Just to add to the thread.

I renewed my insurance with KF, and with it, a Free MOT was issued.

I took the Fabia to the nearest centre (expecting them to fail it...taking previous comments into consideration) and it passed first time.

1 advisory, an oil leak, which i already knew about (was actually the tandem pump)

So i have to say i was fairly happy with that.

Although i wouldn't use them for anything else...or again, unless it were free.

I can only echo everyone else's comments

I work at a garage in Worthing and only recommend people to go to the tyre place we use as we have had so many of our customers come back with problems from Kwik Fit.

One of our customers who had been in for a service needed two front tyres as they were below the legal limit, we advised him during the service and he said he'll sort them out. He came to pick up the car and we advised him to go to the place we use but the trouble is you have to drive past Kwik Fit to get there so needless to say he went in. He phoned us up ranting and raving saying we had ripped him off and not serviced his car properly because they told him all the discs and pads needed changing urgently as they were in dangerous condition and the front shock absorbers were badly leaking!

We told him to bring the car back so we could look at it again, with him stood there with a face like thunder. We got it up on the ramp and showed him that his brakes were only about half worn and there was no leaks on any of the shock absorbers. They quoted him over £600 for the repair, we didn't charge him anything to look at it again so he was very happy and drove off, i'm sure, with a different view of Kwik Fit.

There has been countless othertimes where they have put wheel nuts back on with the air gun at max power and stripped bolts which required new stub axles and so on. If you use the air gun on min setting to spin it on and then tighten it with the torque bar it's ok because the min setting on most air guns is about 60-80 Nm and most wheel bolts need to be tightened to 100Nm +, but the max setting on most air guns is between 300Nm-600Nm which is way too tight.

The place I use (no help to anyone not prepared to go to Dumbarton, Falkirk or Stirling) do put nuts on with the gun set to min torque.

The nuts on my car including the locking one had been tightened with a gun. When the car went in for a recent MOT I got the garage to losen them off and they confirmed they had been over tightened.

The nuts on my car including the locking one had been tightened with a gun. When the car went in for a recent MOT I got the garage to losen them off and they confirmed they had been over tightened.

Apart from the damage that it can cause, the most annoying thing is when your wheel nuts have been overtightened and you have a puncture you then have to try and get them off on the hard shoulder using the wheel brace that came with the car! lol Its a good idea to get a telescopic wheel brace so you have some leverage.

Exactly, luckily I've not had the car long and was planning to remove the wheels to clean them and the arches. I was miffed to find just how tight they had been done. Even using a long handled brace bar made no difference.

One of my friends, it took my 12 stones (then) jumping on a 3 foot breaker bar, holding a GF's shoulders for balance, whilst he sat in the car and held the brakes on to stop me driving the car down the road to break the torque on one nut!!! :eek:

To add to the original post re kwik fit anniesland.

i wouldnt let them clean my dishes never mind my car.

But i have used them to find out what noises were then walked away with a bit more info than i had before, so am armed when getting repaired elsewhere.

They wanted 280 for an exhaust (they insisted in quoting me) which was at least 100 quid more than a delaer fitted one.

dealer co incidentally is henry's in glasgow, who are pretty good now.

I've never gone near Kwik Fit again since I took a Pug 306 in for them to look at the rear brakes (fluid leaking out of the drum); at the point he couldn't find the torx set and took a screwdriver and hammer to to drum retaining torx bolt (in front of me - I was watching!!) I told him to 'step the furk away from my brakes and get the wheel on sharpish, I'm leaving'. His excuse was that another lad owned the torx set and takes his tools home with him when he's not working! What in God's name? Even the branch manager didn't care. When KF customer service rang me up a day later to ask about the quality of service I gave them both barrels stating the guys name and complaining about complete 'technical incompetance'. I heard later from a friend that he was fired...

My brother in Law took his Astra into the Kwik Fit in Aldershot because the rear box on his exhaust was blowing. When he picked the car up they had changed the complete system including the cat...£400+. He has since taken it back because the exhaust is rattling, they haven't put it right and it still rattles.

i can still remember when they fitted blue sprayed exhausts!!!

Just to add to the thread.

I renewed my insurance with KF, and with it, a Free MOT was issued.

I took the Fabia to the nearest centre (expecting them to fail it...taking previous comments into consideration) and it passed first time.

1 advisory, an oil leak, which i already knew about (was actually the tandem pump)

So i have to say i was fairly happy with that.

Although i wouldn't use them for anything else...or again, unless it were free.

I got a free MOT from a branch in Bolton. The same branch that done the front shocks on the Felly (I asked them to do it).

But the MOT guy failed the Felly on having one defective tyre (worn a bit too much at one poing on the inside edge) and wanted to price me up another tyre.

He passed it when I stuck the spare on and took it back for a retest.

On another note my service parts arrived today and my Dad said I should have oil changes done at Kwik Fit for the cost of running around getting the oil and filters mysself.

I was thinking, no. At least when I'm at my mechanics having the car serviced I can chat and help out so I'm not bored and sat there wondering whats happening to my car.

KF Insurance dirt cheap? again not that dirt cheap and I'll prob change as I can afford the £35 MOT fee by someone I know and I don't need the 10% discount card either.

Wil have to see what my renewal proice is at the end of March.

That said the branch of Kwik Fit I go to aren't bad and they prob know if I wanted to something done on my car then I'd ask them not just chuck the keys and say examine please.

Someone on another forum said his local one was good after another garage screwed up his Peugeot 306.

I guess you just have to be wary, its not just Kwik Fit mechanics who can be cowboys, anyone can be so you really have to keep your wits about you.

Any news on this Hysie? Did you file a complaint?

Hi,

new to forum but very interested in your post as i also had a similar experience with Kwick **** in Elgin who "dreampt" up a few problems with my M1 4x4 Turbo Est that would've cost me £500 to repair but had mysteriously gone by the time i drove 40 miles home to my local mechanic.

I had a citroen ZX that I took into Kwik Fit as I needed a tyre quickly. Getting in to drive away my feet were higher than normal!! The idiots had jacked the car up using the drivers floor pan! They then tried to flaten the large bulge with a sledge hammer.

Needless to say I went mad and got the Manager to admit liability on the spot with a written report of the incident & details of their insurance.

Their insurance bickered about it, but the repairs were done at a garage of my choice at my convienece.

I will never go to Kwik Fit again.