Halford BS MOT
Discussion
Combustion29 said:
The mot has just run out. The main issue is that i don't see why i should pay for their lakc of tools. I was hoping if i just make enough of a fuss, they will reduce the charge. I don't really have time to find a slot at another garage.
Alfa Romeo 147/156/GT love chewing through wishbone bushes but everyone supplies and replaces the complete unit.The reality is they will probably charge you 30-60 mins for changing the bush, and they'll probably do a crap job on it. Might as well do the whole wishbone.
bigdom said:
Having taken my car in for an MOT yesterday, not Halfords. I think they're all on the take.
Evidently my rear discs/pads are worn, and the front disc have slight lipping...They put both down as an advisory and mentioned it would be dangerous to continue to drive it
The onboard system states the rear pads have 24k left, the fronts 60k. Think I'll drop it into BMW next year.
Try a council run MOT station.Evidently my rear discs/pads are worn, and the front disc have slight lipping...They put both down as an advisory and mentioned it would be dangerous to continue to drive it
The onboard system states the rear pads have 24k left, the fronts 60k. Think I'll drop it into BMW next year.
Mr Snrub said:
Are you sure? I've never heard of a wiper arm needing to be changed unless it was damaged
Someone was misquoted methinks, a wiper would be a whole unit obv not the arm itself. I wouldn't call it a BS MOT
Wiper blade may well need replacing, if your headlight doesn't line up it will need adjusting, why should they do it for free? As for the bush, they have to take the suspension arm apart to replace it, rightly it is quicker and easier to replace the arm, it'll take them about 10 mins compared to maybe an hour of f
king about taking components apart to replace the bush Edited by Nickyboy on Wednesday 22 March 22:18
Vaud said:
Try a council run MOT station.
Or, ime, don't.The one time I took that sage piece of advice, I was made monumentally unwelcome - it was very clear that the only reason they accepted my booking was they had zero choice. I was then given the single most anal test ever. I took that fail sheet, smiled, and immediately took the car to somewhere else - where it passed without a single advisory. They achieved their aim - I never wasted their precious time by going there again...
Combustion29 said:
I'm literally quoting them on the tool issue. They said they used to order just the bush. I checked you can order it on its own. The whole arm is £70.
Yeh the wiper blade is fine. They want to change the entire arm. The wiper is fine, this been raining loads lately, it clears the windscreen.
My old garage would have just adjusted the light for free. What are the actually charging me £15 for?
Since the arm will need to be removed to replace one bush it is often considered sensible to replace the whole arm complete with all other bushes! Yeh the wiper blade is fine. They want to change the entire arm. The wiper is fine, this been raining loads lately, it clears the windscreen.
My old garage would have just adjusted the light for free. What are the actually charging me £15 for?
Edited by Combustion29 on Wednesday 22 March 20:56
Speaking from experience I have wasted too much time in the past removing an arm, removing the old bush, getting the new bush pressed in and refitting rather than ordering the whole part and simply swapping it over - if you are paying garage labour a straight swap could be cheaper than paying someone the labour to piss about trying to remove a stubbon bush.
Combustion29 said:
Hi all,
I just had my mot done at a halfords autocentre ( not my first choice but was in a bind). Anyway it failed on three trivial things; rubber suspension bush worn, headlight at wrong angle and windscreen wiper not adequately clearing Window.
They want to replace the whole suspension arm rather than just the bush as they don't have the right tool to compress the springs or something. They are charging me £15 for 'fixing ' the light and also want to replace the whole wiper . This will now be hundreds which is a joke for what should be a bush and a wiper blade. They are taking the piss but what can i do?
Which car do you have?I just had my mot done at a halfords autocentre ( not my first choice but was in a bind). Anyway it failed on three trivial things; rubber suspension bush worn, headlight at wrong angle and windscreen wiper not adequately clearing Window.
They want to replace the whole suspension arm rather than just the bush as they don't have the right tool to compress the springs or something. They are charging me £15 for 'fixing ' the light and also want to replace the whole wiper . This will now be hundreds which is a joke for what should be a bush and a wiper blade. They are taking the piss but what can i do?
My take?
-The headlight adjustment is taking the piss. My tester does that for me as well as throwing in the odd bulb for free but he did used to charge £45 an MOT before I knew him. That said it was better than the anal tester before and he speaks alot of sense; a few PHers use him as well.
-The arm's bush being can be a pain to remove in a number of cases. In many instances pattern bushes are rubbish as well. By the time they have faffed about with the bush it would have cost a good chunk of garage labour.
-When you say the whole wiper do you mean the arm or the blade? If the former and it is clearly not bent I'd do a runner!
bigdom said:
Having taken my car in for an MOT yesterday, not Halfords. I think they're all on the take.
