Formula One Autocentres - Leicester Reviews 

I went in for a wheel bearing they told me a price of 180 and then before they even looked at the car to see the problem they told me it's damaged the threads on the drive shaft and that they need to re tap the threads how ever they didn't they told me they used Fag bearing then put on a cheaper brand and charged me £141 for a £47 bearing and hub that I didn't need I asked at the time was it a bearing kit the man said no and then it's says on my receipt bearing kit I was charged £298 for a the job that they didn't need to do and lied to my face he told me my wheel could fall off which is completely a lie they put a charge in for re alinement that didn't need doing the receipt didn't even make sense. They are completely a rip off company!! I later found out they did the same thing to a lady family member of mine. All done my operator fc006. I have taken the car to an independent mechanic now and he said they didn't retap any threads and what they charged me for was a complete rip off and didn't do what they said they had done.

Absolute fantastic customer service from AJ. Went in for full service and they found it needed fluids and also the exhaust back box was falling apart so had that replaced, if left longer then it would have cost a lot more, ie the catalytic converter would have needed replacing. Thanks guys for looking after the car today

Took my car to formula one at viking road leicester and was treated with the upmost care by AJ serviced both cars will definitely recommend you to people fantastic service 👍

Last weekend a loud noise appeared under my car and a lot of rattling. I guessed I had an exhaust problem so I drove to the F1 Autocentre on Abbey Lane in Leicester. I arrived at 0820 my car was diagnosed and quoted within about 20 minutes of arrival! I went ahead with the work and it was ready to collect approximately 90 minutes later! I would definitely use again. Excellent service.

Dropped off the car with no hassle, they promised to call once the service and MOT was done. They did this and the car was ready on time.

Avoid!!!

Customer service is shocking, used a bar in two separate places to get the tyre on the wheel cause damage in two places. Ofcourse when addressed it’s a kerb I’ve done. Wasn’t looking for any money off but just an apology at the least. Was told my kind always try it!

The best service centre in Leicester. I was quoted £530+ by Mercedes for a full service which in my opinion is disgusting. These guys charged me £390 and topped up the Air Con too.

Mercedes was quoting extra to change a blooming battery in the key fob.

Most friendly and caring gentlemen. Wonderful service. Trustworthy and absolutely smashing guys. Thank you for everything today.

I booked my Q7 for MOT, Wheel Alignment, Oil change filter and Air filter.

The Alignment has made a huge difference in how the car handles

The staff were helpful and the MOT Tester who I was watching through the glass in the reception area did a thorough job of examining the car which inspired confidence and I found the whole experience to be very good.

Would definitely use them again.

fast, efficient. good advice, very friendly and happy people

Excellent service, really quick turnaround and staff were friendly and helpful. This is exactly why I use them for anything to do with my car.

Shocking service I would not recommend them to anyone. Soo poor they could even wheel balance my tyre correctly because the machine was broke so they say. Go told to drop the car on Monday machine wasn't fixed neither fix tuesday. Then got told to bring it Wednesday. Left the key with them said I need my car at 4. Was told it would be done. Still was done cause of staffing issues.!!!! Friday I was told it would be done and it was but the wheel balancing clearly has been done as the car is driving like it was not happy at all with the crap service given.

Took my car into this garage after it had been diagnosed with a p0420 catalytic converter fault and was told by the staff that the car needed a new catalytic converter costing around £700, and this would resolve the issue. Reluctantly, I paid for this to be done and within the same day of the cat being replaced the check engine light came on with the same fault code. I have since had to take the car back several times under warranty, in one instance, they held the car for 7 hours without doing any work to it claiming there was no fault? They also claimed the car had an oil pressure fault (I have taken the car to 2 other garages who both said there was no such fault.) One of Formula 1's staff, Paul, then told me he would replace both the oxygen sensors free of charge to see if this would resolve the issue, and this was towards the time of closing. So I rang back the next day to book this in, when the man who i assume to be the manager laughed at me down the phone and told me this would not be free of charge. Possibly the garage with the most rude, and incapable staff in Leicester. But what I want to know, is what are you going to do about this, Formula 1? I presume nothing, because you are not willing to complete the tasks that your customers have paid to do.

Update: they have read the review, contacted me, and still refuse to provide the service that I have paid them for :)

unprofessional liars.

