Don't think I'll use KwikFit again

VickiE_2

I have a 2000 KA which I bought at beginning of March this year. At that time it had been serviced by the garage who sold it to me and had a full service history and also had its MOT in February. The brakes were brilliant and the slightest touch would stop the car. A few weeks ago the brakes started to squeal, only when I was forced to brake hard by some idiot. At first I thought it might be due to the temperamental weather and thought it might go after a few days. Well it didn't go and so today I took it into Kwik Fit. I've used them several times in the last year for an MOT on my old car and a couple of small things like brake light not working. I found them great. So I told them about the squeak and I knew it was the front brakes but the guy kept on about checking the back ones as well. Anyway some mumbling kid calls me up a couple of hours later and tells me my front brake pads need doing (no sh*t sherlock) and then he proceeded to babble on about my rear brakes, drums bearings and legal requirements. In total to get all this sorted would be £447. He said I didn't need to get the back ones done straight away but it was advisiable. Luckily I have read enough reviews about Kwik fit and brakes to not just say yes to the whole job. However i did need to get the front brakes done so I agreed and said I would go back shortly to sort out the back. At £149 for front brakes I certainly won't be going back again. My previous car only ever cost a maximum of about £60 -£70, and I know Fords are easy to work on and cheap on parts. Of course I realise that they've decided to change the discs as well, but he didn't mention them in his mumble.

I'll take it to my dad's garage for a quick once over of the back brakes shortly and I know it will be a good job and a lot less expensive.

thescouselander

Crikey - £149 for some brake pads, thats certainly very expensive - did they change the disks as well?

PZH

VickiE wrote: »

.... Anyway some mumbling kid calls me up a couple of hours later and tells me my front brake pads need doing (no sh*t sherlock) and then he proceeded to babble on about my rear brakes, drums bearings and legal requirements. In total to get all this sorted would be £447. He said I didn't need to get the back ones done straight away but it was advisiable. Luckily I have read enough reviews about Kwik fit and brakes to not just say yes to the whole job. However i did need to get the front brakes done so I agreed and said I would go back shortly to sort out the back. At £149 for front brakes I certainly won't be going back again. My previous car only ever cost a maximum of about £60 -£70, and I know Fords are easy to work on and cheap on parts. Of course I realise that they've decided to change the discs as well, but he didn't mention them in his mumble.

This can be said of a lot of major garages and even some dealerships - you did the right thing in standing firm on the only the work that needed doing.

As for discs - the Minimum Thickness of a Brake Disc is stamped on the Disc during manufacture. As a guide any wear of more 1.2mm may fail an MOT.

I once had an argument in a Kwik Fit with a spotty youth who tried to tell me that my discs were illegal and that he was within his rights not to let me drive the car away in that state. ( Only went in for a new tyre !! ). When I asked what the minimum thickness was - he stated something along the lines of "can't remember now - I looked it up". I pointed out to him that it should be stamped on the disc.

When I demanded to be shown the disc and to watch him with the thickness gauge he rapidly back-tracked and said that I could take the car but to get the disc seen to asap.

I immediately took it to the dealership where I bought it from and they told me that the discs were fine.

Anyway - the moral of the story is that, unfortunately, a lot of place will do extra, unnessecary work to bump the price up. Don't be afraid to ask to see the faulty parts when they have been removed ( State this VERY clearly before the work is done ) and always ask if it is absolutely vital that the work gets done i.e. is it dangerous / illegal or just a recomendation. Obviously the dangerous/illegal situation should be done there and then, but a recomendation should get a second opinion.

LandyAndy

VickiE wrote: »

I have a 2000 KA which I bought at beginning of March this year. At that time it had been serviced by the garage who sold it to me and had a full service history and also had its MOT in February. The brakes were brilliant and the slightest touch would stop the car. A few weeks ago the brakes started to squeal, only when I was forced to brake hard by some idiot. At first I thought it might be due to the temperamental weather and thought it might go after a few days. Well it didn't go and so today I took it into Kwik Fit. I've used them several times in the last year for an MOT on my old car and a couple of small things like brake light not working. I found them great. So I told them about the squeak and I knew it was the front brakes but the guy kept on about checking the back ones as well. Anyway some mumbling kid calls me up a couple of hours later and tells me my front brake pads need doing (no sh*t sherlock) and then he proceeded to babble on about my rear brakes, drums bearings and legal requirements. In total to get all this sorted would be £447. He said I didn't need to get the back ones done straight away but it was advisiable. Luckily I have read enough reviews about Kwik fit and brakes to not just say yes to the whole job. However i did need to get the front brakes done so I agreed and said I would go back shortly to sort out the back. At £149 for front brakes I certainly won't be going back again. My previous car only ever cost a maximum of about £60 -£70, and I know Fords are easy to work on and cheap on parts. Of course I realise that they've decided to change the discs as well, but he didn't mention them in his mumble.

I'll take it to my dad's garage for a quick once over of the back brakes shortly and I know it will be a good job and a lot less expensive.

Your Dad's got a garage and you use Kwik Fit?


Edit: Later in the thread you will find out that it isn't what the OP meant.:rolleyes:

Keith

Ka brake pads- £18 irc + £30 fitting at our local garage.

anewman

What about getting yourself a Haynes manual and trying some of the jobs yourself?

If there's a squeal due to pads going bare that's not a good sign. If it had MOT in Feb I would have expected the MOT visual check to spot the pads at the front were wearing thin. If not the MOT check, the service definitely should have.

As for legal requirements that's laughable. You have an MOT certificate. It's up to you if you want to kill people - and remind the Kwikfit spotty teenager of that

VickiE_2

LandyAndy wrote: »

Your Dad's got a garage and you use Kwik Fit?

Sory I meant the garage my dad uses.

I'm not a complete dumb woman when it comes to cars, my dad always had Fords and used to take them to bits on our living room floor when I was a kid. My ex boyfriends also always worked on cars and worked on mine too. Quite apart from the shock of being told £450 my gut instinct told me to leave it and get it checked out elsewhere. I just wish I had said no forget the whole lot and taken it somewhere else.

Just had to phone them to find out my car is done as they've had it since before nine this morning and I hadn't heard if it was fixed or not.

cajef

Unfortunately you have found out the hard way that KwikFit are notorious for overcharging and trying to get you to have work done that more than likely does not need doing.

At least you know not to go near them again and next time to ask around for quotes or use someone recommended to do any work on your car.

Idiophreak

KwikFit really are a total ripoff in my experience...quoted me £390 for a pair of tyres I later paid £180 for down the road. Dont touch them with a *very long stick* since.

steveo3002

dodgy dealers always make a fuss about brake wear, 9/10 people get scared and say yeah yeah go ahead

the vaux dealer i worked at was much the same..tried their hardest to sell brakes to everyone

C_Ronaldo

I paid £80 for brake pads for my 206 at a local garage