Kwik Fit Oil & filter Change

[si_hoss]

Chaps - bit confused by this;

Now I always do my own oil servicing, but this time I can't be bothered. Phoned Kwik Fit in Longbridge (as Im working up there over the next two days) and it's £39.99. Phoned my local Kwik Fit in Stevenage and it's only £29.95 Hmm.

Now if I did it myself buying the parts from Halfords, it'll be £40(ish) for the oil and £12(ish) for the filter - so how the hell can they do it including labour for LESS than me doing it myself?? Are they using the oil they took out the last car or something?? And can I trust the oil grade they select, mines a 2.2DTi with 110k miles on.

Bit confused what to do....

[Handyandy-UK]

Book it ....turn up and let them do it .... and stand over them watching like a hawk the entire time ...... checking the level before you leave the site.

[si_hoss]

Book it ....turn up and let them do it .... and stand over them watching like a hawk the entire time ...... checking the level before you leave the site.

Yeah I've seen the recent thread about overfilling, in fact it's that thread that made me think of getting them to do it!

[smiley-sri]

What make oil would they be using?

[nibblitz]

if I did it myself buying the parts from Halfords, it'll be £40(ish) for the oil and £12(ish) for the filter - so how the hell can they do it including labour for LESS than me doing it myself??

They don't buy their parts from Halfords, and it'll be mininum wage monkey boy doing the labour.. lol...

[Jezzy]

How do they do it so cheap? Easy to answer that. Firstly, pick a brand and grade of oil, any oil, just as an example. If the absolute lowest price that you can buy it for is £20, then Kwik Fit (and any other nationwide chain) would be paying about £8 for that same amount. They buy it in drums, and since it's purchased at a national level, you can imagine the bulk discount they get.

However, on focusing on the price of oil, you're really really missing the point. If you can buy decent oil at a decent price (Asda sell 5L of Mobil1 for £32 for example), and you have the know-how and the tools to change the oil yourself, then do it. Why? Because when Kwik Fit f*** it up - in ways that you may not even be able to detect - the money you thought you were going to save will seem like very small compensation.

As for Kwik Fit Stevenage - they're as stupid as the worst of them. I used to have to work in Stevenage 2 days a week, and (I'm ashamed to say) succumbed to the alleged convenience of using them. Here are two examples of Stevenage Kwik Fit's stupidity:

1) When I bought the Signum, it was serviced by the supplying garage. The day after picking it up, I was working in Stevenage and at lunchtime thought I'd check the oil level, and found that it was quite a bit too high. No tools on me, and wearing a suit, I couldn't take the oil out there and then myself, so went to Kwik Fit and asked them to remove some oil. Firstly fat numpty spends 5 minutes arguing with me saying the extra oil doesn't matter (yes it does), then says as the difference between Max and Min on the dipstick is only 200ml the extra amount is probably only 50ml, so it doesn't matter. Max-to-Min is 1 litre I replied. Finally he agrees to do it, and asks for £15 - £15 to stick in the pump nozzle and suck some oil out?? No choice, lunchtime is almost over, so I agreed. When I get back to the office, I check the oil level and find that fat numpty hasn't taken any oil out whatsoever. Back to Kwik Fit at 5pm, tell them to actually do what I paid them to, much huffing and puffing later it's finally done.

2) I purchased 2 Goodyear Efficient Grip tyres on the Kwik Fit website, as the online price was £30 cheaper than their or anyone else's high street price, and (stupidly) selected Stevenage as the branch to fit them. I popped in there the day before to make sure they had the tyres in stock. "Yes sir" says the supervisor, in fact we can fit them right now if you want". No, I'll come back tomorrow at the appointed time, I reply (reason being, I hadn't yet removed the locking wheel nuts and knew better than to trust them to take them off without damaging them). "Are you sure?" supervisor persisted, "it'll only take 10 minutes". Yes, I'm sure I said, see you tomorrow. Went back th next day, had the tyres fitted, glanced at them when I got in the car, nice shiny new Goodyears. Got back to the office, looked at the tyres more carefully, and they weren't Efficient Grips, they were NCT5s - a much older design and one that gets a slating from many. Back to Kwik Fit at 5pm to tell them they've fitted the wrong tyres. "Oh, well we'll have to order the Efficient Grips in then, we don't carry them in stock". But you told me yesterday you had them and even offered to fit them that day. "Who told you that sir?" YOU did. "Oh". Back the next day to have the NCT5s taken off and the Efficient Grips fitted. Numpty says he'll just go and get the tyre and show me it before he fits it, to make sure there's no mistake. He brings a tyre in to reception and shows it to me. "This the one you want sir?" No, that's an NCT5, that's what you fitted by mistake already. See, it says NCT5 on it. That means it's an NCT5, not an Efficient Grip. "I think it is the Efficient Grip sir, they just changed the name, the tread is the same". No, I told him, I've seen a picture of the Efficient Grip and it looks nothing like an NCT5. "What does the Efficient Grip look like then sir?" he asks. I look round the reception room in exasperation and see a big cardboard display showing the new Goodyear Efficient Grip, with a real tyre hanging from it. That's what it looks like I tell numpty, now does that look the same as an NCT5? "Oh", he says.....

[amir2300]

thats just too funny. what was the ending??? you can not just stop the story there

[Big Sig]

Jezzy, number 2 is quality!

With servoce like that you would think they would be on watchdog!

[Jezzy]

thats just too funny. what was the ending??? you can not just stop the story there

...the ending you ask? Once cancelled Kwik Fit order and a new order placed with etyres.co.uk lol

[Bigtee]

Years back it was mobil oil not mobil one & it was 15/40 that went in everything, So do check it may be a multigrade oil they use and not fully synthetic.