Same as any mechanics shop here that has a sign up saying "free safety check". Its just am excuse to sell you parts and labour you dont need. See that sign, run far, run fast. 🇦🇺
i once worked at a company i kept getting a bollicking cos i wasn't upselling jobs that didn't need doing to customers cars and was warned that my monthly bonus would be poor so i said fine stick ya job im not into ripping peeps off when they just wanted a tyre or a exhaust doing or screwing them over when doing a service
50 years in the trade, man & youth. For your servicing needs use a trusted, friendly, local garage, the sort where you can talk with the mechanics. Avoid main dealers (wherever possible) & avoid "quickfit" outfits like Halfords & co.
My bike was in halfords for a service and new brake cables. It took 5 weeks and 3 phone calls to get it back. If you ever need a storage solution for your bike....book it into halfords for a service!
Lmao I gave them my bike that was working fine for a 'free checkup' and 50 pound voucher only for them to spit in my face mess up my brakes and the derailleur and say at the end that my bike needs £300+ In fixes....
Having worked in the trade for 17 years one piece of advise is find a garage you can trust and stuck with them. Get recommendations through friends and family. Doesn't matter if they're not the cheapest. You want honest, quality work. If someone's cheap they're cheap for a reason. Alot of chain sites (not all of them. Some are very honest) have targets for upselling and get bonus' for how much they sell. Brakes are an easy win with lots of margin. Don't fall for the "we can't let you take it away till the works done. Its not safe." Thats all rubbish. If you're concerned your cars not safe phone your breakdown provider. They will give you an unbiased, honest opinion as have no financial gain is saying you need brakes. Would definitely recommend independent garages over franchised sites. Most of the time you're talking to the owner of the company rather that an employee
If you love you car, take it to a good independent garage or if you can afford it, a main dealer, if you hate your car then take it to Halfrauds, or Kwik Fit
I used halfords once for a new tyre, I thought it was convenient as they were in a shopping centre I was visiting. They told me that I needed a complete set of discs and pads , I insisted I looked at them myself, I am a mechanical engineer . The pads were 60% good, discs were very good , no marks . They got funny when I told them just do the tyre
Halfords failed my cars MOT for a leaking steering rack £780. Told them to sort it for the MOT ...... Went to pick it up after and presented them with the guarantee for the steering rack they fitted 3 weeks before...... Manager went nuts I pissed myself lol
I've always found that the small local garages are by far the best, very helpful, reasonably priced and far more honest! A great insight in to how these larger garage chains usually work, avoid at all costs and support your small local garages. Great video!
I run a small mom and pop style car stereo store in Southern California. We get these same reports of other shops trying to “up sell” product when customers come into their shops. Our theory is, if it is not needed or necessary then don’t replace it. If your speakers sound fine and are not rattling or buzzing or making weird noises then they are fine. Don’t replace. Tons of other shops will try to get into your pocket but we would rather you spend the money on what you actually need or want vs. trying to just sell random stuff to make a profit. The shop is there to serve you and your needs mechanically not the other way around. Good on you for taking a stand against poor shops.
Took my car in for a service a few months ago to a Hellfrauds Autocentre and when they rang me to tell me it was ready to collect they told me I needed fuel cleaner and a new pollen filter. When I said no the bloke at the end of the phone sounded like he was going to deck me. Definite con artists.
A lot of these places ie exhaust & tyre centres will often desperately search for unnecessary work. I only found out this when a AA mechanic I know inspected my car & informed that I had been conned over a few hundred pounds of work that never needed replacing!
Same thing happened to me with Halford they wanted me to change a front left suspension on my 2017 ford focus , went to ford and they told me nothing wrong with the spring, I was livid went back Halford and the apologized and gave me a 50£ voucher
Used them to fit my bulbs, couldn't even see while driving at night as they were pointed too low! then they had the cheek to ask me for £30 for them to adjust the headlights even though they aimed fine before Halfords fitted my new bulbs....also tried selling me that AC anti bacteria stuff which wont do anything if you have bacteria or a hole in your AC, ended up buying a AC cleaner from amazon for £9.99 and AC is completely fine now...nothing but rip offs and i question if their mechanics are even qualified like who fits bulbs then doesn't even test them before allowing a customer to drive home and then drive in dark with about as much visibility as strapping a iphone flashlight to grill.
I had the same thing at a local Vauxhall garage main dealer. One of those pre winter checks. What bunch they are. The bill was worth more than the car. I declined the work, took it to a trusted garage for an mot and showed them the suggested repairs, guess what non of it was needed
Hallfords are notorious for this. They tried to get £200 off me a couple of months ago saying I needed a new boot switch on my Fiesta because it's an MOT failure, which it isn't, and I've never had any problems opening my boot either! Keep up the good videos.
Took my Honda Jazz for a free brake check Halfords said I had a seized brake caliper, collapsed brake hose and all 4 brake discs were heavily lipped so needed new pads and discs. Over £600 worth of work. I took it to the main dealer for a 2nd opinion and it didn’t need any of those things. Another occasion I took my new Honda Civic for a new tyre (they were the cheapest) I had been advised I needed new brake pads and discs on the rear and they said it needed wheel alignment because the front tyres were unevenly worn. They also said the front discs were worn below manufacturers spec. Again, I took it to the main dealer for a 2nd opinion and it only needed rear brake pads and discs as well as the wheel alignment. The front discs were fine
In Italy you only need to MOT your car once every two years... which took me by surprise. But yeah, ultimately, try and find a mechanic you can trust not to rip you off. If you don't, they'll probably take you to the cleaners. When I was living in the UK, I remember my brother took his car in for a service and was able to confirm that they hadn't even opened the bonnet to have a look inside - they didn't do anything at all - and then tried to charge him. Just like plumbers and electricians, they're a law unto themselves and most of them do, sadly, seem to be bad apples - the problem is that it's easy money and the temptation to overcharge for absolutely nothing is strong. Find someone you're sure you can trust - don't just settle on the first one you find and avoid the 'official' or 'authorised' ones like the plague - unless you're happy paying twice the actual amount. The problem is that finding an honest mechanic is very difficult. Even out here it took us a while - I remember the authorised Fiat dealer who decided it would be a great idea to change ALL of our locks on the car when only one of them was actually broken - and we specifically asked them to just change one of them. Of course, the work was done and we couldn't do anything about it except pay for the rest of them. I was completely broke at the time which really didn't help matters... But we did find an honest one eventually - he doesn't charge a penny to change a light (not even for the bulb). He's never added any 'extra work' whenever we took our car in for repairs. Not once in all these years. Not that long ago my father accidentally filled his petrol tank with diesel. He called our trusted mechanic and the guy came along, emptied the tank, and refused to accept any payment...as much as my father insisted. And this guy always has a yard full of cars to repair - it's not like he had the spare time. This is the benchmark of a good mechanic - and the fact that he's so busy with work is precisely because he's honest and trusted by the locals here. I'd say we were lucky to find him... a real diamond in the rough, as they say.
Nice video! No, I have no experience with Halfords; however, this also reguarly happens here in Netherlands at similar car-maintenance-companies: they abuse the lack of knowledge of their customers.
