I took my car into Kingsteignton Halfords for a free MOT. The car which is 5 years old and has only 37,000 miles on the clock was in perfect working order prior to my doing so and exhibited no evidence to suggest the cooling system may in anyway be compromised, being described as “clean as a whistle” by one of the Halfords mechanic’s. Upon returning to the garage I was told the car had failed its MOT due to a “catastrophic failure of the cooling system”. Coolant could be seen pouring from the underside of the car. This certainly hadn’t been the case prior to my leaving the car in Halfords care. When asked what may be the cause of the problem it was suggested “the thermostat casing may have cracked”. I was also told the car could not be driven any distance due to the extent of the leak. Shocked and understandably anxious to have the car repaired I was advised labour costs were £70 per hour. Fortunately, my own trusted and affordable garage is located, not far away, on the Brunel Trading Estate. Upon investigation they found the radiator hose had been sliced, suggesting this appeared to have been done with a knife. Sadly, I have no means of proving this and Halfords refuse to admit liability or pay the modest bill incurred for the work required to repair the hose which was otherwise in excellent condition with no sign of ware or tear. Would that I could uploaded a photograph of the damaged radiator hose in order that you, the reader, were able to formulate your own opinion and conclusion.