Halfords...dohh!
Discussion
My son runs a 1990 1.1 Ford Fiesta (first car), and has to top-up the oil weekly 'cos it's seen better days.
Last weekend he went to Halfords to buy some oil. I told him to get some basic multigrade oil. He returned with 5l of Halfords 5W/30 part-synthetic costing over £20 "suitable for the latest high-efficiency engines" said the label on the container.
No good, I say. "Take it back and tell them you want a basic multigrade like GTX or similar".
He comes back again with 10W/40 Part-synthetic "suitable for turbo, multivalve modern engines"...cost £17.50. Apparently three assistants consulted the computer and came up with that recommendation.
This time I go back to the store myself and ask the manager why they sold my son this oil when the Haynes manual specifies a simple multigrade. "My son asked for multigrade and has neither a modern, multivalve nor a turbo engine in his car".
"I wouldn't believe what Haynes manuals say" said the manager. "And this is a very good oil"
"That maybe so, but when the engine's 13 years old with >100K on the clock and burning the stuff, it's a waste"
"Oh, if it's that old then you want ordinary multigrade" said the helpful man.
Cost of 5 litres of basic multigrade: £10.
Last weekend he went to Halfords to buy some oil. I told him to get some basic multigrade oil. He returned with 5l of Halfords 5W/30 part-synthetic costing over £20 "suitable for the latest high-efficiency engines" said the label on the container.
No good, I say. "Take it back and tell them you want a basic multigrade like GTX or similar".
He comes back again with 10W/40 Part-synthetic "suitable for turbo, multivalve modern engines"...cost £17.50. Apparently three assistants consulted the computer and came up with that recommendation.
This time I go back to the store myself and ask the manager why they sold my son this oil when the Haynes manual specifies a simple multigrade. "My son asked for multigrade and has neither a modern, multivalve nor a turbo engine in his car".
"I wouldn't believe what Haynes manuals say" said the manager. "And this is a very good oil"
"That maybe so, but when the engine's 13 years old with >100K on the clock and burning the stuff, it's a waste"
"Oh, if it's that old then you want ordinary multigrade" said the helpful man.
Cost of 5 litres of basic multigrade: £10.
I shall recycle my Halfords story for those who have joined in the last year or so:
...
M@H: Hi, can you help me, I'm after an accelerator cable..
Gimp: What car is it for..?
M@H: Er well a TVR actually but I think the part came of an 89-90 Escort or Sierra, the Motorcraft Part Number is "XYZ" can you cross match it from there
Gimp : "Err"
(pause)
Gimp : "I'll just get Dave, he can help"
(pause - scared look, no sign of Dave - more pause)
Gimp : Escort did you say.
M@H: Yep 89-90 ish
Gimp: (tap on computer for a good 2 minutes)
"No I haven't got anything listed against the Escort.."
(pause -tap tap on keyboard.. confused look)
Gimp: "I'll try a Sierra"
(tap tap tap. confused look. another 2 minutes pass)
Gimp: "No I havent got it listed in Sierra's either, I've only got Clutch Cables and Throttle Cables, no Accelerator cables listed at all I'm afraid.. sorry"
>> Edited by M@H on Thursday 27th November 15:15
...
M@H: Hi, can you help me, I'm after an accelerator cable..
Gimp: What car is it for..?
M@H: Er well a TVR actually but I think the part came of an 89-90 Escort or Sierra, the Motorcraft Part Number is "XYZ" can you cross match it from there
Gimp : "Err"
(pause)
Gimp : "I'll just get Dave, he can help"
(pause - scared look, no sign of Dave - more pause)
Gimp : Escort did you say.
M@H: Yep 89-90 ish
Gimp: (tap on computer for a good 2 minutes)
"No I haven't got anything listed against the Escort.."