No the correct alias for halfords is halfrauds I also had an issue years ago with them, told me exhaust and cat had to be replaced and would be £900 but don't worry you can take out our finance, refused and took to an independent garage - they replaced back box for £80, kept the car for 9 years after that with no exhaust issues
I have just had a service (on the 5th December). Was told my car was in perfect working order apart from the battery needed charging and a new front light bulb. Two days later, my car is rumbling when idle. Took it to a nearby garage who said I have an air leak and to take it back to Halfords to thrash it out with them. They told me they'd order the part and pay for it as a gesture of goodwill. After the part was replaced, the problem still persisted. They then discovered there was a hole in some form of engine plastic covering? (I'm not car literate). They did a temporary fix but told me the part is £1500!!!! My car was completely fine before the service - I did it as a precaution because I was meant to be driving down to London next week) but now it could breakdown at any time. This happened two days after a service and on its first proper drive on the motorway afterwards. I don't know what to do. It can't be a coincidence!
A lot of shops say need when they should say could use. Over here in the states, dealt with firestone claiming our car needed $2000 worth of proper engine work simply because the engine was throwing a general error. Kept telling them the error was created due to bad radiator fan relays but nope, insisted on work that wasnt needed. $60 for 3 relays and 5 mins of labor... insisted $2000 of engine work. Ridiculous. Luckily I already knew what the problem was, just didnt feel like doing it myself. Unlucky for them...
I've only used them once to get 2 front tyres changed. I wasn't too happy when I saw how fast the service technician drove my car out of the garage into the car park once he'd finished with it. They didn't try and rip me off thankfully, but I was quite taken back by the lack of respect they showed for someone else's car. I didn't challenge them about it though. I just paid, took the keys, and never came back
So normally take my car for mot at national tyres, my sons a mechanic and an mot tester, he'll do work for me but I've always took my cars somewhere else for mot's, never had an issue with national tyres before just mot cars and if need anything doing they don't even pressure you, however now halfords own them it's a different story, recently took my work car in for standard mot, I got car year ago with mot on it, so this was my 1st mot I've had done on it, and car hadn't been touched in that year, I had same experience after car failed mot halfords produced a quote for £811.19 for work needed to get car through mot, which I didn't ask for and said to guy he was wasting his time typing it out and printing it off for me. Took car to my son, 2hrs later and £200 pounds in parts from euro car parts had car sorted, front pads and discs, rear shock and new headlight this worked fine but was damaged internally and would not self level with internal motor, halfords/national had quoted £360 for headlight, £211.56 for front discs, £56.09 for pads and £168.51 for shock absorber, that means that 2hrs labour in their eyes is £611, £305.50 an hr, I won't be taking a car to them again for an mot, reason being if I was old or clueless, and didn't know a mechanic I would probably have paid that money to keep car on road, that is taking advantage of people, they also bombarded me with emails to get work required done there, no thank you halfords/national stick it up your arse
Everyone I know who's had any experience with Halfords with regards to work done on their car has similar stories to tell to you. I wouldn't go near them with a bargepole. They're great if you desperately need a car battery on a Sunday or something, but I'd never allow them to actually work on my car.
Exactly the same happened to me! Quoted £1300 of work needing to be done! Refused to have work done! I took my car to a reputable garage for MOT - it passed! I would NEVER use Halfords again!
Wish I'd seen this earlier. Took my car to Halfords for an MOT and they told me I needed 6 changes to pass. Took it to another garage and it turned out it was only 2 and 5th of the price I was quoted by halfords!
Halfrauds told me that I needed to align my windshield washer, replace the spark plug rack because it cracked, and get a new emissions box because the current one is corroded. To my surprise, I received a charge of £1028 that I wasn’t prepared for. I’m unsure if they’re lying because they showed me the cracked spark plug rack, and while there is a crack, I can’t determine if they caused it themselves. I examined the alignment of the washer and no adjustments were made. I have plans to go back there again tomorrow.
Think yourself lucky… I had a shock absorber go on my car - Halfords had appointments so in it went. To cut a long story short : they re-assembled the strut incorrectly and caused even more damage. Went into the main dealer who took it apart with photos and corrected it. Went into the Halfords branch to tel them and to see what they could do to remedy the mistake - all I got was a mouthful. Came home and got the CEO email address, polite email explaining what had happened and the pictures. Less than 24 hours later area manager on the phone - “what can I do to make this right”? In the end they paid not only for the work they had done but the main dealer also. I’d never go to Halfords again. Local Garage or main dealer for me depending what needed doing …
I worked in a garage back in the day and unfortunately it happens often, they will even go on your appearance, if you (no offence) look like a dr who doesn't want to get his hands dirty and doesn't know much alot about it, they will try to take advantage.
I look like someone who does not get his hands dirty, but it's deceptive. I've been a deputy foreman in a garage and a ship's engineer. I can run rings round then if they try to scam me, I know every nut and bolt on my cars as I've undone them all at one time or another. I've even had them retract an baseless MoT failure. They ar fishing for work (or non-work) half the time.
I get the same thing with Stoneacre. Advised me bushed needed replacing urgently. Over £1k but when I pinned them down they would be replaced under warranty for free. Advised a coolant change as there was too much antifreeze in. £100 to empty and refill. To my knowledge you can fully fill a system with antifreeze. New battery needed which was true, £150, same battery at Halfords fitted £70.
Halfords do have a terrible reputation that's for sure but I must say this, I had a problem with my car from new that even the dealer couldn't fix/find, I took it to various places to try and fix the issue......no luck. I lived with the issue until I booked it for a service at my local Halfords as I was sick off the dealer, they serviced my car and fixed the issue I had and I was so happy, I spoke directly with the technician who found the problem.......a very nice chap indeed. Moral of the story is, yes Halfords have a terrible reputation but some of the technicians actually are very clued up and can clearly do a better job than the dealers.
I know I'm late to the party but I had to comment. I visited halfords last year to get all round tyres, disks and pads. After the work the car kept squeeking when I was slowing down and every bump on the road was making loud creeking noises. I called them up and they said to bring it in, which I did. They gave me a list of work that needed doing total cost was about £650, this included front and rear shocks and new top mounts. So I got it done. 3 months later its still the same so I take the car back. They quote me £450 so I book it in for a weeks time. When I arrived They said it will be £485 so I questioned it and they got rude and then suddenly the price went up. I questioned again and they clearly were trying to rile me up for some reason so I left and called their customer service. They booked me In to another branch and I asked if they could not be advised of whats happened. When the car was inspected by the other branch, the list of work included items I had already paid for to be done. The thing is, many items I had been charged for were not replaced and the original branch had even broken the undertray then zipped it back on making it dangerous to drive. They have been reported and the work was completed but it cost almost £2500 to correct all the damage done by halfords. Sorry this was long but has to tell my story. Stay away from halfords, stick with specialists for the brand of car you have.
Halfrauds quoted a friend of mine nearly £650 for brakes all round to pass an MoT. I got an MoT elsewhere and ended up replacing only the front pads the following year. Discraceful (ex car mechanic/ex aircraft engineer/currently mechanical engineer)
The Halfords mechanic told me I needed new glow plugs and my track rods were bent , I thought that’s strange I only brought my bike in for a service, cost me £ 800 . Glow plugs work a treat. Will take my car there next time to have the saddle adjusted.. everyone is ripping people off due to COVID -19. They only want your money . Be aware.🏴🚗
I wouldn't trust them to give me advice about a pullback toy let alone a car. The prices they charge for really quite simple tasks is ridiculous. Haven't been to a Halfrauds for years and years, I would imagine the fitting of some wiper blades and a headunit would involve remortgaging the house these days.
