Garage problems - what are our rights?

[Randy Savage 10]

A tad concerned that we've been ripped off and I wanted to see what our rights were..

 

The car has been making a rattling noise for a while and it was worrying us.

 

We took it to a garage to get it looked at and the chap (who we've used numerous times) had a 2 second look and told us we needed a new exhaust

 

We're now £400 lighter..

 

and guess what the rattle is still there

 

Not happy and wondered if we had any rights..

 

All help appreciated

 

RS

[Number Six 10]

Did you inspect the exhaust that came off?

 

Did he say it would cure the rattle?

[MissMonkey 10]

What model do you have?

[Tomm06 12]

Oooo could be the heat shield, this is a problem on my exhaust, it's nothing to worry about, but with the windows down its BLOODY annoying when going slow. If you'd have gone elsewhere for example, ordering the ecxhaust from a motor factors, and got them to fit it, it would probably have been much cheaper, but... it really depends on how much their hourly rate it. For the record what garage was it?

 

As an example, a woman come in to work the other day (I work at Halfords) and she said Kwik Fit were charging her £217 (she had a quote sheet...thing) for a new rear exhaust section, including fitting, when I priced her a system up (only £100) it would have worked out cheaper for her to go to another garage to have that fitted.

 

I actually need a new track rod end for my car, and when Kwik Fit had a look at it, they said £65 PER SIDE! when I could get them for £17 (not fitted) each from a motor factors. They will have charged you for disposal of your old exhaust too.

[dink 10]

if its £400 for the exhaust and labour it sounds like you have had a full exhaust system fitted not just sections.

[Randy Savage 10]

It's a VW Golf - 52 i think

 

We didn't check the exhaust that came off - never thought to do it.

 

He said that the exhaust was causing the rattle

 

Have been ripped off by Kwik Fit before - learnt that lesson a while ago.

 

Thanks for the replies.

 

Just seeing if we have any grounds to go back - and not get fleeced

[Tomm06 12]

It's a VW Golf - 52 i think

 

We didn't check the exhaust that came off - never thought to do it.

 

He said that the exhaust was causing the rattle

 

Have been ripped off by Kwik Fit before - learnt that lesson a while ago.

 

Thanks for the replies.

 

Just seeing if we have any grounds to go back - and not get fleeced

 

Which garage was it?

 

Kwik Fit are only good for tracking, since you have a week to take it back if it still isn't right, for free.

[dink 10]

have you mentioned anything about it not fixing the problem?

 

If its just a vibration rattling, like said before it could be the heat plate, my escort had this, it was annoying i ended up getting up on a ramp and getting under and butchering it to the underside of the car

[Conrod 10]

You actually have significant rights as a customer/buyer of motor trade services just as you do buying something from a shop. If they have carried out work which was wrongly diagnosed as being an exhaust problem, you should be able to claim your money back - but don't expoect them to be cooperative. You may well have to take it to the small claims courts - but don't be afraid of doing that, as it is cheap and straightforward.

[dink 10]

But if you are doing the above, make it known that you have an issue ASAP.

[WOOFY 10]

Kwik Fit were featured on Watchdog last night on BBC1 at 20.00 so if you missed it you can view their findings on BBC Iplayer on the following link:-

 

http://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode/b00tt96k/Watchdog_16_09_2010/

 

One of their set up's for Kwik Fit was that they sent in 10 cars to various branches around the country for a standard service and not one of them was dealt with to the required standard so it looks like all the branches are working the same.

They quote for work what is not necessary with bills running into hundreds of pounds.

Take a look, their findings are an eye opener!!

[alchresearch 214]

And they're good at hiding extra costs. Just get two tyres priced up on their website - absolute bargain. But then at the end they add in the valve, balancing and tyre disposal which adds about £20 to the tyre.