Kwik Fit Warning -- wanted £405 for £30 repair

zabi89

I always take my car to small independent garages, they always seem to be much more honest with me and don't attempt to rip me off unlike the main dealerships or companies like Kwik-fit.

fivetide

Ebe_Scrooge wrote: »

Yes, I suppose you're right. I'm lucky in that I've a got a small independant guy in my village who's an absolute diamond, so I never have the need to visit these big chains anyway. I can imagine that in larger cities these "local guys" are harder to come by, so many folk end up being duped by the big boys

I think it is the Tesco convenience mentality.

Too many people either forgo regular maintainence, thinking the MOT will cover it or only go when they have a issue. Kwik-Fit play on the convenience of being a drive in service.

My local independent is great but drive in service? No chance. He's booked up two or three days in advance and rightly so. Unfortunately in today's "want it now" society the equivalent of a motoring supermarket is an attractive proposition for many.

londonTiger

Even £408 is too dear for full pad, disc, fluid bleed. I parts should be £120 max, labour depends, if it's a make specialist they'll know all the tools the need and best way to change them - 1.5 hours,. If they're Kwak fit who work with all makes and are in experienced they might fumble around with it for up to 4 hours

KwikStitch

On the topic of subjective opinions on what needs fixing on a car, consider this:

Kwik Fit Fitter: "needs new brake discs and pads at £405"

BMW Specialist (BMW dealership trained, and now with his own independent BMW garage): "The discs are fine, the pads have 10,000 to 18,000 miles on them, all it needed was a handbrake adjustment at £30."

I know which "subjective" opinion I'd trust on this. Especially with Kwik Fit's track record of appearing on TV and in the press for the wrong reasons.

It's a shame that Trading Standards are so toothless and only put the complaint "on file". Probably with the 10,000's of others.

Kwik Fit shouldn't be allowed to get away with it.

worried_jim

Well though won't with you anymore! At least you didn't get stung by them and went elsewhere. Lesson learnt.

tykesi

cootuk wrote: »

10,000 miles could be under a years mileage for some people

Your point being?

BeenThroughItAll

londonTiger wrote: »

Even £408 is too dear for full pad, disc, fluid bleed. I parts should be £120 max, labour depends, if it's a make specialist they'll know all the tools the need and best way to change them - 1.5 hours,. If they're Kwak fit who work with all makes and are in experienced they might fumble around with it for up to 4 hours

Even Kwikfit won't take that long, unless they put the receptionist on it. They'll be out from under the arches in an hour max (possibly just over, so they can charge 2 hours!), no one should be able to take more than 20 minutes a side for discs and pads in a fully equipped workshop. I can do a set in the works car park in under an hour including properly cleaning mating faces, sliders, etc.


£120 for parts could be right in this case but it's a massive assumption to get to it being a max. Half-decent set of discs and pads for an 'M' car could be easily more than that trade, and probably thrice that retail.

KwikStitch

The car is a standard 2008 3 series (not an M Sport or anything special).

zabi89

cootuk wrote: »

10,000 miles could be under a years mileage for some people

Still not the point. It's still a lot of miles still left and those brakes could last a much longer time depending on annual mileage. How did Kwik-fit know how many mines they do? They could rarely use the car and do 2000 a year? meaning the brakes could last another 5 year.

spacey2012

The junk parts they fit would have worn out far quicker than the old ones as well.