Free Winter Check

MetropolisCity

Free Winter Check .... Gateshead Benfield NE10

Keeping this short .... and please note that I’d also just had my car mot'd by a very over the top and finicky tester (which I prefer)


The M.O.T. does not cover everything, anti-freeze for one major example, also for this time of year …. so I attended the appointment at Gateshead Benfield NE10, interested in what they would come up with …. the Free Winter Check report stated that my anti-freeze was “Coolant Measured at -2 advise replacing”, (I’d also had a water pump replaced just weeks earlier at a local garage that I trust in Birtley), I went straight there after this “report”, my anti-freeze was measured and shown to me to be between -25 and -30 …. I wonder if that this -2 was a genuine mistake at Benfield or had they looked at their meter from the wrong end of the lens ? …. would most people just panic and say to them do it straight away ? and be parted from £40, £50 or £60 ? …. so my advice on that one is to definitely get a second opinion before parting with 1p …. the 2nd thing, maybe my scientism, was reported as “Both rear brake pipes badly corroded” (icy roads, this time of year ?? = most people trust them and panic), again 2nd opinion and back to my M.O.T. tester, no need to be Columbo, you can answer that one for yourself …. Free Winter Check = looking for work / looking for work that isn’t there / bordering on criminal ….


rrrrrrrrrr and while I’m on the subject of being scammed, they offered me a “discounted” engine treatment that reduces engine deposits and increases fuel consumption ++++ a lot more blurb that washed over my head, the engine treatment on its own was £20, the same bottle / tube of stuff from the same dealer from their parts department was just over £6, they charge you about £14 to tip it in your tank …. the other treatment offered was an air-conditioning one, I researched that nothing in the air-con is actually touched, apart from a perfume bomb (as they call it), which makes the air intake smell ok for a few weeks, just get a bit of flowering heather in the summer from the hills and put it behind your radiator, which lasts for months = better and free job done …. there should be more trust with a main dealer, don’t learn from your own mistakes, unfortunately they have let themselves down badly, and power to the internet, you found out too, and here and for free …. my final advice, go there to get your free car wash and x2 front feet wells hoovered, get your report, go away and do your secondary checks and get comparitive prices if there is real stuff to get fixed or do ....

BeenThroughItAll

So 'free winter check' results in unnecessary work being quoted.


What a surprise.


Or maybe not.

neilmcl

Not sure why we need a poll.

OddballJamie

No such thing as a free lunch.

scotsbob

"free winter check" "free pre MOT check" "free tyre check" all amount to the same thing.

Ebe_Scrooge

"they offered me a “discounted” engine treatment that reduces engine deposits and increases fuel consumption "

mmm, yes please, I'd love to increase my fuel consumption.

Surely a "Winter Check" is something that any motorist should be capable of doing themselves anyway, it's not rocket science. Although, having said that, the number of people that seem incapable of checking their oil or tyre pressure astounds me

forgotmyname

How do you think they make money to do this free check?

If they dont find work that needs doing they will be losing money on every check.

Or they may have one of those dodgy testers that gave safe readings even under normal tap water.

londonTiger

There should be an option in the poll for "needs more paragraph breaks"

All free testing services are a swindle though. They're not doing this because they're good samaritans, they're doing it to find faults to fix to charge money for.

Someone might argue that a fault is a fault and they're encouraging you to get them fixed before it becomes a problem. A cynical person would say they're under pressure to recoup money for the business overheads of providing free testing, so they'll recommend work done long before it's due just to get the revenue in.

I had an advisory on brake pads by a private MOT in 2012. MOT guy said he can do this within the hour and I should get it as chances are it won't last until the next MOT and I could wear it out completely without realising. I said I'll keep an eye on it. Took it to my ususal mechanic for other work and mentioned the pads and he said there should have another 10K miles on them.

I took it to a council run MOT in 2013 and the tester didn't mention pads at all. I told him I was expecting an advisory on pads but tester said they're OK - just keep an eye on them and get them changed in the next 6 months.

Finally changed them in 2014 and they had 3-4mm on them.