Did anyone else read an article in the Independent on Saturday regarding a new service offered by Kwik Fit called Car Scan whereby they will give your car an extensive check over for £59. It was described in the paper as equivalent of the pre-sale inspections you can get carried out by the RAC, AA etc and as a good thing to do as your new car warranty comes up for expiry to see if there's anything wrong which you could/should claim for under the warranty before it expires. KF have got the franchise for this country I think & will be offering the service in selected places.
At the moment it's only available in Dundee Street Edinburgh but the Independent said that it was worth the two hour drive from Newcastle, so impressed was their correspondent.
There were web links at the end of the article but I foolishly thought that the atricle would be on the Independent's website, but it isn't. There's a very short mention on the KF site & the Car Scan website - www.carscan.net is under construction.
What do people think, will it be used to drum up spurious business, a practice that fast fit centres run by some companies have been accused of in the past.
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Whatever any commercial Company offers, the end purpose is to make money and, there's nothing wrong with that. My cynical view is that the general standard of competence (of the technicians in fast fit enterprises) is not of a sufficiently high standard to be able to offer much in the way of a really impartial inspection and report. I may be wrong but, will the technicians really be able to pronounce on the condition of components, outside of the small range which are normally dealt with, ie, tyres, shock absorbers, brakes etc.
Also, I should like to know if there is a bonus sytem in operation designed to pull in a few more sales of tyres, shock absorbers, brake pads etc. because, with current labour rates, costs etc, can there be much time and effort given to the inspection for the relatively small sum of £59 ? I should have thought that a small local garage, dealing with all types of repairs, could give a much better inspection for the money. Don't get me wrong, I think the fast fit outfits do a good job but, in a limited market. This seems to me to be a big leap forward and it is to be hoped that the technicians training and standards have taken an equally big leap forward.
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I was going to give my tuppence worth but John Davis above has said it all.
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Hmmmmm as our pal used to say.
£59 labour for an inspection of a car that you own, without any work or parts. That will buy you two hours labour at a decent independent...add an oil filter plus oil and you have a service!
With the offer you mention I assume you have then to pay them again to actually do something.
The first time I see a new customer's car, or a new car of a customer's, for a full service I write them a report on its condition together with thoughts on future long term maintenance (free of charge). This is like an MOT, service and AA report rolled in one. Then we both know exactly where we and the car stand.
David
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Yes, I read the article. The important feature seemed to be that the checking was done by advanced hi-tech diagnosis as well as visual inspections. Sounded very plausible and impressive to me. However I tried the website but it's not up and running yet !
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