Halfords Autocentres Reviews 

I can't thank the team at Halfords Fareham enough for their outstanding customer service.

While I was out on a driving lesson with my 17-year-old son, we discovered that the battery in his car had come loose and we lost power but a little wiggle of the connectors got us going again. We called into the Fareham branch hoping for some advice, and the team couldn't have been more helpful.

Adam, one of the young mechanics, was absolutely brilliant. He was polite, professional, knowledgeable and genuinely wanted to help. He quickly identified what was needed, sourced the correct part, and fitted it there and then – all free of charge. Another member of the team also came over to lend a hand, and together they got my son's car safely back on the road.

In a world where great customer service can sometimes be hard to find, the team at Halfords Fareham really stood out. They turned what could have been a stressful situation into a positive experience, and my son came away with a great impression of how customers should be treated.

A huge thank you to Adam and the rest of the team. You went above and beyond, and I wouldn't hesitate to recommend the Fareham branch to anyone.

Booked my car in for a 4 wheel alignment at the new Byfleet location, paid via the website, travelled to the location to be told that the time slot I had booked was not a booking, it was just a generic time for me to drop my car off and they would get to it when the could! “You’ll have to leave it with us” was the actual quote from the staff. What’s the point of a booking service? I immediately cancelled my “booking” to be told it would take 5-7 days for me to get my money back! It’s 2026 for gods sake, they should have refunded me on the spot!!
Avoid avoid

RIP off merchants - do not use!
I attended a rebooked and paired appointment on friday 11th July at the Holdenhurst Road branch, I was told on arrival that the chap had tried to call me to say they couldn’t do the air con diagnostic as their machine wasn’t working. He called someone from the Pokedown branch, after a chat which didn’t sound postive he said I could go to Pokesdown. Went to Pokesdown to be told their machine wasn’t working and they were busy, told Autumn that the manager across both branches had sent me, I had paid and I needed the work doing. She then said I needed to collect the car by 5.30pm and to be sure I was there to collect my car by 5.30pm. I left the car and went home. In the afternoon received a message to say car ready to collect. Attended the garage and autumn said it was £950 ish to fix the air con issue, she said there was a leak, I know there wasn’t a leak as when the air con wasn’t working I took it to be re gassed by a reputable company and they said no leak and gas was full it was a parts issue. She then proceeded to draw a picture of a condenser to show the issue at which point my husband said is it the condenser or the compressor - oh sorry we have had so many in today I am confused, you have a leak you need a new compressor. At this point I thought they don’t have a clue so I will talk to my husband when I leave as I do not trust what these people are telling me. I left and my husband went back in as he was not happy with what they said, he questioned them again and Autumn said there had been another Fiat in so she was confused. Another chap working there had done the test on the car and said there was not a leak, she then wrote this on a post it note with a smiley face and gave it to my husband - great! But what is the issue with my air con? It is £950 of work or £200 the chap my husband spoke to gave details of another garage he recommended but ultimately I don’t know what that actual issue is with my air con and I trust nothing that Halfords Pokedown have said. I put a complaint in the same day and even that has been a balls up from Halfords - I would not recommend and I will never ever use them again - absolute lying con artists
August update - still no refund has that has been messed up as well! I cannot believe how terrible the service has been if I could give minus 10 I would!

I am deeply frustrated by how chaotic and painfully slow it was just to change the tyres on my upcoming appointment. The entire online chat took an exhausting 1 hour and 20 minutes (from 5:49 PM to 7:09 PM) for what should have been a straightforward request. 

The entire process felt completely disorganized. First, I was told the system couldn’t change the booking because it was within 48 hours and that I had to call the garage directly. Then, the agent realized they could just cancel and rebook it. After a barrage of repetitive questions, long delays, and confusion over product codes and postcodes, they finally managed to rebook it, but completely messed up the pricing.

They tried to charge me an incorrect balance of £385.18. When I pointed out their own website listed the tyres at £165.99 each (£331.98 total before an additional 10% discount code), the agent finally admitted the mistake and said, "let me match the price". 

