Advance Pitstop

az2wp0sye65487

Looking for some advice please....

Need to book the car in for a full service, and I was thinking of using Advance Pitstop. Has anyone here any experience of using them before?

If so, have you had good or bad experiences?

Thanks!

Lurching

Id never go to a big chain like that. Keep your money local and go to a reputable local mechanic.

R.O.R

Katie Steep Bee wrote: »

Looking for some advice please....

Need to book the car in for a full service, and I was thinking of using Advance Pitstop. Has anyone here any experience of using them before?

If so, have you had good or bad experiences?

Thanks!

Yep - they serviced a Mondeo I had and it actually cost more than a Ford Main dealer!

Price around as there are better places. Renault dealers are advertising €99 servicing near me.

What car is it, and where are you based?

az2wp0sye65487

Lurching wrote: »

Id never go to a big chain like that. Keep your money local and go to a reputable local mechanic.

That's the thing though, I don't know which ones are reputable!

Also, using a big chain - does this not imply that they will have certain standards?

TBH I don't care if my money goes locally or to a chain once I get the service I expect.

Mr.David

I bought new tyres online recently and had them fitted at one of those tyre chains. Got them to do the tracking too - ended up worse than when the car went in. So I sent it back to them they had another go and it was still terrible.

So did it myself - turned out they set the toe correctly but made all the adjustment on one side of the car (instead of half on each) leaving the steering rack off centre.

Pain in the ass. Never again.

az2wp0sye65487

R.O.R wrote: »

Yep - they serviced a Mondeo I had and it actually cost more than a Ford Main dealer!

Price around as there are better places. Renault dealers are advertising €99 servicing near me.

What car is it, and where are you based?

Based in D11 - D7

It's a 2003 Nissan Almera - 1.5l saloon. Actually bought it from Joe Duffy - but their full servicing price was around €350 last time I asked.

az2wp0sye65487

If you wouldn't recommend Advance, are there any mechanics in the D7 - D11 area that people here would recommend??

kenbrady

Katie Steep Bee wrote: »

If you wouldn't recommend Advance, are there any mechanics in the D7 - D11 area that people here would recommend??

I use a guy who works from the back of his house. I'm happy with his work.
€130 for full service, Oil, Oil & Air filters, plugs.

€60 front break pads

€50 for ignition coil

Kevin Duffy Motors
40 Glendu Road
Navan Road
Dublin 7
087 695 8742

oxygenman

Just serviced my own nissan almera..bought front brake pads,oil,oil filter, plugs and air filter for €85...when herself got it serviced before i met her it cost her over €360...at a main dealer...never again I said to her

az2wp0sye65487

oxygenman wrote: »

Just serviced my own nissan almera..bought front brake pads,oil,oil filter, plugs and air filter for €85...when herself got it serviced before i met her it cost her over €360...at a main dealer...never again I said to her

If I could do it myself I would - But I can't!

oxygenman

brother in law is a mechanic so he done the brakes (to be safe) but the rest is so simple ..old plug comes out..new plug goes in..old air filter comes out..new one goes in..your halfway there already:D

R.O.R

SDP Motors, Arbour Hill. http://www.goldenpages.ie/Garages/S_D_P_Motors/IE_10192477_9999_1001

We've been using these guys in work for years and years. Honest, reliable and reasonable.

crosstownk

R.O.R wrote: »

SDP Motors, Arbour Hill. http://www.goldenpages.ie/Garages/S_D_P_Motors/IE_10192477_9999_1001

We've been using these guys in work for years and years. Honest, reliable and reasonable.

+1, and then some.

In a previous job I used them daily and never any problems. As R.O.R said - Honest, reliable and reputable.

theshaft

one my friends is a mobile mechanic, has all the tools nd stuff in his van, real sound guy. comes to wherever you want at either work or home. http://www.rdmmotors.ie

Esel

Heard an ad on the radio today saying Advance are offering a service for €75. Imo, you couldn't go far wrong for that price, as long as you steadfastly refuse to have any other work they 'recommend' done.

nogoodnamesleft

esel wrote: »

Heard an ad on the radio today saying Advance are offering a service for €75. Imo, you couldn't go far wrong for that price, as long as you steadfastly refuse to have any other work they 'recommend' done.

What sort of quality would the oil and parts be thou for 75euro? I can barely get OEM quality parts and decent spec oil conforming to what the manufactures state for my vehicle for 75euro when I do the servicing myself.


