Halfords AutocentresReviews 

Tilehurst is the worst garage I’ve been to, if there was a 0 star option I’d choose it. I’ve used Halfords for years but will never use them again. Aircon suddenly stopped working, diagnosed as a condenser issue by VW, came here as a trusted alternative to get the condenser replaced which was done but the aircon hasn’t worked since. Took it back and was told that the aircon was cold, when I questioned this I was told my vents were blocked. Poor quality service and then make you feel like you’re crazy to think otherwise. Still not resolved despite complaints, £800 burned.

I've only given one star because zero isn't an option.
I booked a major service and MOT for my Polestar EV well over a month in advance.
I only had one available Saturday in the month before my MOT was due, hence booking ahead to get the date.
On the Monday of the week that I booked for I get a phone call, I assume to confirm that I've remembered.
But no!
I'm informed that my booking has been cancelled due to 3 problems.
Kettering Autocentre don't have an MOT tester that day, they don't have an EV technician at all and at 2150kg my car is too heavy for their ramps.
If they'd rejected the booking a month ago I could have found somewhere else, as it is I'm having to use floating holiday to take a weekday off work to get the Service and MOT elsewhere.
I tried Halfords Autocentre against my better judgement as I hoped they might have better technicians than the stores, NEVER AGAIN!

Great service from the Guildford Autocentre, especially Tom who was brilliant and helped a lot to get my wifes Mini Countryman sorted and back on the road.

Wasted my time taking my car for some diagnostic on an engine noise, at National Tyres on Caton Road in Lancaster. Dropped car at 0830, no news by 4pm so called them, and it was clear that nothing had been done, and it closed at 6. Picked up car at 5 - they'd checked it by then, and said but we can't get the part today. Which is pretty obvious if they didn't even check the car until 4. Overall a low-energy operation without a clue about the basics of workflow management, or customer service

Overpriced, charged for something that isn’t even possible on the car. Poor assessment and original problem not even rectified! Complaint made middle of May, constantly chased and still no reply! Avoid Halford autocentres - particularly the Halesowen one!

I booked to renew tyre on 9/6/2026. I booked at 16:30 and wait over an hour to start the work.
However, I discovered the date of manufacture is 2022. It is 4 years ago. I try to chat with Halford customers service. They just said un-fitted tyre is up to 5year and it is safety and suitable for the vehicle.

I think that it is totally unacceptable. The lifetime of tyre is around 6 year and I got the 4 year ago tyre.

Misdiagnosed.broken part.missing part after been to garage.no sign of them wanting to sort this out.customer service is a joke.just lies all the time.taking matter further.i wouldn't trust them to put a bell on a bike AVOID AVOID AVOID

Rang to check the price of a front tyre. Halfords web site is showing two different prices for the same tyre. £57.99 and £52.99 . I Rang back and arranged to have the tyre fitted. Drove 25 miles to the Halfords service centre. I double checked the tyre price BEFORE fitting and was then quoted £67.99. …..so I Declined to have it fitted and went elsewhere and got the same tyre at £45, A bad show all round for Halfords. No wonder their feedback is so poor.

AVOID: Halfords: National Tyres Stratford Upon Branch

I booked an MOT for my car on 19th May at 3:10pm with National Tyres & Autocare in Stratford Upon Avon. Immediately after booking, I called the branch to ask if they could check and replace my tyres before the MOT. I was told this wouldn’t be a problem and advised to arrive an hour earlier.

To avoid any delays, I actually dropped my car off at 1pm on 29th May — well ahead of the agreed time.

I returned at 2pm to check on progress and was told the tyres had been checked and that “it should be ok,” which reassured me. I left expecting everything to be in order, especially as I had already seen another two customers being told their car had failed earlier that day.

When I came back at 4pm, I was told the MOT was still in progress. Around 4:15pm, I could hear staff discussing going for a smoke break while my car was still waiting. I continued to wait, but by 4:30pm I had to ask for an update myself.

At that point, I was told my car had failed the MOT due to tyre issues — the exact issue I had proactively called about and arrived early to resolve.

I explained the steps I had taken to prevent this outcome, but all I received was an apology, which did nothing to resolve the situation. As a result, I was left with:

1. A car I could no longer legally drive
2. The need to urgently find another company to replace the tyres
3. The inconvenience of arranging and taking time off for a retest. The cost associated with this.

What made this even more frustrating was what happened next. When I took my car to have the tyres replaced, the tyre fitter told me the tyres were completely bald and would never have passed an MOT. This directly contradicted what I had been told by National Tyres when they checked them and reassured me that "it should be ok."

When I returned for the retest, I was informed on arrival that they were running behind schedule and might not be able to carry it out that day. Given everything that had already happened, I pointed out that they should have called me beforehand rather than wasting my time and fuel driving to the garage. I explained that I had already been inconvenienced enough and needed the retest completed that day.

While waiting, I witnessed yet another customer being told that their vehicle had failed due to tyre issues. Seeing this happen repeatedly, combined with my own experience, left me questioning the quality of the tyre checks being carried out. While I cannot know the reasons for other customers' failures, it certainly did not inspire confidence in the service being provided.

This could have been completely avoided if the agreed checks had been carried out properly. Instead, it resulted in wasted time, added stress, additional expense, and repeated inconvenience.

Overall, this shows poor communication, lack of organisation, and a failure to follow through on what was promised. Based on my experience, I would not recommend this branch.

Booked an online tyre replacement - recieved 3 texts to ensure I was at the appointment 10 mins prior to tyre fitting. I turned up to be told by guy on the desk that the wrong tyres had been ordered. I had left work early and was very dissapointed. The guy on the desk confessed that the online service is a complete shambles, always going wrong. Do not use Halfords.

