A terrible company that has left me with more grey hairs!! (National Tyres and Autocare)

Member Name: charlie1979

Product:	National Tyres and Autocare
Date:	02/11/08 (485 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: None!

Disadvantages: Terrible customer service, replace parts that are fine

Whilst this review may sound to many as more than a rant than a review I feel it is important to share my experience in the hope that it will warn people of using this company!

Who are they?
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National Tyres and Autocare are a national company who claim to be "the UK's largest independant fast fit tyre specialist". They deal parts other than tyres for your car including batteries, exhausts, brakes, MOT's and shock absorbers. They have over 200 branches throughout the UK so there will probably be on in a town near you!

More information can be found at their website www.national.co.uk.

My Experience
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I had a knocking sound coming from the front nearside of my car when I went over bumps so thought I had better get someone to look at it in the fear that something was going to fall off! I was passing this garage at the time so decided to pop in and get them to check it out. I would be safe and could trust them with them being a national chain.

They put my car on the ramp straight away and advised me that the top arm had worn and advised I replace both sides. The nearside tyre had also worn on the inner edge and needed replacing. The quote for this work came to just under £300 and I booked the car in the following Saturday to have the work done.

The work was carried out however I started my journey home and the knocking was still there! About turn i did and went back to the garage, not too pleased! I took one of the mechanics around the block so he could hear the knocking incase they thought I was a crazy woman imagining things!

They then advised that the top mount had worn but this was a dealer only part and I would have to get it myself but they would fit it. I sourced the part (£18) and the garage fitted it the following weekend and charged £32 in labour. Drove the car away and it was still knocking!

By this point I was beginning to lose faith in the company so I got a second opinion from an independant garage who had been recommend to me by a friend. He took the car round the block so he could hear the sound and put the car on the ramp. He told me that there was play in the anti roll bar and advised the drop links and arb bushes needed replacing.

I went back to National Tyres and told them this. The car was booked in the following weekend to have the works done. You may be thinking by now why on earth would I go back! Well, I was advised that they have a 'duty of care' to fix the problem I first went in with and had to give them a chance to put it right before taking the matter further.

The car went in to have the works done and I went back to collect it that afternoon. I asked the mechanic if the knocking had stopped and he said yes. I asked if there were any problems replacing the bushes and they had forgotten to do these! They then told me they couldn't get hold of them so I would have to get them myself and they would fit them.

I was really beginning to lose patience at this point but went away (car still knocking) and sourced the bushes myself. My car went in this Saturday to have them fitted. I thought this would be the end of my problem as there isn't really anyhting else that I can replace on the car which could be knocking!

Five hours later I had a phone call saying that they couldn't get the brackets off to replace the bushes and I would have to go somewhere else! I nearly cried! They said that movement in the anti roll bar would be an MOT failure. I pointed out to them that if they did the MOT and failed it because of this I would have to write the car off as they are unable to do the repair!!

Summary
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The service I received was terrible and after them having my car in for four Saturdays and still not fixed it I have not once even received an apology!

Whenever they said they were going to phone me to say parts were in they never did. I was always chasing them myself.

I have since spoken to a few people and one of my friends took her car in for a new tyre and was advised that she needed a new exhuast. She soon put them in their place as she had a brand new exhaust fitted by a main dealer two weeks earlier!

I still have the same knocking sound from my car and £400 worse off for the pleasure! I will now be taking my car to the independant garage to get it fixed and will never use a national chain again.

I will be writing to their head office and contacting trading standards to take this matter further. They seemed to make up parts that needed replacing in order to make money out of me.

Be very wary of this company. If you need a new tyre then fair enough, they are quite reasonable but expect to come away with them adviseing you to replace other parts for your car!

Summary: Avoid like the plague!