I have had dealings with a large company. I’m not naming them in case they sue. But it sounds like Barnold Flark. Bought a car off them and saved £800 compared to another firm. 5000 miles later my car needed serviced. It also “needed” £789 worth of extras. I said so you sold me a car that needs all this. You may be a hard driver. My reply was I know you are telling porky pies coz I had an independent garage do the discs and brakes the previous week. I have never been back and will never be back. Any way thanks for listening. Stay safe Jake 👍
Nice video, this is reminiscent of my experience last week, no names mentioned. I took my car in for a major service, payed for it online and was told that I had some advisories which weren't included in this service which included fuel filter, new spark plugs and a new battery. As we know the battery isn't included and I was surprised that they were saying I needed to pay extra for something which most of us know is normally included. I've been with the before and no issues up until now. I reluctantly said yes to the extras and spent an additional £226 on top of £244 for the service, plus other bits, I was a bit miffed by this and won't be going back there again sadly, but I knew I should of gone to my local garage but didn't so my fault really.
I work in the motor industry and would like to give an example. Little old lady only brings her car in once a year for a service, gets her MOT somewhere else. I’m servicing her car and notice that the pads have only got 1mm left on them, discs are lipped and scored, tyres are on 1.8mm, a spring has snapped and a damper is leaking. So her £150 service now needs 5 new tyres at £300. Discs and pads all round at £500, and around £200 for a spring and damper. I know that her tyres will be down to the cords by her next service, her brakes will be metal to metal, and driving on failed suspension will be noisy, uncomfortable and will wear bushes a lot faster. I need to make her aware and advise the work be done for safety and roadworthiness. Try to see it from the other side.
Servicing is a complete con most of the time, find someone by recommendation in your area if at all possible, ideally a skilled sole trader. Always get the MOT done first and then fix only what they find, pre MOT checks are a con too.
Yes Halfords and some other well known chains can take advantage of folk if they don’t know much about cars. Luckily I’ve found a trusted independent garage down the road who practically do everything I need. Finding a decent garage is incredibly hard though, especially when you move to a new area.
Yap, had the same experience with Halfords - quoted me +/- £1400 to fix the car as failed MOT, went to other garage - £200 to fix + many things didn't even to be fixed.
That is a problem the world over! When I moved to a new province and needed my vehicle to pass the safety check (it was a small town with only one garage that did safety checks) the garage knew they had me since they couldn't release the vehicle back to me until it passed. 2 $75 tires, 4 break pads @ about $100 total and a $100 safety check - my total bill, just shy of $1600. The mechanic that did the work then saw how much I was charged apologized every time he saw me for about a year!
Some very basic mechanical skills will save people like yourself a fortune. Not only can you service every single car in existence for less than £100 (Oil, Oil filter and air filter) but it will give you some confidence at MOT time if you know your vehicle. Brakes are not difficult at all and are a very quick and cheap job. I hate garages because they rip off people left and right.
Very familiar story in the motor trade worldwide, not just the UK! I'm lucky enough to work for a main dealer who does have a similar upsell system but with a lot more morals, 4mm would of been recheck in 3-upward months milage depending (some drivers do 20-30K a year!) Probably why the videos on my channel which covers DIY vehicle jobs get watched the most! Should of kept the Jag Jake, ever bill would be huge!
I know a woman that had ONE headlight bulb blow ..... stupidly she took it to Halfords, they convinced her that if one bulb has blown then ALL the others will be on their way out so they changed the lot !!! On the box of a Halfords bulb it states “they should be changed in pairs”...... WTAF 😳😳😳 when the bulb blows in my kitchen I don’t change the one in the lounge, just saying 🤷🏻♂️
Yes I had .M.O.T with Halfrauds they failed it on rear brake pipe so took it away got my local Mancanic to do work on mot paper took it back for retest then they told me they put wrong pipe on paper work so had to take back to my Mancanic to replace the correct corroded pipe I never go again.
That extra £20 sounds like a typical vindictive snipe at you for not going for the full hit. Lower and middle management often do such things for the psychological pleasure if getting back at a difficult customer.
The One & only halfords in-store fitters are so crap they can't even change a car bulb properly , today my partner went into a halfords store (basildon essex) for them to change a reverse light bulb on her mini , he told her a brake light had gone & went & changed it & told her he couldn't change the reverse light because (as he said) the car needs to go up on the ramps so anyway & something about the brake light not working because of wiring or fuse ,when she got home she told me what the so called expert fitter had told her which i didn't believe so i went & had a look , now i'm no expert fitter but i couldn't understand why this so called expert went into the boot as the reverse light on a mini you get to from just under the car ? so first i looked at the brake light that did work but wasn't working after the expert fitted a bulb (that was not asked for) , so i put in the spare bulb & it worked fine (NOW), then i looked on youtube & found how to change a reverse light bulb on a mini so 3 screws & 2 clips (just under the car easy to get to so no ramp required) so in total in took me around 15 minutes to change both bulbs that the expertly-trained fitter messed up , so people don't waste your time on these so called expertly trained fitter as they are not simply cowboys who will do more damage than good , halfords should be ashamed of themselves
i'm so paranoid about needing anything done on my car these days anytime i need to go to a garage all i can think about it how scummy and dodgy they are going to be...
I took my e-scooter in to repair a punctured wheel. Because they’re tubeless it’s a bit more difficult. After 4 weeks, not being able to get through to anyone on the phone (this was during lockdown) and no response from emails. I had to go down there and pick it up myself. Nothing had been done to it, they even struggled to find it. Terrible service
I am not being unkind - but as far as I know there is no UK legal minimum limit on brake pad thickness. Minimum depth measurements and patterns are stated for tyre treads. It might help to be accurate when dealing with garages - but I agree with the sentiment for dealing with Halfords.
Jesus, don't use Halfords! What a load of tripe. Just to add my two cents; -Garages/Halfords will probably try fleece you as - no offence - they will see you as an easy target. I haven't taken my car to a garage for repairs in 6 years, all DIY - and some mighty big jobs. One day I was working away and needed an MOT. Obvs fully suited in a strange garage they gave me 15 faults and a quote of over 2k. Got home and only found two actual faults myself, fixed them and took it to my local garage where it passed with not even a minor. -Servicing - At least do an annual oil/filter change my man! Not even in regards to resale, just do it to keep the engine happy! Don't pay top money, if you have the time it can be done yourself for £50 and a couple of hours. Indy garages shouldn't be much.
I bought an impact driver from Halfrauds, it stopped working after about 5 screws/bolts undone, it had a warranty so I took it back, they refused a refund as I'd been hitting it ha ha, this is how it works say I, 20 minute argument later I got a refund, I find them generally very unknowledgeable about what they sell, they stuck on a rear reversing camera on a focus belonging to some one I know, only for it to constantly fall off, they did this as none of the screw holes lined up between camera backing/holder and hatch of car, drilling 2 holes in plastic isn't rocket science, which is what I did
Why do think halfords and the like have a customer waiting area ,its so they can create a story up that you cannot hear them doing until they hit you with it at reception.
BTW, I don't know where you get your glasses, but I've yet to go for a Specsavers eye test for them not to tell me that I don't need a new prescription, despite being able to see perfectly well using my current one. It's hard to find a company that isn't looking to squeeze you for extra cash these days.
Well had my car serviced yesterday at halfords, got told the rear brake pads are at 60% 7mm (replaced 4000 miles ago) discs at 100% remaining (front disks have ridges on them) from pads have 7mm and donr 14,000, told three tyres need balancing again replaced about 1,000 miles ago... No lub on bonnet hinge, door hinges etc. so basically a oil, oil filter, and air filter change. And now has a oil leak.... So car is off the road. Nothing said about the wear on the front suspension needing replacing as found in the MOT. By Halfords. By the same garage. By the se engineer...
Don’t go to Kwick rip then their worse than full frauds, go in for new tries there measuring discs etc just for an extra sale. I was told needed new discs told them I didn’t want any, 4 months later passed MOT no issues. Profiteering leeks all big service centres.