I remember when I was a young teenager by father bringing in the car to have a nail in the rear tyre, removed and plugged by advance pitstop. Anyway car was put on the ramp and within seconds car was ready to go. My father asked the young mechanic did you plug the hole after you removed the nail. "No, sure its hard as a rock" was the reply.

A lad here at work has the previous model mondeo (an import from the UK). Exhaust mountings had rusted away due to the salt on the roads over there. Advance pitstop were something like 150euro dearer for supply and fit.


I would personally never bring my car there.

theshaft

id b wary of ne of these places, inc advance pitstop. like 75euro cant possibly inc nething else other than an oil change and filter. thats pretty much the bare minimum u need to do 4 a service so they all advertise as Full service and technically their not lying. but its like a shop who has a sale and says 75%off and then the words "up to" in tiny writing. i follow a chart of service intervals for my car which range from just a simple oil change and filter to changing differential fluid, air filter, transmission fluid, sparks etc etc depending on the mileage interval. I do it all myself coz ive the benefit of a car lift but i recommend my rdmmotors mobile mechanic friend to ne1 else i no coz he dusn't try pull ne wool over your eyes.

stimpson

Windsor are offering a service from 139 euros. At least you know they will be Nissan parts.

Wicklowrider

Mr.David wrote: »

I bought new tyres online recently and had them fitted at one of those tyre chains. Got them to do the tracking too - ended up worse than when the car went in. So I sent it back to them they had another go and it was still terrible.

So did it myself - turned out they set the toe correctly but made all the adjustment on one side of the car (instead of half on each) leaving the steering rack off centre.

Pain in the ass. Never again.

Thats the second person I've heard with that experience. Someone I know felt car was "wrong" after tracking and brought it to a mechanic. Exactly as above, whole steering was over to one side.

mullingar

Happened to me too a few years ago!

They had to track it 4, yes 4! times before I was satisfied.

Tracking was a little off, so:
- 1st track, steering wheel not centered, 45 degrees off
- 2nd track, car was like a shopping trolley
- 3rd track, steering STILL not centered, about 90degrees off!:rolleyes::eek:
- 4th track, tracking 90% better, but never was the same.

Brought it to an indy with a (at the time) fancy 4 wheel 3D laser job, perfect afterwards.

bren11

Huttonmeade Nissan dealers have full service for €169 and health check. Not sure what this includes.

az2wp0sye65487

Any opinions on this: http://www.atlastyres.ie/index.php/Services/servicing.html

Thanks.

olewy

Never used Atlastyres so I can't comment.

Re OP's question re Advance PitStop;
Used them once before in Loughlinstown, never again. Cowboys;
Added additional work/parts to my bill without prior notification & contrary to prior agreement to phone me first. Manager disputed it with me in front of other customers (!), despite him being the one who made the agreement in the first place! :mad: He reluctantly knocked the price of the extra work down by 50%. Haven't returned since. Never will & advise friends,family & colleagues to avoid them too. Negative experience aside, they're uncompetitive for parts & labour.

Suggestion to OP; consider these guys: http://www.discounttyres.ie (No affiliation). Used them at the weekend for a tyre change (competitive price & good service...€50 for a BF Goodrich 155/70 R13 replacement, balance & disposal). Quoted €100 to €120 for a '96 Micra full service (half the price of what a relative recently paid to an indy in Kilcoole). :eek:

Shop around.

Onearmedbandit

olewy wrote: »

Never used Atlastyres so I can't comment.

Re OP's question re Advance PitStop;
Used them once before in Loughlinstown, never again. Cowboys;

I would agree with this, brother put his car in there a couple of years ago and he checked his oil levels beforehand to see how much it would change (it was low at the time) considering they are supposed to fill it the level didnt change at all during the time.

Also they claimed to replace worn brake pads but didnt do it so he had to go back again and demand they be fixed.

jackal

Katie Steep Bee wrote: »

Any opinions on this: http://www.atlastyres.ie/index.php/Services/servicing.html

Thanks.

I don't know about servicing, but I went here (kylemore) when my exhaust started blowing. Very straightforward guys to deal with, put the car up on the lift and brought me under it to show me the problem, which was the pipe had totally rusted away from back box. 110 euro all in to replace the back box and the rusted section of the exhaust pipe.

Happy with the price and happy that they showed me the problem and didnt give me the whole "ah the whole lot'll have to come out mate, 300 euro" story which I believe some more of the more "advanced" mechanics do.

Johnny Utah

Avoid these tyre franchise places. I got a set of tyres and tracking from Fastfit recently and I wasn't happy at all with the service.

