Autocentre fined £47,000 following undercover sting

[newpersn]

Halfords Autocentre fined £47,000 following undercover sting

 

And this is why I don't go to halfords. ..

Edited June 9, 2015 by newpersn

[MatthewL]

They are not a garage. If you want a garage go to the local one that has been trading for years with old school mechanics.

[steveg]

I took mine there once to have an oil leak diagnosed. They said it was all fine, the dash cam footage showed them pull the car up to in front of the garage, get a hose out and spray it under the bonnet, close it again and park it back in a different space.

 

There was actually a leak which I got fixed at another garage!

 

Steve

[Disaster]

They are not a garage. If you want a garage go to the local one that has been trading for years with old school mechanics.

 

Sadly it's not even as easy as that as my local guy tried to rip me off. However, this is the way to go as Halfords are at least now a proven con!

(my new local garage is ace, stick with them when you find them)

[abillybob]

Our local Halfords Auto Centre has always looked after me. They charge the cheapest prices out of all of the garages near me and are the most reliable. They have even helped fix an issue that another garage had caused with my brakes (Drum brakes, the other garage left a bull bearing inside the drum you can imagine the damage) they said because I was such a loyal customer it was on them and all I had to do was pay for the part. They are the only people I can personally trust with my car and I'm very picky as to where I send it.

 

Whenever I need petty stuff like bulbs for instance I'll go to them, last time I just got a nod and they let me have the bulb for free. They are always such a nice bunch of people. I suppose it depends where you are as each Halfords AutoCentre has a different manager and are run separately.

[NB9457]

In my experience, local independents give the best service and good prices and they do this so you'll spread the word and come back.

 

That and they seem to actually enjoy their job and helping you.

[AMLinington]

LeFiance works as assistant Service Manager in the service department of a major South Coast Ford dealership so I get staff rates on all work done, socialise with the technicians and otherwise have 'inside knowledge' so I feel confident that my car is being serviced properly, and if I'm not 100% happy, LeFiance sorts it all out for me.

 

As an example of 'inside knowledge' - LeFiance hears about known defects in things (Example: 09 Focus models have a weak support bar under the front seat that is a known issue and causes terribly squeaky seats when it shears. It's not a safety issue so it's not subject to a recall but it IS covered under manufacturers warranty so if you have an 09 Focus with a squeaky seat, don't let them charge you to fix it).

 

As an example of general in-the-know knowledge; did you know that you have the right to observe the work being carried out on your car, and when they tell you work needs doing - pads, disks, oil filters etc you can ask them to show you before the work is carried out or you can ask them to show you the item they took off the car? I'm pretty sure this is part of motor industry regulatory law but IANAL and many garages will waffle Health and Safety at you to discourage you. I would suggest using this as a litmus test when trying a new garage - if they won't show you when you ask take your car elsewhere.

[NB9457]

As an example of general in-the-know knowledge; did you know that you have the right to observe the work being carried out on your car, and when they tell you work needs doing - pads, disks, oil filters etc you can ask them to show you before the work is carried out or you can ask them to show you the item they took off the car? I'm pretty sure this is part of motor industry regulatory law but IANAL and many garages will waffle Health and Safety at you to discourage you. I would suggest using this as a litmus test when trying a new garage - if they won't show you when you ask take your car elsewhere.

 

I made a garage do this once after they took the mick, they had to physically climb in the bin and find the parts they took off

[sippo]

Local Indy all the way. Less labour charges, more of a friendly approach.

 

I would never go to a 'chain' such as halfords or kwik fit.

[Andrew_C]

Not "never" but I do agree in principle. My local ATS have done me really well, mostly for tyres, but also in searching for an odd knock on the suspension. Didn't find it, but didn't charge either.

 

The best sort of garages (IME) are guys who have gone out on their own having worked in main dealers. They've got the knowlege of the marque, the experience, but not the overheads. Citroen main dealer price for a clutch £500 ++ My favoured garage £220 all in.

[Miscbrah]

I've learned the basics (up to some more advanced bits) from numerous mechanics. I'm not a mechanic, but I have an understanding of what goes on in a car and at the very least what's involved on most jobs (provided the car's not too modern and it doesn't involve much troubleshooting electrics!) I'd do my own head gasket if I had to. And cambelt if I had one!

