lacroupade
Lifer
Posting on another thread brought to mind a recent reminder as to why I should NEVER use KwikFit.
On a recent trip to SW France in my Passat estate, I got as far as Newbury before getting peed off with wobbly steering.
So I stopped at KF Newbury branch and asked for them to balance all four wheels.
They diagnosed two front tyres on the limit, but as I expected, conveniently they only had some shite super-economy tyre made from recycled mattresses, or very expensive ones - zip in the middle bracket.
They were definitely borderline and I had a 2000-mile round trip ahead, so I forked out for a couple of new expensive tyres and set off. Back on the motorway, wobbly wobbly wobbly.
Not having time to return, I carried on to Dover where I checked in to very shitty looking backstreet tyre place.....but what an absolute pleasure to deal with.
The old boy was very helpful - first diagnosing the COMPLETE ABSENCE of any balance weights on the new front tyres, as well as a COMPLETE ABSENCE of interference with the old balance weights on the rear tyres...the balance problem turned out to be a couple of kilos of mud lining the rear rims which they should also have cleaned off.
That cost me a wasted £25 with KF which I can't be arsed to reclaim, as they will only do so if you visit the original branch that did the work.
So if you DO use them, check their work BEFORE you leave. But IMHO you should just drive on by and find a proper garage. :thumbsdown:
On a recent trip to SW France in my Passat estate, I got as far as Newbury before getting peed off with wobbly steering.
So I stopped at KF Newbury branch and asked for them to balance all four wheels.
They diagnosed two front tyres on the limit, but as I expected, conveniently they only had some shite super-economy tyre made from recycled mattresses, or very expensive ones - zip in the middle bracket.
They were definitely borderline and I had a 2000-mile round trip ahead, so I forked out for a couple of new expensive tyres and set off. Back on the motorway, wobbly wobbly wobbly.
Not having time to return, I carried on to Dover where I checked in to very shitty looking backstreet tyre place.....but what an absolute pleasure to deal with.
The old boy was very helpful - first diagnosing the COMPLETE ABSENCE of any balance weights on the new front tyres, as well as a COMPLETE ABSENCE of interference with the old balance weights on the rear tyres...the balance problem turned out to be a couple of kilos of mud lining the rear rims which they should also have cleaned off.
That cost me a wasted £25 with KF which I can't be arsed to reclaim, as they will only do so if you visit the original branch that did the work.
So if you DO use them, check their work BEFORE you leave. But IMHO you should just drive on by and find a proper garage. :thumbsdown:
