Maggiebaking I wasn't criticising you so please don't take offence, I am merely saying that so far you have come across as someone with very little knowledge when it comes to car, there are a lot of people just like you. Because you have very little knowledge you are likely to take what ever a mechanic says to you as complete and utter truth regardless if its a back street garage or kwik fit. The point is your far better using a local garage that has recommendations to a using a kwik fit who have targets to meet. Kwik fit will sell you a flange and a set of left handed threaded locking nuts if they thought they could get away with it. I'm no mechanic but I have a basic knowledge and if i'm unsure of something instead of getting the wallet out i'll get a 2nd opinion.

The other garage you mentioned means you can't get in for the work to be done for a week, what does that tell you!!! Find a kwik fit where they are so in demand that they can't get you on the ramps within an hour. I rarely use a garage as I have a very good mechanic friend but when I do need to use the garage I only use 1, who is a diesel specialist and he is booked solid for 2 weeks in advance, of course its always an inconvenience having to wait so long but I know he will fix whats wrong and I know I won't get raped when the bill comes in.

Mikey whilst I agree if you have a problem at kwik fit you MAY have some recourse for action by going above that depot where as a dodgy back street garage MAY tell you to get lost, hence your best to go with a garage that has a reputation not just a garage that pops up first in the yellow pages.

How many threads on here and many of the other motoring forums slate Kwik fit, yet day in day out they still continue to trade the way they have always done. A good local independent garage wouldn't be able to survive if it even got 10% of the criticism that kwik fit gets, the doors would be shut within a week. Of course there are dodgy garages out there, there is a dodgy guy in every trade but you can limit yourself by getting recommendations from people who have used them before, having a little bit knowledge goes a long way. Going into the garage with confidence also goes a long way, don't let them know you know jack about cars.