 

Local indie gets my vote. In fact, local recommended indie over the years became a very good friend of mine and we hung out loads! Miss that guy (he emigrated. Not because of me.) If it's a bigger job and you offer to be his/her mate/gofer and fetch tools/make tea and (should they require) before arrival %vehicle% is on axel stands with wheels off you can save yourself a bit of cash and him/her a bit of labour, if you know you won't be getting under feet.

 

Funnily enough if my mechanic needed work doing (ex Volvo/Vauxhall/Police mechanic) that he couldn't do with his own gear (engine out for example) he'd take it to a main dealer wearing a suit and act all clueless, then when he picked it up again if he could find any little hole with what they said he'd absolutely demolish them.

Edited June 10, 2015 by Miscbrah

[AMLinington]

Funnily enough if my mechanic needed work doing (ex Volvo/Vauxhall/Police mechanic) that he couldn't do with his own gear (engine out for example) he'd take it to a main dealer wearing a suit and act all clueless, then when he picked it up again if he could find any little hole with what they said he'd absolutely demolish them.

 

LOL Fastest way to get your job card moved to the back of the queue :-P. Don't forget that often the guys you see out front - especially in main dealerships are not technicians/mechanics. They are Service Advisors - no different from a till operator in $Supermarket$ or Sales Assistant in $Retail store$. They often have little actual experience with the inner workings of cars - they often pick stuff up over time - like changing bulbs and helping with tyres but the real nitty gritty is not their area of expertise so don't expect them to be able to answer technical questions and 'demolishing' them isn't really fair as they can only pass on what they've been told by the technician who often paraphrases, précis' or simplifies things - both for the SA and for the customer. In these circumstances if you have technical questions about the work done to your vehicle, it is best to ask to speak to the technician that did the work. Don't take out your hubris on the Service Advisor because he often goes home feeling like turd because you've belittled him and made him feel stupid for not knowing what technicians take years to learn. He then feels rubbish and this in turn affects his girlfriend because she wants him to actually talk to her rather than stabbing sullenly at his dinner and giving monosyllabic answers...

[Duranis]

I have terrible luck with garages. Had an engine warning light come on and random lose in power at low revs. Local garage I took it too said it was a faulty CAT so close to £200 later new cat fitted. Still had exactly the same issue (and still do, cant afford a garage to try and figure it out), took it back and they said it was all fine but they would "take a look at it" (at around £60 an hour labor cost). Same garage also sold me a bulb that failed an MOT at another garage a couple of days later.

 

Another local garage I used to go to as well also seemed very suspicious, put a car in for MOT there to be told I needed new tire as there was a massive nail in it. I hadn't noticed any nail in it (and I do check tyres fairly regularly) but said sure put new one on. Couple of weeks later my sister takes her car there for MOT and she got the same phone call from them. After asking about a bit a lot of people have said the same thing so either there are a TON of nails just scattered in the roads around here or something dodgy is going on.

 

There are a couple of other local independents I have used around here over the years as well and they also where not great. One fitted new headlight units which they didn't adjust properly (they didn't connect up the electric adjusters either) and another just charge a fortune.

 

I have to admit I have used halfords for my last 2 MOTS. I wouldn't say I entirely trust them but they seem to be the most honest garage I have used within a 20 mile radius of where I live so far

 

I try to do as much on the car as I can myself now (replaced the alternator a couple of weeks ago and saved over £100 on what the garage quoted) but with limited tools and knowledge there is only so much I can do.

[Andrew_C]

One trick, if you can't find a garage you trust, is to get your MOT done somewhere that doesn't repair. Try the council's depot, bus depot, or similar. Lots do it around here. You pay full price, but they have no axe to grind re failing your car.

[Miscbrah]

LOL Fastest way to get your job card moved to the back of the queue :-P. Don't forget that often the guys you see out front - especially in main dealerships are not technicians/mechanics.

 

Very true, though he likely would have been calling out the actual mechanics. He's not an a$$hole, but he is an incredible rustler of jimmies.

