Service/MOT Please help

Marker_2

Desperate for advice here as am at my wits end with my car. Couple of issues so if anyone can advise on any one of the I would appreciate it. Car is Audi A4

Quick history, but I had Full service and mot done with Kwik Fit (MOT failed due to secondary indicator and two new tyres). Kwik Fit couldn't change the Indicator themselves so I set appointment with Audi garage, and was to return in 5 days to have new tyres at kwik fit and they would finish service. Day after my Service&MOT the oil lights comes on, take it back to Kwik Fit who apologise for not putting enough oil in, they put more in and two days after this the oil light comes on again, so I ring kwik fit who say bring it down again, but as I had my audi appointment I decided to wait.

Took it to Audi garage who do I health check as I explained the oil light kept coming on and i needed the indicator lightbulb changed. £200 quid later (I was in tears), they say indicator done, only cost £30, and the only problem with the oil is that there was not enough in.

1. So go back to Kwik Fit as needed new tyres anyway, and got into a dispute regarding the invoice from audi, come to an agreement that they would pay half the bill, which was great. So they did the new tyres and finished the service. I then had a bill - cost for tyres which was fine. But I had to pay for wheel balence, nitrogen inflation, valve, eco tyre disposal and check front & adjust. Checking my full service sheet I am now wondering why I have effectively paid twice. Full service which includes things like wheel balence, yet I have had to pay for it separate?

2. The day I came home after thinking everything was all sorted with my car, mot now passed, service complete etc. I have a Report sent to me from the Audi garage. The report states, for immediate attention Rear Discs worn, cambelt belt and water pump need changing as they are overdue and washers front inop nsf. So checked my service sheet from Kwik fit. Washers ticked and checked, pads ticked in green box and timing belt ticked as not recommended for replacement.

* I have since learned that my cambelt has never been changed and I am currently at 110,000 and I currently have a complaint in with my dealer for selling me a worthless warranty in relation to the cambelt.

So I am seriously confused, according to Kwik Fit, my car is now fit for purpose, nothing needs to be changed, and they have got a few quid out of me for duplicating payment for work. Audi on the other hand tell me I need to have x, y and z changed.

Between Kwik Fit and Audi I have spent over £600 already. Advice needed please.

BeenThroughItAll

Marker wrote: »

Quick history, but I had Full service and mot done with Kwik Fit (MOT failed due to secondary indicator and two new tyres).

I'm afraid that is the root of the issue. Kwik-Fit are not to be trusted servicing your car.

I would be raising as a matter of urgency with Kwik-Fit head office the issue of 'not enough oil'. If the oil light's been coming on, damage may already have resulted. Oil lights are generally not indicators of low oil level but low oil pressure; low oil pressure can be, and regularly is, terminal for an engine.

Some VAG cars do have two-stage oil lights, which come on yellow for 'low oil level' (although most don't have an oil level sensor, they come on at the point where oil pressure drops below nominal levels but before the 'danger' point) and red for 'stop immediately'; but unfortunately by the time a red oil light is on, damage has already begun to be done.


For future reference - don't EVER 'decide to wait' for action when you have an oil light on. Immediately check and top-up the oil if necessary. If you don't know how, learn. I repeat, NEVER EVER IGNORE YOUR OIL LIGHT.

I'm surprised to hear of a full service including items such as wheel balancing, that is not on a normal manufacturer schedule. Irrespective of whether or not it's been done, however, once the tyres have been changed the wheels will need to be balanced even if they'd been done five minutes before the old tyres were removed. You have, however, been stung with the nitrogen inflation, that should be optional but KF will probably have just done it because they can get away with it.


Advice I would give is this - get away from KF and the Audi main dealer (they're called 'stealers' for a reason you know). Ask friends, family for a local independent garage you can trust and take your car to them for their opinion. If no-one has one to recommend, ask some local minicab drivers who does their work - cabbers will always know the local place who does decent work at decent prices as they can't afford for their livelihood to be off the road.

AdrianC

Marker wrote: »

(MOT failed due to ... two new tyres)
was to return in 5 days to have new tyres

You DO know that the MOT and the legal limit for tyres is the same, right?

Marker_2

AdrianC wrote: »

You DO know that the MOT and the legal limit for tyres is the same, right?

10 days grace and kwik fit had to order my tires in.


Ref the oil, according to audi the light came on simply for the fact there was not enough oil in. So had to pay audi to fill up the oil even though the full service with kwik fit was supposed to fill the oil up.

Ref the wheel balance, the full service included re-balance. As they knew i needed new tyres im not sure why i have effectively paid twice for them to do this.

I have basically paid twice for the car to be checked over, but both garages have come back with different things. Washer, pads and cambelt was not picked up with kwik fit, but it was with audi.

Lessons learned so far are have service after mot, and dont go to kwik fit.

BeenThroughItAll

Marker wrote: »

10 days grace and kwik fit had to order my tires in.

10 days' grace??? Who told you that? That's a corker.

If your tyres FAIL the MOT they are word BELOW 1.6mm tread remaining. That is ILLEGAL.

If the tyres had >1.6mm tread remaining across 75% of the contact width for the full circumference, and were in otherwise good condition, KF should not have failed the car.

The police won't give you 10 days' grace for two bald tyres. They'll give you two tickets.


With regard to wheel balancing, you've paid twice because, presumably, it's been done twice. If you paid for a car to be serviced and part of that was to top up the washer fluid, then a week later you'd used it all and needed more, would you complain about having to pay twice?

Marker_2

Tyres were 2.0mm / 94% worn. But like i said, they had to order my tyres in and said i had 10 days grace. Just going on what they said, which obviously due to other issues may not be right

BeenThroughItAll

Marker wrote: »

Tyres were 2.0mm / 94% worn. But like i said, they had to order my tyres in and said i had 10 days grace. Just going on what they said, which obviously due to other issues may not be right

If you have documentary evidence of that, I would file a case with VOSA, as those tyres should not have failed the MOT.

Nodding_Donkey

I'm guessing the Refusal Cert will just say tyres were below the legal limit.

BeenThroughItAll

Nodding_Donkey wrote: »

I'm guessing the Refusal Cert will just say tyres were below the legal limit.

It certainly will, but KF may well have some lowest-common-denominator traffic-light sheet they give out to customers, which may have the 2.0mm mentioned on it.

AdrianC

Marker wrote: »

Tyres were 2.0mm

Then they weren't an MOT fail.

KTF

Marker wrote: »

The report states, for immediate attention Rear Discs worn, cambelt belt and water pump need changing as they are overdue and washers front inop nsf. So checked my service sheet from Kwik fit. Washers ticked and checked, pads ticked in green box and timing belt ticked as not recommended for replacement.

The rear brake disc is a wear and tear item so will not be covered by the warranty. What exactly did the report from Audi say, getting low or already showing groove marks, etc?

The cambelt is a time/mileage limited item and will not be covered by warranty. Its is up to the end user to check when these things need doing/have been done. I would love to know how kwikfit 'check' this.

Generally the recommendation is to get the water pump done at the same time as the cambelt as the front end of the car is in bits anyway. Not a warranty issue.

So your complaint with the dealer will get nowhere.

What washers were failing, the one for the windscreen? I thought that was an MOT fail?