Formula One Autocentres Reviews 

518
TrustScore 2 out of 5

2.1

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Review summary

Created with AI, based on recent reviews

Evaluating 58 reviews, most reviewers were unhappy with their experience overall. Customers frequently complained about unexpected extra costs, poor communication, and excessively long waiting times during their garage visits. Many people also experienced frustrating issues with vehicle repairs, poor workmanship, unexpected vehicle damage, and unhelpful staff members who completely refused to listen or offer any genuine help. Some reviewers were satisfied with the professional service, finding the staff polite, highly accommodating, and efficient when handling previously booked appointments. Consumers also deeply appreciated clear pricing explanations, friendly personal interactions, and quick assistance during routine maintenance tasks like tyre replacements and standard vehicle checks.

What people talk about most

Service

Reviewers highlight ambiguous aspects of service, with experiences varying widely among consumers. While some... See more

Staff

Clients share ambiguous opinions on staff, reflecting a high level of disagreement in their experiences.... See more

Product

People report negative experiences with product purchases and installations. Reviewers frequently express... See more

Price

Users describe ambiguous interactions with price, noting both positive and negative experiences regarding... See more

Customer service

Reviewers mention negative feedback about customer service, highlighting widespread frustration and poor... See more

Reviews shaping this summary

Rated 2 out of 5 stars

Although the repair has finished . after 6 weeks of sourcing parts that the garage said they could not get Content ringing and going in person to the garage The lack of communication from the... See more

Rated 2 out of 5 stars

Bought tyres via tyre leader delivered to F1 in burton. Tyre leader advertise £14 per tyre fitting at F1, nothing was said to me until they presented me with a £50 bill for fitting 2 tyres! When I que... See more

Rated 2 out of 5 stars

I had a new tyre fitted at Formula one Shrewsbury. I was impressed when I saw my car draw up, and the driver take the temporary seat protector off the drivers seat. But when I drove my car my hands... See more

Rated 2 out of 5 stars

Car failed MOT on Saturday. Asked garage to order the part which they agreed to do. Arrived today and told that they have not ordered it, and said car wont be ready until this afternoon. Additional... See more


Company details

  1. Vehicles & Transportation

Information provided by various external sources

The UK’s leading autocentre group with over 100 locations. Book online today. Cheap Tyres, MOTs, Servicing, Exhausts, Clutches, Brakes, Shocks & Batteries.


Contact info

2.1

Poor

TrustScore 2 out of 5

518 reviews

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1-star

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2.1

All reviews

(518)

60 reviews in the last 12 months

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Rated 1 out of 5 stars

Had the car for over 3 weeks to fix a…

Had the car for over 3 weeks to fix a clutch in the run up to Christmas. Told us every day from 2 weeks in that it would be ready tomorrow and it wasn't. Terrible customer service and communication, have used this garage for years now with 2 cars in the house and won't ever be back again. Left us in a really difficult situation before Christmas wish we had never gone to this garage.

December 23, 2022
Unprompted review
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Rated 5 out of 5 stars

Brilliant, helpful team of mechanics!

Grantham Autocentre were extremely helpful to us yesterday and got us out of a difficult situation. The calipers had seized on one of the front wheels and we were stuck slap bang in the middle of a long journey. Green flag were less than useless at ferrying us onward so we went to search out a garage. Last one on the list was Formula one, who went out of their way to fit us in at late notice, were polite and friendly and did a cracking repair job on our vehicle allowing us to get on to our destination that day. We even had a lovely warm, comfortable waiting room with a loo and a tv. Thanks to Gary and the team for going above and beyond the call of duty for us! Merry Christmas .

December 22, 2022
Unprompted review
Rated 2 out of 5 stars

I am disappointed with this workshop…

I am disappointed with this workshop after repairing the suspension, the steering wheel is in the wrong position. The interior of the car is dirty missing original shock absorber plugs I have to spend my time and go for repairs generally I do not recommend this workshop in Telford

November 18, 2022
Unprompted review
Rated 1 out of 5 stars

Cheapest isn't always best.

4 Avon tyres fitted at Andover Hampshire Good Price, however informed that both front wheels/tyres had bead leak that I needed to keep an eye on them. Informed there was a National Bead Sealer shortage due to Ukraine. (thought I was being fed a line at the time) Left with car indicating low tyre pressure. Checked all four tyres when I got home pressures ranged from 27.5 - 31psi when they should have been 33psi all round.!!!! Got both front wheels/tyres looked at by an independent tyre company (Mr Tyres) who sorted the issue out by grinding beads and used bead sealer to seal the tyre (informed there is no National bead sealer shortage). 1 week on and No Issues. Not impressed with F1 Autocentre service. Cheapest may not always be best, the money I saved initially was taken back getting then sorted with the second tyre company - lesson learnt.

