PROFILE - KWIK-FIT

Becky Talbot of Bedminster was pretty disappointed to find her sexy little Peugeot 206CC failing its MoT test for a worn-out and supposedly leaking exhaust system. Because she couldn’t hear any telltale exhaust rasping, she asked the testing garage to show her exactly what was wrong, but they declined, saying it was too late because the car was already down off the ramp.

So Becky went on a tour of Bristol’s exhaust fitting centres, firstly to see if they would confirm that replacement was really needed, and secondly, to bag the best price, hopefully with the quickest job turnaround.

But it seems that with each new centre she visited, the price quoted became higher than the last. Perhaps worse still was the sheer intimidation she felt as an unaccompanied young female entering a man’s domain, and possibly being quoted all manner of inventive prices based on her apparent naivety. After two hours of this fairly depressing occupation she gave up and came home. Fortunately her exhaust wasn’t obviously blowing, and there was still a fortnight left on the old MoT, so this wasn’t a very immediate problem for her.

But it needed sorting nevertheless, so I stepped in to help, volunteering to continue the tour of exhaust specialists on Becky’s behalf. I won’t bore you with the lengthy details of which centres I visited and all the different prices quoted, but suffice it to say that they all confirmed that replacement was indeed needed. The least attractive quote for an entire new exhaust was £220 plus labour – mindboggling, particularly as they couldn’t make it clear quite how much the labour component would be. Not in the least acceptable in either my book or Becky’s.

But then I took the 206 to a Kwik-Fit branch in Wells Road, and it was here that the black cloud that had started to gather over me lifted. At last, proper customer service, delivered with courtesy and a smile, and at last a very decent no-obligation price quote of just £63 all in! The contrast was stark. And to cap that, they could take the car in right there and then, and get the job done within half an hour, as they had the right system in stock.

Not only did work start immediately, but I didn’t have to wander the streets while waiting for its completion, as Kwik-Fit has a comfortable waiting room with hot and cold drinks and a supply of magazines to read. Needless to say, the half hour passed in the blink of an eye, and when the car was handed back to me the invoice exactly matched the quote, with no nasty hidden extras. Also, I noticed that the 206’s interior was quite unsullied by blackened fitters’ hands or greasy overalls, so they’d taken took good care of the car, and that’s what I call ‘service’.

Naturally I decided I’ll be using Kwik-Fit for my own car in future, so I did a little research. To my amazement I found there are no less than 10 Kwik-Fit branches in the Bristol area (admittedly two of them right on the outskirts, in Bath and Chipping Sodbury). I already knew that Kwik- Fit are as much about tyre supply and fitting as they are about exhausts, but I didn’t know that beyond that they also carry out servicing, MoTs and braking-system work.

Not all Kwik-Fit centres do MoTs (you can check online though, at www.kwik-fit.com/locate-a-centre.asp) but you can arrange an appointment online and have an MoT test completed up to one month before the expiry of your existing MoT. By arranging the test online, you pay only £34.95 – currently a saving of 20% on the statutory MoT test fee.

Arrange for an interim or full service at the same time and you save even more time and money. From only £79.00 Kwik-Fit offers routine car servicing, and don’t worry, they use spare parts that they guarantee match the quality of the car-maker’s original items. And they’ll stamp your service book for you.

Finally, the Kwik-Fit website includes a tyre-search function into which you tap the details of the tyre type you’re looking for, and your vehicle. It then comes up with all the tyres that will suit – and their prices – but what’s really interesting is that all the online tyre prices are specially discounted for internet customers. To take advantage of that you should print off the tyre quotation and take it with you to the fitting centre.

As you can tell, I’m pleased I discovered Kwik-Fit, and so is Becky. It can often be difficult to find somewhere local that’s a reliable and inexpensive place to get small problems sorted on your car, but in this respect, I believe Kwik Fit ticks all the boxes.