They don't check brake pad life left for mot, they only check the braking efficiency - mot testers aren't allowed to remove anything while doing their checks so can't see how much pad is left The 1.5mm you're thinking of is tyre tread depth, and it's 1.6mm
Using the words "proper garage" and "Halfords" in the same upload is heresy Doc. They are anything but a proper garage they are more like high pressure sales people. As for the digital service you can request a copy off a main dealer, then purchase a paper service booklet from them what can have non dealer service stamps added. Very accurate Halford's review, nice work Doc take a camera and go undercover reporter next time... "The Doc Report"
Had the same experience with Halfords ,had a service you need new brakes pads and disc did not have the disc changed just the pads , later had a mot done by them it passed but had advisory on mot that some part of the suspension would need doing soon, took car to another garage they said its ok . that was 4 years ago and have used a garage doing only mots and have passed each time with no advisory . so DON'T USE HELLFORDS they are just a rip off
If the pads and discs were so worn that they needed changing the mot station should have given you an advisory, not a shopping list of jobs. I was an mot tester at a local council, we only tested vehicles never did any repair work. Also when you go for oil and all filter changes always mark the filters before you go, that way you can tell if they have actually changed them. Bacteria in the air con system ? ha ha what a load of garbage, but some gullible people would believe their tripe. I change my own oil, filters, plugs and brakes, that way i know its done right and not done by cowboys like halfords.
I take my car to a small but up-market dealer in cars of a different make from mine. Their bread and butter is servicing recent cars of their own make and they don't want to invent jobs to do on yours. They don't want the learning curve, although obviously they will fail if they find something dangerous, otherwise it's advisories. I've not had an MoT fail for 25 years, and I drive older cars. I service and repair myself.
I've still got an X Type and thoroughly love it..........but a Mazda? What were you thinking? Bought my X Type from a Gent who kept up with the full Jaguar service history, but in the 12 year service records that accompanied that car I could see that Halfords had managed to spot that the Jaguar technicians had failed to notice that the.........discs and pads needed replacing!!! interesting - on 2 occasions!
Having check the receipts in fairness I should point out one of the occasions was not Halfords, it was Formula 1 Service Centres? - Just found out that Kwik fit put Nitrogen in my tyres, how cool is that! Not seen many Nitrogen air pumps at petrol stations?
I've been in the trade for 15 years and I'm a tester. And I can guarantee an MOT isn't worth fuck all, it's deemed bear minimum standard and it's the tester's opinion. So it can actually vary from one to another, stupidly, but if you've got a dirty great big crack along your windscreen a tester could be well within his rights to pass or fail it. But that doesn't mean that it's ok or even safe in the long run and will need changing, a tester's opinion isn't always the same as a copper's either and they can be very different outcomes.
That's exactly what my son says, he's a mechanic and tester, hes always saying an mot means nothing, he always quotes minimum standards, your car could literally be falling to bits and still pass an mot
Nice video and glad the car is going well. I never go to those "oil changer" type places, I too had a bad experience with them. Here in New Zealand we have "AA" service centres. They tried to sell me "iridium tipped spark plugs" because they last longer. I never went back. They know you won't come back so they try and sell you as much as possible while you're there knowing that. If you think about it they probably have nothing to do with AA or Halfords and it's just a random person owning a franchise, that brings people by using a trusted name. The AA and Halfords win by getting a bit of extra money on the side for doing nothing. I don't think you can beat going to a local garage that might charge a bit more, but to be honest now if a garage offers "free" this and "discount" that it's a bit of warning bell for me that they have to attract new customers because existing customers don't come back. Our local garage is always booked out and don't do discounts. If they are ripping people off then word would soon get out to the local community and people wouldn't go. By the way the Mazda 6 came close when I changed my car ,but i ended up getting another XF. It's silver. I've had three silver cars now and I think they are great. They don't get hot, don't show nicks and scratches and the paint is easy to match up. Red get damaged really easily by UV and oxidation .By the way I asked my local garage about iridium tipped spark plugs and he said he would only recommend them if you had an engine where the spark plugs were hard to get to, and my car that wasn't a problem to change them and I'll probably sell the car before a normal set of spark plugs needed to be replaced !! My dad still has his X type !
Lmao I gave them my bike that was working fine for a 'free checkup' and 50 pound voucher only for them to spit in my face mess up my brakes and the derailleur and say at the end that my bike needs £300+ In fixes....
i had a incident with Quick FIX, note i am able and experienced at DIY fixing cars/servicing cars etc, I Once called them abt new rear brakes for my Hyundai, all i wanted was a price to replace the pads, if it was £15 or more i would just DIY, So i called them told them what i wanted, and asked for a price, the answer was No sri we cant just give you a price you need to bring the car in for a inspection, i replied there is nothing wrong, Just want the Rear pads changing, NO, just would not give me a price, so i said ok ill just DIY, the guy then stated that No i cant DIY that is illegal, lol. I know what he was up to, Up selling.
A service "is not worth it". If your car gives problems down the line then it's only yourself to blame. It's not just Halfords, lots of places will try it on for brakes as they can sell them on safety.
Hey Dr Jake need to catch up with your videos had a couple of lazy weeks. I must say my Halfords are really good recently my battery died whilst waiting in retail car park and they came over and gave me a jump free of charge. This of course may come down the the people In store being nice. Sorry to hear of your experience. I always try and take my car to a trusted mechanic.
That's why they call it HALFRAUDS
Same as any mechanics shop here that has a sign up saying "free safety check". Its just am excuse to sell you parts and labour you dont need. See that sign, run far, run fast. 🇦🇺
No such thing as a free lunch!!!!
Mmmmm. Lunch
Yes, they are playing the "safety" card.
i once worked at a company i kept getting a bollicking cos i wasn't upselling jobs that didn't need doing to customers cars and was warned that my monthly bonus would be poor so i said fine stick ya job im not into ripping peeps off when they just wanted a tyre or a exhaust doing or screwing them over when doing a service
50 years in the trade, man & youth. For your servicing needs use a trusted, friendly, local garage, the sort where you can talk with the mechanics. Avoid main dealers (wherever possible) & avoid "quickfit" outfits like Halfords & co.
Absolutely I have been in the trade 45 years and seen how these big chains operate.
My bike was in halfords for a service and new brake cables. It took 5 weeks and 3 phone calls to get it back. If you ever need a storage solution for your bike....book it into halfords for a service!
@mark75 No matter what you say, my bike was in Halfords.
Lmao I gave them my bike that was working fine for a 'free checkup' and 50 pound voucher only for them to spit in my face mess up my brakes and the derailleur and say at the end that my bike needs £300+ In fixes....
@@Amongus-iq4km Ha! Sounds like they’ve improved then😂
Having worked in the trade for 17 years one piece of advise is find a garage you can trust and stuck with them. Get recommendations through friends and family. Doesn't matter if they're not the cheapest. You want honest, quality work. If someone's cheap they're cheap for a reason.
Alot of chain sites (not all of them. Some are very honest) have targets for upselling and get bonus' for how much they sell. Brakes are an easy win with lots of margin.
Don't fall for the "we can't let you take it away till the works done. Its not safe." Thats all rubbish. If you're concerned your cars not safe phone your breakdown provider. They will give you an unbiased, honest opinion as have no financial gain is saying you need brakes.