AVOID! AVOID! I booked my car in at this branch a few months ago for a full service with the addition of a brake fluid change. I thought, being a nationwide brand, I could trust the work but I was very wrong. To cut a long story short, my car was in the workshop for around 30 mins. The only thing carried out to my car was an oil change. None of the filters were changed, the road test was not conducted, none of the other checks mentioned on their list for a full service were carried out. In addition to this, the brake fluid change was also NOT carried out. After realising that only an oil change had been carried out (and not even a complete one as the filter wasn't changed!) I went back to the garage to question the staff there. I spoke with the manager at the time, Jo, and explained what had happened. The look on his face suggested that it either wasn't the first time something like this had happened or that he in fact knew that things like this were happening at his garage. He insisted that the job would have been carried out fully and correctly. After me mentioning that I had dash-cam footage along with proof that the old filters were still in place, he was hesitant and lost for words. He told me that I would have to come back so that he could inspect the car himself. We agreed that I would come back a few hours later. In the mean time he would speak with the technician. No less than 10 mins after I left the garage, I get a call saying the best thing to do is for me to have a refund. Admission of guilt? I then made contact with the area manager, who after reviewing the CCTV of the workshop, agreed that the work was not carried out correctly and the only thing done was the oil drained and then topped up. Yes, I did receive a refund, yes I was offered the work to be done again, free of charge but at this point the trust was lost. The fact that had I not suspected and then checked, I would have been none the wiser. How many times has this been done to other customers and gotten away with. Please use with caution! Better still, go elsewhere.

Since having my car 3 years ago, I've been to F1 quite a few times. At first I was happy with their service, but after some time and realization, it's clear they have been treating me like a mug and in a way, stealing from me by doing work that wasn't needed.

The first time I took my car there for a service, I mentioned that my clutch was clicking. Without even checking the problem, the guy I spoke to at the desk was straight to claiming that I needed my clutch replacing. As I am a new driver and a bit clueless with cars, I didn't feel comfortable questioning him. £700 down for the clutch replacement, yet the same clicking noise is still happening.
Having my car back from the service, a few days later I opened the bonnet to refill the water and noticed the timing belt needed replacing as it was cracking. This should have been checked during the full service. I shrugged this off as I didn't want to cause drama.

I went to F1 there for my most recent MOT. This time, I had a call to say that the front suspension needed replacing as "it's a common problem with these cars". The whole front suspension had been rrfitted with new parts less than a year ago by myself and a friend, therefore shouldn't have been replaced. But, how can I argue with someone who is going to fail my MOT and make it so that I can't drive my car.

Maybe I made the mistake of telling them that I'm a new driver and clueless about cars, and they have decided to abuse this to make profit.

Either way, it's clear to me now that they are money grabbing thieves.

Used the Leicester Abbey Lane Branch over the past 2 years. Staff make the difference and the manager Andy are excellent. Honest people that don't try to fob you off. Always get a small discount off prices quoted to me and no quibble. Treat customers with respect. The mechanics do a proper job and my car always runs better after a service. Its hard to find decent garages so this is one to pick at reasonable prices. You get an extra discount on mots and services by booking on "Book my Garage". Well done.

I have used F1 Abbey Lane in Leicester for many years with various cars where Paul & his team were superb & never once let me down, always giving a totally professional & friendly service. I have seen Paul recently at Abbey Lane but Joe is now managing the team & doing an equally superb job. Last Friday my exhaust was in need of urgent attention & though I called in without an appointment Joe had one of his very competent & friendly technicians sort the problem instantly. I cannot praise Formula One high enough & their customer service is amazing whilst always offering the best advice to avoid high costs. Thank you guys, I would give you 10 stars if I could.

Leicester- Abbey lane .
After having my tires fitted , depot were unable to give me an invoice ??? Apparently it has to be emailed to me ??
Also the service was absolutely shocking …. 2 hours plus to have tires fitted ?
I booked a time slot , gave you 3 days to get tires and still I had to wait ???? What’s the point in booking and arriving 15 mins before….. pathetic! Plus mechanics don’t even know where to look for the locking wheel nut ???
Next time I’ll book else where and use Kwik fit hence in the name Kwik !!!
My other car needs 4 so I’ll definitely not use you again
Very poor customer care in depot ; useless staff !

Good Price, Good communications, Did the job on time.

Booked my car in for oil and filter change. I used the website whocanfixmycar for the booking and was initially quoted £59. Following the job I was asked to pay double of the original quote (£120). Seems like a bit of scam to attract customers by giving a cheaper quote and and not sticking to it.