# In praise of Halfords



## shine247 (Mar 1, 2010)

Been away for a good while but luckily timing wise, avoided all the travel issues and everything else to date. 

Felt compelled to log in today to mention Halfords, always found them very useful myself and ignored the unhelpful comments directed at them. 

During this difficult time, they have remained open offering a well organised click and collect service for essential items you may need quickly. Plus, their prices have remained stable and fair. 

I hope in the future, those inclined to make snide remarks will remember this and think twice or be pulled up on them. 

Well done Halfords and of course, thank you to those who are making a massive contribution in all the key areas.


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## Kerr (Mar 27, 2012)

Bike shops and motor factors are allowed to stay open. Halfords extend that further to sell non-essential items too. 

Other shops have restricted sales to either must have items or to key workers only.


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## muzzer (Feb 13, 2011)

Went out for a bike ride about a week or so ago and wife couldn't find her crash helmet, Halfords almost had what she wanted, but either way she managed to get a new helmet and was happier, so fair play to them.

It was funny watching the amount of muppets getting properly vexed when they couldn't drive up to the door as they had closed off half the car park.

Also, how many bikes did they sell?? Whilst waiting for the wife to collect her new skid lid, i think 6 got picked up in 20 minutes.


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## Kerr (Mar 27, 2012)

muzzer said:


> Went out for a bike ride about a week or so ago and wife couldn't find her crash helmet, Halfords almost had what she wanted, but either way she managed to get a new helmet and was happier, so fair play to them.
> 
> It was funny watching the amount of muppets getting properly vexed when they couldn't drive up to the door as they had closed off half the car park.
> 
> Also, how many bikes did they sell?? Whilst waiting for the wife to collect her new skid lid, i think 6 got picked up in 20 minutes.


Some towns have reported 200%+ increases in the amount of cyclists.

We're on the lookout for a new dog. I thought in this downtime that the demand for dogs would be low. Litters are selling out immediately for nice dogs.

People are looking for excuses to get out..


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## muzzer (Feb 13, 2011)

That doesn't surprise me either but i wonder how many will then look to offload the poor animal once this is all over and done with? Our dog is currently fast asleep on the living room floor trashed, step son took him out for a half hour walk and wife and i will do the same later.

When we all have to leave the house again, he is going to be so lonely.

Round here people don't need an excuse, Premier store below us closes from 1pm until 3pm for re stocking, yesterday there must have been 15 people waiting to get in from about 2.45pm all effing and blinding about the shop being shut. Muppets


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## Rab W19 (May 17, 2017)

Kerr said:


> Some towns have reported 200%+ increases in the amount of cyclists.
> 
> We're on the lookout for a new dog. I thought in this downtime that the demand for dogs would be low. Litters are selling out immediately for nice dogs.
> 
> People are looking for excuses to get out..


There is a dramatic increase in runners round my way & you can tell the pre lockdown vs lockdown runners a mile away :lol:
I am passing people & dogs I have never seen before.

Thats the new advertising campaign right now "A dog is for life, not just for lockdown". I can see the dogs trust becoming very busy once its lifted but if you have put alot of though and planning into it before hand it is a perfect time to get a dog because you can train it on a full time basis.

When I got my pup 4 year ago I took 2 weeks off work so I could be there full time and my wife doesnt work. a lockdown scenario is ideal as you cant work or go anywhere other than walks with the dog lol.


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## TonyH38 (Apr 7, 2013)

Reply to shine 247 if you value your wheels on your car and any one else who does I advise you do not use Halfords for a home tyre fitting service as you might regret it, being unable to go to my usual fitters I had to use them to fit 4 new tyres damage was done on 3 inner barrels also not being able to check work until after he left under the present lock in also I checked the pressures and only one was correct the others were way out so be warned.


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## Mcpx (Mar 15, 2016)

TonyH38 said:


> Reply to shine 247 if you value your wheels on your car and any one else who does I advise you do not use Halfords for a home tyre fitting service as you might regret it, being unable to go to my usual fitters I had to use them to fit 4 new tyres damage was done on 3 inner barrels also not being able to check work until after he left under the present lock in also I checked the pressures and only one was correct the others were way out so be warned.


I had two tyres fitted at a Halfords branch this week as they were the only place I could find with the tyres I wanted. Sensible precautions were in place, park up, leave your keys and then leave the building, no waiting on site, which meant walking around an industrial estate for 40 minutes but fair enough.

