Halfords Trade Card

goldspanners

i bought a new tool chest today,not from halfords but from machine mart, its from the clarke hd range, 10 drawers extra deep size for £130 it should have been £140 but it was the display model so i got a little discount.
the halfords chests and cabinets are a good bit dearer than machine marts but do look a little more durable but for the same size from halfords i would have had to pay an extra £100 so the clarke one is worth a go i suppose.
regarding tools, this is the best tool i ever bought.http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/Blackhawk-3-8-Drive-Rotator-Ratchet-34950R-New-NR_W0QQitemZ360077672680QQihZ023QQcategoryZ20774QQrdZ1QQssPageNameZWD2VQQcmdZViewItemQQ_trksidZp1638Q2em122
i got it in florida 3 years ago and use it every day,its fantastic,anyone who maintains thier own cars should invest in this,its made by stanley but badged blackhawk,its a rotator drive ratchet,you twist the handle and it turns the drive part of the ratchet,and does it in small increments to aid working in tight spaces,ive used mine for everything and it has stood the test of lots of tight bolts,its one of those things where you wonder "how did i ever get by without this?" im buying a few more when i go to florida this year incase i loose mine,it is worth its weight in gold.

anewman

goldspanners wrote: »

this is the best tool i ever bought.http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/Blackhawk-3-8-Drive-Rotator-Ratchet-34950R-New-NR_W0QQitemZ360077672680QQihZ023QQcategoryZ20774QQrdZ1QQssPageNameZWD2VQQcmdZViewItemQQ_trksidZp1638Q2em122
i got it in florida 3 years ago and use it every day,its fantastic,anyone who maintains thier own cars should invest in this,its made by stanley but badged blackhawk,its a rotator drive ratchet,you twist the handle and it turns the drive part of the ratchet,and does it in small increments to aid working in tight spaces,ive used mine for everything and it has stood the test of lots of tight bolts,its one of those things where you wonder "how did i ever get by without this?"

Definitely sounds like a great concept - if for nothing other than time saving in spaces where you can only move a normal ratchet back and forth only one click or two. I wonder if you can get more torque onto nuts than a standard ratchet by turning and rotating the handle at the same time.

goldspanners

anewman wrote: »

Definitely sounds like a great concept - if for nothing other than time saving in spaces where you can only move a normal ratchet back and forth only one click or two. I wonder if you can get more torque onto nuts than a standard ratchet by turning and rotating the handle at the same time.

you wont get any more torque,but you can move it back faster,and as you say in tight spaces its amazing,pretty cheap on ebay considering how good it is.
i have never seen any for sale in the uk,ive been converting the guys at work, a few of them have bought them now.

Skol3657

I don't know if this has been covered already but any of you that are members of the armed forces in "techie" trades are eligible for a trade card. I got one the other day just by rocking up with my ID card and the guy didn't press me too much so give it a shot.

naquadria

Indeed, I didn't post that info on here, because that's what I did, that info is also on the armed forces forum section. Need to be coy with that info too, as if we all turn up in droves, they may stop issuing (or even withdraw) the cards!

Let us all know what savings, if any, you make with it!

bartman

I've had my Trade card for a few months now, and thought it was long overdue for its first outing!

Here's the list:

Halfords Oil Filter HOF201 - RRP £3.49 - Trade £1.19 - Saving £2.30
Halfords Oil Filter HOF233 - RRP £6.99 - Trade £2.94 - Saving £4.05
Thermostat HTK/QTH313 (for Seat Ibiza diesel) - RRP £7.99 - Trade £4.55 - Saving £3.44
Halfords Gearbox filler plug key12mm (on 3/8" socket) - RRP £4.19 - Trade £3.35 - Saving £0.84
Halfords Fuel Filter HFF214 - RRP £20.99 - Trade £8.11 - Saving £12.88

That last one was the real killer!

TiTheRev

naquadria wrote: »

Seat Leon 2004 1.6 16V

Can I just interject here?!

Oil Filter - RRP £5.99, trade £3.70?

Genuine Seat one: £4.00 RETAIL PRICE! Less trade discount...

I would suggest that the mark up on most of Halfords stuff is scandelous, to be charging such pie-in-the-sky retail prices and then offering discount to the trade to reduce it no 'normal' prices, yet the trade prices are still only pennies different to genuine filter at retail prices?!?

anewman

TiTheRev wrote: »

I would suggest that the mark up on most of Halfords stuff is scandelous, to be charging such pie-in-the-sky retail prices and then offering discount to the trade to reduce it no 'normal' prices, yet the trade prices are still only pennies different to genuine filter at retail prices?!?

Yes it's definitely an "if you don't have a clue what price it should be please buy it from us, but if you're in the trade - please come here, we know we're a rip off so we'll give you who know what the prices should be a discount."

naquadria

TiTheRev wrote: »

Can I just interject here?!

Oil Filter - RRP £5.99, trade £3.70?

Genuine Seat one: £4.00 RETAIL PRICE! Less trade discount...

I would suggest that the mark up on most of Halfords stuff is scandelous, to be charging such pie-in-the-sky retail prices and then offering discount to the trade to reduce it no 'normal' prices, yet the trade prices are still only pennies different to genuine filter at retail prices?!?

What is it the "Genuine" oil filter does that the Halfords one dosen't? By your own admission its still cheaper to buy at Halfords (trade).

Fair point on the pricing though, but as Halfords are usually more abundant than a franchised dealer, it would make more sense to buy oil fillter, air filter tools etc from Halfords, rather than get one form here, one from there and so on, in the interest of money saving...

Incidently. I see you work for VW... are you a mechanic and are you able to provide any information that would save money when servicing WV, Audi, SEAT etc (i.e discounts, ordering parts seprately)?

TiTheRev

I am a lowly parts advisor im afraid, so cant offer technical advise other than that which Ive gleaned from common jobs and stuff that ive done myself. The filter is only cheaper at Halfords if you are comparing Halfords trade price to Seat RETAIL price. If you are a genuine trader you should get at least 15% off that £4, and im sure if you compared the other prices of the air and fuel filter etc you would see that you would not be so impressed with the Halfords prices.

Going back to the point about genuine versus Halfords filters...it's like saying a shoe is a shoe. Granted they all cover your feet, they all fit and do the job they were created to do. But the difference comes when you see the quality of the materials used, the care in construction and the longevity of the product. VAG filters are now designed to last 20,000miles or 2years (maybe longer if the mileage is kind to the engine!), and plugs 40,000miles or 4years. I would not trust a Halfords product to last that long and still be as efficient.