Half price car service at Fast Fit

Careful_now!

Just got this text:

As a valued FirstStop customer we want to offer you a 1/2 Price Full Service. (Show txt msg). To book call 1890489737. Ends Jun 21st. Unsub txt REMOVE to 50050

antodeco

Careful_now! wrote: »

Just got this text:

As a valued FirstStop customer we want to offer you a 1/2 Price Full Service. (Show txt msg). To book call 1890489737. Ends Jun 21st. Unsub txt REMOVE to 50050

Eh, how are we meant to show them a text message when its on boards?

Careful_now!

Copy the text into your phone and make it look like it came from Fast Fit. It didn't come from a phone number, it just came from "Fast Fit"

Fresh Pots

Careful_now! wrote: »

Copy the text into your phone and make it look like it came from Fast Fit. It didn't come from a phone number, it just came from "Fast Fit"

But thats bold!

ted1

is it just an oil change?

Careful_now!

ted1 wrote: »

is it just an oil change?

It says full service so it should be more than an oil change

anniehoo

This offer came up around xmas and as far as I remember i don't think some branches had a problem honouring the offer even without the text.

Armaghmagic

There is also a deal for a FastFit service on Dealrush, http://www.dealrush.ie/deal/7364.

Does anyone know if this would be better or worse than the deal offered on Groupon for Advance Pitstop service: https://www.groupon.ie/deals/dealbank_en_ie/advance-pitstop-6/38413003

whiteshorts

Check previous thread about problems with these type of services.
One firm refused to allow people to remove their cars until they got work done that "was essential for the car to be driven safely out of the garage!".
There were instances where the garages said work needed to be done on brakes, pads etc but the work didn't actually need to be done.

240 Robert

whiteshorts wrote: »

Check previous thread about problems with these type of services.
One firm refused to allow people to remove their cars until they got work done that "was essential for the car to be driven safely out of the garage!".
There were instances where the garages said work needed to be done on brakes, pads etc but the work didn't actually need to be done.

Bump, had the half price service done a xmas, told pads n plates needed for front wheels (over 200 euro), did not get them done. 3 months later brought car to other garage for pre-nct n replace pads n plates, surprise surprise told they were not needed n car passed the nct.

Muahahaha

I got my car serviced with the Advance Pitstop offer a couple of years back, €99 I think it was for a full service and a winter service later in the year.
Before the car was ready they rang me up and told me that one of my indicator bulbs at the rear needed replacing, not because it wasn't working, but because "it's not orange enough and will fail the NCT". He said the cost would be €27 to fit a new bulb, I told him not to worry about it as I have a can of orange spray paint at home and I'd make dam sure it was orange enough for the NCT ! I had a funny feeling he was going to say something about not releasing the car but I think he realised he wasn't dealing with an idiot so relented.

Never again would I deal with them. If they can't put an offer on without trying to then fleece their new customers at the first given attempt then my advice is to avoid them like the plague.

240 Robert

Fast Fit in my case, hard to beat your local mechanic.

tomdempsey200

nothing worse than a cheap service

PirateShampoo

<snip>

Got a full service off them not so long ago where they forgot to change the fuel filter, when I spotted it, I took it back and they tried to tell me my car doesn't need a filter.

Jimfo1970

If it seems to good to be true then it probably is not true.

Farnsworth

I avail this offer last Dec & am not satisfied at all
They say its full service which includes all fluids topped up, i checked water a day after service & it wasn't, should have checked there & then after service
They told me their plugs were lower quality as what i had in car so recommended not to change & keep existing as they are better quality!
Website claimed platinum plugs in full service but he said they are not available with half price offer!! (Then its not the half price, is it?)
i wouldn't go near them, you get what you pay for
Its impossible to get full service in €95 as parts would cost around €80

a year before this so called full service i had a partial service done in €140 with the dealer & it was worth it, did all they claimed including full valet & wash

Thegalwayman

getting this done soon and will be checking everything has been done. I got a full service at full price (190) last year on another car and was satisfied. I'd stay clear of groupon type offers as with their commission it doesn't leave much room imo to do an honest job. However this fast fit/first stop promo has no comission to pay so for now i trust it.

WIZWEB

<snip> Unfortunately used them for stuff twice in the past where they attempted to sell me expensive unnecessary work and parts. This after just going in for puncture repairs.