Normally when having tyres changed I would hand over the locking key personally so some oily oil doesn't have to root through my stuff but with things as they are I decided to remove the locking nuts in advance (replaced with normal wheel nuts of course) to make it even easier for them. Despite me telling them there were no locking nuts fitted I still came back to the car to find they'd been through the boot and the glove box and even left the contents strewn on the passenger seat, so spent the rest of the day re-cleaning my interior with anti-bac. The wheels they worked on were a mess with lots of rubber residue around the rim but I don't think they did any actual damage. Never again.

On the flip side I have picked up a click and collect from a store I was going to be passing today with no issues. Stores are generally ok if they have what you want, prices are like anywhere else, some are cheaper some are higher. There own brand Advanced tools are also very good and come with a lifetime warranty. I do think they overcharge for fitting stuff like wipers and bulbs but some people are happy to pay that rather than do it themselves.


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## Soul boy 68 (Sep 8, 2013)

I’ve never had any problems with Halfords, always had what I wanted with fair prices.


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## BrummyPete (Jun 10, 2010)

My local halfords is great, had a couple of cars Mot done there and also had tyres fitted, like most places there are good and bad


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## -Kev- (Oct 30, 2007)

Kerr said:


> Bike shops and motor factors are allowed to stay open. Halfords extend that further to sell non-essential items too.
> 
> Other shops have restricted sales to either must have items or to key workers only.


Yep, i work for sc motor factors and we're currently closed to the public and serving account customers and key workers only. The number of people calling and trying it on basically saying their aunts cousin is a nurse etc is comical, even more so when you consider that in alot of cases they could order what they need online for delivery


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## Y25dps (Mar 31, 2020)

-Kev- said:


> Yep, i work for sc motor factors and we're currently closed to the public and serving account customers and key workers only. The number of people calling and trying it on basically saying their aunts cousin is a nurse etc is comical, even more so when you consider that in alot of cases they could order what they need online for delivery


:lol: whoppers, luckily i can get parts through work.


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## sevenfourate (Mar 23, 2013)

My local Halfords is getting better. But in the past has been worse than useless. Primarily i suspect because the average employee age at one time was about 12 1/2; and with all the life experience, common sense and skills that brings.

BUT; in my local store of late - i've seen much less of this. Some of the Detailing stuff in particular is way more specialised; and some of the pricing is pretty good considering the ground rent, wages etc a big box store must incur.


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## Alex_225 (Feb 7, 2008)

I'll be honest, I've never had an issue with Halfords at all. I've bought all sorts from them over the years and the Advanced range of tools are perfectly good for someone with my ape like mechanical skills. 

Also, from our perspective they have a perfectly reasonable selection of detailing gear and the prices aren't really any different to prices online. Lets face it, many of of us will have at least a few Autoglym or Meguiars products in their arsenal of detailing gear. I have plenty. 

I think you have to be subjective. Not every person who works in Halfords is going to be into cars, I'm sure many see it as a general retail job. You would expect someone working there to have additional knowledge of course but you just have to be realistic.


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## c87reed (Dec 9, 2015)

Always done alright with Halfords. A few years ago I bought some ratchet spanners. They were unopened in the pack but I'd had them a few months. I ended up inheriting a new identical set. When I approached Halfords they allowed me to return the set that I'd purchased for a refund which I thought was good of them.

Trade card is great for some things too.


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## Y25dps (Mar 31, 2020)

c87reed said:


> Always done alright with Halfords. A few years ago I bought some ratchet spanners. They were unopened in the pack but I'd had them a few months. I ended up inheriting a new identical set. When I approached Halfords they allowed me to return the set that I'd purchased for a refund which I thought was good of them.
> 
> Trade card is great for some things too.


Funny you should mention the trade card thing, one of the lads at work mentioned this and said "have you not got 1?". I did'nt even no there was such a thing


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## Andyblue (Jun 20, 2017)

My local 2 stores are great, 9 times out of 10 they have in want I'm after and are helpful and friendly staff, quite knowledgeable too :thumb:


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## c87reed (Dec 9, 2015)

Y25dps said:


> Funny you should mention the trade card thing, one of the lads at work mentioned this and said "have you not got 1?". I did'nt even no there was such a thing


I've only had mine a couple of years. I would have qualified years ago but never even knew or bothered to check it out properly. I used it to buy a couple of CTEK chargers recently and it made them a great price.


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## garage_dweller (Apr 10, 2018)

Mcpx said:


> The wheels they worked on were a mess with lots of rubber residue around the rim.


Did you really expect the fitting lube to be cleaned off? Not something I would ever expect a tyre fitter to do.

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


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## The Cueball (Feb 8, 2007)

My local one is closed at the moment.