[AMLinington]

One piece of insider information I feel morally obligated to share is that many mainstream dealerships make the greatest margin on up-sale. We all know the usual MOT 'pads and discs' drill but it goes a lot deeper than that - the majority of Service Advisors have really really rubbish wages - they earn a 'basic' which is barely scraping minimum wage, and the rest of their 'salary' (over 30%) is made up in 'bonuses' which are calculated based on the department turnover and % of up-sale target met - they are, to all intents and purposes, sales people and it's selling you those tyres, oil filters, brake pads, service plans, etc that puts food on their tables. Not content with holding their employees to ransom over wages, a main dealership franchise owner will incentivise and place targets on certain things - sometimes its tyre sales, other times brake pads etc and some will out and out implement a mandatory policy that makes no sense whatsoever....

 

The policy I'm referring to in this instance is relating to tyre tread wear. I'm told that branches of this particular dealership have been told by the powers that be to push for tyre sales at a 5mm tread depth, not the previous 3mm...

 

The law requires car tyres to have a minimum tread depth of 1.6mm in a continuous band around the central three quarters of the tyre. To help you judge how much tread you have on your car tyres, manufacturers often mould tread bars at roughly 1.6mm.

 

Many brands of tyre only come in NEW with 7mm... Most of their employees don't agree with it. I have a personal suspicion that it is so they can save on waste tyre disposal by selling them on to the 'part worn' vendors! But I have no evidence to back this up, it just makes sense.

 

So next time a dealership tells you you need new tyres, take it with a pinch of salt and ask for actual numbers.

[sted]

with tyres buy a £5 tread depth gauge and do a quick look yourself now and then it isnt rocket science nor does it take long

[biz]

One trick, if you can't find a garage you trust, is to get your MOT done somewhere that doesn't repair. Try the council's depot, bus depot, or similar. Lots do it around here. You pay full price, but they have no axe to grind re failing your car.

 

Seconded, if they don't do repairs then they aren't going to find work that doesn't need doing. If you are a council employee they might give you a discount too.

[difinity]

Over the 5 years I was a motor mechanic I worked at an independent a main dealer and for a couple of fast fit garages with one being a large chain.

Small independant. We didn't sell what didn't need doing with customer rapport was important and apart from the boss putting on an inch of clag instead of pulling the dent on a car he was doing up I saw nothing dodgy going on. Ok maybe the £10 blood bonus was cheeky.

Main dealers...the sales men were crooks, I heard them often say the warranty covered everything and they also used dubious documents to get finance. They also sold cars with known defects and when the customer complained the delaer claimed on the warranty that had been sold with the car.

I only worked in the big name fast fit place (not Kwik fit or halfords) for one day. Customer had a blowing exhaust o ring. Cost a couple of quid.

I was told the mechanics got a basic wage and commission and to tell the customer they needed a new exhaust costing over a hundred pounds.

I refused to bs the customer, worked my day and never went back.

 

I think as in all trades and businesses there will be those that are good and those that aren't.

The independents I know will give you a far better service than a main dealer as evertthing had a book time and wheels rarely came off during the small services.

Edited June 10, 2015 by difinity

[Oaktech]

It's interesting, my wife takes her car to our local halfords auto centre for MOT, because it's convenient.

 

The first year she took it there, about 3 years ago, they were dead straight with her about everything, showed her stuff that needed attention, didn't take the piss with the repair quote (£150 for lower bushes and track rod ends) did the job to spec and when they said they would. The next year, the same, dead straight (£120 for antiroll bar and upper bushes). This year, they've messed her around something chronic - failed the car on MOT, claimed all manner of work needed doing, quoted nearly £800 for repair work which well over the odds and messed her around with the timings for MOT.

 

Previous years she left the car with them at 8.30 on a saturday and walked home. They called her when it was done - usually by lunchtime, this time she had to call them and chase them.

 

When we got there I stayed in the car and she went in, the guy behind the counter tried to put the fear of god into her about everything that was wrong with car - all the bushes, holes in the exhaust, ineffective brakes, rust, etc etc. She came out livid and we played good cop bad cop with them, paid for the MOT and and took the car away against their advice and we took it home.

