Halfords.........After their repair problem starts 1 March at 1:12PM in Consumer rights 4 replies 181 views

barbaraFal

Don't ever let them put their hands on your car.
We did, it's costing us 3 times the amount to fix the problem that they caused after their work.
They told us to change the brake discs and pads and tyres in order to pass the MOT . After their work the car started o leek brake fluid in the car  making all the driver mat wet. If this wasn't enough they even left some  tyre bolts loose on one of the tyres, which could  have caused a major accident. 
I regret even the fact that I paid to join the club.
Now we took the car to a real mechanic to fix their mistakes.  We didn't even consider to complain to them about it because an apology is all we'll probably get, as they probably won't take any responsibility for their mistakes.  Leaving us dealing with the problem and the possibility of spending more money and to breaking something else  in the attempt to repair it.

diystarter7

Hi OP

It's unfair IMO re your frist sentence, I say this as we have used Halfords and most of the time like the other places, often the main dealers they are all good but at times like any large company can have an off day and often depends on the individual carrying out the work

You have not made it clear if you took the car back to Halfords when you noted the problems and what they said did.

Hope its all sorted soon

Thanks

sheramber

barbaraFal said:

Don't ever let them put their hands on your car.
We did, it's costing us 3 times the amount to fix the problem that they caused after their work.
They told us to change the brake discs and pads and tyres in order to pass the MOT . After their work the car started o leek brake fluid in the car  making all the driver mat wet. If this wasn't enough they even left some  tyre bolts loose on one of the tyres, which could  have caused a major accident. 
I regret even the fact that I paid to join the club.
Now we took the car to a real mechanic to fix their mistakes.  We didn't even consider to complain to them about it because an apology is all we'll probably get, as they probably won't take any responsibility for their mistakes.  Leaving us dealing with the problem and the possibility of spending more money and to breaking something else  in the attempt to repair it.

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Active boycotting

We appreciate emotions can run high should you experience poor service from companies, but we cannot accept active calls to boycott organisations as we are unable to verify the service you received.

Aylesbury_Duck

You should have taken it back to Halfords to correct the mistakes, they would have been obliged to do so and save you paying the other mechanic. 

Ditzy_Mitzy

Aylesbury_Duck said:

You should have taken it back to Halfords to correct the mistakes, they would have been obliged to do so and save you paying the other mechanic. 

It could be coincidence.  The only real way brake fluid could end up in the footwell is if it emanated from the master cylinder and made its way down the pedal.  More than possible, but not something that would have been disturbed by changing discs and pads; there's several feet of metal pipe, flexible hoses and possibly an ABS modulator between the fluid reservoir and the brake end, and no direct route for fluid to make its way back.  The calliper pistons get 'wound back', or pushed back in, when pads are changed, perhaps that created some sort of reverse pressure in the system that overwhelmed a master cylinder seal - but if it did, the fault would be with the master cylinder and not the action of changing the pads.  One of those things. 

As for the 'loose' wheel nuts, that's entirely possible on cars with alloy wheels.  The nuts are supposed to be re-torqued after the initial 50 miles' driving further to the wheels being taken off.  Most garage invoices will state that somewhere.  

I'm not defending Halfords in any way; my only experience with their 'We Fit' service was poor - I asked them to change a bulb and they did it wrong!*

*I needed it done there and then as the bulb failed during a journey; I had decent clothes on and wasn't in any position to get my hands dirty.  It was necessary, when home, to remove the bulb Halfords fitted and refit it properly.