Would definitely recommend independent garages over franchised sites. Most of the time you're talking to the owner of the company rather that an employee
If you love you car, take it to a good independent garage or if you can afford it, a main dealer, if you hate your car then take it to Halfrauds, or Kwik Fit
I used halfords once for a new tyre, I thought it was convenient as they were in a shopping centre I was visiting. They told me that I needed a complete set of discs and pads , I insisted I looked at them myself, I am a mechanical engineer . The pads were 60% good, discs were very good , no marks . They got funny when I told them just do the tyre
I wouldn't trust halfords to service a wheel barrow.
Halfords failed my cars MOT for a leaking steering rack £780. Told them to sort it for the MOT ...... Went to pick it up after and presented them with the guarantee for the steering rack they fitted 3 weeks before...... Manager went nuts I pissed myself lol
Halfrauds - its their business model for the car illiterate. Not to be used in the same sentence as "a proper garage".
It is mostly the car illiterate who use Halfords.
I've always found that the small local garages are by far the best, very helpful, reasonably priced and far more honest!
A great insight in to how these larger garage chains usually work, avoid at all costs and support your small local garages. Great video!
I run a small mom and pop style car stereo store in Southern California. We get these same reports of other shops trying to “up sell” product when customers come into their shops. Our theory is, if it is not needed or necessary then don’t replace it. If your speakers sound fine and are not rattling or buzzing or making weird noises then they are fine. Don’t replace. Tons of other shops will try to get into your pocket but we would rather you spend the money on what you actually need or want vs. trying to just sell random stuff to make a profit. The shop is there to serve you and your needs mechanically not the other way around. Good on you for taking a stand against poor shops.
Took my car in for a service a few months ago to a Hellfrauds Autocentre and when they rang me to tell me it was ready to collect they told me I needed fuel cleaner and a new pollen filter. When I said no the bloke at the end of the phone sounded like he was going to deck me. Definite con artists.
A lot of these places ie exhaust & tyre centres will often desperately search for unnecessary work. I only found out this when a AA mechanic I know inspected my car & informed that I had been conned over a few hundred pounds of work that never needed replacing!
Same thing happened to me with Halford they wanted me to change a front left suspension on my 2017 ford focus , went to ford and they told me nothing wrong with the spring, I was livid went back Halford and the apologized and gave me a 50£ voucher
Used them to fit my bulbs, couldn't even see while driving at night as they were pointed too low! then they had the cheek to ask me for £30 for them to adjust the headlights even though they aimed fine before Halfords fitted my new bulbs....also tried selling me that AC anti bacteria stuff which wont do anything if you have bacteria or a hole in your AC, ended up buying a AC cleaner from amazon for £9.99 and AC is completely fine now...nothing but rip offs and i question if their mechanics are even qualified like who fits bulbs then doesn't even test them before allowing a customer to drive home and then drive in dark with about as much visibility as strapping a iphone flashlight to grill.
I had the same thing at a local Vauxhall garage main dealer. One of those pre winter checks. What bunch they are. The bill was worth more than the car. I declined the work, took it to a trusted garage for an mot and showed them the suggested repairs, guess what non of it was needed
Hallfords are notorious for this. They tried to get £200 off me a couple of months ago saying I needed a new boot switch on my Fiesta because it's an MOT failure, which it isn't, and I've never had any problems opening my boot either! Keep up the good videos.
Took my Honda Jazz for a free brake check
Halfords said I had a seized brake caliper, collapsed brake hose and all 4 brake discs were heavily lipped so needed new pads and discs. Over £600 worth of work. I took it to the main dealer for a 2nd opinion and it didn’t need any of those things.
Another occasion I took my new Honda Civic for a new tyre (they were the cheapest)
I had been advised I needed new brake pads and discs on the rear and they said it needed wheel alignment because the front tyres were unevenly worn. They also said the front discs were worn below manufacturers spec. Again, I took it to the main dealer for a 2nd opinion and it only needed rear brake pads and discs as well as the wheel alignment. The front discs were fine
Halfords Autocentre is basically Kwick fit ...
All money grabbing no customer service
In Italy you only need to MOT your car once every two years... which took me by surprise. But yeah, ultimately, try and find a mechanic you can trust not to rip you off. If you don't, they'll probably take you to the cleaners. When I was living in the UK, I remember my brother took his car in for a service and was able to confirm that they hadn't even opened the bonnet to have a look inside - they didn't do anything at all - and then tried to charge him. Just like plumbers and electricians, they're a law unto themselves and most of them do, sadly, seem to be bad apples - the problem is that it's easy money and the temptation to overcharge for absolutely nothing is strong. Find someone you're sure you can trust - don't just settle on the first one you find and avoid the 'official' or 'authorised' ones like the plague - unless you're happy paying twice the actual amount.
The problem is that finding an honest mechanic is very difficult. Even out here it took us a while - I remember the authorised Fiat dealer who decided it would be a great idea to change ALL of our locks on the car when only one of them was actually broken - and we specifically asked them to just change one of them. Of course, the work was done and we couldn't do anything about it except pay for the rest of them. I was completely broke at the time which really didn't help matters...
But we did find an honest one eventually - he doesn't charge a penny to change a light (not even for the bulb). He's never added any 'extra work' whenever we took our car in for repairs. Not once in all these years. Not that long ago my father accidentally filled his petrol tank with diesel. He called our trusted mechanic and the guy came along, emptied the tank, and refused to accept any payment...as much as my father insisted. And this guy always has a yard full of cars to repair - it's not like he had the spare time.
This is the benchmark of a good mechanic - and the fact that he's so busy with work is precisely because he's honest and trusted by the locals here. I'd say we were lucky to find him... a real diamond in the rough, as they say.
i wouldnt use halfords if they were the last place on earth
Nice video! No, I have no experience with Halfords; however, this also reguarly happens here in Netherlands at similar car-maintenance-companies: they abuse the lack of knowledge of their customers.
No the correct alias for halfords is halfrauds
I also had an issue years ago with them, told me exhaust and cat had to be replaced and would be £900 but don't worry you can take out our finance, refused and took to an independent garage - they replaced back box for £80, kept the car for 9 years after that with no exhaust issues
I have just had a service (on the 5th December). Was told my car was in perfect working order apart from the battery needed charging and a new front light bulb. Two days later, my car is rumbling when idle. Took it to a nearby garage who said I have an air leak and to take it back to Halfords to thrash it out with them. They told me they'd order the part and pay for it as a gesture of goodwill. After the part was replaced, the problem still persisted. They then discovered there was a hole in some form of engine plastic covering? (I'm not car literate). They did a temporary fix but told me the part is £1500!!!! My car was completely fine before the service - I did it as a precaution because I was meant to be driving down to London next week) but now it could breakdown at any time. This happened two days after a service and on its first proper drive on the motorway afterwards. I don't know what to do. It can't be a coincidence!
I think the take away message is actually to stay away from large companies like Halfords (and amazon incidentally)
Amazon? Who are they? Did you mean Scamazon?
A lot of shops say need when they should say could use.
Over here in the states, dealt with firestone claiming our car needed $2000 worth of proper engine work simply because the engine was throwing a general error. Kept telling them the error was created due to bad radiator fan relays but nope, insisted on work that wasnt needed. $60 for 3 relays and 5 mins of labor... insisted $2000
of engine work. Ridiculous. Luckily I already knew what the problem was, just didnt feel like doing it myself. Unlucky for them...
