To suspect garage of messing with my tyres?

[Fruitflylady]

Not sure which topic to post this in, so this is as good as any…
My car was in for a service this week with a national wide garage and came out with e recommendation and quote to replace three tyres.
I picked it up at 5pm, and when driving later on at 9.30pm a low tyre pressure warning popped up on the dashboard.
When we got home my DH investigated and discovered the valve core was unscrewed and the tyre was slowly leaking air. He managed to tighten it up and pumped up the tyre.
The next day my DS was driving it and had a low pressure warning on the other front tyre. Further investigation revealed exactly the same problem; a loose valve core.
Fortunately for me, DH is quite handy with these sorts of things, and has fixed the issue, but we are now both suspecting that the garage has left these valves untightened ‘accidentally on purpose’ so that I’ll feel the urgency to replace my tyres with them.
What does everyone else think? Is there a way this could have just happened coincidentally right after the garage visit?

no reason to unscrew the "valve core"

investigate a slow puncture - most likely cuy, nail, screw in tyre or damaged wheel

There’s definitely no slow puncture. Both tyres have been maintaining pressure since we tightened the valve cores and pumped them up.

A very well known national chain did an MOT on our car, the day after we had work done at another garage adjacent , (just because of appointment availability etc). They failed the MOT saying our shocks were leaking. I couldn't work out how the other garage would not have brought this up the day before working under the car, and so took the car 100yds to the first garage. There they promptly wiped the sprayed on oil off the shocks, and then kindly drove out car back to the well known chain for a chat with the manager....MOT passed. YANBU.

Possibly Kwikcrap or Halfrauds?

We had tyres done by kwikfit, my wife went on a trip the next day and came back to a flat, we took it back for them to refit it properly. We also noticed a leak in the radiator with some fresh tool marks in the fins.

They phoned back to say sorry, its got a screw in the tyre, bad luck, but not our fault....

I went back.... With the photos and film of the whole way around the tyre that I took before dropping it off and asked them to show me the screw.

I threatened to call the police and or trading standards unless they fixed everything for free, then once it was done called trading standards anyway. They had their MOT licence revoked for 2 years....

@billyt yes, one of those!! I thought they would be trustworthy. But I can’t think of any other explanation for this tyre problem..

@FixTheBone thats really shocking! Well done you for having had the forethought to photograph and film the tyre before returning the car for fixing. That sort of thing wouldn’t have occurred to me before, but perhaps it would now…

@Lokshen thsnk goodness for your friendly local garage. I need to find one of those!

You think the car suddenly got screws in two tyres or two damaged wheels which then magically fixed themselves when the OP's DH fixed the valves? Really?

"Kwik"fit are a bunch of cowboys. I'll never go there again after they charged me for things I never asked for.

I had a service plan with the chain I bought my car from, took it in for its first one and they told me I needed new break pads all round with an over the top price - my DP (brand new at the time!) told me to bring it to his as he was handy with cars and he'd replace them for me - when he took the pads off they were not worn down at all, not even to the point you could argue it. Funnily enough, no one could give me an answer when I rang them up to discuss it.

Bud, what I psoted was the fact that there was no reason for the fastfit to unscrew the valve, therefore it could have been a slow puncture or bashed rim, right!!

Yes, this is why we’re suspicious; why would they be touching with the valves on a standard service? It’s possible they checked the tyre pressures, so they either have an incompetent mechanic at the garage, or they’ve done it on purpose to get me to come back and buy new tyres from them...
I can’t think of another explanation.

Thank you
IMHO, it is just a coincidence.
Checking air pressure may damage a valve via incompetence but loosening it

Year ago, about 20 years ago, we went to a different fast-fit place than our usual for straightforward stuff, mot, brakes, tryes, etc. They offer a "free check," - they said the "discs needed replacing" - we know a bit about cars and they never removed the wheels and there was no lip on the discs - we were waiting for a brand new car and were to sell in a months time - we said no thank - the manger made a wisecrack about a "dangerous car on the road." We never would do that and knew they could not be right as we have through a major service a few months earlier and had hardly driven the car. Come the sale, a private sale those day - the person buying the car wanted an AA inspection - we agreed as car was in tip-top condrt - car passed the check with flying colours. We later learned you have to remove the wheels to check brake discs

Therefore it can happen

We now only take our cars to main dealers but even there - there can be lazy workers or incompetent workers that miss out on stuff

Just let it go as there is no proof

Take care

Yes very possible it's true, some of these places are a total fraud, others are honest and wonderful. My DD broke down, limped to the nearest garage which was a Halfords one. I had my reservations when she told me that, but when I took her up there it turned out these guys were straight, charged a fair price and did a proper job.

It's all about finding the honest ones to look after your car, at almost 60 I've got my A team all sorted, but it's taken a very long time to get there.

So many of them see a woman coming and say/charge what they like

Why would anyone think their tyres would need changing if their tyre pressure dropped? Surely mostly people just pump it back up and then if it doesn't drop again soon after you know the tyre is fine?

Bud, the reason is to make you think you need new tyres. It's a con.

If it was a slow puncture why did screwing the valve back in fix it? If it was a slow puncture or bashed rim it would still have gone down!

IMHO, it is just a coincidence.

So naive 😂😂

Because it drops again so you take it back. They tell you there is a screw in it or whatever and charge you for new tyres.

It was only after I stopped going to "Kwik"fit that I realised a tyre could often be repaired. I go to a reliable independent garage now.

They often appeared on Rogue Traders/Watchdog

Find a trusted indi for your car servicing and tyres.

@SoupDragon but if they've done it by loosening the valve you'll have tightened it again when pumping it back up?

Took my car back to the national dealership for service & MOT. Couple of weeks later took it back for slight problem with the window & they did a ‘courtesy check’ of the car. Told me the break pads needed replacing…. The same break pads that they’d passed for the MOT 2 weeks before…. That was an interesting conversation to have with the manager.

No reason other than to con OP into buying new ones!🤦🏼‍♀️

You work for one of those chains don’t you😂

Sounds like they tried to upsell you. Don't go to that garage again if it can be helped. I'm sorry this happened to you.

There's no one thicker than a KwikFit fitter.