WIZWEB

whiteshorts wrote: »

Check previous thread about problems with these type of services.
One firm refused to allow people to remove their cars until they got work done that "was essential for the car to be driven safely out of the garage!".
There were instances where the garages said work needed to be done on brakes, pads etc but the work didn't actually need to be done.

My scenario exactly. Happened in Santry and then Clarehall. Unfortunately first time was duped into spending hundreds on unnecessary work which a mechanic friend informed of on inspection.

mullingar

<snip>

Its just another <snip> bare service with cheap oil and they may not even change the oil filter. Their business model to this cheap service is to up sell everything in their opinion your car needs to be safe - Its all commission driven!.

Using the wrong grade/specification oil in a modern turbo diesel WILL slowly destroy your turbo/engine.

Bottom line, get a local independent garage to service your car. It is cheaper in the long run.

dodzy

@OP. The clue is in your username.

walshe

some people will always be fooled by a fake "discount"

nc19

240 Robert wrote: »

Bump, had the half price service done a xmas, told pads n plates needed for front wheels (over 200 euro), did not get them done. 3 months later brought car to other garage for pre-nct n replace pads n plates, surprise surprise told they were not needed n car passed the nct.

So, you go to a dr. and he says you have cancer. You're not sure. You go to a diff dr. and he says you're grand and you believe him unconditionally because it what you want to hear.

what were the measurements of the brake discs? The fact you are calling them 'plates' telks me a lot in fairness.

what is the min thickness allowed for the discs???

nc19

mullingar wrote: »

<snip>
Its just another <snip> bare service with cheap oil and they may not even change the oil filter. Their business model to this cheap service is to up sell everything in their opinion your car needs to be safe - Its all commission driven!.

Using the wrong grade/specification oil in a modern turbo diesel WILL slowly destroy your turbo/engine.

Bottom line, get a local independent garage to service your car. It is cheaper in the long run.

This type of statement really makes me laugh. Ask to see what type of oil they use. Im sure they would have no problem showing you the numerous barrels of oil they have, all diff grades.

ask to see the old filter if you dont believe they change them

its the same rethoric every time one of these threads pop up. 'Fastfit/Advance/Atlas will steal your first born and charge you for the air in your tyres but Anto down the back lane will do a much better job checking over your car even though he doesn't even have a ramp'

bob11

I know this is slightly off topic as my experience was with Advance and not FastFit bit I would be wary of these special offer service deals.

I had an Advance Pit Stop services in BallyMount a few months ago on a Groupon deal and I would definitely not recommend them.

Shortly after the "service" I noticed oil stains on the driveway, so brought it back to Advance who claimed that it was nothing to do with them as the oil bung and filter had no oil staining around them.

They claimed that the oil was coming from around the turbo and I would need to take it to a dealer garage to get it looked at ..

I had a friend look at it for me and when he removed the under tray, it was soaking with oil and the oil was dripping constantly from the sump plug, where they hadn't bothered to replace the sump washer.

I had to removed sump plug, fit a new one and refill car with oil.

Never again will I be availing of Advance Pit Stop.
Not only are they incompetent, but they are also liars as they refused to admit that they screwed up when I brought the car back to them.

nc19

Quigs Snr wrote: »

A friend of mine was a fas mechanic course dropout... working in one of these places. Left because even as a drop out he was the most qualified and experienced person there plus he was being paid minimum wage or close to it with the rest being topped up by whatever he could convince unsuspecting punters they needed done.

Every single depot has at least 1 fully qualified mechanic working there - I think you'll agree 'fully qualified' out does 'fas drop out'

the scary thing is, your qualified fas drop out is prob working as an indy mech with no papers and some people reading this thread may end up using him

nc19

PirateShampoo wrote: »

<snip>

Got a full service off them not so long ago where they forgot to change the fuel filter, when I spotted it, I took it back and they tried to tell me my car doesn't need a filter.

Fuel filters do not need to be done every service. Particularly on newer cars. Some newer cars have 60k intervals.

what car do you have and what mileage was on it at time of service?

tomdempsey200

bob11 wrote: »

I know this is slightly off topic as my experience was with Advance and not FastFit bit I would be wary of these special offer service deals.

I had an Advance Pit Stop services in BallyMount a few months ago on a Groupon deal and I would definitely not recommend them.

Shortly after the "service" I noticed oil stains on the driveway, so brought it back to Advance who claimed that it was nothing to do with them as the oil bung and filter had no oil staining around them.

