national tyres and autocare ?

worried123

At my last MOT 6 months ago which was carried out by Toyota I had 4 advisories.

Tyre worn close to legal limit.

Brake disc worn, pitted or scored, but not seriously weakened Nearside front.

Ditto on offside front.

Brake pad wearing thin front.

I know this all needs attention as I am aware of something when i brake...almost a noise as i brake and slow down...I would like to get this sorted asap.

I am female, dont have a clue and I cannot do my job without my car.

Ideally I need to take this somewhere where I can wait for the car (do not want to have to drop it off and wait endless hours for the phone call to be told that its ready for collection).

I dont think the main dealer is the best place as i feel it will be overly priced.

I dont want to be ripped off as i know nothing about cars.

I had something sent to me from national tyres and autocare as I had a new tyre fitted by them some time back offering 20% off brake repairs.

I must say that whilst waiting for my tyre to be fitted, somebody said they always bring their car there for everything as he is so happy with them.

This place is literally about a mile away from where i live and if i could take it there and wait it would be ideal.....

Two things....has anybody had any experience of National tyres for auto repairs.

Also, roughly what sort of price should i be looking for to sort out the above problems.

any help or advice would be greatly appreciated. I genuinely am lost and dont have a clue...i have used Toyota main dealer for everything regarding my car since i bought it 3 years ago and do not want to use the garage i used for my old car...because basically that garage does indeed seem to just fix `old` cars...

sorry to sound so naive and useless....many thanks.

can i also ask whether its okay to take it somewhere other than toyota if its still under warranty please

jk0

Yeah, I always take my car to National for tyres, batteries and oil changes. They have always done a good job for me at a reasonable price.


I'm sure they will do a good job for you.

Ebe_Scrooge

worried123 wrote: »

Also, roughly what sort of price should i be looking for to sort out the above problems.

If you go on to the National Tyres website and type in your registration, you'll see the prices of tyres suitable for your car. There's usually quite a choice, from budget to top-of-the range. For most ordinary cars that aren't being driven like a boy-racer, something mid-range is usually fine.

In terms of brake discs and pads, look on the Euro Car Parts website - again, type in your registration number. This will give you a rough ball-park figure of the price of the parts. Add on about half an hour per side for labour costs, and you should have some idea of the likely cost.

In terms of warranty - there's no problem in taking the car to any garage. The only stipulation is that the garage must be properly vat-registered, and they must use genuine manufacturer's parts. This last part may have a bearing on the cost of the brake parts - though it shouldn't be wildly different from the prices on Euro Car Parts. Bear in mind that most manufacturers don't make their own brake components, they'll use parts made by one of the big brake companies.

worried123

Thank you both very much indeed. very helpful.

sevenhills

worried123 wrote: »

Brake disc worn, pitted or scored, but not seriously weakened Nearside front.

Ditto on offside front. Brake pad wearing thin front.

I know this all needs attention as I am aware of something when i brake...almost a noise as i brake and slow down...I would like to get this sorted asap.

A brake issue can cause noise when you brake, but not usually slowing down without braking; is that what you mean?

worried123

it is when i start using the brakes....slowing down and stopping if that makes sense.

Noree

Ever heard of a courtesy car?

Many independent garages have them.

Drop the car off start of the day. Pick it up at the end of the day.

oldagetraveller

Do you have the car serviced by "Toyota" too?
If so, I would be asking them why these potential issues were not noted on the vehicle safety and condition report carried as part of the service.
The sound when braking is possibly from the pads which could now be lacking friction material.
My youngest daughter has used her local National Tyres, but not for brakes, only tyres, and found them competitive, good and helpful.

I'd opt for a local independent though. Brakes will be their bread and butter work which they should hopefully not muck up or "find" other work that "needs" doing..

kmb500

National Tyres are good, no complaints from me.

worried123

oldagetraveller wrote: »

Do you have the car serviced by "Toyota" too?
If so, I would be asking them why these potential issues were not noted on the vehicle safety and condition report carried as part of the service.
The sound when braking is possibly from the pads which could now be lacking friction material.
My youngest daughter has used her local National Tyres, but not for brakes, only tyres, and found them competitive, good and helpful.

I'd opt for a local independent though. Brakes will be their bread and butter work which they should hopefully not muck up or "find" other work that "needs" doing..

This issue was noted on my advisory with the first mot with toyota. They did tell me that the pads were wearing thin and i should get them done - when i asked they said that i probably had about 3,000 more miles before i seriously needed them replacing....i was informed.

macman

If the MOT was 6m ago, and one tyre was said to be near the legal limit then, it is probably under it now, so why have you waited so long to do anything? It's a serious hazard, as it will extend your braking distance. The legal limit is 1.6mm, but most people believe that tyres should be replaced at 3mm for safety .
Not really excusable by being 'female and haven't a clue about cars': tyre wear is visible and takes seconds to check. Ignore it and you could be looking at 3 points and a fine up to £2.5K. OK, lecture over.
Noise when braking means that the pads are probably down to the metal and need urgently replacing.
Get the tyre done while you wait via Black Circles at their nearest outlet, and if you are happy with them, get them to do the brakes as well. No need to pay main dealer prices on an out of warranty car.