F1Autocentres MOT

[goldringers]

fooking fuming, I booked the car in for its MOT at F1autocentres not far from me (had a deal on), booking made online on the 1st May MOT + aircon re-gas. I booked it for 8:30am first appointment today 12th June so the wife's got car this afternoon as shes recently had a knee op and still in recovery mode so she needs it badly.

 

I turns up the guy says It was yesterday m8 I says 1 min and I shows him the email clearly 12th June Thurs 8:30am He said I'm not sure how as we don't have a tester in on Thursdays never have done, Thursdays are blocked out on our system for MOTs, I says online isn't. He then says I tried ringing you yesterday cause  you didn't turn up but it went straight to answering, so I says , did you leave a message ? he says no and I says why not?, I might have been driving m8, he just shook his head to say you got me there  and not that, if he had of phoned I have still got a missed call on my phone.

The day after I booked it back in May I thought I'll ring them just to see if I can bring it in for just the re-gas and leave the MOT till June when it was due. The guy said we can't split the booking ref.

Then I made a bit of a joke about me originally wanting to book it on a Fri till I saw it was a Fri 13th which if your Mr Ringers you stay in bed that day. So when I phoned in May to split the booking the guy flipped up my booking as he asked for the ref and he still didn't mention no MOT tester in on a Thursday. So now the wife has to book an Uber to get to work at 12:30 and tomorrow is the only day free before the MOTs up on the 19th. And yesterday at 8:30am I received an appointment reminder email for the MOT.

 

I thought F this I'm mailing them. I sent an email just to see if they'll give me money off or wavier the fee. So I mailed CC all their customer service internet complaints the lot. Then I gets a reply

my apologies I have forwarded it on to the relevant department. So I replied, I cc'ed them all in in the 1st mail do you have a 4th department not listed?. If you fook up and you've made a mistake and you put your hand up fair do's or if the system screws up explain but dont say I phoned you when you didn't even leave a message. I only used them cause there was deal on and I saved about 30 quid. And now I'm taking it on the dreaded Fri the 13th 

 

[Morph]

Best of luck mate, let us know how you get on 🤞

[goldringers]

Right well I got a reply from a manager who apologized for the fook up so no worries. He then offered a refund for the re gas a nice gesture.

Now this was all before I took it for it's MOT which it failed. So one was a track rod end that had a bit of play but the rubber hood was not ripped so it caught me out.

My reg plate had a bit water damage at the back so I knew it was touch n go but it failed.

But the 2 things that really pissed me off was, the track rod end ?. You know were you stuck a torx in the top to stop it spinning ?. Something wasn't fookin right. The torx was rounded clean out and I mean rounded.

At first I thought it's full of shite but no def rounded out. This to me looked like it had been tampered with. Can I prove it ? no but to be fully round not one point makes you wonder.

 

And the other failure ? Get this, 

Both front headlights high beam, failed !!. So I says wtf is this ? Him thinking I know jack shit some old fella, he said yeah both beams are high.

He said , yeah don't worry about it, we'll sort that for nothing. So me just wanting go the bog as I'd walked about 3 mile i just grabbed the sheet n fooked off.

It was only when I got home I realised, the high beam is a 0-1-2-3-4 dial at the side of the dash along with the dashboard brightness button.

 

Now this headlight dial ? . Never ever ever gets touched, never. When I got home it was on 4. I can't stress enough it never gets touched and it's not the wife she didn't even know it was there 

For me someone tampered with it 100000000000% and rolled the dial up to 4 to give it a high beam and a fail.

My point is, any decent garage knows thisis a simple simple fix and just rolls it down similar to removing air freshener hanging off the mirror or dice.

Then before he gave me the MOT he said £14:95 the re test. And not that he said he couldn't re-gas the AC there's a leak. 

When I took it for the MOT he said we'll be about 2 hours I said ring me I'll be UK town. 3.5 hours later no call I just went back and it was parked up no call.

Seriously these lot are a fuckin shower of shit an absolute waste of space. 

When the area branch manager rung me he said the garage manager recently left hence the shop was up in arms. 

When I went to Eurocarparts 100 yard away to get a track rod I told the lad who I know about them he said why the fook did you take it there ?? I tells him about manager leaving,

He said leave ?? yeah he left alright he got a lengthy jail sentence for some serious noncing and his son got banged up, he murdered a young girl.