Halfords, kwikfit, F1 autocentre ... Avoid all these type chains unless desperate, and if your that desperate, wait for another garage to open
I've only used them once to get 2 front tyres changed. I wasn't too happy when I saw how fast the service technician drove my car out of the garage into the car park once he'd finished with it. They didn't try and rip me off thankfully, but I was quite taken back by the lack of respect they showed for someone else's car. I didn't challenge them about it though. I just paid, took the keys, and never came back
So normally take my car for mot at national tyres, my sons a mechanic and an mot tester, he'll do work for me but I've always took my cars somewhere else for mot's, never had an issue with national tyres before just mot cars and if need anything doing they don't even pressure you, however now halfords own them it's a different story, recently took my work car in for standard mot, I got car year ago with mot on it, so this was my 1st mot I've had done on it, and car hadn't been touched in that year, I had same experience after car failed mot halfords produced a quote for £811.19 for work needed to get car through mot, which I didn't ask for and said to guy he was wasting his time typing it out and printing it off for me. Took car to my son, 2hrs later and £200 pounds in parts from euro car parts had car sorted, front pads and discs, rear shock and new headlight this worked fine but was damaged internally and would not self level with internal motor, halfords/national had quoted £360 for headlight, £211.56 for front discs, £56.09 for pads and £168.51 for shock absorber, that means that 2hrs labour in their eyes is £611, £305.50 an hr, I won't be taking a car to them again for an mot, reason being if I was old or clueless, and didn't know a mechanic I would probably have paid that money to keep car on road, that is taking advantage of people, they also bombarded me with emails to get work required done there, no thank you halfords/national stick it up your arse
Everyone I know who's had any experience with Halfords with regards to work done on their car has similar stories to tell to you. I wouldn't go near them with a bargepole. They're great if you desperately need a car battery on a Sunday or something, but I'd never allow them to actually work on my car.
I agree. Halfords is useful, the Autocentres are useless
Go to euros for your battery. This where Halfords get them from just up the price. Some open Sundays
Exactly the same happened to me! Quoted £1300 of work needing to be done! Refused to have work done! I took my car to a reputable garage for MOT - it passed! I would NEVER use Halfords again!
Wish I'd seen this earlier. Took my car to Halfords for an MOT and they told me I needed 6 changes to pass. Took it to another garage and it turned out it was only 2 and 5th of the price I was quoted by halfords!
Halfrauds told me that I needed to align my windshield washer, replace the spark plug rack because it cracked, and get a new emissions box because the current one is corroded. To my surprise, I received a charge of £1028 that I wasn’t prepared for. I’m unsure if they’re lying because they showed me the cracked spark plug rack, and while there is a crack, I can’t determine if they caused it themselves. I examined the alignment of the washer and no adjustments were made. I have plans to go back there again tomorrow.
Think yourself lucky… I had a shock absorber go on my car - Halfords had appointments so in it went. To cut a long story short : they re-assembled the strut incorrectly and caused even more damage. Went into the main dealer who took it apart with photos and corrected it. Went into the Halfords branch to tel them and to see what they could do to remedy the mistake - all I got was a mouthful. Came home and got the CEO email address, polite email explaining what had happened and the pictures. Less than 24 hours later area manager on the phone - “what can I do to make this right”?
In the end they paid not only for the work they had done but the main dealer also. I’d never go to Halfords again. Local Garage or main dealer for me depending what needed doing …
I worked in a garage back in the day and unfortunately it happens often, they will even go on your appearance, if you (no offence) look like a dr who doesn't want to get his hands dirty and doesn't know much alot about it, they will try to take advantage.
I look like someone who does not get his hands dirty, but it's deceptive. I've been a deputy foreman in a garage and a ship's engineer. I can run rings round then if they try to scam me, I know every nut and bolt on my cars as I've undone them all at one time or another. I've even had them retract an baseless MoT failure. They ar fishing for work (or non-work) half the time.
There's something about you. You're almost so uncool that it's circled back around. Keep up the good work, enjoying your videos.
LOL. I think that's a kind of complement, but I'm not entirely sure...
@@DrJakesVeryBritishReviews definitely a compliment! Have a good evening,
@@DrJakesVeryBritishReviews Why are there two of you?
@@dukenukem5768 Where is the other one?
I’ll try to be profound and constructive with my views of Halfords.
They’re ****.
I get the same thing with Stoneacre. Advised me bushed needed replacing urgently. Over £1k but when I pinned them down they would be replaced under warranty for free. Advised a coolant change as there was too much antifreeze in. £100 to empty and refill. To my knowledge you can fully fill a system with antifreeze. New battery needed which was true, £150, same battery at Halfords fitted £70.
Personal experience. I won't use Halfords Autocentre gain. Only 18k miles on clock, and they told me I needed two new rear brake discs.
Halfords do have a terrible reputation that's for sure but I must say this, I had a problem with my car from new that even the dealer couldn't fix/find, I took it to various places to try and fix the issue......no luck.
I lived with the issue until I booked it for a service at my local Halfords as I was sick off the dealer, they serviced my car and fixed the issue I had and I was so happy, I spoke directly with the technician who found the problem.......a very nice chap indeed.
Moral of the story is, yes Halfords have a terrible reputation but some of the technicians actually are very clued up and can clearly do a better job than the dealers.
I know I'm late to the party but I had to comment. I visited halfords last year to get all round tyres, disks and pads. After the work the car kept squeeking when I was slowing down and every bump on the road was making loud creeking noises. I called them up and they said to bring it in, which I did. They gave me a list of work that needed doing total cost was about £650, this included front and rear shocks and new top mounts. So I got it done. 3 months later its still the same so I take the car back. They quote me £450 so I book it in for a weeks time.
When I arrived They said it will be £485 so I questioned it and they got rude and then suddenly the price went up. I questioned again and they clearly were trying to rile me up for some reason so I left and called their customer service. They booked me In to another branch and I asked if they could not be advised of whats happened.
When the car was inspected by the other branch, the list of work included items I had already paid for to be done.
The thing is, many items I had been charged for were not replaced and the original branch had even broken the undertray then zipped it back on making it dangerous to drive.
They have been reported and the work was completed but it cost almost £2500 to correct all the damage done by halfords.
Sorry this was long but has to tell my story.
Stay away from halfords, stick with specialists for the brand of car you have.
Thanks for sharing your story. Sorry you had a bad time but glad you got it sorted in the end.
Halfrauds quoted a friend of mine nearly £650 for brakes all round to pass an MoT.
I got an MoT elsewhere and ended up replacing only the front pads the following year. Discraceful
(ex car mechanic/ex aircraft engineer/currently mechanical engineer)
The Halfords mechanic told me I needed new glow plugs and my track rods were bent , I thought that’s strange I only brought my bike in for a service, cost me £ 800 . Glow plugs work a treat. Will take my car there next time to have the saddle adjusted.. everyone is ripping people off due to COVID -19. They only want your money . Be aware.🏴🚗
I wouldn't trust them to give me advice about a pullback toy let alone a car. The prices they charge for really quite simple tasks is ridiculous. Haven't been to a Halfrauds for years and years, I would imagine the fitting of some wiper blades and a headunit would involve remortgaging the house these days.
I have had dealings with a large company. I’m not naming them in case they sue. But it sounds like Barnold Flark. Bought a car off them and saved £800 compared to another firm. 5000 miles later my car needed serviced. It also “needed” £789 worth of extras. I said so you sold me a car that needs all this. You may be a hard driver. My reply was I know you are telling porky pies coz I had an independent garage do the discs and brakes the previous week. I have never been back and will never be back. Any way thanks for listening. Stay safe Jake 👍
Thanks Graeme
Barnold Flark eh? Must be a coincidence that a garage called Arnold Clark also gets very bad reviews.