October 26, 2022
Unprompted review
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Rated 5 out of 5 stars

Camberley Formula One Autocentre

Went to the Camberley centre today with a nail through the tyre. Whilst I had no appointment the chap at the desk looked at the damage and confirmed it could be repaired. A young lady then set about the task of repair very efficiently, and clearly enjoyed her job, and was very thorough and professional. Throughout my time there, both the team were friendly and very helpful. I have no hesitation in recommending them.

October 30, 2022
Unprompted review
Rated 1 out of 5 stars

Autonot,

Book my car in for mot, and full service. For 9am.my car Was only ready at 5-45.so they Said. But it still had a light litup on my dash. He said that it was a bulb in my rear fog light what was not working. So he said can you come back tomorrow and he will put in a new bulb so I dropped my car off at the garage.. at 9am went into work called back at 3pm, guess what not been done, well done Formula ONE,......

October 20, 2022
Unprompted review
Rated 1 out of 5 stars

Had middle exhaust fitted

Had middle exhaust fitted, didn't fit properly,mechanic, hit pipe with plastic mallet,bent it,also,2 days later it started blowing,took it back, put bit of exhaust putty on,went around the corner it dropped,aggravating front manifold,started blowing from there,telephoned,Stoke on Trent branch,manager kept putting it off saying he didn't have the staff to look at it, I said we've already paid you,£204 , I took it down at,10,30 he said, he'd look at it, I telephoned him at,3,15 ,they hadn't even looked at the fault they created,can I get a refund,taking the p,ss

October 22, 2022
Unprompted review
Rated 5 out of 5 stars

Guildford branch.

Guildford branch.
I had a flat tyre and Dave dealt with the situation quickly and efficiently.
Fortunately they had the tyre I needed but I was only there for 30 minutes.Would recommend this centre.

October 20, 2022
Unprompted review
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Rated 5 out of 5 stars

MOT Pass

Great service from the team at the Salisbury branch. Passed MOT after Halfords in Southampton Rd cancelled my appointment. I know where I’ll be going next year. Thanks again.

October 19, 2022
Unprompted review
Rated 1 out of 5 stars

Absolutely shocking

Absolutely shocking
Booked In online for a gas refill on air con which by the way was very straight forwards and easy to complete..
Got to garage in Long Eaton Tamworth road… Told bloke behind the till I was here for the refill showed him online receipt, he scratched his beard and shook his head ..
No mate you’re not booked in here .. so again i showed him all the information I had .. Lol they do it all the time mate he said , they book ya in online and never tell us .. I’ve not got a gas technician in today.. all you can do is drive 10 miles into Nottingham they have one there ..
Well as you can imagine driving 7 miles to the garage already and being told this I was furious .. the bloke then began to tell me it was somehow my fault .. apparently I should of rang the garage directly.. booking online is obviously something that hasn’t reached long Eaton yet …. ITS THERE ONLINE BOOKING SERVICE
He would not give me a refund telling me it would have to be done online .
So this has cost me half a day of work A seven mile drive to the garage for this ..
There’s a saying BUY CHEAP BUY TWICE .. And that’s exactly what I’ve fallen for .. on way back home dropped into KAM garage. Bloke come out sorted it out for me in under 30 minutes.. yes it did cost me £7 more but boy was it worth it ..
All in all it’s probably the worst customer experience I’ve ever had ..
WARNING TO EVERYONE BOOKING ONLINE ….
XXXX CHECK BEFORE YOU GO XXXX
I will never be using this shocking garage ever again and giving them one star ⭐️ is to much for this cowboy outfit
Date of experience: 18 October 2022

October 18, 2022
Unprompted review
Rated 1 out of 5 stars

wheal loose after one week

I have used this company for my tyres, very friendly, and competitive, I have recommended to my friends.
In August I had two front tyres fitted to my van.
After about a week there was a noise at the front of the van, I called a mechanic, and he jacked the van and found that one of the wheels had come loose. I got in touch with customer service,3 times, and they said they would look into it .It is now 6 weeks nobody has had the decency to get back to me. one of their staff said that I should have had my wheels checked after 3 days,

September 2, 2022
Unprompted review
Rated 1 out of 5 stars

Formula One Autocentres in Cray Avenue, Orpington

I have for the 5th time had an appointment cancelled by Formula One Autocentres, Cray Avenue, Orpington. I was fitted on 21st September, one new Good Year tyre which has a slow puncture. I now have 2 tyres with punctures and 5 times broken appointments. Five excuses, two blaming faulty equipment and three shortage of staff.  Appalling.

October 17, 2022
Unprompted review
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Rated 1 out of 5 stars

Ashford Branch

Booked and paid for MOT for a Saturday appointment almost three weeks in advance just to find out a day before that it can't be fitted in and needs rescheduling. And by phoning the branch myself to check that all is still on track..