Anyway, I done most of the jobs just need a nail in tyre sorting and a new reg plate (weres the best place to buy one?).

But I feel they tampered with the track rod and beam dial and no one can tell me any different.

I think this area branch manager rang them first so they took it out on me 

I'll have the last laugh, the area branch manager has refunded me the AC goodwill jesture and I will get a refund via the garage because their was a leak.

I will never ever take it there and looking at how many cars were on the ramps and parked up it seems to me their making a good job of fuckin it up

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Cyberrat]

Sounds like Quickfit of old tricks.

[hoponbaby]

Had Halfrauds try it on with my nippers car, went in for an mot and the engine light came on on-route. Told him that's an immediate fail so your mot is now invalid and you can't drive it, also sounds like the ball joint needs replacing as we could tell when you drove it in so we'll add that to the worksheet. Got a not so polite round of fuck off and show me where the engine light means a dangerous fault and immediate cancellation of the mot. This is a great way to generate more repair work isn't it...

Then drove it somewhere else, wankers.

[goldringers]

So I admit there was faults 

1) there's 2 reg plate lights, I honestly did not know, 1 was working so I thought it's working.

2) track rod end, I visually looked at it and the boot looked ok but I didn't pry bar it so I didn't spot there was play. Was it bad ? no but there was minimal play.

3) Rear light on the hatchback seriously missed that one altogether how? blame wife lol she went round it while I was in it 

4) front number plate did have some discoloration but you'd have to be fuckin Stevie Wonder to not be able to read it.

He said a B can a G ? I think the guy needs an eye test, again nit picking

5) the headlight beam high was a total utter load of bollocks and to tell me "Don't worry we'll sort that for free" is a Grade1 piss take. 

He must have thought I'm piss stone numb. 

 

I remember taking mine a garage nr me (never went back) he marked down view from front obscured so I asked him what , wipers or something

It was a 2 inch smellie leaf tied tight it wasn't even dangling.

New number plates arrived with screws and no holes in the plate, wtf is that about ?? 

Its got sticky back plastic and wipes fantastic great belting smashing but the old ones held on with screws so I can't stick it over it or I'd have removed the screws.

I'm begining to think the worlds going fuckin stark raving bonkers mad. Everywhere you go some nobheads there trying to pull your keks down to dry bum you.

Toilet seats knackered so spotted quick release one B&Q market place listed push button

Free shipping £9:99 

It arrives it's a normal seat, wife wanted one just push a button no old tooth brush to clean gaps.

If I want a standard one I'd have gone to Screwfix 800 yard away.

Now I have to sent it back for a tenner.

Everyone's at it trying to make it more hassle than it's worth to fix or return.

Edited June 17, 2025 by goldringers

[CareComputers]

The KING of the upsellers.... nobody gets a clean MOT here 😩

[goldringers]

Yesterday I rang and booked it in for the re-test 9am then wife says did you book it Thursday or Friday?, as usual I couldn't remember so I rang them 8:40am.

Guy says it's Friday but we've an issue the ramps knackered so weve got a guy coming out can you drop your car and leave it with us.

I says no why don't you ring me when it's fixed I'll drop it. They might not turn up or not did it then I'm walking 3 miles for nothing.

He then asked what did it fail on wondering if the ramp was needed bulbs tyres etc, mine was a track rod end so it needs the ramp.

So I says "Oh and the fail said headlights high" I then says that was the dial it was on 4 it's never been on 4 since I bought the car 9 years ago someone moved that. 

His response was:-

"Overtime with potholes your light can move, under the bonnet there's dials to adjust them let to right

So I says 

?? Left to right ? mine are fine or it would have said misaligned on the MOT but it said they were aiming high.

So now I've got to sit about all day Fri waiting for them to fix the ramp.

 

Edited June 19, 2025 by goldringers

[goldringers]

No call nothing Friday so on Saturday I rung then and was told the MOT ramps not been fixed and it's still up in the air.

He said their calling out Monday so can I bring it Tuesday 2:30pm. I said can you not check the track rod end on another ramp he said no it has to be on the MOT ramp nothing else.

I can't take it anywhere else I think for around 13-14 days to be tested or I would and claim it back. 

