Kwik Fit Are B*stards

[Davey]

No one EVER go there EVER NEVER EVER EVER for god sake don't even look at the place, they are useless f*ck up t*ssers!

Forgive the language, it's not my usual tone. Ok, here's the deal!

My exhaust started blowing about 6 months ago, I needed it sorted ASAP and it was a Sunday so Kwik Fit was the only option. They sorted it, fine, fitted a new section of exhaust, problem gone, and it's under warranty so that's ok. Few months later it starts blowing again, I take it back, they say something has come loose but it's ok because it's under warranty so they fix it and I'm a happy man again. Then a few weeks later it's blowing again. I take it back, this time they say a stud or something has sheared but that it isn't covered under warranty because it's not the part they replaced, apparently. They tighten the other studs or something and it seems to go away so I leave it.

Yesterday, it all goes horribly wrong, my car sounds like a spitfire, f*cked. Now I wasn't gonna take it to Kwik Fit because they obviously cannot do a good job, so I took it to a local garage, who have said it will be very time consuming and expensive to fix as it's awkward to get to, for this reason they will not do it as it is under warranty with Kwik Fit so I need to take it back to them, but I know they will say that it's not covered, so I'll have a massive bill to pay and won't have a car for ages, which isn't good as I live in Colchester but work in Stortford.

Those who know me know I am very laid back and not much winds me up, but I am so angry right now it is unreal, I just want a car that works, is that so much to ask?

If Kwik Fit will not sort it I am going to be making a serious scene. I am one very fecked off customer!!!

Davey

[Joe Papasnap Maher]

yer..imagine how i feel

Everyone is telling me its not even worth repairing

[CurtisRider]

any chance you can tell us exactly the problem with it? then somebody may be able to advise on it, might even be a sunday afternoon job you can do yourself, don't forget, somegarages talk out of their arses big style and hype it up to be worse than it is, and in all fairness, exhausts arent that hard to work on

[Davey]

any chance you can tell us exactly the problem with it? then somebody may be able to advise on it, might even be a sunday afternoon job you can do yourself, don't forget, somegarages talk out of their arses big style and hype it up to be worse than it is, and in all fairness, exhausts arent that hard to work on

Hmm, well it's a Pug 106 diesel. Basically the very front section where it joins to the manifold is where it's blowing. Initially it started blowing and the vibrating sheared a bracket that holds it to the chassis or something, so they had to replace that section. Second time the bolt on that bracket had come out so it wasn't actually blowing it was just rattling. Third visit it was blowing from the front again, that's when they said that the stud or something had sheared, but there are like 3 studs I think so the other two were holding it ok. It's right up near the manifold though so it's hard to get to and they suggested taking it to a service garage to get fixed (ie not under warranty = expensive for me). Now I have a feeling all the studs have sheared, the garage I took it to were recomended by a collegue who knows his stuff, so they should be reliable, and they said the only thing holding it on is the bracket I mentioned earlier.

I don't think it's a DIYable job unfortunately! I mean the garage would say it's a long job if they were gonna do it to get more money, but they've said they won't do it so they would get nothing from telling me that so I'm guessing they must be telling the truth, tis f*cked!

Davey

Edited November 10, 2006 by Small_Gear_Big_Style

[Brisa]

Kwik fit are bastards lol

Thing is though... there is f**k all to your exhaust. I mean quite easily get one off and put another back on in half an hour with basic tools and no ramp.

Might be better going to somewhere like Euro car parts or the like and buying a new exhaust from manifold back which wouldn't be that dear and fit it yourself. Have a look underneath and get the jist of how basic it really is.

Failing that it was cheaper for me to buy a full stainless with de cat than a standard pug exhaust with cat... win win lol

[rocktrials]

yer..imagine how i feel

Everyone is telling me its not even worth repairing

it isnt

[Davey]

Kwik fit are bastards lol

Thing is though... there is f**k all to your exhaust. I mean quite easily get one off and put another back on in half an hour with basic tools and no ramp.

Yeah I figured that, apparently it's a pain in the arse to get to though, it's right up near the mainifold and literally there is no room up there (had a look myself) so this is why it's a big expensive job. I have no idea how but somehow gotta get to it by removing a bunch of other stuff I suppose

I wish I knew more about it to argue with the guys at kwik fit, but what they said and what this garage have said are pretty much the same thing so I'm thinking it's a fact and arguing isn't gonna make the job any easier! Thing is I can't afford it for shit, haha.

Also, I need my car, I work 1hrs drive from my home, no direct bus/train service and Kwik Fit don't do courtesy cars! Also I have a gig in Cambridge tomorrow, so either I have to get my car to Kwikfit and figure out another way to get to Cambridge, or hope that my car will make it to Cambs and back and get it to Kwik Fit Sunday then worry about how to get to work on Monday, haha!

