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MOT - not sure if I'm being ripped off?

My current MOT on my Clio runs out on 7th March so I took it into my local Halfords garage on Thursday for an MOT. I don't mean to stereotype but I'm a 23 year old woman (who looks about 18) and went in alone to deliver my car and I was concerned that they would see me and think I was clueless and be able to get away with more.
They promised they would phone me within an hour of taking the car in but after three hours of not hearing anything I called them. Halfords told me that whilst they had completed the MOT (it had failed) a while before they had not calculated a price for the work. The list of failures are:

1) Nearside Rear position lamp (s) adversely affected by the operation of another lamp.
2) Nearside Headlamp has a product on the lens so that the light output is severely reduced.
3) Offside Headlamp has a product on the lens so that the light output is severely reduced.
4) Offside Windscreen wiper blade insecure.
5) Brake pedal spongy.
6) Nearside rear wheel cylinder has restricted free movement.
7) Offside front Tyre depth below requirements of 1.6mm.
8) Front brakes imbalanced (48%).

I know the tyre and windscreen wipers are pretty basic to fix so that's fine but I'm fairly confused about the rest of the work. They said on an estimation the work (not including the brakes) would cost £400 and they would need to remove some bits inside the car to determine the cost and extent of work with the brakes but could not provide me with a cost. They would also not explain to me in every day terms what needed to be fixed with the brakes.
I decided to collect the car that day and pay for a retest before 7th March and I took my Grandad in with me (he looks pretty hard if I'm honest so I thought it might help if they were being a bit sneaky). Halfords explained that most of the work could be done by myself but would not be able to tell me the price of the brakes until they were done and were ready to pay for which, at worst, could cost £500.
I wondered if anyone could shed some light on explaining the brake failure to me? Whether I could buy the parts myself and ask them to just fit it for me rather than them getting the parts from Renault?
So confused! Thanks for reading :smile:

.

(edited 11 years ago)

Reply 1

Camoxide

14

Halfords

I can't see why it should be £400. Those sorts of prices are usually reserved for big jobs like clutch or head gaskets.

I would ask around other garages.

Also what's this talk about product on your headlights?

You should get both tires done. They should only cost about £40 each in a tyre fitting place.

(edited 11 years ago)

Reply 2

Jemmylou134

OP

1

Original post by Camoxide

Halfords

I can't see why it should be £400. Those sorts of prices are usually reserved for big jobs like clutch or head gaskets.

I would ask around other garages.

Also what's this talk about product on your headlights?

You should get both tires done. They should only cost about £40 each in a tyre fitting place.

Thanks for your advice. I thought it was rather steep for that, just needed some reassuring that it may be worth my while to go elsewhere!

Reply 3

Emma:-)

Entertainment Forum Helper

19

Original post by Jemmylou134

My current MOT on my Clio runs out on 7th March so I took it into my local Halfords garage on Thursday for an MOT. I don't mean to stereotype but I'm a 23 year old woman (who looks about 18) and went in alone to deliver my car and I was concerned that they would see me and think I was clueless and be able to get away with more.
They promised they would phone me within an hour of taking the car in but after three hours of not hearing anything I called them. Halfords told me that whilst they had completed the MOT (it had failed) a while before they had not calculated a price for the work. The list of failures are:

1) Nearside Rear position lamp (s) adversely affected by the operation of another lamp.
2) Nearside Headlamp has a product on the lens so that the light output is severely reduced.
3) Offside Headlamp has a product on the lens so that the light output is severely reduced.
4) Offside Windscreen wiper blade insecure.
5) Brake pedal spongy.
6) Nearside rear wheel cylinder has restricted free movement.
7) Offside front Tyre depth below requirements of 1.6mm.
8) Front brakes imbalanced (48%).