They claimed that the oil was coming from around the turbo and I would need to take it to a dealer garage to get it looked at ..

I had a friend look at it for me and when he removed the under tray, it was soaking with oil and the oil was dripping constantly from the sump plug, where they hadn't bothered to replace the sump washer.

I had to removed sump plug, fit a new one and refill car with oil.

Never again will I be availing of Advance Pit Stop.
Not only are they incompetent, but they are also liars as they refused to admit that they screwed up when I brought the car back to them.

that's the problem with these places

wrong oil, rush job,
some young fella doin it
too much too little oil
no washer
you name it

oil and filter shouldn't be a rush job

240 Robert

nc19 wrote: »

So, you go to a dr. and he says you have cancer. You're not sure. You go to a diff dr. and he says you're grand and you believe him unconditionally because it what you want to hear.

what were the measurements of the brake discs? The fact you are calling them 'plates' telks me a lot in fairness.

what is the min thickness allowed for the discs???

How on earth can you compare going to a mechanic with going to a doctor, no sense in it at all.

Plates was the exact term the "mechanic" used.
Regardless of the measurements the car passed the nct which show they were safe .

Peig Sayers

I used one of these deals for an 'interim service'. Was told my car needed the timing belt replaced. It's a diesel, it has a timing chain and it doesn't need replacing at all (confirmed by main dealer) :rolleyes:

I also had a voucher for a main dealer (my car brand) which was a full service. They failed to spot that one of my headlights was blown. When I rang to complain they said it must have blown after I left them! They told me I needed new discs & pads which they wanted to charge a kidney for, and a new back wiper motor replacement. Bought the discs & pads from a motor factor & had Fast Fit replace them for a saving of €125. Back wiper is perfect and doesn't need replacing. Mechanic up the lane changed the bulb for a fiver! When the garage asked me why I wasn't having them do the job I said they were too dear and showed them the bill from the motor factor. They told me that's how they make money from these cheap deals by getting people to get extra work done. They're a loss maker for them.

I'd never buy one of these deals again.

keithclancy

nc19 wrote: »

This type of statement really makes me laugh. Ask to see what type of oil they use. Im sure they would have no problem showing you the numerous barrels of oil they have, all diff grades.

ask to see the old filter if you dont believe they change them

its the same rethoric every time one of these threads pop up. 'Fastfit/Advance/Atlas will steal your first born and charge you for the air in your tyres but Anto down the back lane will do a much better job checking over your car even though he doesn't even have a ramp'

They suck... end of.

If you buy cheap you pay twice.

nc19

240 Robert wrote: »

How on earth can you compare going to a mechanic with going to a doctor, no sense in it at all.

Plates was the exact term the "mechanic" used.
Regardless of the measurements the car passed the nct which show they were safe .

A dr for a person is the same as a mechanic for a car. Seeing as how you appear to know absolutely nothing about cars i used the dr senario as i assume you have been to a dr at some point

the nct is a farce. If you judge your vehicles health by what they say then you are a fool.

All they check in regards the brakes is that they are balanced. You could have brand new brakes that are unbalanced due to not being bed in yet or old brakes with 1mm left and discs 5 mm below min and it could be balanced. Doesnt mean the brakes are good.

The level of ignorance and blind faith among Irish drivers is staggering imo

nc19

keithclancy wrote: »

They suck... end of.

If you buy cheap you pay twice.

Well thought out point there pal

L1011

nc19 wrote: »

Athe nct is a farce. If you judge your vehicles health by what they say then you are a fool.

All they check in regards the brakes is that they are balanced. You could have brand new brakes that are unbalanced due to not being bed in yet or old brakes with 1mm left and discs 5 mm below min and it could be balanced. Doesnt mean the brakes are good.

You may want to read the NCT Testers Manual before making sweeping and inaccurate statements about what's tested:

http://www.ncts.ie/NCT%20Manual%20Revise%20May%202012.pdf

In particular the sections on brake performance...

240 Robert

nc19 wrote: »

A dr for a person is the same as a mechanic for a car. Seeing as how you appear to know absolutely nothing about cars i used the dr senario as i assume you have been to a dr at some point

the nct is a farce. If you judge your vehicles health by what they say then you are a fool.

All they check in regards the brakes is that they are balanced. You could have brand new brakes that are unbalanced due to not being bed in yet or old brakes with 1mm left and discs 5 mm below min and it could be balanced. Doesnt mean the brakes are good.