Evidently my rear discs/pads are worn, and the front disc have slight lipping...They put both down as an advisory and mentioned it would be dangerous to continue to drive it
The onboard system states the rear pads have 24k left, the fronts 60k. Think I'll drop it into BMW next year.
I reckon you must a be a troll :P. 60k on front pads? Unless you never brake I'd like to see that.Evidently my rear discs/pads are worn, and the front disc have slight lipping...They put both down as an advisory and mentioned it would be dangerous to continue to drive it
The onboard system states the rear pads have 24k left, the fronts 60k. Think I'll drop it into BMW next year.
Evanivitch said:
Alfa Romeo 147/156/GT love chewing through wishbone bushes but everyone supplies and replaces the complete unit.
The reality is they will probably charge you 30-60 mins for changing the bush, and they'll probably do a crap job on it. Might as well do the whole wishbone.
Not everyone. Autolusso think all of the bushes bar genuine or TRW actually last. I can vouch for that. They polybush them which outlives almsot any other arm ; I once had a Lemforder arm become an advisory within a year on my 147.The reality is they will probably charge you 30-60 mins for changing the bush, and they'll probably do a crap job on it. Might as well do the whole wishbone.
. Very good. Does said failed arm also have a ball joint or other bushes on it, if it does I find it not cost effective to change just a bush if others could fail, esp if you can't do the work yourself or if there is a ball joint built into the arm.
As many others have said it's sometimes cheaper in the long run to replace whole arm and fit and forget.
As many others have said it's sometimes cheaper in the long run to replace whole arm and fit and forget.
TooMany2cvs said:
Combustion29 said:
Only reason i went to halfords was due to another garage delaying the not by a week the evening before the test.
You know you have a month before the expiry to retest it and retain the same expiry date, right...?Combustion29 said:
TooMany2cvs said:
Combustion29 said:
Only reason i went to halfords was due to another garage delaying the not by a week the evening before the test.
You know you have a month before the expiry to retest it and retain the same expiry date, right...?t together plan your life better.Your phone has a calendar - use it
Why not get yourself a trello board also and SCRUM your life into Week long sprints - https://trello.com
SystemParanoia said:
not leave your car with them for a start.
you can drive your car home from an MOT test legally, whether its passed or not.
Only if the previous MoT is still in force can you. Otherwise you're breaking the law.you can drive your car home from an MOT test legally, whether its passed or not.
https://www.gov.uk/getting-an-mot/after-the-test
Combustion29 said:
TooMany2cvs said:
Combustion29 said:
Only reason i went to halfords was due to another garage delaying the not by a week the evening before the test.
You know you have a month before the expiry to retest it and retain the same expiry date, right...?I had my Fiesta's first year service done at Halfords.
It was cheap and a lease car, and the "service centre" was a few minutes walk from my work so it made sense.
I was 19 and went in at 8am before with my shirt/tie on looking like a tt, so I assume they thought they could take the mick and rip me off.
They tried saying that the brake pads are "almost non existent" and the tires were "well below the legal limit".
They were well pissed off when I told them the car had only done 6.5k miles, and I showed up to collect the car with a depth micrometer
It was cheap and a lease car, and the "service centre" was a few minutes walk from my work so it made sense.
I was 19 and went in at 8am before with my shirt/tie on looking like a t
t, so I assume they thought they could take the mick and rip me off. They tried saying that the brake pads are "almost non existent" and the tires were "well below the legal limit".
They were well pissed off when I told them the car had only done 6.5k miles, and I showed up to collect the car with a depth micrometer
aka_kerrly said:
Since the arm will need to be removed to replace one bush it is often considered sensible to replace the whole arm complete with all other bushes!
Speaking from experience I have wasted too much time in the past removing an arm, removing the old bush, getting the new bush pressed in and refitting rather than ordering the whole part and simply swapping it over - if you are paying garage labour a straight swap could be cheaper than paying someone the labour to piss about trying to remove a stubbon bush.
Agree with this.Speaking from experience I have wasted too much time in the past removing an arm, removing the old bush, getting the new bush pressed in and refitting rather than ordering the whole part and simply swapping it over - if you are paying garage labour a straight swap could be cheaper than paying someone the labour to piss about trying to remove a stubbon bush.
There are usually at least two bushes in the arm, and if one has failed, the other won't be far behind. Chances are the balljoint is also past its best. With that, and the labour / fiddling to get the bush swapped out, it is easier, quicker and often cheaper to just swap the whole lot out. A better repair as well, as you get a complete new set of components.
Gassing Station | General Gassing | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff