Brakes Fixed Without Needing To Remortgage

[cardi]

My daughter took her car to Quickfit for MOT and it failed on brake hoses which needed replacement and she was quoted £200. She then took it for a 'free' brake inspection and this then went up to £700, new shoes hub etc. Somebody is taking the mick as the cost of the parts is less than 10% of the quotes. As she now lives 300 miles away I can't do much and she is not capable of doing these things herself. I only paid £250 for the car. She lives near Gravesend. Any ideas pleeeze.

[citroeneddie]

Cardi

 

Our main Citroen man, Kfk, is based in Kent, so he may be able to give some local advice when he picks up the thread.

[kfk]

as i see it, the Mot has flagged the brake hose as a fault.....if this is the case and the only problem with the brakes a cant see it costing more than £100. Obviously if its more than one hose it may well creep over that.

 

The Problem at the moment is the motortrade in general is dead, plenty of time on there hands and the're looking for work.....Unfortunately what some fail to realise is that the customer is wise to these tactics and is unlikely to spend vast amounts of money just before xmas.

 

Maybe rather than taking the vehicle in somewhere to have a brake inspection, book it in at a garage to have the hose replaced to pass the MOT.

 

So whats the worse case scenario. The hose maybe seized into the caliper or metal pipe, the bleed nipples in the calipers maybe seized.....the rear wheel cylinders may have seized nipples. Obviously the moment these problems are encountered additional parts are ussually required and with an older vehicle the risks of corrossion and leaking brake components is far greater.

 

There are 2 main dealers in the area, Crayford Motors & Hidsons....with another Hidsons branch in Rainham Kent... who i would recomended but that means main dealer prices.

 

An independent would be:

 

Citreon (their spelling!) Centre Services - 16 Darent Ind Park Maypole Crescent Erith, DA8 2JZ 01322 332223

 

I have no experience of this company and would advise you make your own decision.

[citroeneddie]

Seizing and bleeding nipples. Sounds painful to me :rolleyes:

[cardi]

Thanks for the input. The MOT found 3 hoses needed replacing and the handbrake was not releasing fully. Hoses cost about £7 each. I replaced one cylinder some time ago, these cost £14, new shoes and pads all round £25. Cable, if needed, £9. They wanted to change the hubs (£50 each at German/Swedish) because they 'were getting near to their limit'. Apparantly they have a guarantee for life on these parts, OK if you have a new car but useless for an older model.

We have decided that I will buy her another £300 car and bring the AX back to Wales and I will do the work here. Are people so well off nowadays that they pay these silly prices?

[kfk]

I dont think people are well off, and seeing you come from wales you more than likely would notice a difference in the cost of living down here.....i'd rather buy you a Pint in wales than Kent....i could afford to get drunk.

[Mike5483]

I live in Gravesend.

 

There are a couple of good garages round here, the best one is Apple Developments in Meopham, just past Camer Park.

 

They have a website...

 

http://www.appledevelopment.co.uk/

 

Lawrie Colyer is the main dude I have dealt with whenever I have been there.

 

They are very honest, straight guys and I know loads of people who take they're cars there.

 

They wont do work unless it needs it.

 

The are an MG Rover specialist, but I know people who take BMW's, FIAT's, Honda's and Peugeot's there.

 

Get her to give them a call.