Halfords MOT offer

cfw1994

I see the latest weekly MSE has a Halfords offer for cheap MOT.

They did one last year....so I bought two cheap items.
Registered for the voucher in store (as did my OH)....but the vouchers never arrived.
I’d kind of forgotten until I saw their latest offer!

Was I a one-off, or is my suspicion of Halfords being dodgy with their deals well founded?

couriervanman

why would you want a cheap or free mot at halfords.........just use a local trustworthy garage

sevenhills

The MOT maybe 'free' but they will find numerous things wrong with your car, it will end up costing you more.

worried_jim

No such thing as "free".

Nobbie1967

I had a mixed experience, the first time I went in the voucher came through ok, but not the second. On the second visit I used my partners Email, but may have got it wrong.

As to the MOT, my 19 year old car passed with an advise on the brake lines and front track rod end which did need replacing, so perfectly fair.

Like most chains, so much depends on the local staff and if you appear knowledgable about cars.

chunkytfg

sevenhills wrote: »

The MOT maybe 'free' but they will find numerous things wrong with your car, it will end up costing you more.

You do know you're allowed to say no to those upsell things they find yeah?

Personally I've had 2 cars MOT'd at Halfords and they've been great. Yes they picked up items that will require looking at and one thing that was a fail(missed a bald inside edge on one tyre when I checked it) but nothing that i didn't expect.

Regardless of where you go an MOT tester will see stuff that needs doing if it actually needs doing! Yes independent garages are great and I'll support them where I can but until I can drive in at my booked time and drive away an hour later all done for £30 then Halfords will get my money.

jimbo6977

You do know you're allowed to say no to those upsell things they find yeah?

Not any more you're not. The car is stranded until the multitude of "dangerous" faults is fixed. Unless you happen to know someone with a recovery truck or a trailer.

marcarm

I had one of these, my car passed with one advisory which was a tyre.

No upselling, no dangerous faults, all it cost me was the extra fuel taking it there instead of my local place.

Of course, this is just my experience, I'm sure there are rubbish ones just as much as there are rubbish independent ones.

gabitzul

Did take advantage of the free ones for both my cars, passed no issues. BUT I maintain them well, check tyres, bulbs etc. So two free MOTs.

Have reserved something in the store and once I have the code, will keep playing the game, now with a new (to me) car, an Auris Hybrid. Let's see how it goes, it needs to be done in Sept.

chunkytfg

jimbo6977 wrote: »

Not any more you're not. The car is stranded until the multitude of "dangerous" faults is fixed. Unless you happen to know someone with a recovery truck or a trailer.

But dangerous faults are a bit different from the usual upsell advisories like 'worn/pitted brake discs' or 'tyres worn close to legal limit'.