Dontcha love Halfords

;D ;D ;D ;D

that is EXACTLY what happened me when i applied!

i still remeber the carrera range, i quit there almost a year ago now, but still...
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iirc that carrera vulcans, 05/06 range, 14, 17 and 20" frames. HOPEFULLY I'm wrong though

I'm afraid getting spares or replacement parts for most Halfords brand products is very very hard. Certainly wouldn't keep anything on the shelf, it would have to come from head office, which would most likely take weeks. I agree it's not very good, but that's the way it is

I done 13 years with A1 motorstores around this way and got fed up with the management taking on anyone that showed a slight interest . I remember one regular customer bringing a set of big ends from his A55 in for me to order and the young numpty I was working with asking him what these small brake shoes came from!!!!!!. I left there last year and now work for Euro Car Parts

My local isn't too bad. They have some nice cars which are always there so I presume are owned by the staff. There used to be two very hot blondes who worked there too, although last time I was in they were nowhere to be seen.

I tend to get Hlaford vouchers for birthday / xmas so that - or needing tools - is my usual reason to go there, but at the last hose all the local car accessory shops closed down one by one execpt for one who was useless so Hlafords was forst port of call for those odd bits you always need on a sunday afternoon.

There used to be a lad who always recogniosed me and came talked to me as soon as I came in the shop he'd be "what are you working on, what do you need, whys that?" Nice lad. Obviously keen to learn.

Anyway one time I rolled up there in the Fury and bought my 3 palsatic funnels for £1.99 which is what I'd gone for and when I got back to the car the damnthing wouldn;t start - just click. Dead battery. So I wondered if it were the battery had failed or was it the alternator. I assumed the alt, and the battery was just run down through not charging.

So knowing that the stafff must have a booster pack in there I went back in to the store to see if I could find an adult. Now it would be cheeky just to say "ere lad, come jump my car for me" so I had to pretend that I was interested in their diagnostic of the fault.

So eventually these two teenage dipsticks come out front with a booster and the battery & alternator tester unit. All very fancy looking, LCD screen and all sorts. They hook it up to the battery and press the test button, it beeps for a moment and then comes back saying "replace battery".

Oik: you need a new battery
Me: Why?
Oik: tester says so
(second oik nods wisely too)
Me: So has that tested electrolyte strength, charge/discharge rate and everything?
Oiks: <blank stare>
Me: what does it do?
Oik: Checks the battery.
Me: For what? It might just be flat?
Oik: Yeah, says there 11 volts. You need 12 volts so you've lost one. Needs a new battery.
(I was tempted to ask if I could just buy a volt but that really would ave been too much...)

Now they did recommend a new battery at this point but it was like £90...

So eyeing their jump starter I ask "We should check the alternator first though, might just be a low output on that thats flattened the battery." They look blank, confused, but decide to go for it anyway.

After much arguing in hushed tones between them (and asking me to identify the alternator) they hook up the tester and pronounce that there is no output at all from the alternator and it also needs replacing. I can still see the look of confusion on thei faces when I replied "Surely you test the alternator with the engine running?"

About 3 years ago if you went to Halfords in Telford you would come out finding bits pinched from your car!

Due to Telford being a ‘Chav’ Town some of these lowlife realised that ‘cars of interest’ would be calling in at Halfords so when customer goes inside, they would go round the ‘motah’ and kindly remove chrome valve caps, alloy wheel centre caps and anything else that can quickly come off!
…and it was in broad daylight!!!
Needless to say security cameras had to be put up etc.

As for the actual Halfords in Telford these days it seems to have really improved in the last 18month.
Such as the pathetic ripspeed side of things being reduced to a corner (although the ugly rimzzzz adorn most of one wall) and the space being used more for tools and service items/parts. Also there appears to be a couple of very knowledgeable staff ; these two staff members infact bringing up the standard/kicking into line the rest of the urchins that work there.

Totally agree with Alistark there does seem in the last 5 years many a local motorfactors (that used to be open on a Sunday morning) that has sadly closed… …progress?