This really is so annoying!

Davey

[munkee]

Ok kwik fit do a good job and fix your car like 3 times.. then they say its not under warrenty for the part broken etc.. so why dont you pay to have it fixed? by them?

Also why would a garage say nah take it to kwik fit.. because basically its too much like hard work for them to fix themselves.. you are being given the absalute run around by that place. Just go back and tell them to stop being fannys and to be glad of a bloody customer

[Davey]

Ok kwik fit do a good job and fix your car like 3 times.. then they say its not under warrenty for the part broken etc.. so why dont you pay to have it fixed? by them?

Also why would a garage say nah take it to kwik fit.. because basically its too much like hard work for them to fix themselves.. you are being given the absalute run around by that place. Just go back and tell them to stop being fannys and to be glad of a bloody customer

I don't pay to have it fixed because I'm not made of money! It's not gonna be cheap is the vibe I'm getting and literally I am in enough debt as it is!

I would guess the garage don't want to do anything because it would void the warranty, so they're doing me a favour in a way saying "get it done for free at kwik fit". The problem being I have a feeling Kwik Fit won't do it under warranty either, but I'm gonna have to try I suppose. I'll just have to have it out with them, but if it's expensive they'e bound to not want to do it for free, because they're bastards!

Davey

[JTM]

Whats your idea of expensive? And what has actually broke, is it part of the exhaust, manifold or the brackets etc which hold the exhaust on? Cos a full exhaust must be around the £120 mark and as people have said, fitting it ISNT that hard, no matter where the manifold/mid secton join is. And its 2/3 bolts at most so it might be arkward for half an hour if that.???

[Davey]

See I kinda wish you guys could bowl down the garage with me because you all know what you're on about and I don't, haha. It's where the manifold joins the first section of exhaust I think, the studs in the manifold have sheared or something, the more I explain it the more it sounds really simple, this is so frustrating!

Davey

[Brisa]

If its the same layout as my 1.1 then the place where the manifold joins the cat section has two bolts and a metal compression fit gasket. Once them bolts are off its only a case of prising off 3 rubber band hangers that hold the rest of the system onto the car. One in the middle and two on the back box.

This is roughly what mine looks like, cant see it being massively different from the diesel layout.

[trials_pimp]

Is it a turbo??

Sound me like one of the Manifold - Downpipe studs has broken.

This will not be an easy on the drive repair for a sunday mechanic.

Specialy if it has snapped off flush.

What year is the car? Chances are it wont have a CAT.

The reason they say its time consuming and costly is because they will need to remove the manifold and drill out the old stud (hardened steel, not easy) then repair the threads and stick a new one in.

And thats the easy bit, getting the manifold off a front wheel drive car isnt easy, let alone on a french car.

Worst Case senario, the remaining 2 studs sheer, the downpipe drops and drags on the floor, making it suseptable to snagging, beind and causing damage to other components. Chances are it will drop and drag, your car will be unbareabley loud and have lots of sparks flying out from underneath.

You also need to consider if it has dmaged the manifold that will need replacing, which wont be a cheap purchase. If you have to have the car road worthy asap then you have no choise but to bear the brunt and pay for someone to fix it. If you can miss the car for a while then you can get a firend who knows what hes doing to have a look and get it sorted whilst buying your own parts, but this takes time, which depends alot on who does it.

Unfortunatly I cant give a 100% diagnosis without seeing the vechicle.

[Danny Kearns]

There is absolutly nothing wrong with kwick fit actually, My sisters bf works there, christ he may only be working at kwick fit but you ask him to do something on a car and the answer will never be no because he knows what he is doing.

Perhaps your car is that f**ked and old that it is un-repareable.

Also what is the point in bitching about a company over the internet, if you have a problem with them tell them straight to there face, dont bitch about them behind there backs.

Kwick fit are perfectly safe people do not worry about using there service just because 1 person has bad mouthed them.

Dan.

P.s - My sisters bf said bring it down to the kwick fit in stoke on trent and he will fix your car.

[Danny]

Quickfit gave me a free exhaust clamp

[fruitbat]

Kwik Fit have been great when we used them

G/f had a nasty noise coming from under her car and it turned out the pipe and snapped clean off at the weld going onto the CAT. They didn't have the item in stock but still managed to get the part in and fit it within the hour, and its been perfect ever since.

I dont think its Kwik Fit that are crap, i think you are just having an unlucky spell where everything is going wrong, it happens with bikes all the time so why not cars

Frooty

[Brisa]

I suppose in that sense Kwik Fits are like Halfords. Quite a lot suck but there might be some good ones.

Returing six times in the same week with a brand new exhaust on my dads old car isn't what you would call great service.