Nice video, this is reminiscent of my experience last week, no names mentioned. I took my car in for a major service, payed for it online and was told that I had some advisories which weren't included in this service which included fuel filter, new spark plugs and a new battery. As we know the battery isn't included and I was surprised that they were saying I needed to pay extra for something which most of us know is normally included. I've been with the before and no issues up until now. I reluctantly said yes to the extras and spent an additional £226 on top of £244 for the service, plus other bits, I was a bit miffed by this and won't be going back there again sadly, but I knew I should of gone to my local garage but didn't so my fault really.
I work in the motor industry and would like to give an example.
Little old lady only brings her car in once a year for a service, gets her MOT somewhere else.
I’m servicing her car and notice that the pads have only got 1mm left on them, discs are lipped and scored, tyres are on 1.8mm, a spring has snapped and a damper is leaking.
So her £150 service now needs 5 new tyres at £300. Discs and pads all round at £500, and around £200 for a spring and damper.
I know that her tyres will be down to the cords by her next service, her brakes will be metal to metal, and driving on failed suspension will be noisy, uncomfortable and will wear bushes a lot faster.
I need to make her aware and advise the work be done for safety and roadworthiness.
Try to see it from the other side.
I see it from the other side. My point is that Halfords are taking the ****, I’m not saying that a service shouldn’t warn about impending problems
Rather bring my car to bodgeit and legit than halfrauds..
Servicing is a complete con most of the time, find someone by recommendation in your area if at all possible, ideally a skilled sole trader. Always get the MOT done first and then fix only what they find, pre MOT checks are a con too.
Servicing is not a con.
Yes Halfords and some other well known chains can take advantage of folk if they don’t know much about cars. Luckily I’ve found a trusted independent garage down the road who practically do everything I need. Finding a decent garage is incredibly hard though, especially when you move to a new area.
Please shoot an updated video on the Mazda 6 long term usage
Very much interested in that topic as I'm a Mazda 6 touring owner too
The fact is they must be getting away with it, because they have been doing it for years.
Yap, had the same experience with Halfords - quoted me +/- £1400 to fix the car as failed MOT, went to other garage - £200 to fix + many things didn't even to be fixed.
That is a problem the world over! When I moved to a new province and needed my vehicle to pass the safety check (it was a small town with only one garage that did safety checks) the garage knew they had me since they couldn't release the vehicle back to me until it passed. 2 $75 tires, 4 break pads @ about $100 total and a $100 safety check - my total bill, just shy of $1600. The mechanic that did the work then saw how much I was charged apologized every time he saw me for about a year!
Some very basic mechanical skills will save people like yourself a fortune. Not only can you service every single car in existence for less than £100 (Oil, Oil filter and air filter) but it will give you some confidence at MOT time if you know your vehicle. Brakes are not difficult at all and are a very quick and cheap job. I hate garages because they rip off people left and right.
Very familiar story in the motor trade worldwide, not just the UK! I'm lucky enough to work for a main dealer who does have a similar upsell system but with a lot more morals, 4mm would of been recheck in 3-upward months milage depending (some drivers do 20-30K a year!)
Probably why the videos on my channel which covers DIY vehicle jobs get watched the most!
Should of kept the Jag Jake, ever bill would be huge!
I know a woman that had ONE headlight bulb blow ..... stupidly she took it to Halfords, they convinced her that if one bulb has blown then ALL the others will be on their way out so they changed the lot !!!
On the box of a Halfords bulb it states “they should be changed in pairs”...... WTAF 😳😳😳 when the bulb blows in my kitchen I don’t change the one in the lounge, just saying 🤷🏻♂️
Yes my friend car servicing can be a money pit ...try a local garage or befriend a mechanic and get a good deal..
Please name and shame the branch
I hate Hellfords with a passion, they tried to con me with my brakes too.
Yes I had .M.O.T with Halfrauds they failed it on rear brake pipe so took it away got my local Mancanic to do work on mot paper took it back for retest then they told me they put wrong pipe on paper work so had to take back to my Mancanic to replace the correct corroded pipe I never go again.
That extra £20 sounds like a typical vindictive snipe at you for not going for the full hit. Lower and middle management often do such things for the psychological pleasure if getting back at a difficult customer.
Could well be
The only good thing about Halfords is driving straight past to an honest independent garage.
That's unfair. They sell some nice air fresheners and fluffy dice..
The One & only
halfords in-store fitters are so crap they can't even change a car bulb properly , today my partner went into a halfords store (basildon essex) for them to change a reverse light bulb on her mini , he told her a brake light had gone & went & changed it & told her he couldn't change the reverse light because (as he said) the car needs to go up on the ramps so anyway & something about the brake light not working because of wiring or fuse ,when she got home she told me what the so called expert fitter had told her which i didn't believe so i went & had a look , now i'm no expert fitter but i couldn't understand why this so called expert went into the boot as the reverse light on a mini you get to from just under the car ? so first i looked at the brake light that did work but wasn't working after the expert fitted a bulb (that was not asked for) , so i put in the spare bulb & it worked fine (NOW), then i looked on youtube & found how to change a reverse light bulb on a mini so 3 screws & 2 clips (just under the car easy to get to so no ramp required) so in total in took me around 15 minutes to change both bulbs that the expertly-trained fitter messed up , so people don't waste your time on these so called expertly trained fitter as they are not simply cowboys who will do more damage than good , halfords should be ashamed of themselves
i'm so paranoid about needing anything done on my car these days anytime i need to go to a garage all i can think about it how scummy and dodgy they are going to be...
I took my e-scooter in to repair a punctured wheel. Because they’re tubeless it’s a bit more difficult. After 4 weeks, not being able to get through to anyone on the phone (this was during lockdown) and no response from emails. I had to go down there and pick it up myself. Nothing had been done to it, they even struggled to find it. Terrible service
There is a tube on the e scooter that halfords sell
It’s practically impossible to change that tube
Bad design
I am not being unkind - but as far as I know there is no UK legal minimum limit on brake pad thickness. Minimum depth measurements and patterns are stated for tyre treads. It might help to be accurate when dealing with garages - but I agree with the sentiment for dealing with Halfords.
Halfords have always been a rip off
Jesus, don't use Halfords! What a load of tripe. Just to add my two cents;
-Garages/Halfords will probably try fleece you as - no offence - they will see you as an easy target. I haven't taken my car to a garage for repairs in 6 years, all DIY - and some mighty big jobs. One day I was working away and needed an MOT. Obvs fully suited in a strange garage they gave me 15 faults and a quote of over 2k. Got home and only found two actual faults myself, fixed them and took it to my local garage where it passed with not even a minor.
-Servicing - At least do an annual oil/filter change my man! Not even in regards to resale, just do it to keep the engine happy! Don't pay top money, if you have the time it can be done yourself for £50 and a couple of hours. Indy garages shouldn't be much.
I bought an impact driver from Halfrauds, it stopped working after about 5 screws/bolts undone, it had a warranty so I took it back, they refused a refund as I'd been hitting it ha ha, this is how it works say I, 20 minute argument later I got a refund, I find them generally very unknowledgeable about what they sell, they stuck on a rear reversing camera on a focus belonging to some one I know, only for it to constantly fall off, they did this as none of the screw holes lined up between camera backing/holder and hatch of car, drilling 2 holes in plastic isn't rocket science, which is what I did
Why do think halfords and the like have a customer waiting area ,its so they can create a story up that you cannot hear them doing until they hit you with it at reception.
BTW, I don't know where you get your glasses, but I've yet to go for a Specsavers eye test for them not to tell me that I don't need a new prescription, despite being able to see perfectly well using my current one. It's hard to find a company that isn't looking to squeeze you for extra cash these days.
