Is it worth complaining about a Halfords garage?

[Wench]

Took my Fabia into Halfords last week for a suspension check, as I wanted a check over of it. 

 

They told me they’d found two separate things wrong with it, quote for repair circa £400. Local garage quote for work was less than half that (but I know Halfords are likely to be ££££).

 

took car into local garage to check the bits actually needed fixing, and they were all perfectly fine. 

 

The only work that needed fixing hadn’t been picked up by Halfords, and should have been fairly obvious/easy thing to check.

 

naughty Halfords suggesting work needed doing that didn’t

[sandman]

Known as Halfrauds.

[Guest]

I tried to complain to my local trading standards about the local Budget Tyre fitters when they tried to charge for parts that didn't require replacing. 

 

TS refused on the grounds I hadn't got the work carried out and therefore no case to answer. 

Edited 6 February, 2019 by Guest

[Breezy_Pete]

What were the two things?

[VWD]

44 minutes ago, Wench said:

Took my Fabia into Halfords last week for a suspension check, as I wanted a check over of it. 

 

They told me they’d found two separate things wrong with it, quote for repair circa £400. Local garage quote for work was less than half that (but I know Halfords are likely to be ££££).

 

took car into local garage to check the bits actually needed fixing, and they were all perfectly fine. 

 

The only work that needed fixing hadn’t been picked up by Halfords, and should have been fairly obvious/easy thing to check.

 

naughty Halfords suggesting work needed doing that didn’t

FIRST mistake- NEVER take a car into a fast fit place except for tyres. AND then check the pressure in each replaced tyre against handbook. Case 1- I took a firms van in for new tyres on rear end. My mate, who'd only recently passed his test nearly had lost rear end on a corner. Result- replaced tyres 15psi over inflated. Case 2 - I had to have rear shoes on Furby replaced for MOT. I can't get down there due to my hip, so for what I thought was a decent price, I let a fast fit place do it. Came back out with brakes full of air. MOT place bled brakes and commented on how close to dangerous they were .

Case 3-I suspected tracking problems and went in for a check. Needed tracking, but they couldn't get nuts to move. Fitter ( my suggestion for job title suggests a few vowel and consonant changes) , suggested using heat on the track rod ends. My mate ( manager at said firm) got in first and ushered fitter outside for a few choice words, before I asked if the firm would be replacing the track rod end after they'd heated all the grease out of it.

For info- Never let a fitter loose on a ball joint with heat, UNLESS  it's intended to change the ball joint.

Case 4 - again fast fit firm, this time a well known Tyre firm, who boast that you can't get better etc. New to us van. Problem- OVER 55 mph, ALB warning came on. I took it in to our local branch, where the manager took one look and asked who had replaced one rear tyre. Checking, he found that it had been replaced at another branch, with the WRONG  profile. Tyres should have been something like 215 /xx/yy. What was fitted was a 185/xx/yy . Surprisingly ,the lease company said- put it in spare. Manager refused to let van out of depot unless all tyres ( including spare ) were same size and profile.