Air-CON! Kwik Fit mechanics 'try to charge student £600 to fix air conditioning her Citroën C1 does not even have'

A bemused student was quoted £685 to fix an air conditioning unit which her car does not even have.

Stevie Stowell says she was told by technicians at Kwik Fit Plus in Brighton she would have to fix the air conditioning in her car after a warning light flashed up on her dashboard.

But when her father got a second opinion, he found out the Citroën C1 his 19-year-old was driving did not even have any air con. 

Ms Stowell, a student from Brighton, said: 'The stop light on my dashboard was telling me something was wrong, so I took it to the nearest garage to get it checked.

'I have no knowledge of cars, so I just trusted that they'd got it right when they said I needed to pay to get the air conditioning fixed.

'I was so upset when I heard. I don't have that kind of money. I'm a student with a part-time job at Topshop.'

Ms Stowell said the £50 diagnostics fee she was charged was a quarter of her monthly wage.

She added: 'I felt helpless. I was wiping the tears off my face. That car is my lifeline.'

Her father then suggested she take the car to another garage for a second opinion.

Another inspection revealed the bearing on the internal water pump had worn out  but there was no air conditioning installed.

The total bill to run the test and fix the damage came to £450.

Ms Stowell added: 'I was so relieved. If it had happened during my mid-term exams, I don't even know what effect it would have had on me.'

Her father Dean Stowell, 45, a taxi driver, said: 'When she was told how much she would have to pay she burst into tears.

'I tried to console her. I was at Piccadilly Circus at the time, but I took the rest of the day off to come and pick her up because she was in a right state. She thought her car was kaputt.'

Kwik Fit has now reimbursed Ms Stowell the £50 fee it charged her for the diagnostics test and Mr Stowell said the branch manager apologised to him for the error.

A Kwik Fit spokesman said: 'This was a genuine mistake for which we fully apologise.

'We made a misdiagnosis which led to incorrect information and a wrong quote being given to Ms Stowell.

'Unfortunately it was not picked up when we got a price for the part from our supplier - it would usually be flagged if a particular vehicle doesn't require the part in question.

'Clearly if we had started the work we would have quickly seen that it was not an air conditioning issue, and would have provided the right advice.

'However, we understand that this is of little comfort after the event, which is why we apologise to Miss Stowell and have refunded the cost of the diagnostic test.'