Unbelievably, the chat was disconnected immediately after that message, without any confirmation that the price had actually been corrected. Because of this abrupt cutoff, I am left completely in the dark. I don't even know if my order is still live, and I have absolutely no idea what I will actually be charged if I show up at the garage. A simple tyre swap shouldn't require nearly an hour and a half of agonizing back-and-forth, only to end in total uncertainty. Absolutely terrible customer service experience.

Update: I’ve now been contacted by email and have confirmation of my price and appointment. The frustration around the length of time still stands though!

I went to a bike shop in Edgware, little or no help, went to a repair shop in Hendon, I buy the part and maybe he'll repair it. Walked into Halfords and was pleasantly greeted by Rocco, explained what I needed, he immediately asked me to bring in the bike, spend a good time in removing the faulty part and provided a replacement, spent time in providing a basic service and made the bike as good as new. The repair was very reasonably priced and Rocco went above and beyond any local bike shop would do. Absolutely brilliant and very reasonably priced. Halfords Hendon. best place in north west London to get your bike looked at.

I took my car to Halfords Autocentre for its annual MOT as I do each year.

Jack and his team were extremely helpful, as they always are each time I take my car there.

My car was given a heath diagnostic check and I was provided with a report with a list of recommendations without pressure.

Quick efficient service.

A great experience.

Booked my daughter’s car into East Kilbride to have 2 front tyres replaced. This should have taken 30 minutes max. The depot was fairly quiet when we arrived. An hour later a fitter came to us and said that there was other work that needed done including the usual tracking, new wiper blades and some other things. The car had been serviced and MOT’D a week earlier and no faults were found so I declined any further repairs. My tyres had not even been changed by then and it took another 30 mins for them to do that so we were kept 1.5 hours in total. All they seemed to be interested in was trying to sell us further work. When we left I took the car back to the garage that did the service/mot and was assured that no other work needed done. He said he was well used to hearing of Halfords trying it on. We have 6 cars in the family and none of them will be back to Halfords. Shame on you for the way you treat customers. This is not an isolated complaint. Look at all the other reviews.

Booked my car for a diagnostic for 11.30am man at desk couldn’t give me time to pick up car but said he would ring me when car is ready, took me 30 minutes to walk home, nobody rang me so I phoned them at 5,10pm the man told me on the phone that the mechanic just told him a sensor had gone in car couldn’t understand what he was saying , I asked him how much would it cost to fix he didn’t know I said I come over for my car now , there was no paper work for me he said he couldn’t find a part but he ring me or email me the following day with price so I could book it in Monday or Tuesday,I went to get my car it was still in the work shop the only one it was nearly six o’clock The mechanic brought out my car didn’t explain anything to me about the fault, if I had known my car was going to be the last one out I wouldn’t have booked my car in , And the next day I didn’t receive a phone call or email or text, So i haven’t got my diagnostic paper or I didn’t receive my quote for the work If this is the way you treat customers,I’m shocked you still going.

Car was booked in for 4 new Bridgestone tyres took them over 3hrs to do the job, then a week later got a parking ticket for £100 for my car being parked in the carpark under there care for over 3hrs,Then took my car for a service lastweek and the garage informs me they have fitted 2022 tyres on front of my car 4 year old tyres Halfords, but well done for putting 2026 tyres on the back total cowboys. Well Halfords i contacted you this morning and you will not do anything about my 4 year old tyres, as you say your ok to fit upto 5 year old tyres on peoples cars your customer service and complaints are also totally useless, so people be aware look for the date on your tyres as there fitting old tyres on peoples cars.

Absolutely appalling service from the Bishops Stortford branch.

Our MOT was due to expire today, so we were proactive and booked the car in last weekend for a major service and MOT. It failed due to a repair that Halfords couldn’t carry out, so we paid to have the repair completed elsewhere during the week and returned today, on the final day the MOT was still valid. We paid over £300 for this major service and MOT.

The car was dropped off at 9am today and collected at 4pm, only to be told that the MOT hadn’t been done because the tester wasn’t in. Despite having the car all day and knowing the MOT expired that day, nobody bothered to call us. Had they informed us earlier, we could have arranged another garage before businesses closed on Saturday.