 

I went over it with a fine tooth comb, there wasn't any rust, there was only one of the 3 holes in the exhaust they said there was, only the anti roll bar bushes were damaged, not all of them. and only the rear brakes needed replacing because they were at their wear limit, not because they were ineffective. I made all the repairs, including 2x £15 bushes a blob of weld to fix the exhaust and £80 of rear brakes. It took me about 3 hours. Given the quote, that means an hourly rate of over £200, and I'm an amateur, a pro should have done it faster.

 

We took it to the workshops of our local council and it went through with no advisories.

 

Something has happened to them, probably someone has decided they need to sell more repairs, and that being honest won't get the numbers up high enough.

 

Cheeky, salesy scum Halfords.

[m25man]

I don't think this is a Halfords issue alone it's just another sign of a general slide in professional skills and standards across all industries.

 

I recently had my car fail its MOT and had to had a front Shock absorber, Spring, Mounts etc costing £300 +vat it was deemed too dangerous to use.

After picking it up after its "Retest" and driving home I find I had no OSF Lights or indicators!

The entire headlight cluster wiring loom left dangling under the bonnet hanging down between engine and suspension!

 

I've just finished a 1yr property refurb and every so called trades person left questionable quality concerns.

An electrician who installed a fuse board under a stop cock!

A FENSA registered window installer whom I had to stop from smashing my wall to pieces with a kango as he didn't have the correct disk for his cutter... The list was endless most were sacked before they started because they only "talked" a good job!

 

Bring back proper apprenticeships is the only way.

Edited June 10, 2015 by m25man

[Patrick]

Quickfit are just as bad. I went there to get my tracking sorted as it was out, they claimed that my track rod ends had seized up and needed replacing and said they'd do it now. So i went to my "fred in the shed" mechanic and asked him to look at the track rod ends, he said he could have turned the nuts with his fingers if he tried. Nothing seized about them!

 

I will always rather give my money to that respectable "fred in the shed" mechanic rather than a big garage. Ford just did a service on my car (still in warranty) and i'm 90% sure they didn't even do anything! They didn't even run the hose over it!

[Oaktech]

I've never had a problem with the workmanship at KwikFit. They lost 4 tyres for 3 days in their distribution network, but they've always been spot on with what they've done.

 

Formula 1 Autocentres have behaved like absolute crooks towards me.

 

When I had a van I took a loose wheel in for a new tyre. They told me on the phone they had a tyre in stock. When i arrived minutes later they said they'd just fitted it and they'd have to get one in. I was on holiday in turkey for a week after that and told them that at the time, they were fine about it.

 

When I got back a week later I got a text to tell me the wheel had been ready since wednesday. I went down to pick the wheel up and they couldn't find it. I made a massive fuss about it and they gave me some vouchers. I bought a wheel from the scrappy and then used the vouchers to put a new tyre on it and thought everything was done...

 

3 months later I got a letter from their legal department telling me that I had to pay a £100 for the tyre and fitting, a £150 charge for work completed and not picked up, and a storage charge of £200 for the wheel. I phoned them up and told them concisely that the branch had lost my wheel and I wasn't paying for it. They were totally unrepentant and told me they'd see me in court. I got a county court summons 3 days later. My solicitor did all the things that solicitors do and I was literally on the steps of the court in Bournemouth and they backed down and withdrew the case. Not heard a word from them since. Cost me hundreds in legal bills and left a pretty bad taste in my mouth.

[Patrick]

There's everything wrong with quickfit. Trying to charge me hundreds of pounds for a job that simply did not need doing is fraudulent.

 

Couldn't you claim legal expenses against them? I'm not clued up on law proceedings but i thought you could claim back off them as it was them taking you to court?

[Oaktech]

There's everything wrong with quickfit. Trying to charge me hundreds of pounds for a job that simply did not need doing is fraudulent.

 

Couldn't you claim legal expenses against them? I'm not clued up on law proceedings but i thought you could claim back off them as it was them taking you to court?

 

At the time I was so glad that it was over I just paid the solicitor and left it - If I think about it now , my solicitor suggested going after them for a few things but I told him not to bother.