(pause -tap tap on keyboard.. confused look)
Gimp: "I'll try a Sierra"
(tap tap tap. confused look. another 2 minutes pass)
Gimp: "No I havent got it listed in Sierra's either, I've only got Clutch Cables and Throttle Cables, no Accelerator cables listed at all I'm afraid.. sorry"
>> Edited by M@H on Thursday 27th November 15:15
Halfords, what a shite place. Needed to do some emergency surgery on a Sunday away from 'basecamp'. Popped into Halfords for some spring compressors. Tell Monkey that I'd like a pair of Coil Spring Compressors, okay says he and wanders off, comes out with valve spring compressors. I point out the difference, off he toddles again comes back with..... another pair of valve spring compressors in a different box. Explain the difference again at which point he comes out with this pearl of wisdom
"Ahh but their both coil springs so this will do both".
At this point I walked out. Bungee cords held the spring in the cup while we got it on the trailer.
Matt
"Ahh but their both coil springs so this will do both".
At this point I walked out. Bungee cords held the spring in the cup while we got it on the trailer.
Matt
Matt_T16 said:
"Ahh but their both coil springs so this will do both
Halfords purchase approach:
Figure out exactly what you want
Find where it's stocked (probably by yourself as the salesmuppets won't know)
Find out they haven't got one
Go to a proper motor factor
their tools are quite good though
FourWheelDrift said:
wolosp said:
Bonce said:
You posted this in motoring news...dohh!
Ford Fiesta, plus oil, plus driving = motoring
It's not a motoring news item, unless the BBC have gone more downhill lately.
Edited to add the "more"
Ahhh..motoring NEWS!
Have pity on me - I've just sat through a CBT session! How I hate CBTs...but that's another subject. >> Edited by wolosp on Thursday 27th November 15:33
When i worked in car audio and Halfords were starting to get into it as well i ventured down to our nearest branch to check out the competition and saw a monkey in the workshop where thay do the servicing and tyres etc holding in one hand the shelf for what looked like a ford fiesta and a jigsaw in the other hand and he proceded to try and cut a hole in the shelf whilst still holding it in the air...BRILLIANT!!!
wolosp said:
My son runs a 1990 1.1 Ford Fiesta (first car), and has to top-up the oil weekly 'cos it's seen better days.
Last weekend he went to Halfords to buy some oil. I told him to get some basic multigrade oil. He returned with 5l of Halfords 5W/30 part-synthetic costing over £20 "suitable for the latest high-efficiency engines" said the label on the container.
No good, I say. "Take it back and tell them you want a basic multigrade like GTX or similar".
He comes back again with 10W/40 Part-synthetic "suitable for turbo, multivalve modern engines"...cost £17.50. Apparently three assistants consulted the computer and came up with that recommendation.
This time I go back to the store myself and ask the manager why they sold my son this oil when the Haynes manual specifies a simple multigrade. "My son asked for multigrade and has neither a modern, multivalve nor a turbo engine in his car".
"I wouldn't believe what Haynes manuals say" said the manager. "And this is a very good oil"
"That maybe so, but when the engine's 13 years old with >100K on the clock and burning the stuff, it's a waste"
"Oh, if it's that old then you want ordinary multigrade" said the helpful man.
Cost of 5 litres of basic multigrade: £10.
I had exactly the same with an identical car in Halfords... my festa (rest her soul
) drnk it like there was no tomorrow... I think it got confused and used oil instead of fuel and vice versa... luckily, when I couldn't see what I had been told to get nd the sales assistants were equally unhelpful, I went down to LTs where a 5 litre bottle cost about £7! (edit: litres trace, not gallons
) >> Edited by WD* on Thursday 27th November 15:55
WD* said:
(edit: litres trace, not gallons
you'd have trouble carrying a 5 gallon bottle right enough ! when my banger needed a top up I reckoned it was cheaper to take it to budget for an oil and filter change at a tenner rather than buy a small bottle of top up oil from my local garage
Ha-Ha-Halfords sell a bobbin shaped exhaust mounting thingummy. I ask monkey what thread it is 'cos it comes without any nuts. Monkey sez "I dunno". To monkey's credit, he got a nut in a blister pack and tried it on the thread - it fitted (he said). Needless to say that when back at the ranch the nut didn't fit! So, after a rummage in my various bins I found a nut to fit - UNF thread. I e-mail Ha-Ha-Halfords and ask them, just 'cos I like asking awkward questions, what thread it is - after all, they buy the damned thing, they OUGHT to know at HQ. They say that they don't have that kind of information - ask at branch! D'Oh 
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