Despite being the ‘acceptable face’ of car repairs on the high street, I have to admit that the ‘Fast Fit’ centre is my pet hate. By having a seemingly unlimited budget for fancy TV advertising, the general public really believe that these companies are their ‘friends’ and that whatever they say must be true.

Take for example one of our customers (and close friend) this week who’s exhaust ‘fell off’ about 200 yards from the nearest Fast Fit centre ( I cannot name them for legal reasons, but they feature a fitter playing the piano in a recent advert). The lady in question (without accompanying husband) was told that her car needed an entire new exhaust, catalytic converter AND two tyres, and was quoted almost £900.  Needless to say, she declined their generous offer and gave us a call insted. Although it would entail an eleven  mile drive with a somewhat noisy exhaust to reach us, once it was on our ramp it was clear to see why they’d been so reluctant for her to drive it away.

Yes,it did need some new exhaust bits but the catalytic converter (the most expensive part) was in perfect condition and certainly didn’t need replacing. It actually needed a new centre and rear section and a couple of new clamps.We did consider welding the old one back on, but it really was quite rusty and not worth the effort. As it was, we found a new exhaust in stock at our local branch of Unipart (the same place where this particular Fast Fit outfit buy their exhausts), and for an OE quality Timax branded system, the cost was just £230 including fitting and VAT. The tyres, although worn, would be good for at least another 4000 miles. As this lady only drives 5000 miles a year, that’s a lot of motoring before they’d actually need changing.

As they collected their car, having saved almost £700 that they didn’t need to spend, it occurred to me just how the likes of Kwik Fit can afford those wonderful TV adverts! If I was to begin my big TV advertising campaign, I reckon I might be able to scrape enough money together for a 30 second slot at 3 a.m. on one of the more obscure cable channels!

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