Kwik Fit - Don't do it

[TW]Fox

[TW]Fox

[TW]Fox

Man of Honour
Joined
17 Oct 2002
Posts
160,204
I've had an annoying vibration in my car for absolutely ages at about 60-70.

You name it, I've had it done to try and fix it. I even dropped it into BMW to get it fixed under warranty - they said it was wheel balance.

Bit odd that, really, as I'd had new tyres fitted and balancing all round. So I took it back to Kwik Crap and said can you please rebalance. They rebalanced. Problem was still there.

Stupid BMW dealer, I thought.

So I investigated the possibility of replacing suspension arms, etc etc, as 'shimmy' is a common E39 issue. Then someone suggested I got the wheels rebalanced. I wasn't particularly receptive, as I'd already had it done twice, it obviously wasnt wheel balance. It was recommended I took it somewhere with a Hunter Road Force Balancing Machine.

Worth a shot, I thought.

Turns out not many places in the country have a Hunter machine - nearest place was Bentley Westcountry. So I have them a call. Yes sir, we'll balance your wheels. £110.

£110? Yes. £110. 'I only want wheel balance, not allignment'

'Yes, thats just for wheel balance'.

Crikey.

Found a place in Torbay with the same machine - £5 a corner. Much more like it. Drove all the way up.

The wheels were far from balanced - they were WAY out. The guy said they were more balanced without the weighs Kwik Krap had fited than with them! He set it up properly and I drove home..

.... in complete smoothness.

So, moral of the story - even if Kwik Krap will price match Mytyres - which is why I went there - just avoid it. They can't even balance wheels properly.
 
Kwik Fit fitted eagles to your bmw?

I didn't think they did Goodyear.

My tracking is miles out, i'll make a note of that machine and try and find a place that has it.
 
They are pretty good at bending break muck guards too just got off the phone to a none quick fit tyre place using independents now instead of that place!

Never thought I could get the same tyres/better for less! :)
 
Mike UK said:
They are pretty good at bending break muck guards too just got off the phone to a none quick fit tyre place using independents now instead of that place!

Never thought I could get the same tyres/better for less! :)
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They're really really good at crushing remote pressure sensors inside rims.




I don't see why anyone uses Thick-fit. Round here they are NOT the cheapest, and they're just so hopeless at everything they do.

My dad had a customer complaining that his Punto was pulling to the left all the time, it had kwik-fit's home brand tyres on. Upon removing them from the car he stood them next to each other, one was a full 1.5" taller, they claim to be identical tyres. When the customer saw them he said "So which ones from my car?"
 
So with all your Technical knowledge you take your car to Kwikfit, can i just PMSFL at that :p

For any other readers no matter what anyone tells you or what quotes you rtead trust me on one thing. Never use Kwikfit no matter how cheap there prices may seem.
Cheap tyres :p they will do more damage to your car fitting them than you will save.
 
I took my car to pro tyre in Fareham to have tracking done, tracking is perfectly fine after doing so but the steering wheel just isn't perfectly straight! - I took the car back 5 times and every time they "resolved" it the steering wheel once again was not straight by a small amount in either direction after each fix.

I wish I had just gone to the BMW indy instead to get this done really :p

Kwik Fit were not better, in fact they were even worse!

How is it so hard to get the steering wheel straight !

I only really use Kwik Fit for free tyre pressure checks and my free set of chrome dust caps + sleeves when the local riff raff nick a pair off mine for their school selling antics :mad: :eek: but since it's so close to my house (can be seen from bedroom window down the road) it's kind of hard to avoid just nipping down then walking home whilst they do what needs to be done ^_^
 
I wouldn't take any of my cars to Kwik fit lol, the respected one about 20 mins away from me in Micheldever I find bad enough!

Does anyone know of any decent tyre fitters in or around the Basingstoke/Hampshire area?
 
Enfield said:
I wouldn't take any of my cars to Kwik fit lol, the respected one about 20 mins away from me in Micheldever I find bad enough!

Does anyone know of any decent tyre fitters in or around the Basingstoke/Hampshire area?
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I'm more than happy with the Autotechnik garage in fareham - they've given me previous service and the guys there seem to be up to speed with their work - I honestly do not know why I did not get my tracking done with them first time round, will wait for payday and get it done there whilst they investigate a small leak.
 
bandwagon time

my mam paid £15+vat to have a puncture repaired on her car!! the guy said come back in 20 mins. we came back in 20 mins, and he was like "oh **** where did i put that wheel..." and then proceeded to fix the wheel whilst we waited....
 
Although talking about quick fit National Tyres actually seems worse I foolishly took my girlfriends lupo in for an oil change (the 20 odd quid one :rolleyes: )

Thought all was good until i noticed it was leaking oil pretty badly they didnt bother putting a new sump plug washer on took it back for them to fix said oh the oils coming from the gearbox mate its cracked!
lies to a couple of quid is pathetic although I should have knew better

Went to National yesterday to get my stealies changed to alloys (simple one set of wheels off and another set on)
They wouldnt do it because they wont fit anything other than their own parts

Dawm cowboys!
 
penski said:
They are fitters. Not mechanics.

*n
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meh, you knew what I meant:p

[TW]Fox said:
Well potentially two, unless it was the same guy on both occasions, but I think its a general attitude thing :)
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I'm not saying Kwik Fit are the best, but you can take your car to Honda or BMW and the mechanics/fitters be equally as crap.
 
penski said:
They are fitters. Not mechanics.

*n
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Nail Head & well pointed out. There's a Massive difference between a mechanic & a Fitter & perhaps this is where most come unstuck as they think Kwikfit dudes are mechanics, they are Not. on top of that they are very poorly trained fitters.
 
malc30 said:
So with all your Technical knowledge you take your car to Kwikfit, can i just PMSFL at that :p
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I don't actually have much technical oilly practical knowledge - and besides, I thought 'Fitting 4 tyres. How much simpler does it get?'.

I knew exactly what tyre I wanted, exactly what I wanted to pay.. I thought 'Surely they cant screw that up' :p
 
Years ago they fitted a new exhaust onto my mums Punto (we were in a rush and it had just fallen off).
They fitted it, we drove away and it started blowing as I got about a mile away. Then it split in the middle when I went over a bump.
Went back and gave them hell - turns out an apprentice in there had fitted it and no one had checked it :rolleyes:
 
Mike UK said:
Went to National yesterday to get my stealies changed to alloys (simple one set of wheels off and another set on)
They wouldnt do it because they wont fit anything other than their own parts

Dawm cowboys!
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Had that same sort of problem, went over to them to ask about fitting some brake pads for me, said he couldnt as they couldnt guarantee that they would work. :rolleyes:

Fitted them with help from a friend in the end. :D
 
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