Well had my car serviced yesterday at halfords, got told the rear brake pads are at 60% 7mm (replaced 4000 miles ago) discs at 100% remaining (front disks have ridges on them) from pads have 7mm and donr 14,000, told three tyres need balancing again replaced about 1,000 miles ago...
No lub on bonnet hinge, door hinges etc. so basically a oil, oil filter, and air filter change.
And now has a oil leak.... So car is off the road.
Nothing said about the wear on the front suspension needing replacing as found in the MOT. By Halfords. By the same garage. By the se engineer...
I only use Halfords for spray primer for painting warhammer figures. Everything else they can jog on,
The grey and white primer is excellent. Do they do cars too? Suprising!
It’s well worth giving your car an oil change once a year. Most important thing in a service. National used to do a good fixed price.
Where is this branch
Most times that is all they do anyway..national tyres..i wouldn't trust them with a tonka toy.
Don’t go to Kwick rip then their worse than full frauds, go in for new tries there measuring discs etc just for an extra sale.
I was told needed new discs told them I didn’t want any, 4 months later passed MOT no issues. Profiteering leeks all big service centres.
There is no legal 'thickness limit' for brake pads. Hoqever there is a legal limit of 1.6mm over 3/4 of the tread on a tyre.
They don't check brake pad life left for mot, they only check the braking efficiency - mot testers aren't allowed to remove anything while doing their checks so can't see how much pad is left
The 1.5mm you're thinking of is tyre tread depth, and it's 1.6mm
If they can see the pads, which you sometimes can, and if they're clearly below 3mm, they can fail it. The legal limit for pads is 1.5mm.
The MOT tester has a tool to measure the pad and will fail it if too low.
Using the words "proper garage" and "Halfords" in the same upload is heresy Doc.
They are anything but a proper garage they are more like high pressure sales people. As for the digital service you can request a copy off a main dealer, then purchase a paper service booklet from them what can have non dealer service stamps added.
Very accurate Halford's review, nice work Doc take a camera and go undercover reporter next time... "The Doc Report"
Had the same experience with Halfords ,had a service you need new brakes pads and disc did not have the disc changed just the pads , later had a mot done by them it passed but had advisory on mot that some part of the suspension would need doing soon, took car to another garage they said its ok . that was 4 years ago and have used a garage doing only mots and have passed each time with no advisory . so DON'T USE HELLFORDS they are just a rip off
The biggest crime is going to Halfords in the first place.
If the pads and discs were so worn that they needed changing the mot station should have given you an advisory, not a shopping list of jobs. I was an mot tester at a local council, we only tested vehicles never did any repair work. Also when you go for oil and all filter changes always mark the filters before you go, that way you can tell if they have actually changed them. Bacteria in the air con system ? ha ha what a load of garbage, but some gullible people would believe their tripe. I change my own oil, filters, plugs and brakes, that way i know its done right and not done by cowboys like halfords.
I take my car to a small but up-market dealer in cars of a different make from mine. Their bread and butter is servicing recent cars of their own make and they don't want to invent jobs to do on yours. They don't want the learning curve, although obviously they will fail if they find something dangerous, otherwise it's advisories. I've not had an MoT fail for 25 years, and I drive older cars. I service and repair myself.
Almost identical ext. Halfords wanted!1100 to get at through mot. Local garage did it for£250!
Random thought. That door in the corner, with handle right next to he other door (?) looks weird. Does that door open?
It's a door to a parallel dimension
I've still got an X Type and thoroughly love it..........but a Mazda? What were you thinking? Bought my X Type from a Gent who kept up with the full Jaguar service history, but in the 12 year service records that accompanied that car I could see that Halfords had managed to spot that the Jaguar technicians had failed to notice that the.........discs and pads needed replacing!!! interesting - on 2 occasions!
I love it! Have a test drive!
Seriously! Test drive.a Mazda.....do people do that?
Having check the receipts in fairness I should point out one of the occasions was not Halfords, it was Formula 1 Service Centres? - Just found out that Kwik fit put Nitrogen in my tyres, how cool is that! Not seen many Nitrogen air pumps at petrol stations?
@@mywestieworld5115 I also love my mazda whats ur problem with them
Halfords are designed to up sell the work done
Pray on the vulnerable motorist
I've been in the trade for 15 years and I'm a tester. And I can guarantee an MOT isn't worth fuck all, it's deemed bear minimum standard and it's the tester's opinion. So it can actually vary from one to another, stupidly, but if you've got a dirty great big crack along your windscreen a tester could be well within his rights to pass or fail it. But that doesn't mean that it's ok or even safe in the long run and will need changing, a tester's opinion isn't always the same as a copper's either and they can be very different outcomes.
That's exactly what my son says, he's a mechanic and tester, hes always saying an mot means nothing, he always quotes minimum standards, your car could literally be falling to bits and still pass an mot
testing stations are not regulated ..you could catch them out by taking your car to 2 different stations but everything is on a database now .
Nice video and glad the car is going well. I never go to those "oil changer" type places, I too had a bad experience with them. Here in New Zealand we have "AA" service centres. They tried to sell me "iridium tipped spark plugs" because they last longer. I never went back. They know you won't come back so they try and sell you as much as possible while you're there knowing that. If you think about it they probably have nothing to do with AA or Halfords and it's just a random person owning a franchise, that brings people by using a trusted name. The AA and Halfords win by getting a bit of extra money on the side for doing nothing. I don't think you can beat going to a local garage that might charge a bit more, but to be honest now if a garage offers "free" this and "discount" that it's a bit of warning bell for me that they have to attract new customers because existing customers don't come back. Our local garage is always booked out and don't do discounts. If they are ripping people off then word would soon get out to the local community and people wouldn't go. By the way the Mazda 6 came close when I changed my car ,but i ended up getting another XF. It's silver. I've had three silver cars now and I think they are great. They don't get hot, don't show nicks and scratches and the paint is easy to match up. Red get damaged really easily by UV and oxidation .By the way I asked my local garage about iridium tipped spark plugs and he said he would only recommend them if you had an engine where the spark plugs were hard to get to, and my car that wasn't a problem to change them and I'll probably sell the car before a normal set of spark plugs needed to be replaced !! My dad still has his X type !
Lmao I gave them my bike that was working fine for a 'free checkup' and 50 pound voucher only for them to spit in my face mess up my brakes and the derailleur and say at the end that my bike needs £300+ In fixes....
That is very similar to my experience with Halfrauds. They are complete liars.
I got a Halfords advert coming into this video
i had a incident with Quick FIX, note i am able and experienced at DIY fixing cars/servicing cars etc, I Once called them abt new rear brakes for my Hyundai, all i wanted was a price to replace the pads, if it was £15 or more i would just DIY, So i called them told them what i wanted, and asked for a price, the answer was No sri we cant just give you a price you need to bring the car in for a inspection, i replied there is nothing wrong, Just want the Rear pads changing, NO, just would not give me a price, so i said ok ill just DIY, the guy then stated that No i cant DIY that is illegal, lol. I know what he was up to, Up selling.
A service "is not worth it". If your car gives problems down the line then it's only yourself to blame. It's not just Halfords, lots of places will try it on for brakes as they can sell them on safety.
Hey Dr Jake need to catch up with your videos had a couple of lazy weeks. I must say my Halfords are really good recently my battery died whilst waiting in retail car park and they came over and gave me a jump free of charge. This of course may come down the the people In store being nice.
Sorry to hear of your experience. I always try and take my car to a trusted mechanic.
Fairly typical for these Kwik fit places. I wonder if she was on commission for selling them.
Sadly a lot of "repair service" businesses operate using the "chicken plucking" economic model.
"I'm not really someone that things a service is worth it" Made me cringe.