Put my GTI-6 into MOT at Robins and Day in Preston last Tuesday. Reason being they were cheap to have my tyres fitted and balanced, and MOT was only £30 so thought why not.
Expected it to pass with advisorys for low rear pads and slight blow on the exhaust as the clamp on the back was crap but it only slightly blew.
They failed it on:
Headlight bulbs wrong colour £21 to replace.
Headlight alignment wrong. £18 to align.
Rear brake discs and pads need replacing as scored/pitted and pads low £170+
Both front shocks seriously leaking, £460
Advised me of:
Front brake discs scored and pitted.
Front wipers smear the windscreen.
Backbox rusting.
Exhaust slight blow where centre meets backbox.
And a couple more besides.
The brake discs were obviously scored/pitted as ive not driven the car since I bought it and its sat there all winter, did my best to give the brakes a work out on the drive to the garage but not enough to remove all the rust which had built up! Surpise suprise the fronts are now completely fine after a few miles of driving!
So I booked an MOT for this morning at the garage ive used previously who is sound.
Bought new rear pads and discs, fitted them in an hour on the drive last night, fair enough the rear pads were low, but as long as they passed a handbrake/braking efficiency I didnt think it mattered.
Fitted two different headlight bulbs (couldnt see a problem with the others!).
Passed with 1 advisory for blowing exhaust this morning, didnt even advise me of the shocks, there is a very slight misting if that on them.
I used the car this weekend gone to go visit my friend in Peterborough. Now on the motorway I noticed bad vibration through the wheel at 70-90mph.
It got worse, so on the Sturday had them looked at today in Peterborough at Apex tyres.
They only put weights on the inside of the wheels, the rears were balanced wrong using too many weights.
The front wheels the weights had come off, which explains what the metallic noise of something hitting the underside of the car was on the drive home from having it fail MOT there, first time I went around a bend at more than 5mph the first of 3 wheel weights flew off the car...
Went in today and after explaining what happened I asked for my money back they charged me for fitting my tyres.
Followed by the guy on the desk saying, er I think XXXX can do it, goes out and talks to him.
No Service Manager Paul Livsey has to do it, goes off. Oh hes not in at the moment, can I get him to call you. Writes down my numbers and leave him with the recipt for getting my tyres sorted elsewhere.
Leave him my work mobile and work landline number. No call all afternoon so phone back at half 4 and speak to him.
And speaking to him now on the phone, he isnt prepared to refund the £28 it cost me to have my tyres rebalanced elsewhere as they wouldnt charge that and I had them rebalanced in Peterborough 5 days later, and as I took my car away after failing MOT there he wouldnt know what happened to it between then and now. He would partially refund me but not the full amount as they wouldnt charge that much. I replied with well what if I phone around and get some prices from ATS/Quick Fit etc (knowing they will be about £10 a tyre). And added that they can charge what they want, they charged £170 to fit two rear brakes but it doesnt cost that much. Balancing tyres is about 30p of lead plus whatever they want to charge to cover the costs.
We have never had a wheel weight come off before blah blah, they only balance what the machine said. Funny how the other garage showed me and they were way out of balance and needed weights on both the inside and the outside.
Glad it wasnt in person would have been close to punching him in the chops.
Anyone find me Robins and Day UK services phone number, cant be bothered to deal with that backside again, rather just go over his head.
Expected it to pass with advisorys for low rear pads and slight blow on the exhaust as the clamp on the back was crap but it only slightly blew.
They failed it on:
Headlight bulbs wrong colour £21 to replace.
Headlight alignment wrong. £18 to align.
Rear brake discs and pads need replacing as scored/pitted and pads low £170+
Both front shocks seriously leaking, £460
Advised me of:
Front brake discs scored and pitted.
Front wipers smear the windscreen.
Backbox rusting.
Exhaust slight blow where centre meets backbox.
And a couple more besides.
The brake discs were obviously scored/pitted as ive not driven the car since I bought it and its sat there all winter, did my best to give the brakes a work out on the drive to the garage but not enough to remove all the rust which had built up! Surpise suprise the fronts are now completely fine after a few miles of driving!
So I booked an MOT for this morning at the garage ive used previously who is sound.
Bought new rear pads and discs, fitted them in an hour on the drive last night, fair enough the rear pads were low, but as long as they passed a handbrake/braking efficiency I didnt think it mattered.
Fitted two different headlight bulbs (couldnt see a problem with the others!).
Passed with 1 advisory for blowing exhaust this morning, didnt even advise me of the shocks, there is a very slight misting if that on them.
I used the car this weekend gone to go visit my friend in Peterborough. Now on the motorway I noticed bad vibration through the wheel at 70-90mph.
It got worse, so on the Sturday had them looked at today in Peterborough at Apex tyres.
They only put weights on the inside of the wheels, the rears were balanced wrong using too many weights.
The front wheels the weights had come off, which explains what the metallic noise of something hitting the underside of the car was on the drive home from having it fail MOT there, first time I went around a bend at more than 5mph the first of 3 wheel weights flew off the car...
Went in today and after explaining what happened I asked for my money back they charged me for fitting my tyres.
Followed by the guy on the desk saying, er I think XXXX can do it, goes out and talks to him.
No Service Manager Paul Livsey has to do it, goes off. Oh hes not in at the moment, can I get him to call you. Writes down my numbers and leave him with the recipt for getting my tyres sorted elsewhere.
Leave him my work mobile and work landline number. No call all afternoon so phone back at half 4 and speak to him.
And speaking to him now on the phone, he isnt prepared to refund the £28 it cost me to have my tyres rebalanced elsewhere as they wouldnt charge that and I had them rebalanced in Peterborough 5 days later, and as I took my car away after failing MOT there he wouldnt know what happened to it between then and now. He would partially refund me but not the full amount as they wouldnt charge that much. I replied with well what if I phone around and get some prices from ATS/Quick Fit etc (knowing they will be about £10 a tyre). And added that they can charge what they want, they charged £170 to fit two rear brakes but it doesnt cost that much. Balancing tyres is about 30p of lead plus whatever they want to charge to cover the costs.
We have never had a wheel weight come off before blah blah, they only balance what the machine said. Funny how the other garage showed me and they were way out of balance and needed weights on both the inside and the outside.
Glad it wasnt in person would have been close to punching him in the chops.
Anyone find me Robins and Day UK services phone number, cant be bothered to deal with that backside again, rather just go over his head.