I know the tyre and windscreen wipers are pretty basic to fix so that's fine but I'm fairly confused about the rest of the work. They said on an estimation the work (not including the brakes) would cost £400 and they would need to remove some bits inside the car to determine the cost and extent of work with the brakes but could not provide me with a cost. They would also not explain to me in every day terms what needed to be fixed with the brakes.
I decided to collect the car that day and pay for a retest before 7th March and I took my Grandad in with me (he looks pretty hard if I'm honest so I thought it might help if they were being a bit sneaky). Halfords explained that most of the work could be done by myself but would not be able to tell me the price of the brakes until they were done and were ready to pay for which, at worst, could cost £500.
I wondered if anyone could shed some light on explaining the brake failure to me? Whether I could buy the parts myself and ask them to just fit it for me rather than them getting the parts from Renault?
So confused! Thanks for reading :smile:

.

That sounds a bit pricey.
Personally id go somewhere else and get their advice. And take someone else with you. Ive seen articles in car magazines before about people going to halfords auto centres and being ripped off (in 1 particular article- someone went to an halfords auto centre- their car failed its mot on petty things and the where quotes £300 for the work- they then went somewhere else and it passed!!).

Reply 4

FXX

19

Original post by Jemmylou134

Whether I could buy the parts myself and ask them to just fit it for me rather than them getting the parts from Renault?

You want to be careful with that. If you find a garage that is willing to do it that way you may end up in deep **** if the part fails.

Garages have their own suppliers, and if there is a fault, you go through the garage who can then trace whether it was a faulty part or faulty installation. You're not involved in that, the garage should replace the faulty part and then they will claim money back from the supplier if they need to.

If you buy the parts, the garage installs them, and then the part fails, they will insist they are faulty parts rather than something they've done wrong and you'll be left trying to prove to the supplier that the part was faulty. In turn they will say the part was fine and the garage messed up. You'll then be left out of pocket and paying out again to get another garage to do it.

Reply 5

Yawn11

20

Dunno why people just don't go to their local mechanics

Reply 6

GooglyEyedMonster

13

I took my car to the ford dealership 2 years back (Nan was paying, not going to argue!) and it failed on ... wait for it ... emitting too much oxygen :facepalm:

. Took it to a local garage and it passed with flying colours!

Halfords ripped my friend off last month for her MOT. They quoted her £400 odd for her car to pass. I gave her the number for a local garage and it passed with about £100 worth of work!

Personally I would ask around your friends (and their parents!!) and see where they go and if they recommend them. I am the ditsiest girl going, took my car in to the garage in December and told the mechanic that my car was leaking rainbows and he sorted it out for me and it cost about £30 for a new oil filter and oil change. Just proves that the local guys are decent and don't take you for a joyride.

Reply 7

InconspicuousGuy

7

The stuff on the headlight it might be hazy, worth investing in a product called plastx by meguiers; I use it on my headlights and it is good stuff and only about £10 for a tub :smile:

This was posted from The Student Room's iPhone/iPad App

Reply 8

matt123roll

Original post by Jemmylou134

1) Nearside Rear position lamp (s) adversely affected by the operation of another lamp. (not sure on this one assuming its an electrical issue)
2) Nearside Headlamp has a product on the lens so that the light output is severely reduced. (see below)
3) Offside Headlamp has a product on the lens so that the light output is severely reduced. (as mentioned try a product or toothpaste or polish on a rag to remove any residue)
4) Offside Windscreen wiper blade insecure. (easy fix)
5) Brake pedal spongy. (brakes need bleeding not a big job)
6) Nearside rear wheel cylinder has restricted free movement.
7) Offside front Tyre depth below requirements of 1.6mm. (easy fix)
8) Front brakes imbalanced (48%).

As for unbalanced brakes it means that one side is using more braking force than the other, they should be equal or your car will pull to one side when braking. Not a huge job to sort.

