Don't know if its exactly true, but still a good story that makes me smile.
A friend of a friend took their car into the local, well known, "fast - fit" place for a free brake safety check.
All the brakes were fine but they were advised that all their shock absorbers were in a dangerous way and this could seriously affect their steering etc under heavy braking.
If thats the case, they said, you better change them over. When they came back from shopping they were handed a hefty bill and asked how they were paying.
"We're not" was the reply, here is the 2 year warranty on the shock absorbers you replaced 8 months ago.......
Allegedly true, and certainly believable...
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I have heard this story so many times.....
...up to but not including the last two paragraphs!
My mother used to get her tyres replaced by her local garage at nearly twice the price than she could get them changed at a similar place (probably the same chain).
I suggested that next time her garage advised her to change her tyres she went to this fast fit place instead - big mistake!
She got conned into changing all her brake linings and disks at a cost of £400! Sensibly she asked to be given the old components.
On inspecting the old compponents her mechanic was not overly convicend that she needed everything replacing, perhaps some of the linings were a little low.
Soon after she could not drive the car out of the garage. The car was recovered by her garage and she faced another similar bill to rectify the problems introduced by unnamed fast fit outlet.
She then contacted the fast fit outlet who investigated the problem, she was refunded the bill from the mechanic by the fast fit outlet.
Semi revenge, but she coninues to buy tyres from her garage - I just don't interfere anymore!
H
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Probably true, as I have done the same thing myself.
I found a certain "fast fit" chain offered a lifetime guarantee on brake pads, including wear and tear. I presume that they thought that either people would sell the car before needing a new set of pads, they would have lost the paperwork, or have forgotten about the guarantee.
I think this certain "fast fit" chain started to get a bit fed up with me after they fitted the 3rd set of brake pads, all for the initial cost of £35. I was just about to have a 4th set fitted when I sold the car.
Having checked their web site, looks like they still do it:
"What is Covered - Free replacement brake pads and/or shoes for as long as you own your car, including all labour required to honour this guarantee. Excludes company vehicles, hire vehicles, taxis and vehicles used for commercial purposes, including competitive motor sport "
Obviously you need to watch over them whilst they do work, and have a strong personality to decline anything else that they claim needs fixing.
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Three sets of brake pads! Goodness me how many miles do you drive? Have you got a supercar and always drive on the brakes? Or is it that the fast fit brake pads don't last as long as well known makes I wonder?
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I don't think that it was that they didn't last as long, although I had done almost 100k in the 5 years of owning the car, but I used to take the car into one of their branches every 20k to 25K miles for one of their "Brake Safe" checks.
It always managed to slip my mind about the guarantee, until they came back and told me the pads needed replacing (funnily enough there was always only about 1000 miles left). At which point the amnesia would disapear, I would produce a (by the end) rather dog eared receipt from the original fitting, and the smile would slip from the fitters face.
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Better still! I just love it. I must rethink my car maitenance strategy - what else can I find with a similar guarantee on I wonder. I presume you are now persona non grata with that particular chain or maybe they are not that well organised.
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I just kept going to different branches, just in case...
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Cannot agree more.
I used to go to Apples Car Clinic, in Leeds, for MoTs.
I can print their name because they were closed down, following a consumer report by the BBC.
The Manager was on bonus to charge people for brake fluid changes, which were never done as well as steering racks being changed for second hand ones from the scrappie nearby.
I didn't know this at the time, but took a car in for MoT. A mark 2 Astra in 1985.
I watched from the MoT viewing area as the mechanic checked around, looking peeved.
I watched him pick an oil can up and thought "funny".
When he came back he reported that all was OK except for the front suspension struts, which were leaking oil, so the car had failed.
I asked him to show me and we went and looked.
"Very odd", I said. "The suspension has leaked machine oil". Looks just like the oil I saw you squirting there from this oil can."
He blushed purple. I refused to pay and told him i'd report him.
I went to the Ministry about that, and they booked an appointment with me for an Inspector to attend at the garage at 08:30 the next morning.
We both attended and the guy ended up sacked, so the manager said.
The car was checked again and passed.
I felt vindicated when I saw the BBC programme much later.
I think Apples was "swallowed" by one of the big national fast fit companies.
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