Mechanic/garage for brakes

Glover_elbow said:
Just had my front and rear discs and pads replaced after hearing a grinding noise. £650 for genuine volvo parts and fitting by a volvo specialist indi garage. Not cheap but at least i am sure they have done a proper job and should last a couple of years.
Click to expand...
Most independent garages will fit genuine maker's parts to fit in with the car's warranty. I wonder how much of that £650 was labour, that is a lot of money you've forked out that you didn't have to.
 
Do not go to Kwikfit, Halfords, National or any of the other major chains, they have very high margins to hit. So many good honest independents about that will do a better job for a lesser price.

I used to use Ross Road Garage when I worked in Stockton, I don’t know if it’s the same guy that still owns it as that was over 10 years ago.
 
Norman_Conquest said:
Leaves scope to be ripped off and then advises to go to KwikFit & Halfords.

A girl I worked with had her exhaust fitted by KwikFit and after a week there was a loud knocking from it. She went back to KwikFit and they wanted to charge her £250 to repair it. Whilst out on a home visit I got her to call into a friend's garage and he had a look at it. KwikFit had missed off a rubber holder and this was causing the knocking. He charged me a pint to replace it. A big difference from £250.

Halford's charge a premium for parts and labour and a lot more than the garages I named above. If you don't mind being parted from your hard earned cash, go to one of them.
Click to expand...
The point I'm making is that you can go to two places I suggested who will carry out a safety inspection and tell you whats wrong and what needs changing if you ask them. Compare what they say and make an informed decision and talk to someone who knows cars. Independants are great,good ones you may have to wait for a time slot. EAGLE SERVICE STATION located next to the petrol station opposite Preston Park are excellent and will not rip you off. 01642 786002 they don't do anything that doesn't need doing. I have used them for years and if they can't help you, they know people who will. They have saved me a fortune over the years and family and neighbors by not changing components that still have life in them.
 
Last edited:
S7DiscoDown said:
I always use Euro Car Parts. They almost always have offers on new brake discs and pads.

Then use the 'fit for me' option. You just add your postcode and 10-20 local garages pop up with quotes and days that they can fit. It saves you the hassle of phoning around looking for the cheapest option.

The parts also get delivered straight to the garage. The difference in quotes is amazing. I'm talking 100s of pounds do the same job. Also the garages have a star system so you can see customer feedback.

Just download the app. It's the simplest way of doing it. I've had breaks / batteries and spark plugs fitted through 'fit for me'. Always cheaper than Halfords or kwick fit as local garages.
Click to expand...
Really good advice that 👍🏻
 
tripleheader said:
The point I'm making is that you can go to two places I suggested who will carry out a safety inspection and tell you whats wrong and what needs changing if you ask them. Compare what they say and make an informed choice .Independants are great,good ones you may have to wait for a time slot. EAGLE SERVICE STATION located next to the petrol station opposite Preston Park are excellent and will not rip you off. 01642 786002 they don't do anything that doesn't need doing. I have used them for years and if they can't help you, they know people who will. They have saved me a fortune over the years and family and neighbors by not changing components that still have life in them.
Click to expand...
I think your point is a poor one when you could avoid wasting your time and go straight to an independent garage and get the same advice from a honest mechanic. You then go on to mention that you use an independent garage.

A lot of people only use the big garages believing they won't get ripped off by them but end up paying through the nose for the service they supply.
 
Norman_Conquest said:
I think your point is a poor one when you could avoid wasting your time and go straight to an independent garage and get the same advice from a honest mechanic. You then go on to mention that you use an independent garage.

A lot of people only use the big garages believing they won't get ripped off by them but end up paying through the nose for the service they supply.
Click to expand...
I would never say it's a waste of time to have your brakes checked out, when you can nip in to Kwikfit and get a mechanic to tell you pretty quickly whats wrong with it. Thats what they do along with tyres and exhausts. I wonder how many people have been ripped off by Independants?
All I can say is advice should be taken from people you trust, and use people who have a good reputation. Kwikfit/Halfords are still in buisiness they are pricing their work in-between the local independant and dealers. I can understand why the O.P's girlfriend suggested Kwikfit.
 
tripleheader said:
I would never say it's a waste of time to have your brakes checked out, when you can nip in to Kwikfit and get a mechanic to tell you pretty quickly whats wrong with it. Thats what they do along with tyres and exhausts. I wonder how many people have been ripped off by Independants?
All I can say is advice should be taken from people you trust, and use people who have a good reputation. Kwikfit/Halfords are still in buisiness they are pricing their work in-between the local independant and dealers. I can understand why the O.P's girlfriend suggested Kwikfit.
Click to expand...
I would say you are wasting your time and there's if you have no intention of getting them done by KwikFit. OK, you are finding out what needs doing but you could also get the same advice from a trusted independent garage who would tell you what needed doing before they carried out the work. Doing it this way stops you from wasting an hour or two waiting for KwikFit to get back to you and then having to find another garage to do the work for you.

I agree advice should be taken by those you trust and that is why the OP posted this thread asking for advice on how he should move forward without paying KwikFit prices. Several of us have given him the advice he sought and named trusted independent garages but you have become fixated on KwikFit and Halford's for some reason.

As for KwikFit and Halfords still being in business, I mentioned above that people are frightened to deal with small garages and are willing to pay through their noses for the services the larger garage groups provide.

As for independent garages ripping customers off, that is why you ask people to recommend them to you, you would do the same when asking for a builder, plumber, electrician, etc.
 
On older cars maybe so but if you don’t know what your doing especially on newer vehicles with electronic brake calipers that need plugging into a diagnostic machine to release the caliper back best off leaving them alone.
 
