Kwik-Fit

For a while now I've had an annoying wheel wobble due to badly balanced wheels so yesterday I popped into Kwik-Fit, which is just 600 yards from my home.

We left the car there and did our usual Saturday shop in the town.

When we got home they rang to say the car was ready so I went round to pick it it up.

I was handed the keys and off I went.

I decided to try it out and went up to the A5 to see how it was and it was so much better.

I then realised I'd not paid so I went back.

When I went in and saw the same person as before he said it was free of charge and he did tell me but I obviously didn't catch that!

Anyway, he said that next time I need anything perhaps I'd consider them as they now do servicing there too so, as they were so helpful I may well do that.

My tyres were replaced by another firm locally in March and the wobbling started in June, which did surprise me as previously I'd gone to Kwik-Fit!

Just thought I'd pass that on. stevmk2

Re: Kwik-Fit

I once went into a quick fit nearly 600 miles from home because I needed my tyre changed and while I was there they balanced the wheels..

As I drove home I realised they had got it all wrong and I couldnt drive more than 50mph without the steering shaking like mad the journey home was long and very annoying.
Once home I went to my local quick fit and asked them to check my wheels because the balancing felt off.
They confirmed it was and asked who had done it before ..I showed them the bill from the other quickfit and the manager quickly came over and told me there would be no charge for the re-balancing work...
When I got home I got a phone call from the quick fit 600 miles away..

Their manager had been phoned and told what had happened .. To make up for the trouble I got sent a bunch of flowers and a check to refund the cost of my tyre!

Re: Kwik-Fit

Kwik-Fit should be avoided at all costs. I used them once to get a punctured tyre replaced (didn't have a spare and Kwik-Fit was the closest garage) and whilst there they said I also needed a new exhaust part and that both rear tyres (it was one of the front that punctured) were very worn and required replacement.

I resisted the pressure by the mechanic and firmly said to just replace the punctured tyre and let me leave, which he reluctantly did.

The day after I took the car to my usual garage to see if they were telling the truth. Surprise surprise, the mechanic there put the car up on the ramp and showed me that the rear tyres still had thousands of miles left in them and that the exhaust was 100% leak free.

They weren't even stretching the truth, just flat out LYING.

I would rather drive for miles on a flat tyre now than go there.

Re: Kwik-Fit

I once went into Kwik Fit because they gave me the cheapest qoute for a back box.
When the fitter started on the job he must have thought I knew nothing about cars, he said the rest of the exhauast was badly corroded (which it wasn't) and would also need replacing because it was illegal as it would fail an MOT in six months time.(which it wouldn't , and didn't)

I told him to stop trying to get me to have unneccesary work done, and to get on with replacing just the part I asked for.

Re: Kwik-Fit

I had a similar thing happen to me as Scottish cat lady describes at a place called National tyre center (dont know if they are still around)..
At the time my daughter was just 3 months old and I took my mini in to get the wheels balanced.

One man put the car up on the ramp and then the mechanic came along he walked underneth the car with a lead light and stood there shaking his head,,
He came into the office where I was standing and said 'Oh my god youve got a baby too,, I dont know if I should even let you drive ut of here with that death trap.. The tyre walls are damaged and they could blow at any time. Do you see how they seem flat at the bottom? ( low profile tyres) Thats because the steel walls have split..
Is the steering shaking? Well Im not surprised I can see that the steering joints have gone, its a wonder you got here in one piece'
He went on to tell me that the shock absorbers were leaking too. (all this from a quick walk under the car with a lead light)

Basically my car was a wreck..
I got him to give me a quote but said I couldnt say yes until Id spoken to OH..
Then once my car was back on the ground I drove straight to another garage and asked them to look at my car .. I explained what the other guy had said and asked them to recheck the list he had given me..

The second mechanic looked at the list and then at my car which was just a few months old...

He laughed his head off and of course checked off the list as being a total fairy story..

My next stop was trading standards and they took things further.
Next time I drove past National tyre Center it had closed!

Re: Kwik-Fit

Gotta laugh at some of these!

I've had so many different garages telling me outrageous porkies in the past that it glides over me now!

Just about ALL garages these days will tell you lies to get you to spend more money - it's a fact of life and has been for years.

The worst one I had was a garage telling me that there was nothing wrong with my cylinder head gasket and it was an electrical problem.

All the signs were, to me, that the gasket had gone!

They "fixed" it for £200 then I took it 50 yards up the road a realised it was still exactly the same.

What did they say?

"It's been sitting there ticking over for the past 20 mins with no problems"

I tried to sue these idiots but they lied so much and produced shady witnesses claiming I'd ignored their advice about the cylinder head gasket failure my solicitor said I'd lose!

Lying, slimy hairballs!

They were called FastFit Station but they're bent as Nine-Bob notes!

Anyway, I will look into this Kwik-Fit station when I need my annual Service but I had good service with tyres before and good service with exhausts on a previous car - no porkies, they showed me what was wrong and sorted it.

No coercion and no lies, unlike Formula 1 who once told me my brake pads and discs all needed changing - two days after the car had been serviced and NEW brakes fitted all round!

Worst bit was I was only visiting my now-estranged son who worked there bck then! stevmk2

Re: Kwik-Fit

We have a Kwik fit just round the corner and I have always had very good service from them for a number of years - punctures and minor stuff mainly. They don't do the servicing but my friend always gets hers serviced and MOT there and as she is short of money, she goes for the best price she can get.

Re: Kwik-Fit

When having a new tyre fitted always as for the tyre to be balanced at the same time. If you don't ask tyre balance may not be carried out. Maybe a case taking the car to a franchised garage ?

Re: Kwik-Fit

I've used local small garages most of the time for many years because I have found that the larger garages are far too expensive.
Their overheads mean that they need to cover them even in a flat week so they can't compete with the small garages but I have been finding that these small garages are having a very high turnover of staff and the level of service is going down.

I will look at Kwik Fit for my annual service and if they are just a little more than the garage I'm using I will possibly give them a try.

The reason is that I've lost confidence in the one that I've used for 5 years and his customer service is appalling!

I had something done not that long ago.

They asked me to bring in the car at 8:30, which I did and promised me it'd be done by 10:30.

At 10:30 I went to collect the car and it was still sat in the parking bay, untouched.
No explanation, no apology just "it'll be done by 12 now"
It wasn't.

It was 14:30 before it was done and again I had to go in 'cos he just does not telephone you back or answer incoming calls!
Kwik Fit 'phoned my wife's mobile AND left a message on our TAM! stevmk2

Re: Kwik-Fit

We have a smaller local tyre centre I tend to use, they know us there as we have been using their services since I passed my test in 1980. The quick fit in town I am told does a decent job too it's just convenience that I go to the closer one.