I went to Halfords on Aylestone Road in Leicester for new tyres and they were brilliant. They were very friendly and helpful, the prices was very good and they treated me very well. This was my first time using them and I will definitely use them again.

I visited your Chester branch on Sunday, where a very helpful member of staff advised that my tyre could likely be repaired rather than replaced. Unfortunately, he was unable to carry out the repair at that time as an appointment was required.

I asked for the earliest available appointment and was offered one for the following day. As I would be attending during my lunch break from work, I specifically asked how long the repair would take and was advised it would be approximately 30 minutes. Based on this information, I booked an appointment for 10:00am.

When I arrived for my appointment, I experienced a lengthy wait while the staff member dealt with telephone enquiries. I was then informed that I would need to leave my vehicle for 2–3 hours. This was extremely frustrating and unhelpful, as I had arranged my lunch break around the information provided. Had I been told the correct timescale when booking, I would not have wasted 35 minutes of my lunch break attending the appointment.

I would also like to raise a concern regarding customer service within the branch. While waiting, several customers were left standing while telephone enquiries were dealt with. During these conversations, personal information such as vehicle registration numbers, email addresses, costs, and finance repayment details were discussed openly within earshot of other customers. This raises concerns around both customer service and privacy.

I hope this feedback is taken constructively and helps improve the experience for future customers.

As you have not contacted me since my google review I will leave a poor review EVERY month until you do so so others do not have to suffer with your incompetence as I have.

Formal Complaint: Service Failures and Safety Concerns
To the Regional Manager,
I am writing to formally lodge a complaint regarding a recent service at your Horsham branch. As an IMI accredited engineer with over 40 years of experience in the motor trade, I am deeply concerned by the lack of professional oversight, the inaccuracy of the records provided, and the disregard for standard safety procedures.

Timeline of Events:

Check-in: I dropped off my vehicle on Friday afternoon for a scheduled Saturday morning start. The keys were handed directly to the branch manager.

Delay & Lack of Record: By Saturday afternoon—20 hours later—my vehicle’s GPS tracker confirmed it had not moved. Upon calling, I was informed that the branch had no record of the vehicle even arriving, despite me handing the keys to the manager personally.

The "Service": I was promised two technicians would begin work immediately. Only one hour later, I was notified that a "Full Service" had been completed. As a professional in this industry, I find it highly improbable that a comprehensive full service was performed to standard within that timeframe.

Verification Failures: At collection, I was assured a post-service road test had been performed. This was demonstrably false. Both the vehicle’s GPS tracker and the zeroed trip meter confirmed the car never left the premises.

Mechanical Oversight: Consequently, an audible noise from the off-side rear brake shoe went undetected—an issue that would have been immediately flagged during a legitimate road test. Furthermore, the service book was left unstamped and tyre dust caps were missing.

Current Status:
I was promised a follow-up call early this week to rectify the brake issue. Five days have passed without contact.

While I am more than capable of rectifying these mechanical issues myself, I have paid £300 for a professional service that was, by all evidence, bypassed or handled with extreme negligence.

Given the falsification of the road test and the failure to complete the basic administrative and mechanical requirements of a Full Service, I request a full review of this incident and an explanation as to why safety-critical steps like the road test were recorded as complete when they were not.

I always use Halfords Riversway Preston for my car serving. Tom from the office is always polite and friendly and Tim who does the Mot and servicing of my vehicle is always professional and friendly. I would recommend using Halfords riversway Preston.

I have had my cars serviced by Halfords for many years. They used to have printed sheets that gave details of the 3 service levels. These details are now only available online via a drop-down box. I have found it impossible to download and print a readable document. I have had to cut and paste the text and spent a long time adding the missing dots. The invoices I receive do not give the details of the work that has been carried out so I need a document for reference. As Halfords change the specification of the 3 service levels over time, a printable document is essential.

Went to Eastbourne autocentre to have my car tyres inspected as they were cracking after only a year. The assistant in reception basically said I don’t do enough miles on my car which left me bemused, he then said it was a long process of sending the tyres back to the manufacturer and waiting five to six weeks for a response which would probably be unsuccessful and then he had the audacity to say the brand of tyre I have is prone to cracking and splitting bearing in mind these tyres were almost £300 for two! Absolute joke of a company and I have reported it to the ombudsman as fortunately I recorded the conversation.

Booked my vehicle into colchester brook street branch,just for front wheel balancing, left it with them, and within 15 minutes I had a phone call saying it needed two front tyres, and alighnment, wanted about £280 insted of the £16 for the balancing, when I asked if they could just balance the wheels as I didn't want the other work they just said NO, I asked for a refund and its aparently on its way, had my tyres checked by another garage, nothing wrong with the tyres or tracking, what a scam, whould I go there again NEVER, I have now found out that two of my work colleagues have been ripped of by thym too, be warned, don't trust them

We have been in Halfords in Llandudno asking about cameras for the car We were served by Luke . He was extremely knowledgeable and explained everything about them expertly ! Thankyou Luke you are an assett to Halfords !

Used Halfords in Gateshead (National Tyre Centre) for MOT and service and whole experience was particularly poor from the service to the prices that were charged. Charged £100 for replacement wiper blades when can get at Halfords retail store for around £25. Total rip off and not even pleasant when ripping you off. Advise to check prices with them and online before you agree to go ahead.

Terrible treatment of a once loyal customer. If Halfords are applying for comedy awards I am not amused.
Halfords had wrongly taken money from my card. After an unsatisfactory and time consuming encounter with chat they emailed me to say they were crediting part of the money. The amount showed as pending, then disappeared. How can they even do that?
Giving one star for this review. Refunding money wrongly taken is not five star. Showing a partial refund as pending, then removing it is really worth minus one.