It doesn’t have enough staff at the best of times.

The last time I was in to collect some antifreeze, I ended up helping a woman with products and a method to cover up some light scratches and stone chips on her car...

:lol:


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## Rab W19 (May 17, 2017)

c87reed said:


> I've only had mine a couple of years. I would have qualified years ago but never even knew or bothered to check it out properly. I used it to buy a couple of CTEK chargers recently and it made them a great price.


Had mine a long time. I can get stuff from halford cheaper than shopping online most of the time now.


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## bidderman1969 (Oct 20, 2006)

nearly had a fight with an "alarm fitter" after they installed an alarm unit that fell off while i was driving, but it fell into the clutch and brake pedal area which i found to be quite dangerous, mate of mine had to drag me away from them :lol::lol::lol:

they've never worked on the car since, that was 1991 i believe :lol::lol:

still, can get what i need detailing wise from there what i need, as i keep getting vouchers for birthday and xmas, and as someone said, the pro/advanced tools are pretty good :thumb:


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## MattyMatt (Mar 21, 2014)

It's worth a mention that their range of tools is very good also. Particularly when you need a large size socket or spanner for a specific hub nut or similar, on a Sunday in the pi$$ing rain!

With a trade card, ££ even better.


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## shine247 (Mar 1, 2010)

MattyMatt said:


> It's worth a mention that their range of tools is very good also. Particularly when you need a large size socket or spanner for a specific hub nut or similar, on a Sunday in the pi$ rain!
> 
> With a trade card, ££ even better.


They are pretty decent, I have one of their sets which alone or combined with other tools has saved me a lot of hassle. Like you, I once needed a socket to remove a difficult injector, they had two sockets and offered to let me take both outside to see which was the best fit. Nowhere else could I get one on a Sunday. Prime was no use either as I could not be sure of the fit.


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## Tykebike (Mar 27, 2016)

Kerr said:


> Some towns have reported 200%+ increases in the amount of cyclists.
> 
> We're on the lookout for a new dog. I thought in this downtime that the demand for dogs would be low. Litters are selling out immediately for nice dogs.
> 
> People are looking for excuses to get out..


With great respect, please remember that a dog is for life not just in lockdown. I have concerns that people are buying dogs simply because they have started walking more but when lockdown ends they will return to the old normal and the time for the dog will be minimal - not good.
Hope you find the dog you are looking for and enjoy it just as much as we do ours.


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## Kerr (Mar 27, 2012)

Tykebike said:


> With great respect, please remember that a dog is for life not just in lockdown. I have concerns that people are buying dogs simply because they have started walking more but when lockdown ends they will return to the old normal and the time for the dog will be minimal - not good.
> Hope you find the dog you are looking for and enjoy it just as much as we do ours.


I missed this post. Believe me we are very responsible dog owners. Our last dog sadly had to be put to sleep at the ripe old age of 16. She was a recuse dog from just a few months old and had a great life.

I do agree that loads of people are getting dogs for the wrong reasons and won't last. We've not got one. Rescue centres aren't open, and the advice is responsible breeders shouldn't be breeding just now either. Then there is the prices.

My point of finding this thread is that it looks like Halfords stores are open again for browsing inside. I got an email yesterday.


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## Blackpaint (May 12, 2020)

Kerr said:


> I missed this post. Believe me we are very responsible dog owners. Our last dog sadly had to be put to sleep at the ripe old age of 16. She was a recuse dog from just a few months old and had a great life.
> 
> I do agree that loads of people are getting dogs for the wrong reasons and won't last. We've not got one. Rescue centres aren't open, and the advice is responsible breeders shouldn't be breeding just now either. Then there is the prices.
> 
> My point of finding this thread is that it looks like Halfords stores are open again for browsing inside. I got an email yesterday.


Hope you manage to find a doggo!

I have Always used Halfords. their 3 for 2 offers always bring good prices and their tool range is very good for the price.


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## Kerr (Mar 27, 2012)

I see Halfords will be closing 60 stores.


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## Fordbunny (May 15, 2019)

Hi All, Normally okay with Halfords but wasn't impressed when my mum went in last year and asked them for advice on removing some scratches on her Peugeot. She had slightly hit her garage door post and caused some damage to the passenger side door and wheel arch. The very nice main at Halfords - her words - sold her £15 quid`s worth of sandpaper! Then showed her how to remove the scratches with it. This she did at home and you can imagine the outcome. Bear in mind Mum is in her late 70`s. It took me nearly 2 hours of machine polishing to remove the worst of the damage! Turned out okay in the end but she upgraded to a new car a month later anyway.


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