Myshkin
Member since Jun 2012
Halfords Autocentre Pokesdown
Bournemouth | Garage Services
24 Jun 2012
WARNING!
1
I booked an MOT online at a discount price of £35. I left my recently fully serviced car with them for the formality of passing its MOT. It was failed on 2 items, emissions and head lamp direction. I was informed that I would likely need to buy an 'emissions sensor' and new headlights as the adjusting mechanism was 'knackered' and they could probably squeeze me in the next day. The cost of emission sensor replacement and headlamp adjustment would co-incidentally bring the price to within a pound of the non-discounted MOT price. The cost of new headlights and fitting would be considerably more.
Fortunately, I smelt a rat, and anyway had to drive up north the next day. When I put it in for its MOT again with a respectable local mechanic in Yorkshire it did not fail on its emissions and a head lamp was adjusted within 5 minutes. When I described the events at Halford's Pokesdown the mechanic laughed and said that most cars fail their emissions if you want them too ie. measure before the engine is warm and running properly. His comment about adjusting the headlights "well they can't have tried very hard'.
Draw your oen conclusion about the above events. In my opinion Halford's Pokesdown dishonestly failed my MOT to recoup the advertised 'discount'. This cheating dishonest behaviour caused me considerable inconvenience but oddly I feel lucky because I fear that if I had left my car in their hands I was being set-up to fork out hundreds of pounds to replace headlights that were perfectly servicable.
I shall never be using these Charlottans again. I would proceed with extreme caution if you are foolish enough to trust your vehicule in their hands.
Fortunately, I smelt a rat, and anyway had to drive up north the next day. When I put it in for its MOT again with a respectable local mechanic in Yorkshire it did not fail on its emissions and a head lamp was adjusted within 5 minutes. When I described the events at Halford's Pokesdown the mechanic laughed and said that most cars fail their emissions if you want them too ie. measure before the engine is warm and running properly. His comment about adjusting the headlights "well they can't have tried very hard'.
Draw your oen conclusion about the above events. In my opinion Halford's Pokesdown dishonestly failed my MOT to recoup the advertised 'discount'. This cheating dishonest behaviour caused me considerable inconvenience but oddly I feel lucky because I fear that if I had left my car in their hands I was being set-up to fork out hundreds of pounds to replace headlights that were perfectly servicable.
I shall never be using these Charlottans again. I would proceed with extreme caution if you are foolish enough to trust your vehicule in their hands.
Fantastic review, and very simillar to my experience with an mot in Watford halfords. Halfords are no more than tyre and oil changers. I wont bore you with my simillar tale but suffice to say i was quoted a nonsence ptice to replace a lambda sensor on my 4 year old Audi S and 2 new tyres. Didnt believe it so took it to a local private garage and he measured the tyre dept and it was over 2.2mm across more than 70% of the tyres and that was in front of my own eyes an he tested the emissions after letting the vehicle run for 10 ,inutes and he said it was "well within" legal emission limits and gave me a printout with the mot certificate. This was the second bad experience of halfords autocentres. I am very confident to say that the whole organisation is run by thieves crooks and incompitant mechanics my advice to everyone is DO NOT USE HALFORDS FOR ANYTHING. Go local and visit a propper garage and propper mechanic even if you just want your windscreen wipers changing.