These places prey on vulnerable people who know little or nothing about cars and then advise them get repair jobs done asap. Avoid!

Absurdum

Johnny Utah wrote: »

These places prey on vulnerable people who know little or nothing about cars and then advise them get repair jobs done asap. Avoid!

I agree with this, I've heard horror stories about people availing of their "free winter checks" and pre-NCT checks too

VinnyTGM

olewy wrote: »

Suggestion to OP; consider these guys: http://www.discounttyres.ie (No affiliation). Used them at the weekend for a tyre change (competitive price & good service...€50 for a BF Goodrich 155/70 R13 replacement, balance & disposal). Quoted €100 to €120 for a '96 Micra full service (half the price of what a relative recently paid to an indy in Kilcoole). :eek:

I can reccomend these guys as well, the lads in there are sound and know what they are doing.

The reason I think independents are better than franchises are the independent gets most of his work from people recommending him so they will do the best job they can.

Whereas a place like fastfit will be most likely filled with apprentices that won't give a sh1t about your car.

cormy

R.O.R wrote: »

SDP Motors, Arbour Hill. http://www.goldenpages.ie/Garages/S_D_P_Motors/IE_10192477_9999_1001

We've been using these guys in work for years and years. Honest, reliable and reasonable.

crosstownk wrote: »

+1, and then some.

In a previous job I used them daily and never any problems. As R.O.R said - Honest, reliable and reputable.

+1 from me too. Had a service recently from these guys - very happy I have to say. Long story short: They were able to perform the service for less than their original quote because they managed to replace a part without dismantling as much of the engine as originally planned, so passed on the saving on labour and parts to me. I've been to main dealers plenty of times and I have little doubt that a main dealer or chain would have happily performed superfluous work just because it was part of the original agreed quote.

Honest guys in there.

Glencarraig

The leasing company I have my car from has a contract with Advance, ok for tyres but i will never allow them near my brakes again......they do not use original parts and the brake pads squealed like demented pigs for about 6 months, took the car to a main Ford dealer, looked at the pads, he summed them up in one word SH**E.

rs8

got the €75 euro done in tullamore!! it was oil and filter and a check. was very happy with the service done and gave me a keen price on tyres too.

grudgebringer

I have used Square Fit a few times before, find them cheap and cheerful, the mechanics at the Finglas store are experienced, not sure about the Tallaght one as I have never used it. When it is soimething I can't or won't do with th car myself (don't trust myself changing brake pads etc :eek:) I use these guys.

www.squarefit.ie

coolbeans

I'd just like to add my voice to those who were unhappy with Advance. My mother reecently patronised them (Clonmel) and was totally had by a guy who told her she needed four new tyres, she needed two and a new exhaust SYSTEM, not a section. I examined the car about a week prior to this. At best they're opportunists and are especially bold when it comes to women who they they think know nothing about cars.

bungaro79

i know nothing about cars and hate this fact whenever i need to take it in for a job. nct is coming up soon and i know its going to fail so i want to take it into a garage after to get fixed and was happy with the service i got in advance in vicars road in cork but i can't help thinking that i havent a fecking iota what they are talking about when telling me what needs to be done. i think they said its about €45 an hour for labour, is this about right???

Are the advance folk mechanics?

Nonoperational

Any time I've been there they have mechanics anyway. I've only been in Togher though.

Esel

bungaro79 wrote: »

i know nothing about cars and hate this fact whenever i need to take it in for a job. nct is coming up soon and i know its going to fail so i want to take it into a garage after to get fixed and was happy with the service i got in advance in vicars road in cork but i can't help thinking that i havent a fecking iota what they are talking about when telling me what needs to be done. i think they said its about €45 an hour for labour, is this about right???

The NCT Report will tell you what needs to be done (if anything). Armed with this, you can get a number of quotes, then decide who to use. It's always a good idea to try to find a reliable mechanic based on the recommendation(s) of people you trust.

bungaro79

RoverJames wrote: »

Are the advance folk mechanics?

thought you were taking the p*ss asking that till i saw the other replies! i'm thinking that they are mechanics, do you mean to say that in some advance garages they get non mechanics to fix the cars?!?!

Nonoperational

Some places that just do say tyres and oil changes wouldn't have qualified mechanics there.

patrickc

i recently had a really squeak in my car and popped into advance as was passing it, they said i needed new rear drums, and something else as it was leaking, i said fine how much, they wanted €200. i threw my car in for the nct anyhow and it failed on none of what they said. so beware commission all the way.