The level of ignorance and blind faith among Irish drivers is staggering imo

No need to be insulting or personal. Calm down or you may have to pay a visit to the dr.
As little as I know about cars, the mec in fastfit if he is one knew very little more
plus I never claimed to be a mec or expected to get paid as a mechanic.

keithclancy

nc19 wrote: »

Well thought out point there pal

Well ... that's the General consensus pretty much on the Continent also.

These places will generally do things like:
Tell you your Brake discs and pads are desperately in need of replacement even though they are way within tolerance
Suck the engine oil from the top rather than drain it from the sump leaving some slop at the end
Use some generic oil rather than the manufacturers spec, on a Diesel this is a no no since modern diesel engines run within very fine tolerances.
Not bother replacing the copper washer when they bother to change the oil from the sump and this can end up causing a leak a few weeks later.
Not bother replacing the interior filter/oil filter and just basically change the oil.
I've also seen an example where they cross threaded the sump plug putting it back in and just used some loctite to hold it in place making it a problem for the next person to work on it.

Also on specific marques (Volvo for example) you'll end up having to bleed the diesel system yourself using a vacuum pump tool that they will know nothing about.


Also they'll try to sell you tyres and other consumables on huge markup to make some good money.

In short your better off finding a good indy with a decent reputation rather than going to a chain with a rotating workforce that are p1ssed off working to tight time factors due to cost being the main driving force.

So much so thats why the call them Kwik-Shít in the Netherlands

nc19

keithclancy wrote: »

Well ... that's the General consensus pretty much on the Continent also.

These places will generally do things like:
Tell you your Brake discs and pads are desperately in need of replacement even though they are way within tolerance
Suck the engine oil from the top rather than drain it from the sump leaving some slop at the end
Use some generic oil rather than the manufacturers spec, on a Diesel this is a no no since modern diesel engines run within very fine tolerances.
Not bother replacing the copper washer when they bother to change the oil from the sump and this can end up causing a leak a few weeks later.
Not bother replacing the interior filter/oil filter and just basically change the oil.
I've also seen an example where they cross threaded the sump plug putting it back in and just used some loctite to hold it in place making it a problem for the next person to work on it.

Also on specific marques (Volvo for example) you'll end up having to bleed the diesel system yourself using a vacuum pump tool that they will know nothing about.


Also they'll try to sell you tyres and other consumables on huge markup to make some good money.

In short your better off finding a good indy with a decent reputation rather than going to a chain with a rotating workforce that are p1ssed off working to tight time factors due to cost being the main driving force.

So much so thats why the call them Kwik-Shít in the Netherlands

Not sure which specific company you are trying to bash/had a bad exp with but i can only speak for the one i have exp of. In that one manufacturers specs in relation to min thick are used to advise customers of potential issues. These are specs found in books supplied by manufacturers and on systems like autodata. These are specs that your average indy mech doesnt have to hand.

The one i know of do not suck up the oil. They ALWAYS replace the oil filter. They are well aware of the issue with the fords/volvo and fill the new filter with diesel before fitting to the car. The one i know of use the autodata system to see what oil is recommended and fill accordingly.

I have no doubt you had a bad exp at one stage but that doesnt mean they are all like that

nc19

240 Robert wrote: »

No need to be insulting or personal. Calm down or you may have to pay a visit to the dr.
As little as I know about cars, the mec in fastfit if he is one knew very little more
plus I never claimed to be a mec or expected to get paid as a mechanic.

Not sure if you are threatening to do something to me???

i can see by your posting that you are in the midlands which means you are prob dealing with athlone or possibly waterford. I have no first hand knowledge of these centres.

but if this is indeed the centre you used, its hardly fair to judge every other centre by them

nc19

MYOB wrote: »

You may want to read the NCT Testers Manual before making sweeping and inaccurate statements about what's tested:

http://www.ncts.ie/NCT%20Manual%20Revise%20May%202012.pdf

In particular the sections on brake performance...

i have operational knowledge of how the testers carry out the inspection. Its far from whats laid out there in my exp

i stand by my statement

keithclancy

nc19 wrote: »

Not sure which specific company you are trying to bash/had a bad exp with but i can only speak for the one i have exp of. In that one manufacturers specs in relation to min thick are used to advise customers of potential issues. These are specs found in books supplied by manufacturers and on systems like autodata. These are specs that your average indy mech doesnt have to hand.