October 7, 2022
Unprompted review
Rated 1 out of 5 stars

Went to the Maidstone branch service…

Went to the Maidstone branch service was appalling I heard more swearing than general chat from the staff and was charged £100 more than the quote without being notified stay away from them and find a professional garage with customer service

October 6, 2022
Unprompted review
Rated 1 out of 5 stars

APPAULING ENFIELD BRANCH

ENFIELD BRANCH
AVOID THIS BRANCH, FAULT CAUSED BY THEM ON THEIR RAMPWAS WRONGLY DIAGNOSED, NO OFFER TO INVESTIGATE/FIX OR EVEN AN APOLOGY & ALLOWED TO DRIVE ON M25 WITH DANGEROUS FAULT PLUS £1000 TO REPLACE HE BROKEN PART
Booked my car in for MOT as the garage I usually use could not do it as their machine had broken. Very smarmy attitude when I went in, I dont appreciate the 'thanks love' as demeaning & unproffessional. The car was serviced 2 days before with no problems, however while it was on their ramp it developed a 'radiator leak'! The mechanic still passed it as it was not part of the test and told me it was ok to drive home when I questioned it. When I took it back to my mechanic on my way home the he showed me problem immediately, it was not the radiator at all but the pipe leading to & connected to the turbo, replacement part/labour about £1000! He also advised that it should not have been driven the 12 miles home with a leaking pipe going into the turbo and especially not on the M25. He advised that the damage was caused by Formula 1 Autocentres when they did the emmissions test as they are suppossed to heat the engine up carefully to do the test, if done incorrectly it can cause the above issue.
I called their complaints dept, was told to ring the branch & fill in a form. Branch Manager was very rude & uninterested and was talking over me, just said that while their mechanic was doing MOT's he was working for the DVLA not formula 1 so not their issue. With customer service like this, dangerous mechanics & uninterested management I will not be returning.

September 21, 2022
Unprompted review
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Rated 1 out of 5 stars

Dunstable Branch/Regional Manager - Complaint Ignored

My vehicle was booked into the branch to look at a tyre issue I had. At 10 am I dropped my vehicle off as requested to be told that my vehicle wouldn’t be looked at until 3 pm that afternoon. I left my vehicle there and was told I would get a call. At 4:50 pm I had heard nothing from the branch so I called only to be told that they were just about to call me as could they not find my locking wheel nut (The branch closes at 5 o’clock) all they could find was the bag in the glove compartment where the locking wheel nut is kept, but no locking wheel nut. I told the member of staff I was on my way as I was not best pleased. They’d had my car all day! Low and behold once I got to the branch they were closed..

Everything was locked up, not a member of staff on site despite me advising that I was on my way down. And they still had my key for my vehicle.

Thank God I had the insight to bring my spare key! My vehicle was parked at the back of the branch so no handover, just left there.

I returned the following day once the branch was open to collect my key and spoke to the same member of staff who booked my car in about the situation. No joy, no locking wheel nut (lost by the branch) no customer service!

I wrote an email of complaint, had a response from the regional manager Craig English 22nd September who called once however I was in a meeting so I missed the call but he sent an email to say he would call the very next day so I held out some hope that the situation would be resolved somewhat. No callback despite yet another email advising me that the regional manager would call again. I emailed Craig directly twice as to when to expect a call..no response and to be honest I believe I have been ignored hoping this problem will go away.This company pride themselves on the below statement ..
“ As a family owned business we pride ourselves on providing the highest level of customer service and workmanship”

An absolute joke if even the Regional Manager fobs you off!

Avoid at all costs !!

September 17, 2022
Unprompted review
Rated 5 out of 5 stars

SIMPLY THE BEST

SIMPLY THE BEST
ANDREW JONES & AMY WERE BRILLIANT.
WILL DEFINITELY USE FORMULA ONE IN FUTURE.
SPOT ON FOR THESE HARD TIME.
FROM MR AUBREY DUNN

September 27, 2022
Unprompted review
Rated 3 out of 5 stars

Expensive new tyre!

My car was taken to the Newport Pagnell branch yesterday by my insurers recovery company due to a flat tyre. I was quoted about £90 initially for a replacement then I was taken into the workshop area by a polite young man who showed me a screen full of numbers which represented the alignment of my tyres in millimetres. He proceeded to tell me how unaligned three of my tyres were and that that could be corrected for an additional cost. I was told this would mean less stress on the suspension and avoid uneven wear on the tyres. When faced with that kind of information you feel cornered and obliged to say yes go ahead and fix that, which i did. The same young man then appeared a short while later telling me the work was completed and (at no extra cost) he had made a couple of other adjustments that he just wanted to do because he could which I immediately felt slightly uncomfortable with, feeling it was perhaps a well honed sales technique used to engender trust and to make you forget about the already inflated cost of the repair if they are throwing in additional work for free. A day later I feel as though I was conned and for them that was so easy to do as showing your average person a screen full of diagnostic data means you have to trust what you are being told. Everyone was polite and friendly but the experience made me feel uncomfortable and vulnerable and leaving having paid a bill of £183, I won’t be going back there.

September 24, 2022
Unprompted review

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