Halfords deals

If you're heading off on any long car journeys – and even if you're not – it could be worth getting your car checked over. Drive to any Halfords* store or Halfords Autocentre (find your nearest*), and you can ask for a free six-point summer car check. It's available until September, at which point Halfords' winter car checks become available.

Halfords values it at about £15 and it's available in 700+ locations nationwide.

What's covered by the Halfords car check?

• Battery 
• Light bulbs 
• Windscreen wipers
• Oil levels 
• Screenwash levels (topped up for free)
• Air conditioning
   

Halfords says it'll take 15 minutes and you don't need to book in advance – just turn up and speak to a member of staff. You can make an advance booking at Halfords stores* or Halfords Autocentre if you'd prefer, however. Be warned... they may try to sell to you, but there's no obligation to buy anything or act on any advice you're given. These checks are completely free.

Keep up the frugal motoring lifestyle with our cheap car insurance guide.

Halfords is offering a free bicycle safety check at all of its stores (find your nearest*). There's no need to book - simply pop along with your bike and ask a member of staff for a free bike check, which shouldn't take more than 10-15 minutes and covers all of the following:

• Handlebars
• Wheels/tyres
• Gears/chain
• Brakes
• Saddle
   

Obviously, it's no coincidence Halfords is doing these checks when it also sells bike parts and cycling accessories. Staff might try to upsell you (eg, new tyres, saddle etc), but there's no obligation to act on any advice you're given, or to buy anything.

There are always ways to save money at Halfords*, so even if there isn't a cracking deal out there that works for you, don't assume you can't cut your costs further. 

Ways to save include:

• Free Click & Collect. Standard delivery's free at Halfords, but only when you spend £30 or more. If you're spending less, delivery's £2.99 - but you can avoid paying this by collecting your order from a Halfords store for free (find your nearest*).
   
• Check for offers. See the Halfords offers page* to find seasonal offers and sales throughout the year. Of course, we'll feature the broader discounts, but you may find a slightly more niche offer on the Halfords page that works for what you're buying.
   
• Try haggling. We polled 1,400 MoneySavers to find out in which shops hagglers have most success. Lots of high street retailers are known to give discounts to customers who ask, so it's always worth a punt. For more haggling tips, see our Haggle on the High Street guide.
   
• Check similar retailers. If you're not committed to buying from Halfords, check for deals from other stores such as Argos, Tesco Direct or Millets, where you may find there's a better deal.
   
• Want more? Find out more shopping tricks in our Shopping Secrets guide.
   
• Had a problem with Halfords? There's a free online tool you can use to draft, manage and if necessary escalate a complaint. It's called Resolver, and we like it so much we work with it to help people get complaints justice - you can use it to complain to Halfords*.

If you spot any hot deals we've missed (we're only human!), let us know on Twitter @MSE_Deals, on Facebook or by emailing us at msedeals@moneysavingexpert.com.

Earlier this year, Halfords offered a free MOT* (norm up to £54.85) at its 300+ Autocentres in England, Scotland and Wales when you bought anything from a Halfords retail store or online by Sun 14 Oct.

While the chance to get a voucher code has now ended, if you got one during the promotional period, you have until 31 Oct 2019 to claim the free MOT – so below is information on how to claim.

With any MOT, before you go, read our checklist of the most common MOT failures and how to beat them. Also, see how to get a free annual MOT reminder.

How to get the 'free' MOT

If you've got your free MOT voucher code, you can only book your 'free' MOT online – visit this Halfords Autocentre MOT page and add an MOT to your basket. Enter your voucher code during the checkout process. You can book an MOT until 31 Oct 2019, depending on availability at your nearest Autocentre.

Are Halfords MOTs any good?

Like any nationwide chain, there is good and bad feedback, but at least being a biggie it gives you more avenues if something goes wrong, and you can use the free Resolver complaints tool to help, if it gets bad.

Where there are complaints about MOTs in general, they tend to be around whether garages try to push their own repairs. But if your vehicle has a dangerous fault, by law, you won't be allowed to drive it away and will have to have it repaired at the specific garage, or towed elsewhere – see how MOT rules have changed.

If unsure about using any garage, it can be safest to go to a council test centre, as they generally don't do repairs so there's little vested interest to fail you in the hope you'll spend. But because you may not always be able to drive away if there’s a big problem with your motor, there’s a small risk going to council centres.