Norman_Conquest said:
I would say you are wasting your time and there's if you have no intention of getting them done by KwikFit. OK, you are finding out what needs doing but you could also get the same advice from a trusted independent garage who would tell you what needed doing before they carried out the work. Doing it this way stops you from wasting an hour or two waiting for KwikFit to get back to you and then having to find another garage to do the work for you.

I agree advice should be taken by those you trust and that is why the OP posted this thread asking for advice on how he should move forward without paying KwikFit prices. Several of us have given him the advice he sought and named trusted independent garages but you have become fixated on KwikFit and Halford's for some reason.

As for KwikFit and Halfords still being in business, I mentioned above that people are frightened to deal with small garages and are willing to pay through their noses for the services the larger garage groups provide.

As for independent garages ripping customers off, that is why you ask people to recommend them to you, you would do the same when asking for a builder, plumber, electrician, etc.
Click to expand...
Well I have my own experiences and views on the matter, you have yours and so does the o.p. which I do respect.
It's clear the o.p does not have the knowledge to check the car himself or choses not to, to determine the best course of action. My suggestion was to find out what is wrong then go the route of sourcing the parts and garage from Europarts which someone else suggested. I've gone down this route too and ended up going to the local garage I posted about as they were very reasonable . In the past I've gone to Kwikfit and had an assesment carried out, no charge. They confirmed what needed to be done and why. I have actually changed the discs/pads on a Corsa and VW Polo not too difficult but you do need certain specialist tools and the time. I use main dealers only to preserve the warranty on our newer vehicles, I have a third car that is serviced by the Independant once a year and I carry out any routine tasks that may arise. One thing you have to mindfull of in certain areas is quality of parts that are fitted, and it's usually false economy to fit pattern parts ime.
 
tripleheader said:
Well I have my own experiences and views on the matter, you have yours and so does the o.p. which I do respect.
It's clear the o.p does not have the knowledge to check the car himself or choses not to, to determine the best course of action. My suggestion was to find out what is wrong then go the route of sourcing the parts and garage from Europarts which someone else suggested. I've gone down this route too and ended up going to the local garage I posted about as they were very reasonable . In the past I've gone to Kwikfit and had an assesment carried out, no charge. They confirmed what needed to be done and why. I have actually changed the discs/pads on a Corsa and VW Polo not too difficult but you do need certain specialist tools and the time. I use main dealers only to preserve the warranty on our newer vehicles, I have a third car that is serviced by the Independant once a year and I carry out any routine tasks that may arise. One thing you have to mindfull of in certain areas is quality of parts that are fitted, and it's usually false economy to fit pattern parts ime.
Click to expand...
You seem to be missing or not understanding the fact the OP asked for an alternative to KwikFit (which his wife suggested) and I listed three garages in different areas that I have used in the past. All three garages have a good reputation, mechanics who have experience on numerous vehicles and offer a varied range of services and two of them I know personally.

Regarding the car's warranty, your warranty is still valid no matter which garage you use or have repairs carried out at as long as they use genuine maker parts to carry out the work.
 
Norman_Conquest said:
You seem to be missing or not understanding the fact the OP asked for an alternative to KwikFit (which his wife suggested) and I listed three garages in different areas that I have used in the past. All three garages have a good reputation, mechanics who have experience on numerous vehicles and offer a varied range of services and two of them I know personally.

Regarding the car's warranty, your warranty is still valid no matter which garage you use or have repairs carried out at as long as they use genuine maker parts to carry out the work.
Click to expand...
I replied to this thread because I didn't think he should have been so dismissive of places like Kwikfit/Halfords just on price. I've given reasons , thats it in a nutshell.
As for warranty, yes you are quite right. But try proving that the independant did everything he should have done before it went t*ts up, not worth it imho.
Cheers and Beers
 
tripleheader said:
I replied to this thread because I didn't think he should have been so dismissive of places like Kwikfit/Halfords just on price. I've given reasons , thats it in a nutshell.
As for warranty, yes you are quite right. But try proving that the independant did everything he should have done before it went t*ts up, not worth it imho.
Cheers and Beers
Click to expand...
The last part says everything about all of your posts on this thread, you haven’t got a dolly blue what you are talking about and don’t mind paying excessively to have your car maintained.
 
Norman_Conquest said:
The last part says everything about all of your posts on this thread, you haven’t got a dolly blue what you are talking about and don’t mind paying excessively to have your car maintained.
Click to expand...
Actually when it comes to spending my cash I am very careful to weigh up the pros and cons.Having a service plan on a vehicle can work out good value, but you have to know what you are getting for that.
From my early days of fixing my own cars, pulling parts from scrappies in South Bank, getting parts overhauled by local engineers who's skills/equipment I didn't have. To building my own engines to the other end of motoring after 48 years, and paying mechanics do their thing. However, I come from an engineering background and compliance role and get grease under my nails most weeks as a hobbyist so I have relevant experiences that you wouldn't know about. So I do think you should be careful about the assumptions you make about people in future.
 
tripleheader said:
Actually when it comes to spending my cash I am very careful to weigh up the pros and cons.Having a service plan on a vehicle can work out good value, but you have to know what you are getting for that.
From my early days of fixing my own cars, pulling parts from scrappies in South Bank, getting parts overhauled by local engineers whose skills/equipment I didn't have. To building my own engines to the other end of motoring after 48 years, and paying mechanics do their thing. However, I come from an engineering background and compliance role and get grease under my nails most weeks as a hobbyist so I have relevant experiences that you wouldn't know about. So I do think you should be careful about the assumptions you make about people in future.
Click to expand...
If that’s the case, why have you been spouting utter bollox throughout this thread.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top