Instead, we were sent away with an expiring MOT and even told it would be fine to drive for a week or two without one. That is completely irresponsible advice.

The proposed solution was equally unbelievable. At almost 5pm on a Saturday, we were offered a courtesy car so we could leave our own car there, commute into Central London, and then return after work on Monday evening to swap the cars back. Completely unrealistic and incredibly inconvenient.

To make matters worse, after last week’s MOT failure we specifically asked whether there were any other issues. We were told there weren’t. Yet today we were suddenly told that a tyre may also fail the MOT. Why wasn’t that identified during the original inspection?

Because of Halfords’ failures, we now have to take annual leave and arrange an MOT elsewhere.

We have raised a formal complaint and sincerely hope no other customer is treated this way.

Poor communication, poor organisation and a complete lack of customer care. We will also be cancelling our Halfords Motoring Club membership and will not be returning.

- Had aircon re-gassed 12 months previously at Kirkcaldy branch, which only lasted 6 months
- Paid £35 for aircon diagnostic in addition to MOT and Service when it was time to take it in again
- Staff phoned me to say they couldn't do a full diagnostic to check for a leak unless I also paid £140 for it to be re-gassed (again)
- I expected the £35 to be refunded when I picked the car up because they couldn't actually tell me if there was a leak or not
- Staff refused to refund, saying they had completed the diagnostic
- Raised a complaint and was told the diagnostic result was "There may be a leak in the aircon system"

I know that. That's why I paid for the Diagnostic, to see where the problem was, and if you could fix it. But according to Halfords, they can only tell you about a leak if you pay the £140 to put gas in, which will then just leak out slowly. There's no refund for that re-gas either.

MOT and Service were fine, no problems, but I won't go back again to Halford Autocenters, this was pretty obviously poor value for money, they were given a chance to communicate, explain and resolve the issue, but chose to do nothing.

went to halfords (tamworth) for a MOT car failed on wipers (not a problem). Was then told that a retest fee would be due within ten days and was quoted £32.00 to replace the wipers and a re test same day.
I asked if i could buy some wipers and fit them myself and have a retest later that day (as could get wipers a lot cheaper locally i was told that they don't allow customer fitted parts and that i would be charged a re test fee, BUT THE GOV WEBSITE STATES THAT IF THE CAR IS TAKEN AWAY/REPAIRED (CERTAIN DEFECTS, wipers are one of them ) AND RETURNED BEFORE THE END OF THE NEXT WORKING DAY NO RETEST FEE IS DUE.
Seems like a money making scam so when you book your MOT with Halfords book a same day retest in case you have a minor fail, like a bulb out that can be fixed within the next working day

Dicusting service, had issue with air conditioning blowing warm one side of car,was advised to get it regassed,so booked in to local Halfords, paid £75 online and booked it in. Took in this morning left the keys .Hour later phone call ready to collect.
Collected keys and given receipt went got in car,exactly same as when dropped off.
Went back in asked if they had checked it,he said it all been checked no leaks found,not once was it mentioned that there a fault. I told him warm air blowing in car he then started saying there must be fault but nothing been pointed out, I read the receipt nothing pointed out under section needs fixing but they checked my tyres and lights. Been in contact with Halfords had some really rude man not letting us get a word in shouting at my wife,saying it down to us to point out,even though I no nothing about cars. When i got car back the vents were still closed as i left them to stop warm air, so the car had not been checked.Will never use this company again.

I would like to highly commend Anya in the bike shop, High Wycombe Halfords. She was busy in the bike shop upstairs working on a bike, with no customers at the time and I brought my sons bike up with a flat tire expecting to leave it and have to return. She fixed the tire immediately and I was on my way, I have dealt with her in the past and she always does an excellent job and is very professional, thanks Anya, much appreciated, Leroy.

