I can’t believe my naivety and stupidity! I trusted Kwik-Fit with my Grande Punto.

Last October I used Kwik-Fit to replace the front discs and pads, rear pads and do an MOT. All the work needed doing as it had come up on the service a few months prior and the car sailed through its first MOT.

There was a c*ck up at the time when they ordered the wrong parts, so it had to go back again the following week to have the right ones fitted. Annoying, but I got over it and paid a reasonable price for the work.

The reason I used them is that I often work stupid hours so weekends are precious, and have limited parking where I work. As Kwik Fit is a 10 minute walk away, I thought I’d leave it with them for the day (or two in this case) whilst I was at work, and it frees up a space for someone else at work for the day.

Today, I took my car to ATS for four new tyres. They are further away, so a 20 minute walk from the office, but I thought I’d give them a go as they came back with the cheapest quote.

Went to pick it up tonight and they could only change two. The reason is because the last person to tighten the rear wheel bolts (Kwik-Fit) did them all up with an air gun, including the locking wheel nut. ATS struggled to free them for ages, and then the locking wheel nut key sheared off - wheel still in place.

So now I’m left with two rear tyres on the limit and no key to undo the wheel nuts. The guy at ATS was very apologetic and so was the lad who’d actually done the work and injured himself in the process.

So tomorrow I’ve got to find out how much a replacement key is, and when I can get one from my local dealer. Then I’m ringing Kwik-Fit customer services to give them a piece of my mind, and try and get the cost of it back. Then it'll have to go back in to ATS to get the two remaining tyres done when the key arrives, and hope that they can budge the locking nuts..

Why isn’t getting this sort of work done ever easy?

What do you reckon to my chances of getting something out of Kwik-Fit?

I'm cheesed right off !!!!

Put it in writing to their head office with the exact costs/losses you have incurred. They may tell you it wasn't their fault and that you can't prove it, but it's worth a go..

When ATS go to try again, get them to tackle the locking one first with all of the other bolts torqued up as this will mean that there is the least possible pressure on the locking one.

could have equally been the ats guy with your locking key in an air gun that broke it, infack more likely because most fitters use a gun to remove but not to replace. when the new key comes try to undo nut your self before you decide what monkey is worse. i remove my wheels and take them in another car if i can to get tyres fitted, all them places are as bad as each other

Good advice.

Does anyone nick alloy wheels anymore? You could always replace with standard bolts/nuts instead

Ben711200 said:

Does anyone nick alloy wheels anymore?

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yes but they carry lock nut removers

degsiecat said:

What do you reckon to my chances of getting something out of Kwik-Fit?

I'm cheesed right off !!!!

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my dad went in with his for MOT time. and when he returns they had managed to mangle all 3 of his wheel trims that he had on (other one snapped before. flimsy ford rubbish) so he told them and they agreed to pay whatever the charge was for 4 brand new wheel trims from ford direct.

dronenrs said:

my dad went in with his for MOT time. and when he returns they had managed to mangle all 3 of his wheel trims that he had on (other one snapped before. flimsy ford rubbish) so he told them and they agreed to pay whatever the charge was for 4 brand new wheel trims from ford direct.

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how they manage to do that?

if you are a member of rac or aa, you could let one of your tyres down at work, call them out & get them to remove your wheel with their emergency wheel nut remover (a large socket that cuts into the locking wheel nut to remove it)...then ask him to do same other side as a favour. probably cheaper to buy a locking wheel nut set and replace all four ....then give kwikfit that bill:yum:

Strangely the local Kwik Fit is the only tyre fitters I've ever known to always use a torque wrench. Branches vary tremendously.

Funny you say that.. When I took a car that was obviously fell under 'classic', the Bridgwater Kwikfit asked me what I wanted the bolts torqued to and what pressures I ran. I was covered in oil and quite obviously did my own car work though

My dads middle section dropped off over christmas and unfortunantly kwik con i mean fit was the only place open. It was the middle section that had gone and the nuts and bolts on the flange where the middle section mates to the cat had obviously corroded. They tried to tell him that the bolts were cast to the cat and he needed a new cat even had the nerve to take him under his car to show him. Unfortunantly for them and luckily for my dad he is an aircraft engineer by trade and has been a forman in a maitenance department for as long as i can remember. They soon changed there attitude when my dad said this is the difference between fitters and mechanics he even offered to remove the bolts for them. But even if they only get one person who in all innocence doesn't know what there looking at each week and thats a few hundred quid extra plus what ever they get scrapping the cats. There nothing but thieving bastards.

£30 for a full cat £15 for a half cat, or if they save them all up and get a cat buyer to collect they get a bit more

dave said:

how they manage to do that?

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with sheer monkey brutality.. on the focus the trims have clips which hold it on quite well. the person who did it obviously just used a crowbar to lever them off and snapped and cracked all 3 trims.. usual technique is to pull from the centre to spread the load. but nooooo.. never going there again.

dronenrs said:

with sheer monkey brutality.. on the focus the trims have clips which hold it on quite well. the person who did it obviously just used a crowbar to lever them off and snapped and cracked all 3 trims.. usual technique is to pull from the centre to spread the load. but nooooo.. never going there again.

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but they are not allowed to remove wheels for an mot

well they still managed it.god knows how. my guess would be to make there life a little easier (ignoring the rules). either that or im missing a few facts. anyway thats quick fit for you.. as they say "no one fits quite like a quick fit fitter"

Cheers for the advice.

I'm going to put it in writing and call Kwik-Fit. I have no doubt that it's thier fault in the first place.

I'll let you know how I get on.

how can you have have no doubt until you check the bolts with new key?

I have had both very good and very bad experiences with Kwik Fit. It would appear to depend on the franchise. First experience was my first service away from Fiat and I have to say I was very happy with the standard of work and the staff were very polite and courteous, didnt try the hard sell. Second experience was the exact opposite (different branch). Put car in for an interim service only to get a phone call that the front brakes needed changed (which I was expecting anyway as had been advised they were nearly done at previous service but that they should be OK for a year). They also warned me that the rear shoes were getting close to the legal minimum. New Discs and pads cost me the best part of £200. I asked to see the old ones and I must admit they were in pretty poor condition so didnt mind so much even though I had paid way more than I would if I had done it myeslf.

Interestingly I had the drums off yesterday and I would say the rear shoes are only 50% worn - Kwik Fit looked at them back in February. Add to that the fact that the oil appears to have been drained not through removing the sump plug but by taking the oil filter off and I will definitely not be back (you can see where it has squirted out by the residue left along the bottom of the car). I suspected something was amiss when I checked the oil after the service and it didnt look as new as I would have expected for a car that had only travelled 4 miles to home!