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Halfords Free Winter Check - be warned.
I'm joining the "avoid at all costs" group! Took my car for a free winter check prior to having an MOT - work required, they said, new front brakes/pads, top up screen wash, oil required (presume engine oil).
Called mobile mechanic, well-known and respected locally - "nothing wrong with the brakes", or anything else. Sailed through the MOT.
Do these people in Halfords take a course in scaring people into having unnecessary work done?
Called mobile mechanic, well-known and respected locally - "nothing wrong with the brakes", or anything else. Sailed through the MOT.
Do these people in Halfords take a course in scaring people into having unnecessary work done?
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Did you not wonder why they were offering something for free? What else was it ever going to be but an up-selling opportunity?
That said, none of the list you give would be an MOT fail.0 -
I'm afraid there is no such thing as a free lunch. I'm disappointed by Halfords because their Auto Centre's I find are some of the better 'chain' garages.
Any kind of free winter check is going to be skewed against you. I'm surprised they didn't pull the "your power steering oil is dark which means it's burnt" line. That was the old standard, until VW started using green power steering oil
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Did you not wonder why they were offering something for free? What else was it ever going to be but an up-selling opportunity?
That said, none of the list you give would be an MOT fail.
Brakes - so brakes are no longer tested to get through an MOT?
Of course I was aware that nothing is free and I was never going to take their word for it that it would need work to pass the test. It was more by way of preparing myself.
With my car being 8 years old I did actually think I'd got away with it for 7 years - surely something would need attention, so I wasn't surprised that they would find something. They might have thought I'd be an easy touch - they were wrong. Others might be more gullible.0 -
Other than testing how much they brake and for leaks it is a visual inspection only so if they can't see the brake pads, because say you have steel wheels with wheeltrims on, they won't fail it if the brake pads are worn very low. They do not remove the wheels to inspect.Brakes - so brakes are no longer tested to get through an MOT?
But if you had it serviced when it was supposed to be then you'd know if your brake pads were getting low because the place which serviced it would tell you.With my car being 8 years old I did actually think I'd got away with it for 7 years - surely something would need attention, so I wasn't surprised that they would find something. They might have thought I'd be an easy touch - they were wrong. Others might be more gullible.
It doesn't get serviced properly does it?0 -
You need to remove the words "Free Winter Check" from your thread title.0
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I'm joining the "avoid at all costs" group! Took my car for a free winter check prior to having an MOT - work required, they said, new front brakes/pads, top up screen wash, oil required (presume engine oil).
Called mobile mechanic, well-known and respected locally - "nothing wrong with the brakes", or anything else. Sailed through the MOT.
Do these people in Halfords take a course in scaring people into having unnecessary work done?
Sadly they dont get the nickname Halfrauds for no reason....
Was your car below the max on the dipstick? If so and its not due a service might be worth getting it topped up as it could be using a little.0 -
Halfords have told you they're getting near to the depth that they need replacing at.Brakes - so brakes are no longer tested to get through an MOT?
The MOT does not remove the wheels. They cannot see whether the pads and discs need replacing or not during the test. They check for how effective the brakes are.0 -
I can't remember now, but there was a fuss a while ago about taking your car to some National chain for a miniservice or check, and if the washers weren't full they charged you £5 or so for a litre of screenwash that they used for a top-up. They gave you the rest of the bottle, but when you normally pay £2.99 a gallon, £5 a litre is a bit steep.
Something in the miniscule print about materials not included except the engine oil I think.....I want to go back to The Olden Days, when every single thing that I can think of was better.....
(except air quality and Medical Science
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An MOT is not a service, the brakes are not inspected, it does not matter how worn they are as long as they work correctly the vehicle will pass the MOT.
Not actually true, my old car failed as recorded on the check MOT site below,
Date tested 18 September 2009
Fail
Mileage 91,918 miles
MOT test number 5502 0176 9276
Test location
View test location
Reason(s) for failure- Front Brake pad(s) less than 1.5 mm thick (3.5.1g)
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