But the bit I'm annoyed with

Communication 

A simple call as I requested to say sorry it's not been repaired. I asked for this and they would have left me in limbo. 

Regarding the air con ? I rang an independent guy who calls out re gasses and diags leaks. He said F1Autocentre fails to gas are one of his biggest customers.

He said he'll get 2-3 a week from customers who've been told by an F1Autocentre (about 10 within 25mile of me) that they can't gas it for one reason or another and they could have.

So I'm stuck, no car all weekend. Now some of you might say just drive it. I would but it wouldn't be me having an accident it would be the bellend who drives into me.

This company F1Autocentres is the biggest shower of fuckin shit on the planet, do not use under any circumstance fuckin gobshites at Wigan

 

[goldringers]

Question,

Can a re test be done at another garage ? I ask this incase this MOT ramp saga goes in and on a Tuesday doesn't happen

Do my fails need to be done on an MOT ramp ? Mine were so called headlights high (dial switch in car) number plate faulty nearside track rod end 

[Morph]

Don't think so without paying full fee again and running the risk of them finding something the other mob didn't! A bar steward of a situation you are in.

https://www.reddit.com/r/AskUK/s/h7Bxcfrg7h

[Groundzero]

Do my fails need to be done on an MOT ramp ? Mine were so called headlights high (dial switch in car) - NO

number plate faulty  - NO

nearside track rod end - YES  

[goldringers]

5 hours ago, Morph said:

Don't think so without paying full fee again and running the risk of them finding something the other mob didn't! A bar steward of a situation you are in.

https://www.reddit.com/r/AskUK/s/h7Bxcfrg7h

 

21 minutes ago, Groundzero said:

Do my fails need to be done on an MOT ramp ? Mine were so called headlights high (dial switch in car) - NO

number plate faulty  - NO

nearside track rod end - YES  

Yeah it's a right balls up. If ramps fook up shit happens but it's the communication. I gave them a full day and Sat morn to make contact and just say "Look it's not fixed" 

If the ramps not fixed this week I'll have no choice bar take it elsewhere, pay again and run the risk they pick up on something else.

If they rung as we agreed that would be enough, it's the not knowing sat there 

[Groundzero]

Have they got another branch near you who could do you a retest, assuming they dont run franchises in which case they wont. 

Edited June 21, 2025 by Groundzero

[Morph]

3 hours ago, Groundzero said:

Have they got another branch near you who could do you a retest, assuming they dont run franchises in which case they wont. 

Do you still have access to that manager email or phone number? Give them a serve and tell them it's unacceptable, and no fault of yours. They are showing several branches nearby. Get them to agree you can go to one of those for a retest or full test at no cost to yourself.

 

[goldringers]

I think the managers pals with the Wigan branch and between them their stitching me up.

i took the car on a Thurs to be told no tester on a Thurs and I was booked in for a weds and I'd missed it. They then said bring it Fri but that Thursday night I emailed F1Autocentres just because I was fookin pissed off and I wanted to highlight their online booking service is bollocks.

But, I think the managers pals with this shop because the next day they failed it. Now the fail I won't argue on 2 bulbs but the track rod for me didn't have excessive play it moved but you had to tug at it it wasn't loose but the high headlights 

They fuckin moved that dial up to 4 and I don't give a flying fffing sh*t what anyone tells me but proving it is impossible. The rat faced little t*at had the nerve to say 

Don't worry about that, we'll sort it free. Now you tell me, why would you say that?, any faults is the job of the car owner to rectify.

So the manager via email offers an air con refund as a good will gesture the night before then the next day it fails MOT failure and I'm told that the air con has a leak and they can't do it so I'd like bet managers told them say it's cooked as I've refunded him already, don't do it.

And, as it stands over a week later nothings gone into the bank. I emailed the manager who was personally authorising the refund and I've heard nothing back.

Seriously a shower of fookin shits, family run business? yeah the fookin Genovese Family robbing coonts.

The cars booked in for Tuesday and if it's not sorted then they'll have to sort something asap 

Edited June 22, 2025 by goldringers

[goldringers]

12 hours ago, Morph said:

Do you still have access to that manager email or phone number? Give them a serve and tell them it's unacceptable, and no fault of yours. They are showing several branches nearby. Get them to agree you can go to one of those for a retest or full test at no cost to yourself.

