My wife and I are divided on the risk of being ripped off at the garage whether we go with a local independent or a Kwik Fit… not even mentioning main dealership. She favours big chains, I (probably after reading STW threads) am inclined to think they are the worse offenders.

Obviously there’s lots of anecdotal evidence on both sides for being massively overcharged for parts, bad workmanship etc. (I expect this thread to fill up with them) but is there really any option other than to cross our fingers and pick one and then stick with them for life/never go near them again depending on the outcome? Is it blind luck unless you can get a personal recommendation for a specific garage/branch?

Local Council MOT testing station.

They can test but not repair cars and therefore have no vested interests in spuriously finding things wrong.

If it fails get a quote from more than one garage for the failed items.

Having said that, I use the small local garage that I’ve been using for 20+ years and have never had any complaints.

Who do your mates/workmates use. I personnally would not go down the road of putting it in a place that makes money selling brakes shocks etc. I also wouldn’t touch cut price MOT stations with a bargepole. I use a local guy and he also knows I do most of the work myself.
Edit Servicing wise how old is the car ,can you change the oil yourself/will it make a difference when you move the car on?

Depending on the age and wear to the car, a straightforward oil change and inspection should not vary much in competence required, nor pricing. There are plenty of manufacturer franchised dealers offering basic servicing at competitive prices.

For something where deeper knowledge of the car model is required, then I think it’s a choice between a specialist independent and main dealer. I wouldn’t especially see value added by chains like Kwik Fit or Halfords here.

I’ve always been satisfied with the local round-the-corner garage especially if you get a recommendation. One extra bonus is when the car won’t start at all it’s an easy job for them to come and get it.

The car is a 2005 Seat Leon, 1.8 turbo, bought by us just over a year ago, it’s just passed 80000 miles – previous owner was actually the previous owner of our new house. The car was his self-confessed midlife crisis car (it’s quite nippy) but as a Responsible Parent he was getting rid after hardly driving it… as an Irresponsible Non-parent I am enjoying it instead. It’s generally been well looked-after and is in very good condition for a 12 year old car, only a few very small niggles (central locking is quirky, indicator ticker sometimes goes on a ticking spree under certain conditions, door seal coming off, that kind of thing) but it runs really well so I’m not expecting a service to uncover anything big (though you never know…)

No plans to move it on at present – I would envisage keeping it until something does go expensively wrong.

Having said that, I use the small local garage that I’ve been using for 20+ years and have never had any complaints.

This. Go on friendface and find your local Whats on in – insert place name of where you live here – groups, and ask who are the best local garages. You’ll get recommendations of the places all the locals have been using without problems for 20+ years

I drive a 2000 Golf GTi 1.8t*. The joy of hugely mass-produced bangernomics cars like this is that parts are plentiful, cheap as chips, and the guys in the garage will have been working on your model of car for 20 years, and can sort any problems out in their sleep.

The same little independent has been servicing/sorting out mine and Mrs Binners cars for years, which means as a regular known customer, if owt does go wrong that you need fixing in a hurry, they’ll squeeze you in rather than the rigmarole of booking in for some time next week etc, etc… you’ll get with a bigger affair

*which is the same engine, and pretty much everything else as yours – fun aren’t they? 😀

Council testing station for the MOT – then either yourself for oil/filters and/or a good indy from mates recommendations (you do have mates?)

I do, but none round here that have cars, as it happens! We moved towns last year, haven’t really made new local friends (we now live in the detached-home suburbs where you wave to each other but that’s about it) and my pre-existing colleagues and friends aren’t much help with car matters or local garages!

Like I said Maccy If you look on facebook, you’ll find a local ‘Whats on in …..’ group, for where you’ve just moved too. This will mainly consist of

a) Old people moaning about wheelie bin collections and pot-holes
b) Parents of teenagers asking where they can get smashed iphone screens fixed
c) About 70 women, all called Donna, posting pictures of their mobile acrylic nail services
d) Which night is Karaoke night, and which is quiz night at the Rose and Crown
e) Pointless arguing and trolling at a level that makes this forum look like a Buddhist retreat

Amongst all that though, you’ll actually find some useful stuff

Just join the group and ask “Can someone recommend me a local garage to get my car serviced?”

