National Tyres + Autocare, Welwyn Garden City, Herts..
This is an honest account of the Cowboys who operate out of Autocare in Welwyn Garden City. Called in on Sunday afternoon & asked them to replace THE MIDDLE SECTION OF THE EXHAUST. As it was Sunday 3pm we would leave the car with them so they could strip it down ready for fitting the replacement Monday mid morning. 45 mins later we get a message from the manager stating that the whole exhaust would need replacing including the Cat! I asked why & was told because of the rust! Having been under the car when it had its MOT a couple of months ago I didn't recall seeing any rust, so I said I would drive back to the shop. When I arrived with my wife we were shown the joint between the Catalytic Converter & the Middle section of exhaust. There's the problem said the manager pointing to the 3 nuts and bolts that hold that section together. They were not so much rusted but covered in jointing compound with some rust,but nothing out of the ordinary & certainly nothing to warrant replacing the Cat, back box & middle section! It only required the Middle Section. As a Service Manager with a reasonable knowledge of 'car mechanics' I understand where the need to save money & worn out components overlap, this was NOT one of those occasions! Digging my heals in the manager then agreed to fit just the middle exhaust section. However, upon leaving, the manager said can I show you this pointing to the rear brake pads & discs. These do need replacing he informed me. Well, perhaps the MOT garage had missed them I thought momentarily, but when I ran my finger along the outer edge of the disc there was no discernable wear & I think they were previously replaced about 18-24 months ago! We left saying exhaust only. Monday, we waited & waited & finally at near 4pm we were told the car is fixed & ready to collect. My wife collected the car & all I hope was well. On the next day Tuesday I was at a garage having an MOT done on my car when my wife telephoned saying there was a knocking from the rear of her car & it sounded like the exhaust! The garage where I was having the MOT done agreed to look at the car for us. They described it as a "BOTCH JOB" No Fitting Kit had been used, although lots of exhaust putty/cement had been liberally put between the joints. Old bolts had been used & to make it fit to their high standards they had used some 6 or 8 washers on one bolt. The exhaust rattled & banged especially going around left hand corners! We returned the car yet again to them & once again I was assured that the manager would have the replacement exhaust in by 1 or 2pm & it would take only half an hour to fit. I went it at 3pm & was told it had not arrived & still had not even had a telephone conversation from them until just after 5pm! The only reason I got that was because at 1630hrs I had telephoned their head office to make an official complaint. There are several issues here Poor Workmanship, a collaborated team effort to inflate the bill by fitting parts that were clearly not required. Also the old trick of keep the customer in the dark & he will have to accept what we tell him. This was to me, an ex Service Manager with over 25yrs experience. However, this didn't all make it go my way, when I telephoned the Head Office I was informed the Area Manager would be made aware of the situation & would get back to me within 48hrs!! This whole experience has confirmed my worst fears that what you see on Watchdog & other similar Consumer Programmes still happens today!!! The real annoying part is that my wife is a Cancer Nurse Specialist & uses the car to visit terminally ill patients & their relatives in their own homes. We