to be suspicious of this garage?

[secretofcrickleyhall]

Have taken my car to a chain of garages for a few years now, for its MOT and also for tyres and when it broke down last spring.

Every time it has been in the last eighteen months, I am told at least three out of four tyres are dangerously low and need replacing urgently or I could get points on my licence and a fine. I have always done so until this week. My car needed a new tyre, I left it with them and went to work. Sure enough, the phone call came "it's bad news I am afraid."

The thing is that my car has a death sentence and a shiny new one will be mine on March 22. So I explained this to them and asked them just to fit the flat one. Ominous silence, and dure warnings followed which was pretty annoying as I was busy at work.

I then had it again when I picked the car up.

AIBU to think a car shouldn't need three new tyres three times a year ... ? Seems odd.

I've only had excellent set vice from kwikfit- replacing 1 burst tyre and not the others, changing winter for summer tires and vice versa and inspecting the AC and not charging because they couldn't make it colder.
Different branches too.

They don't like fixing a tyre if it's had that temporary 'drive to the nearst garage' gunk cars have instead of a spare though.

With respect Robin, that's rubbish (unless you're driving F1). I had a tyre blow on the M1 - I just had a new tyre fitted on that wheel.

OP - I think that sounds v dodgy indeed. Take the car to an independent garage to be assessed. Generally of my tyres are on their way out, it'll come up in the MOT and I get them changed at the service. Unless you're doing salesperson type mileage, they should last 2-3 years.

You need to know how to check your own tyres and then you will know if they are talking shit (which it sounds like they are)

I had Kwik Fit quote me £180 for a battery the other week - oooh, they said, that includes all the labour for fitting it.

I am a fucking useless mechanic but even I know how to undo two bolts and do them back up, and a battery from a car parts shop was only £60

Seriously people, use your local independent garages. I know some corkers about these places...unless you have money to burn?

Agree with Buzzardbird..
Dh is an independant, ie small workshop, 2 bays etc etc
He has a customer base of.. Hundreds.. they come back month after month, year after year.
Simply coz hes a bloody good mechanic knows what hes on about, and doesnt charge the earth......

I will never use KwikFit again having once had my handbrake fixed only to.experience complete brake failure at a roundabout the next day. Total coincidence that the pipe was fractured of course, but they did agree to a goodwill refund.

Out of interest I had a tyre replaced after a puncture at a local independent fairly recently. I was pleasantly surprised at the cost and rang KwikFit just to compare. They quoted nearly £20 more for the same tyre even with a '25% discount' (I'm pretty sure that was the figure but can't quite remember. Definitely significantly more ££ though).

OP did you actually tell them the tyres had not long been replaced?
Did you have the receipt to hand to prove it?

I'd copy the receipts and write to the HQ
or scan and email

Something I learned - every council has an MOT place - it cannot do repairs, only pass/fail - so if you have a didgy motor, its worth the money to get a bone fide list of fails, get them corrected, then re-MOT.

I read it on the money saving site, it might be the bus station (even if its now sub contracted) - but every council has an MOT garage

My old mechanic (a local independent who I heard of through word of mouth) e
Who was fab - would get the mot done by another garage, he would check the water levels etc before taking it and I was assured that there was no unnecessary work done.

You can buy tread gauges from Halfords for a fiver.

Never ever MOT a car where they offer cut price MOTs. It is expensive for a garage to be a Testing Centre and they simply recoup their money (and more) on charging for unnecessary work. Especially somewhere like Kwik Fit, whose main business is selling tyres. Funny it should fail on tyres so often.

I'd speak to friends and relatives and see which independent garages they recommend and give Kwik FIt and their ilk a wide berth.

HollyBerry that's very good to know, thank you!

And well noted to not try KwikFit.

Make sure you check your tyre pressures once month. Over inflation or under inflation causes excessive wear.
Kwikfit are well known for scaring women out of money. They have been doing it for years. They are very sincere but relentlessly persistent.

Weren't they already on watchdog or a program like it a while back?

I'd never use a chain or dealership garage again, too many bad and very expensive experiences. I definitely support the independents, you know where you are with them! These are the guys that don't need to advertise because word of mouth builds their client base and keeps the customer returning time and time again.

TBH I think you need to test out or get recommendations for your local garages. Our local Kwik Fit is great, in fact they have several times done small things for me without charging, and when I needed things done that they couldn't do they have given me good recommendations for people who could, who have also generally seemed quite good and not tried to rip us off. So we've become good customers of theirs - but some of the other local places I would NOT go back to!