Is Kwikfit really bad?

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I've not long learnt to drive and got a 2nd hand car and have put off finding a garage as long as possible but now I really need to take it for a service, get the squeaky brakes checked and have 2 tyres replaced. I have social anxiety and ADD which for me means finding a garage and dealing with them is pretty painful to me, especially when I don't have anyone local to ask for recommendations, don't know much about cars and don't know how to know if I'm getting ripped off.

I'm tempted to take it to Kwikfit, at least then I can book online without talking to anyone unlike local garages and I'm assuming it will be quite impersonal there which is great for me, but I've read reviews online of how bad and expensive Kwikfits are. Are they generally all quite bad? Any suggestions to the best way to manage car repair for me?

I've used my local kwikfit a few times and never had an issue. On the other hand have had issues with a local independent garage.

Steer clear they just try to rip you off. Find a local independent garage.

Yep, total rip off and con artists. I will never use them again. Maybe your local one will be better but who knows?

Avoid at all costs! I wouldn’t trust them to fill the screenwash let alone anything more complicated.

Do you have a local Facebook group you could ask for a recommendation?

You might need to talk to someone at the garage though I’m afraid.

I've never had any problems with my local one. They always tell me if tyres do not need changing, will try to mend a puncture rather than replace etc

They forgot to put me on hold once when I rang them to find out why a part hadn't been ordered - I heard his manager say to him "Tell her you were ill"

Meh, the one near to me is hit or miss - depends who you get on the day to be fair.

If you're needing new tyres, have a look at black circles, they normally find the cheapest place for the tyres you need. If you get a service centre coming up in the results then you could take your car there too.

For me, I find the local independent garages to be the best.

For tyres they're fine, for servicing you'll find they're overpriced.

I took DW's car for a new tyre to my local one once. They insisted that the brake pads were worn and needed replacing. Thing is, I had replaced them myself the month previous month. Never again!

They are fine in my experience but they do charge more than most local/ independent garages (hence people calling it a rip off).

I have only used them on Sundays or when I need a really quick turnaround, but they've always done a good job.

I haven’t used them since they fitted both brake pads and discs incorrectly (presumably quite dangerous) and I only found out when I took it to another garage after having issues with a grinding noise. Used the other, excellent, garage ever since.

Why would they do this though? The staff don't stand to benefit from it. Kwikfit mechanics/ workers are just paid a standard wage.

Although pricey they are pretty honest in my experience. An independent is more likely to benefit from scamming/ lying to you.

They once replaced a tyre with the wrong one on my car, meaning it failed it's next MOT.

I've never had concerns. If the set up works for you then it's worth paying for that convenience I think

I have no idea, but was adamant the pads were worn when I knew that they were only a month old.

An independent where I took my previous company car, had every opportunity to charge for unnecessary work, but refused to do so. I take my personal car there now.

Why would they do this though? The staff don't stand to benefit from it. Kwikfit mechanics/ workers are just paid a standard wage.

They probably have sales targets.

Thanks for all the replies, seems like a lottery depending on where you go by the sounds of it! I'll have a look at local recommendations on Facebook then and try and figure out which is best to go for 😬

We used to have a smashing Kwikfit in the town where I live until the main staff were taken away to another branch that had a dreadful reputation and now ours is dire!

Ask on Facebook on a local page for a good honest garage.
Not all Kwik fits are bad, my daughters car had a funny turn and she stopped at one and got herself home. I was a bit concerned she'd be ripped off when she told me. Took her up there to collect, they charged a fair price and had done a proper repair. I can't remember what the problem was though.

If you try a website like who can fix my car you can get quotes for what you need done, from local garages and can book it in online. There are also reviews. That's how I found a local independent one to me recently and they were absolutely fantastic. I've recommended them to lots of family and friends now.

www.whocanfixmycar.com/