 

I was told by this prick at Wigan that the car re-test is linked to the Wigan branch MOT test centre.

I could take it elsewhere for a full MOT but  not a re-test the re-test has to be at Wigan same test centre so can you imagine, they say to me if ramps not fixed:-

"Take it our other branch they'll do a full MOT".

They'll fookin condemn it, fookin MOT would read like the Magna Carta

I just need to get a ticket on it Tuesday then I'll unload both barrels. 

 

 

Edited June 22, 2025 by goldringers

[goldringers]

I gets a call today saying we've a slot if you wanna bring it in. 

One of the rear reg lights sockets has rust in it. I did try scrapping it and isopronol put the very fragile pin was wobbling 

When I left mine it worked but it must have played up so that's as an advisory.

But, 

Their was an advisory on the MOT from last week,

"Nail in tyre"

When I gets the new MOT

It's still on it

So I questioned it

I said, 

Nail in tyre ?

Guy said yeah,

I said we had it done Saturday m8 

He said ah right then mumbled and said yeah she must have not put that down

Is that right that, if I put the advisories right as well as the fails that they should still be in my MOT regardless if it's a nail 

Edited June 23, 2025 by goldringers

[Morph]

So does it finally have a valid mot for next 12 months? Did you give them a serve of your pent up anger ?

[goldringers]

I said to the lad it's a fookin joke this place m8 I've never been fooked around as much over a simple MOT ever. He then had the audacity to say

"Who changed your track rod end ?" I said me he said it was loose

To which I replied

Was it fook!!, now I know your taking the piss pal utter bollocks m8

I said, I tightened the bush end nut and locking arm nut as tight as possible there's no fuckin on this planet it was loose I even used loctite.

Now that really fookin annoyed me and it was said to get a reaction

It turns out they legally do not have to remove advisories after a re-test. Just imagine you've 4-5 and your selling a car, you do them to clean the ticket up and their all left on, what will the new  buyer think?, nail in tyre ? That's £15-£20 puncture repair, a reg bulb ? 

I'm gonna message this shower of shits and let them know that if they were the only place with MOT slots I'd walk before I'd take mine to them.

Now I have to fight for a £59 air con refund I was promised 12 days ago

 

[goldringers]

I've got an independent local guy calling today to test the air con system. F1Autocentres said there was a leak and the couldn't do it,

 

I'll soon find out

[Morph]

You probably find if the F1Autoshysters are charging full price for an aircon regas then you wouldn't of had a leak. Fingers crossed local guy can sort it and regas, just before it pisses it down and winter rolls in 😄

Edited June 25, 2025 by Morph

[goldringers]

The guy came, tested for leaks and found nothing. He said it's holding pressure it's just low on gas.

Mine was making like a tinny noise like you getting from an aerosol when it's emptying. The guy said it could be the compressor or the fan but he couldn't 100% gaurentee if it was or wasn't.

He said the only way was to gas it. He said he'd oil it (whatever that means) twice and gassed it. Mine had about 100 in it (again I'm clueless on numbers) and my car needs 480.

He got 440 in before it refused anymore which he said is about right for older cars and it's now working perfect no more runny noise.

 

When I asked him about these big company garages and air con re gassing he said, they have these big fancy machines they plug in and walk away and if there's even the very slightest issue the machine stops and dishes out errors. The garage don't try to suss it they just fook it off and move on.

He said over 50% of his work is big garage failed re gassing. He charged £70 and came to me plays he checked it nice fella.

Big garages wouldn't even entertain trying to diagnose it.

Anyway I've dug out the main guys email addresses for F1Autocentres and I've mailed them.

So chaps 

Do not use them they do not give a fook

[Groundzero]

the compessor oil is suspended in the aircon gas so if you loose gas you also loose the lubricant for the system and the compressor. 

[noname69]

10 hours ago, goldringers said:

 

When I asked him about these big company garages and air con re gassing he said, they have these big fancy machines they plug in and walk away and if there's even the very slightest issue the machine stops and dishes out errors. The garage don't try to suss it they just fook it off and move on.

 

These centres are jack of all trades, master of none. Probably just provide familiiarisation for the staff with little or no diagnostic training. Or, the lads don't give a shit