Halfords Autocentre Strood (formerly National)

Station Road, Strood, Kent ME2 4BA UK Phone: 01634 715 710 The 49 point Interim Service is designed for the high mileage car user (regularly exceeding 2,000 miles a month), or vehicles which require frequent checks. Our ATA-trained technicians will test all of the main moving parts that may need attention over a short period of time. Book a free brake check and we will check the condition of your brake pads, shoes and discs and advise if any replacement is required. Why not sign up to Brakes4Life - you pay for the first set of pads and shoes and then the rest are free for as long as you own a vehicle!

Alex Walter
1 Star
Miss-information on the website! Typical garage trying to get money out of you. I had booked in a free repair check as my car has started making a noise which I have no idea about. The website states the below.... "If you have a worrying noise or a problem that you can`t identify, then our free repairs check can help put your mind at ease. We will inspect the car for any mechanical faults, carry out a road test and recommend any necessary repairs." THIS IS A LIE. They advised me immediately, without looking at the car that they would complete a diagnostic to see what the problem was which cost around £50. They said they would do a visual check to see if there is a problem but nothing more and would need to run a diagnostic..............IVE JUST DONE A VISUAL CHECK MYSELF, THATS WHY IM HERE!! I even showed the guy on the front desk the text above on what was shown on the website and his response was "yeah they probably need to change that wording" Brilliant...thanks for the wasted trip. Useless! UPDATE: I have also received the following response from the manager of this centre stating: "Hi Alex, the website does state that a diagnostic check would carry a small charge. Here is the information on our website: Diagnostics - We will check your vehicle’s dashboard for any warning lights. Where a warning light is present we will advise that one of our technicians carries out a diagnostic check using our specialist diagnostic equipment. This service would normally carry a small charge but would be discussed with you before any further investigations took place." Which also goes to show they havnt read my review at all. It says they will check my engines dashboard for any warning lights and if a warning light is showing, suggest a diagnostic.........again, no checks were completed, just straight to the diagnostic, they wouldnt even have known which car was mine as they didn't bother getting up to look, just straight to a diagnostic.!
Tuesday 18th July 2023

David Haines
5 Star
Friendly welcome both on the phone when enquiring about tyre availability, tyres ordered for me no problem, and on arrival at garage. Booked in for fitting, car taken in on time, work done in suggested time frame. Quick, easy efficient. Great service all round.
Sunday 28th May 2023

Chris Coughlan
1 Star
Please note that this review is not directed at any member of staff on the premises at the Strood branch of Halford Autocentre, but at the company Yesterday evening booked my car in for a headlight alignment at the Strood autocentre. This was not my closest autocentre, but had an available timeslot at 10am the following day. I arrived promptly and entered the reception area where I spoke with the assistant and showed him my booking confirmation email. The assistant advised me that the Strood autocentre that I had booked with did not offer headlight adjustment as they were not suitably equipped with a beam-setter. Obviously somewhat unhappy with this response, I asked why the Halfords website was offering services and taking payments for services that they cannot offer at these premises. He advised that this particular autocentre had just been taken over by yourselves from another franchise and simply did not have the equipment to complete my booking. My issue is that as your website is offering services that you're unable to complete. This has not only wasted 90 minutes of my time, but also wasted 48 miles of fuel. I emailed Halfords customer services regarding this concern prior to leaving an online review. I received an apology and confirmation that my refund was on its way. I personally feel that a goodwill gesture of a free headlight adjustment (£15 value) would have made made me feel like this was taken seriously and I was compensated for my wasted time. Overall my experience with Halfords Autocentre has been poor.
Monday 17th April 2023

Lewis Sears
1 Star
Shocking customer service I booked my car in for a major service and payed for them to pick up and return. Should have been between 7-8 8:35 they finally bring my car back at 6pm that day with whole long list of things that apparently need doing the ie a timing belt at £700. Even though the car had a new kit done 4 months prior. 2 rear tires even though they were 6 months old with 4k miles a fuel filter that was apparently part of the service. AVOID!!!!
Monday 27th March 2023

Colin Spark
5 Star
Very helpful even though they couldn't do my wheel alignment, they gave me details of where to go. They also took the trouble to point out another issue under the car, totally unrelated to my booking.
Friday 28th April 2023