surely a factors is still cheaper?

Not really unless you have a good one, actually some of the less good ones are quite a bit more.

It depends on what you are after, you will only get the discount on tools, spares and consumables to do with maintaining cars. You do not get a dicount on radios, bikes and washes/waxes and the like.

If you so wish, the vauxhall forum in question do still supply a card with their membership package (also I think you get a vauxhall spares trade card too). £15 per year I think the membership costs. It's worth the paying for it if you buy a lot of spares or parts.

The other day I saved £5 on a pair of 100w main beam bulbs for the octavia, so if you had to pay for the card, just 3 trips like that and you have saved money.

Halfords Trade Card - MoneySavingExpert.com Forums has a growing list of before and after cost of parts and tools.

Halfords say they have NO deals with any forum/car club etc. at the MOMENT but are looking and watching. we will be told as we are on the list to considered- but don't hold your breath for anything this side of new year.

So if some one wants to provide proof positive I can have another go

If you do a fair amount of work on your own car and friends cars and have a handful of invoices from local motor factors they should sign you up for a trade card. It is supposed to be a way of getting mechanics from garages, etc away from only using local factors and mobile tool suppliers and getting them into the stores but if someone can prove they spend money regularly by showing the aforementioned invoices you should have no problems getting one...

Hope this helps...

Below is definitive response from Halfords on the trade card issue

As you say we have done a test with a car club, which is in fact the one

your member is referring to and as yet the results haven't given us

confidence that this is bringing in new sales so we have continued to apply

the same recruitment criteria, that is, for members to be a qualified motor

mechanic.

However the results are inconclusive so the club involved in the trial has

been permitted to continue to receive cards for its new members for time

being.

I appreciate your enthusiasm to include your members in this scheme but as

previously discussed we are currently unable to do this but I will of

course keep you records on file so if our position changes regarding sign

up criteria I will get in touch.

So as before we will just keep asking

A few weeks ago I got a Halfords trade card, all I had to do was take in my old "City and Guilds" certs for the manager to see (with proof of ID).

The card was issued there and then by the manager and I got the following discount on parts for my son's Saxo vtr.

Hal syn oil 5L 5w 40 £34.99 £26.24

Bosch spark plugs £19.99 £11.81

Air filter £8.29 £3.61

Oil filter £6.49 £2.01

Timing belt £11.99 £4.32

As you can see the saving is great plus the parts appeared to be good quality too !

Comma, not too bad then

I'd heard it was esso somewhere else too.

Bummer, I read somewhere on a VAG forum that that VAG oil was Shell - urban mythes don't you just love them. The only weakness in the Esso connection is that originally, when flexible servicing came along in 2000/2001, VAG could not supply 1 litre top up sizes of oil - it was Halfords that you were sent to as they had already started to stock 1 litre and 4 litre bottles of Castrol > and is it not BP petrol stations that sell Castrol - more confusion as I can't work out why I mentioned that!!

Anyway, I used Comma XTech for all of a Fiesta 1.6SI's 98,000 10 year life and it was fine - I went down that route as Ford just did not get their act together quickly enough after launching the Zetec engine and left the owners guessing as to which (Ford) oil was closest - Comma saw the opertunity and designed/marketed an oil to do that job!

Edited 18 September, 200817 yr by rum4mo

i just went and asked for a trade card and got one!

i guess my work ID hanging off me helped, but i dont think the spotty kid cared!

I am in the know! I will ask the trade card manager for the south for confirmation regarding who to formally approach if you do work on cars regularly ither as part of a business or club or hobby and are regularly buynig parts and tools you could always discuss with your local halfords Manager. If you are in the trade just flash a pay slip and proof of signature and you should be in. I will keep you posted!

Just had the oil in the Octy changed - bought the Halfords VW oil for £41.99 (plus nice free screwdriver set ).

I then nipped along the road to the helpful chaps at Budget who drained the old oil, fitted a new filter and filled with my own oil - all for £10 :D:D

I have now switched the remap back on and the car is going to be soundly abused again :eek:

Can you point us to one. I know John has tried to get them onboard.

Hmm. I'll see what I can do. Stu/John, can you PM me with your requirements?

Confirming what has already been said - our filters are Fram; oils, lubricants and chemicals are Comma; and our blades are Champion... and I think our bulbs are either Phillips or Osram.

That said the little cost increase for Bosch blades is well worth the cash -

although I do have a trade card

I am in the know! I will ask the trade card manager for the south for confirmation regarding who to formally approach if you do work on cars regularly ither as part of a business or club or hobby and are regularly buynig parts and tools you could always discuss with your local halfords Manager. If you are in the trade just flash a pay slip and proof of signature and you should be in. I will keep you posted!

Hmm, looks like I've been beaten to it...

But yes, with regard to the trade scheme... managers do have descretion. If they think giving a particular person will be an "asset to the business" in terms of increased sales, then they can issue one.

I've done so many times in the past when I was at store.

Still, as per my previous post - I'll do some digging from here...