I have been going (out of my way) to the Seafield (Edinburgh) branch of Halfords for my BMW services and maintenance for several years. The Manager, Grant has consistently delivered reliable and quality services, and whilst he is the branch Manager, he is one of a very few who have a deep understanding of vehicle mechanics, and the nuances of different makes and models. He never upsells and always gives multiple options for solutions. Recently, I discovered a miscommunication on a warranty service from my warrant provider, and once Grant was made aware, he immediately resolved it free of charge (irrespective of the warranty provider).
This prompted me to write a review overdue review.
Severely short-staffed this week, Grant picked up the tools himself to resolve it (which I have seen him do in the past), whilst managing the branch and also admin duties, from what I could tell. I drove away happy with Grant's extra efforts, but left wondering whether Grant has the franchise support he needs to maximise his skills and experience.

Terrible service and lied to repeatedly by staff. I booked an air con diagnostic that offers 'an inspection of key components, including the compressor, condenser, drive belts and hoses'. This was important because I had already tried a recharge and it had not worked. I explained this to the staff.

After having the car for 8 hours and not phoning me to tell me it was ready, I called them and was told "the air con is blowing nice and cold now." When I went to collect the car I asked them what issue they had found. They had simply recharged it. No inspection of other components at all, despite what I had told them.

And when I went to my car the air con was still broken. That was the first time they lied to me.

I was then told that it must be a problem with another component such as the condenser but that they're unable to look at that, despite what it says on the description of the diagnostic.

To refund the gas recharge cost I had to go through customer service online and book a second appointment with the centre, which was a waste of time. The centre then told me that they could only refund the recharge cost and not the initial air con diagnostic charge. That could only be done by customer services.

Customer services now tell me that that was a lie and only the centre can refund that charge. So I'm going to remain out of pocket even though literally no service was provided to me.

Awful, awful service. Stay well away.

Do not use Halfords Burnley, took a stone chip to be repaired, job was rushed so resulted in them smashing my windscreen which they are refusing to pay for ! I then get told it will be £110 to pay roughly to get a new windscreen only to be quoted lowest &330!

I booked my EV for an MOT and service as halfords is one of the few places which will do it. I received 2 reminder calls, but on both occassions the system was broken, struggling to play the recording, and only speaking a few words across about 30 seconds. I only realised it was a reminder as I managed to make out the word "service". When I collected the car, before driving away I checked the service book and found it had not been filled in. When I took it back to check, the excuse I was given was they couldn't find the book. It was on the passengers seat in the document wallet next the the locking wheel nut which they found fine. They didn't even tell me they hadn't done it until I questioned it, even though it is an item listed as part of the service. Who knows what else hasn't been done. While driving home, the charging port which is on the front of the car popped open at 50mph so hadn't been closed properly. Luckily I was on a quiet road so was able to stop and close it. When I checked over the car a few weeks later, I noticed the brake fluid reservoir had been overfilled by a fairly substantial amount. A quick search suggests this could be a safety issue, so had to syringe some out. I tried to raise a complaint, but couldn't find a form or email address on the website. They suggest using the chat feature which only works during certain hours. I tried a message on X asking for a complaint to be raised, but haven't heard anything beyond an initial message.

In response to halfords reply, as stated above, I have tried the chat feature as you suggest. It is a pain to use and only available during specific hours. I messaged on x asking to be emailed but you continued to converse on x and wouldn't give me the complaints procedure. If you want me to get in touch, give me an email address to contact you on. A custom chat system which does not provide me a transcript is not a formal means of communication or reliable complaints procedure. Alternatively, I believe trustpikot allows you to request additional information. Request my car reg and you should then be able to locate my contact details. Or you could look at messages on x for where I provided you an email address to contact me on.

My car was booked for an MOT/service at Halfords strood. It needed an indicator bulb to pass the MOT and also spark plugs. I have been charged £28.44 for the bulb which costs a few pounds and £168.51 for 3 spark plugs which retail at £16 each on their website. Customer services were no help at all.

Absolutely inappropriate useless try to avoid it no matter what. Only thing that they're good in is to waste your time that's what gonna happen. You gonna leave the car with the problem they're not gonna sort the problem and this is the good situation most of the times it's like they not even gonna start the car so you're gonna stay without the car still with the problem and waste your time what is the point. Absolutely scammers.