Your biggest mistake was going halfords, corporate garages always pull the wool as they have nothing to loose. Smaller local garages value customers and are much more honest. Go somewhere else it will cost for more for a retest but you'll have a much better experience. This is no where near £500 worth of work

Reply 9

Annie72

17

This is a good site for finding local, reliable and affordable mechanics. I've used it myself for my husbands car

http://www.goodgaragescheme.co.uk/

Reply 10

sabian92

13

Original post by InconspicuousGuy

The stuff on the headlight it might be hazy, worth investing in a product called plastx by meguiers; I use it on my headlights and it is good stuff and only about £10 for a tub :smile:

This was posted from The Student Room's iPhone/iPad App

Toothpaste does the same job. :wink:

Reply 11

Pegasus2

16

Original post by GooglyEyedMonster

wait for it ... emitting too much oxygen :facepalm:

.

Just pointing out that is not as stupid as it might sound :smile:

But yeah, go to a local mechanic on word of mouth or a decent chain. Not a dealer, not kwik-fit and certainly not Halfords.

(edited 11 years ago)

Reply 12

JC.

19

Original post by Yawn11

Dunno why people just don't go to their local mechanics

Same reason folk go to mcdonalds. It's advertised on telly and folk don't stop and engage their brain before acting.
"hmm, am I handing money over for quality or utter ****e?" uhhhhh..... :wink:

Reply 13

Jemmylou134

OP

1

Thanks for everyone's advice, particularly the toothpaste tip :smile:

. I have rebooked it in to a guy my sister goes to every year so fingers crossed this time I won't almost faint when they tell me the cost!

Reply 14

Maccees

15

I would never go to Halfrauds for anything, they are more expensive than anywhere else I've been and the customer service tends to be a bit naff.

Reply 15

CurlyBen

19

To be fair, with chains as big as Halfords you'll always find some poor practice. It's even worse when people don't really understand the work that's being done (see the comment above about emitting too much oxygen - that would be indicative of a problem with a petrol, though not with a diesel). It can also be impossible to fully diagnose a problem without taking things to pieces, and once you start doing that it starts costing money.
If you're worried about being ripped off at MOT time many people swear by council run MOT stations, as they don't repair vehicles so have no vested interest in failing cars.

Reply 16

Nunkey

4

I have a very close family member who was an MOT tester for halfords. I can tell you now, it's a poorly run establishment of garages, the MOT testers are usually decent though. The reason why they're so expensive is the fact that they have set prices and cannot really offer you anything less. I'd fix as much as you can yourself, then take the issues with the brakes and rear cylinder to a local garage. I'm going to guess the rear lights have electrical issues and the brakes have something to do with a dodgy calliper. Tell them to flush out and replace your brake fluid, that'll increase the brake pedals stiffness. I would say that labour cost for these issues should not go over £200.

You should always check your tyres, it's possibly the most basic and easiest thing to do. That's 3 points for you already :wink:

Get that **** changed, it's only £30-40 fitted for you brand new probably.

Reply 17

GooglyEyedMonster

13

Original post by CurlyBen

To be fair, with chains as big as Halfords you'll always find some poor practice. It's even worse when people don't really understand the work that's being done (see the comment above about emitting too much oxygen - that would be indicative of a problem with a petrol, though not with a diesel).

That was the point, it is a diesel, probably should've mentioned that! I accepted it whilst I was there and nodded like a little puppy as I didn't know any better. Rang my brother who explained it all to me and that they were just trying to get my money as my car didn't appear to have a sensor from what he read online (other garage soon confirmed this). By this point I didn't trust them with my baby.

On a separate occasion they told me my car didn't leak engine coolant and that they pressure tested the hoses and still told me it didn't leak ... as it emptied itself on their forecourt - which they then claimed was a spillage and not a leak. Then they started saying it was probably my head gasket and were costing out the work (numbers greater than the cars worth, which incidently they offered to take off my hands!) before they even admitted the car was leaking. Took it to the local guy my brother-in-law uses and he found the leak and fixed it. No head gasket problem at all, cost me £25!