You’ll usually get a clear winner within minutes, with loads of people recommending a Baz or Dave at Such-and-Such Motors, usually located in a lock up/railway arch, whos been reliably spannering everyone’s cars since the early 80’s

Local garage. The ‘fast fit’ outlets often try and sell you other stuff that doesn’t need doing.

I did something like the above, got a recommendation for a place that has been there forever and gets universally good reviews. I now use them for all MoT and servicing based needs. Crestwood Motors in Halesowen if anyone needs a place in the West Mids.

My last MOT the local garage said my rear suspension was a bit bouncy but it’s not leaking so it’s passed the MOT. The car became progressively more bouncy over a few weeks, so I booked it in for new rear shocks (the car’s 15 years old). Ours are very reasonable and won’t do anything that doesn’t need doing.

I only live a minutes walk away from my local garage and they will, if I ask, walk round and pick the car up from the house and drop it back when they’re finished if I stick the keys through their letterbox on my way to work.

I have the same set up PP. It must be one of the unwritten laws of salt-of-the-earth, oily-overalled blokes called Dave 😀

Most ‘bookings’ for work that needs doing on my car usually occur when I bump into him at the bar in my local

Not Dave…. Kenny. 🙂

Are all Dave’s called Kenny north of the border? 🙂

Are all Dave’s called Kenny north of the border?

Yep….except Dave.

The world needs Daves

😀

On that subject, North of the Border Daves are usually Davies.
Quite often they are accompanied by not one, like in England, but two adjectives.
Usually the second adjective denotes the state of their mental health.

e.g. In England you’d have Big Dave but in Scotland you’d instead have Big Mad Davie.

In England you might get Little Dave whereas we’d be more likely to see Wee Mental Davie.

Strangely, this rule does not seem to apply to people named William who are invariably referred to as Daft Wullie.

Might be worth asking a local taxi driver where they get there’s done , I used to be one , we are very tight and don’t like getting ripped off (who does ) , plus need servicing a lot , I still use the same one now I used for the taxi .

The place I use take it to the local council test station, best of both worlds. (also looks after local taxis)

Maybe ask the local council station if any of the local garages send cars there?

Had just this dilemma with the Wife’s Focus which was up for its 3rd year service & first MOT. Last years 2nd year service at a Ford dealer was £250, but included a years AA cover. They wanted an additional £240 to change the front brake pads (told them sod off, its a base model 1.0 litre Focus FFS).

So adding in an MOT & the additional items they do at the 3rd year service, the thick end of £500, so I went to the local indy I use for my (old) Galaxy.
The bill, including the MOT & brake pads, was £314.
I was quite insistent that they did it exactly as per the Ford spec, so on top of the normal service they did the air & pollen filters.

I like the indy garage as he knows my car well, & has dropped on it straight away when I’ve been in a pickle. Its worth looking for a decent indy garage IMO, dealers are just a rip off.

If the car is fairly new (e.g. my wife 4 year old car) going to pass then a £25 Kwik Fit MOT (+quidco) is hard to beat.

Also National Tyres do dirt cheap mots and oil changes.

Always observe the MOT and ask them to actually show you any faults. By law they have to allow this.

Its harder for them to justify failing on brake discs when they have to show you them and you can see they are fine.

If a car is older and likely to need a bit of work (i.e. my 18 year old car) then I go to the village garage. These guys can’t afford to rip anyone local off….or they would get no business. They do charge full whack for an MOT though, but e.g. if a bulb is needed they will swap it at no charge or tweak the headlight aim for free unlike the chains.

I use a good local garage which was recommended to me and I can’t fault them. Previously I’ve used whoever’s cheapest, since they rarely want to work on/get parts for the retro cars I own, but I reckon I’ve had more than enough headlight adjustments/bulbs/ handbrake tweaks to justify paying full price at the local place and not having to worry about it. And if it needs repairs they get parts cheaper than I can and will charge labour down to the quarter of an hour, I’ve never had a bill I wasn’t pleasantly surprised by.

I had to use KwikFit for an air-con re-gas recently and they ended up taking the car for a jolly which annoyed me.