[Mr Motivator]

A real mans exhaust;

None of this catalytic stuff.

Buy a completely stainless one

[Johneh]

Is that menna be a mini? What with the gearbox under the engine and all.

Edited November 11, 2006 by Johneh

[nmt_oli]

Is that menna be a mini? What with the gearbox under the engine and all.

looks very much like it to me!

anyway, yeah if the stud have sheared, thats a bit of a problem. Easiest fix would be manifold from scrappy, and new downpipe (if its needed), maybe new studs too. However getting the exaust manifold off isnt too simple, I know its a pain on my golf (much easier if you take the whole head off, then the manifold lol).

Quickfit may refuse to do it simply because they dont have the tools/expertise, or its not the kind of thing they do, as tehre name suggests, there quick fitters, not full on repair/service garages.

[trials_pimp]

A real mans exhaust;

Sorry but if thats suposed to be a serrious exhaust design, its the worst thing I have ever seen.

For a start the is no flow potential in the Manifold, and a system that will create no back pressure, thus loosing power, and just being unnesassaraly noisy.

Most people have no idea how much exhuat design and construction affects engine power, toqure and rev limit.

You need a correctly sized set of equal primarys (dependand on engine aplication) flowing into 2 well designed collectors, next comes equal sized secondaries into a final collector. Then its a well picked size of exhaut diameter with the correct amount of silencers to create a good ratio of back pressure and flow.

simply sticking a Big bore back box will 9 times out of 10 loose you power. You will gain 70% of an exhausts power potential from the right maniofld alone.

[Mr Motivator]

Sorry but if thats suposed to be a serrious exhaust design, its the worst thing I have ever seen.

For a start the is no flow potential in the Manifold, and a system that will create no back pressure, thus loosing power, and just being unnesassaraly noisy.

Most people have no idea how much exhuat design and construction affects engine power, toqure and rev limit.

You need a correctly sized set of equal primarys (dependand on engine aplication) flowing into 2 well designed collectors, next comes equal sized secondaries into a final collector. Then its a well picked size of exhaut diameter with the correct amount of silencers to create a good ratio of back pressure and flow.

simply sticking a Big bore back box will 9 times out of 10 loose you power. You will gain 70% of an exhausts power potential from the right maniofld alone.

You try drawing something smooth and flowing in Powerpoint then!

I'm not a Dick, stop making it seem like everyone is a Dick.

I know lots about this shizwhack, ok your right, whack on a big exhaust and an induction kit/new filter and your car will run lean and shit, especially if you don't change the carb (if you have one) needle to suit. Most people don't know that though. Rolling road tune it afterwards though, and you'll be away.

Also, there is no evidence to say that back pressure is needed, as it's not.

Edited November 11, 2006 by member1495

[Radfax]

i havent read the whole thread but i have read the first few. I would advise going to a local car brakers and taking the part off yourself, and it shouldnt cost more that £20. Then fit it yourself, the first job i did on a car was replace the whole zorst system and manifolds and it can be a bit alkward at times but is simple enough to do within a hour or so,. sorry if this has already been said but if it has you can now be extra sure im not making it up

Tom

[Davey]

Also what is the point in bitching about a company over the internet, if you have a problem with them tell them straight to there face, dont bitch about them behind there backs.

The point is I am warning people that when you go to Kwik Fit, as I only have experience of this one I shall say Kwik Fit Colchester, first off you can probably expect to have to go back because they won't have fixed it properly and secondly the warranty doesn't appear to mean jack shit as they will claim someone has tampered with it so as to negate the warranty.

I'm sure your sisters boyfriend and most of Kwik Fits employees are very nice knowledgable people, but as a company they seem to do the minimum which is why they are "Kwik". My sister had the same problem with Kwik Fit in Witham sorting out her car, so it doesn't seem to just be Colchester either!

Finally, I am not bitching behind their back, I have told them to their face, I went in the following day after posting that to register my distaste and insist that they sort the problem under warranty. They were reluctant until I made a bit of a scene in front of their other customers at which point they agreed to do it "Out of good will"!

Anyone who knows me knows I don't bitch for no reason, I very rarely bitch full stop as I'm not a naturaly negative person, so they have really pissed me off, hence my post! Cheers for the advice everyone, all sorted now, well hopefully anyway I'm picking my car up this afternoon!

Davey

[CurtisRider]

well hopefully anyway I'm picking my car up this afternoon!

good stuff well done on the making a scene too, tis the best way round the bastards

ive now got to go and get the dealer who i got my car off to fix: my electric mirrors, my air conditioning (sounds like a fooking road breaker!) and whilst they are there, they can tighten the mounts on my exhaust, dont see why i should get dirty if they can do it