The one i know of do not suck up the oil. They ALWAYS replace the oil filter. They are well aware of the issue with the fords/volvo and fill the new filter with diesel before fitting to the car. The one i know of use the autodata system to see what oil is recommended and fill accordingly.

I have no doubt you had a bad exp at one stage but that doesnt mean they are all like that

Even if you fill the new filter with diesel it won't start

Quigs Snr

nc19 wrote: »

Every single depot has at least 1 fully qualified mechanic working there - I think you'll agree 'fully qualified' out does 'fas drop out'

the scary thing is, your qualified fas drop out is prob working as an indy mech with no papers and some people reading this thread may end up using him

No he ended up dropping out when the recession hit and the garages started doing layoffs and the work experience dried up at the main dealers. Short on cash he tried one of these places but he was literally the most experienced person at that time in the garage and wasnt surprised when he discovered that it was practically a sales/comissions job.

This was an Advance Pitstop not a kwik fit by the way. Maybe they have changed in the intervening 5 or 6 years but I still wouldnt go near them.

moodrater

nc19 wrote: »

All they check in regards the brakes is that they are balanced. You could have brand new brakes that are unbalanced due to not being bed in yet or old brakes with 1mm left and discs 5 mm below min and it could be balanced. Doesnt mean the brakes are good.

And braking effort, and ovality, and visual inspection. Theres a minimum spec for pads in the manual I have even had them calipers the disc and tell me it was at the minimum.

And brake balance happens to be a very important thing; being the thing that stops your car ploughing into the ditch, pedestrians, cyclists, oncoming traffic etc. when you stop suddenly.

If you look at the failure statistics its joe public thats the farce - driving around with things that anyone with eyes or a brain can diagnose - no lights, bald tyres, ball joints and track rod ends hanging out of the car.

If you're old enough to remember the state of the cars on the road before the nct you wouldn't be so dismissive.

Davy

I can remind posters that this is bargain alerts and not the motoring forum. Also this isn't the place for debating the ins and outs of the NCT.

LynnGrace

I got that Fastfit text and was considering taking it up. I'm not sure now after reading this.

L1011

nc19 wrote: »

i have operational knowledge of how the testers carry out the inspection. Its far from whats laid out there in my exp

i stand by my statement

If you even watch a test being done its extremely obvious that braking force tests are being carried out.

There is an obvious disconnect between your accusations of malpractice against NCTS and your vigorous defence of chain service centres - any vested interests there by any chance?

Davy

MYOB wrote: »

.

Ban issued for ignoring mod warning

nc19

keithclancy wrote: »

Even if you fill the new filter with diesel it won't start

I must have magic hands so

nc19

MYOB wrote: »

If you even watch a test being done its extremely obvious that braking force tests are being carried out.

There is an obvious disconnect between your accusations of malpractice against NCTS and your vigorous defence of chain service centres - any vested interests there by any chance?

Of course they do a brake force test. They get their result for the imbalance by doing that. Im not saying that the brakes are necessarily dangerous in every case when worn or below min thickness but they are worn and below min thickness and wont last anytime but the nct wont inform you of that.

most people on this thread are forming an opinion based on 2nd or 3rd hand hearsay. Im going off 1st hand exp

Form your own opinions people. Dont be a leming

rosieirl

I'm female, so you can bet they (Advanced Pitstop) tried their (professional) luck with me. After taking up the 'group discount' deal for half price service, I was told when I was collecting the car that the 'lads' said there was a smell of burning off the clutch when they drove it in. I took him at his word (not the most streetwise, me) and thought hard and said 'no, no, I've had no trouble with the clutch'. And kept looking at the man while trying to remember anytime I'd trouble. The man then said 'oh, ok, maybe he drove it in too fast'. WHAT?! Only then did I cop on to the 'sales opportunity' tactics they employ. Never again.
I also want to thank all here for the good discussion. It pushed me to finally make that call to the established brand dealer for a service. I know it's going to cost me, but it's worth it for the piece of mind & I can visit the local Indy guy in six months for a simple oil change.

Davy

nc19 wrote: »

.

Ban issued for ignoring mod warning

Mr Velo

Sorry for dragging up an old thread, but the half price FastFit full service is back.

I booked in for next Tuesday morning, but after reading this thread i think i'll cancel again and just take the car to my local mechanic instead