Voodoomelon

patrickc wrote: »

i recently had a really squeak in my car and popped into advance as was passing it, they said i needed new rear drums, and something else as it was leaking, i said fine how much, they wanted €200. i threw my car in for the nct anyhow and it failed on none of what they said. so beware commission all the way.

That doesn't mean anything, get what they said checked out as a minimum.

So glad I do as much work as I can myself, the thought of even going to even a dealer, let alone an indy, and leaving supposed repairs in their hands fills me with dread.

patrickc

Voodoomelon wrote: »

That doesn't mean anything, get what they said checked out as a minimum.

So glad I do as much work as I can myself, the thought of even going to even a dealer, let alone an indy, and leaving supposed repairs in their hands fills me with dread.

the nct passed it, and when i was getting the wishbone done that failed, the mechanic i went to said there was no issue with the rear brakes

Voodoomelon

What did they say was leaking?

joebstarsurfer

my story today 2.25 Euros to replace my timing belt which was working .the jeep didnt start got it to start couldnt realy go to work as it was stalling and all the red lights where coming on.That took 3 and a half hours work to wreck my jeep.So took back not being able to go to work .The guy stopted the jeep stalling now the jeep has no power when i try and accelerate.my Jeep was fine till today.I would advice to stay well away from them!.

Nissan doctor

joebstarsurfer wrote: »

my story today 2.25 Euros to replace my timing belt which was working .the jeep didnt start got it to start couldnt realy go to work as it was stalling and all the red lights where coming on.That took 3 and a half hours work to wreck my jeep.So took back not being able to go to work .The guy stopted the jeep stalling now the jeep has no power when i try and accelerate.my Jeep was fine till today.I would advice to stay well away from them!.

Jesus, write properly will you...

They changed the timing belt and then you had running issues is it?

How do you mean they replaced your timing belt which was working? Waiting untill a timing belt stops working before you decide to change it is a very expensive game!

Mellio

I would also stay away from this crowd of gangsters.

My wife works in ballymount and went to the advance pitstop there as
her car's front axle needed to be aligned as it failed on the NCT.

She emailed me 5 mins ago and told me they were charging €55 just to align the front axle, a 5 min job, I nearly fell off my chair. Complete Robbing b'stards.

She has to take some responsibilty cos if she rang around a bit she would have found out how expensive they were, Women and convenience.

Anyway if there is anyone looking to get this done €35 atlas(kylmore) quoted me for peugeot 206.

Will not be going anywhere near Advance Pitstop Again.....

Billy Davey

Basic service with Advance Pitstop available for €39 through Citydeal today. Worth getting?

Includes:

Replace engine and filter oil
Check all exterior lights, check interior light
Check horn, wiper blades and washer operation
Check and top up windscreen washer fluid
Check and top up power steering fluid level
Check and top up brake and clutch fluid level
Check and top up coolant/antifreeze level
Check battery operation and security
Check for uneven tyre wear
Check tyre tread depths/condition (incl spare)
Check and reset tyre pressures
Check front brake pads and discs
Check rear brake pads and discs
Reset service light

Their full service covers more:
http://www.advancepitstop.com/car-service/35-point-checklist.189.html

ants09

Wouldnt touch advance pitstop even if they offer it for free

I have two cars a E30 and E46 both went into advance pitstop to get tracking done earlier on this year.

The E30 is lowered and well sorry it went in as they punchered the fuel tank when putting it up on the ramp, they wanted to wield the petrol tank :rolleyes:, best off all this happen at the weekend down in the country and well i was left to my own devices to make me own way back home.

The E46 also went in for tracking and well was told i needed new shocks

I got two txt messages from them saying my E46 needed new break pads and wheel allignment well thanks but no thanks

thewintermute

well the small print says they supply 'standard' 10W 4O oil only, anything else is extra. I'm going to guess that anything over 5 Litres is extra too, so I'm going to guess that this is just to get you in the door and then tell you how many things need sorting on your motor. I couldn't even buy the oil for my car for €39 so I doubt they're going to give me 7 litres of full synth for that price (or anything close) I don't think I'd trust them to put full synth in either to be honest.

Billy Davey

Think I'll stay away from them then.

Jacknory

I bought one of their vouchers before Christmas but got a full refund when I realised the cost of parts for a service. The parts (brakes - discs and shoes) were more expensive than my local motor factors by nearly €90. That was bad enough until I rang Toyota (my car is a corolla) and genuine Toyota parts were cheaper than the spurious parts that Advanced were going to use :eek:

Stay well clear!!!!