Safe to say I've now learnt my lesson to avoid the dealership! Although Nan still takes her BMW to theirs :/ MOT is due next week, first time using a garage in this city so fingers crossed!

Reply 18

CurlyBen

19

Original post by GooglyEyedMonster

That was the point, it is a diesel, probably should've mentioned that! I accepted it whilst I was there and nodded like a little puppy as I didn't know any better. Rang my brother who explained it all to me and that they were just trying to get my money as my car didn't appear to have a sensor from what he read online (other garage soon confirmed this). By this point I didn't trust them with my baby.

On a separate occasion they told me my car didn't leak engine coolant and that they pressure tested the hoses and still told me it didn't leak ... as it emptied itself on their forecourt - which they then claimed was a spillage and not a leak. Then they started saying it was probably my head gasket and were costing out the work (numbers greater than the cars worth, which incidently they offered to take off my hands!) before they even admitted the car was leaking. Took it to the local guy my brother-in-law uses and he found the leak and fixed it. No head gasket problem at all, cost me £25!

Safe to say I've now learnt my lesson to avoid the dealership! Although Nan still takes her BMW to theirs :/ MOT is due next week, first time using a garage in this city so fingers crossed!

The diesel/petrol distinction was pretty important there. Diesels run without a throttle, so the air to fuel ratio varies depending on demand, but should always be running lean (excess oxygen). Petrols should have a pretty constant, very slightly rich air to fuel ratio (normally about 14.7:1). That means that excess oxygen in diesel exhaust is completely normal (and anyone calling themselves a mechanic shouldn't flag it up) but on a modern petrol engine it would indicate a fault. It's possible the garage just made a mistake - incompetence rather than conspiracy!

There's a couple of things you need to remember when hearing stories about 'rogue' dealers/garages:
1) The mechanic's trade is becoming more and more that of a fitter. They use the computer to tell them which bit's gone wrong, then change it for another. Diagnostics gets ever harder and needs a better and better technical understanding
2) Linked to 1, systems tend now to be so inter-related that the fault can be very hard to trace and may exist somewhere that's not obvious. Even worse are intermittent faults, especially when the customer can't pinpoint the conditions that cause it
3) Labour/diagnostics time is expensive, and people are generally less happy to pay for it as they don't see they're getting much for their money. Most people would rather pay £180 for a part and £20 fitting than £20 for the part and £180 for labour. That means it's often more efficient to quickly change a major part of a system than try and figure out exactly what the problem is. It's also why a dealer, with higher labour charges, may be more likely to just fit a new component rather than find and repair the root fault
4) Garage bills are expensive so people expect them to be right first time, every time. Mechanics are only human, mistakes happen, and as mentioned the systems are highly complex. When a garage makes a mistake, that's what someone will tell other people about

I'm not trying to say there every garage is decent and would never try and rip you off, just that people are often quick to pour scorn on garages without really thinking about the wider situation. If you don't want to pay over the odds for car repairs, find a good local garage which doesn't have half a dozen receptionists, or a big shiny showroom, a coffee machine, or any of those other little niceties that cost money without bringing it in. Sometimes you'll have to wait a little longer, sometimes the phone won't be answered, sometimes they won't be able to fit you in. If those things are important to you, be prepared to pay for it.

Reply 19

Laurah5498

18

Halfords tried to charge me £700 to replace my heater matrix. They said that it would take 6 hours and they'd have to take the dashboard out.

Took it to the bloke my dad uses and he charged me £40 and did it half an hour!

I tend to use Halfords to get stuff diagnosed and then go to a local garage or a mechanic that my step dad uses if I can sort it out with work.

Though I am going to do battle with my local garage tomorrow. I had the link between my clutch and gearbox replaced last week for £200 and it's still broken. It's now making the most biblical noise ever when it's in reverse!

I hate cars :frown:

This was posted from The Student Room's iPhone/iPad App

(edited 11 years ago)

MOT - not sure if I'm being ripped off?

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