Author's product rating: 
| Advantages: |
Brake parts insured for life of car |
| Disadvantages: |
Very poor workmanship |
| Recommend to potential buyers: |
no |
A few weeks ago, whilst driving to work, I heard a loud screeching noise. My first reaction was that it was the car in front, but as he turned off at the next exit, I realised that it was in fact my car ! As I was just about at work, I decided to carry on with extreme caution.
When I finished, I took my car straight to my local Kwik Fit in Waterlooville at 1pm on a Saturday afternoon - I know it's probably one of their busiest times, and a time I would normally avoid, however I had no choice. Due to the fact I had been working that morning, and had a 5am start the following day, I really needed to get this done quickly.
In the past, Kwik Fit has had quite a tarnished record - following investigatve reports like those seen on "Watchdog" where customers were getting ripped off. I quickly checked the reviews here on Ciao and, apart from a couple of negative reports, they seem to have cleaned up their image.
I was greeted at the reception desk by a mechanic, complete with his trademark blue "Kwik Fit" overalls. After explaining the noise, he informed me of the Kwik Fit Brake Check.
"It's a complete check of your breaking system, and the cost of the service will be deducted from any work that needs doing." I was also presented with a leaflet explaining all that had just been said.
It sounded alright, so I left my car with them.
The reception area and visible workshop were very clean, and well equiped to cope with any of the services that they offer. The branch I went to also sell and fit
tyres,
exhausts, and
shock absorbers.
About an hour later, I got the dreaded phone call...
"Hi it's **** from Kwik Fit. I've got some bad news I'm afraid - the noise you were hearing was from the break cylinders - they had fractured and has also damaged one of the shoes. Also, the front disks and
pads need replacing. The other break shoe on the rear is fine, but we'd recommend changing it at the same time, otherwise it can cause uneven breaking. The whole lot will set you back around £320, but we'll also balance your wheels, adjust your tracking and tighten your handbreak at no extra cost."
Being essential to travel to and from work, and because of the distances involved, I agreed to have the work done... better safe than sorry. I was told the car would be ready at 4pm.
When I returned to pick up the car at four, I was informed that they were still waiting for some of the parts, and to come back at 5.30pm. I spent an hour or so looking around the shops when I finally got a call informing me that my car was ready for collection.
After parting with my money, I was informed that Kwik Fit insures it's replacement brake pads and shoes against damage and wear and tear for the life of the vehicle - which basically means I won't have to pay for more as long as I have the car. This is a definate plus point for Kwik Fit over some of it's competitors.
As I pulled away there was no screeching noise, and I left the garage confident that the work had been completed, and to a high standard.
My suspicions were first aroused when I got back home. As I applied the handbrake, it felt quite loose, and I was sure that it had not been tightened as promised. The mechanic stated that this was done free, however surely it should be done as part of the routine check anyway ?
The following day, on the drive to work, I noticed another problem - as I approached 70mph, my steering wheel started to shake and judder. This would indicate that the balancing or tracking had also not been done... or if it had, been done very badly ! There was no problem of this type when I took the car in.
A few days later, I received a call from Kwik Fit. They claimed it was a "courtesy call" to check that I was happy with the work done. In fact, it was a sales person wanting to sell me
car insurance when mine is up for renewal. When I mentioned the problems, he simply said to take it back to the garage and they'll take a look.
Due to my working schedule, I was not able to take the car back in and complain for two weeks, and by this time, the car was due for it's annual service and MOT.
The car is three years old, and has been well looked after, so I was fairly confident it would pass, or if it didn't, at least the brakes would be fine... I was wrong !!
I received a call saying that my car had failed it's MOT on the brakes. They enquired if I'd had any work done on them recently. When I said "yes", they said "Was it at Kwik Fit by any chance ?" A lucky guess, or previous experience ?
The rear brakes had not been adjusted properly, so the shoes were braking and releasing at different times.
They also commented that the handbrake was dangerously loose, and the wheel balancing was out by some margin ! The total cost of the new work (including the MOT and Service fee... £290 !!!).
***UPDATE 04/10/04*** I received a letter from Kwik-Fit after having read this review. They apologised that they had not been in touch sooner, but had not received the letter I sent. The matter is now being looked into.***
***UPDATE 17/10/04*** After a phone conversation with a very helpful lady at the Customer Services department, and a follow up call from the manager of the local center, this matter has now been resolved to mutual satisfaction. This comprised of a partial refund and gift vouchers for future visits.
I will give Kwik Fit another chance when my car next needs work, hoping that this incident was a one-off. (Look out for an updated review at a later date !!!).
So, to summarise...
Good Points - No need to book your car in / relatively fast service / Brake pads and shoes guaranteed against wear & tear and damage for life of car.
Bad Points - Poor workmanship / poor service (on this occasion).
For information, the opening hours of this branch are Monday - Friday, 0830 - 1800, Sat 0830 - 1700 and Sunday 1000 - 1600.
Further information can be found on the website at www.kwikfit.com.
Thanks for reading this review... Scott
P.S. I wasn't sure whether to put this into the "Buyer Beware" section, or as a general review. I have decided to place it here, as it is a report of the service I have received from one branch of the chain. As you will see from the other reviews on here, other centres may be very good, and the customer services department was very helpful in resolving the problem.
very helpful
very helpful
