Rear wheel rubbing

[PpPete]

indeed it ought to last longer than a month. But since it came from Halfrauds it should be returned there immediately.... and don't let them fob you off with "wear & tear" stories. It is there responsibility to sort it out.

 

[screenman]

Miffy, I would say badly adjusted bearings, or possibly a snapped axle which is less likely but not unheard of.

 

[snorri]

You see that PpPete fellow? Him speak good sense.

 

[deptfordmarmoset]

Miffy, I would say badly adjusted bearings, or possibly a snapped axle which is less likely but not unheard of.

Loose bearings was my first thought. It would explain the play in the wheel and possibly the clunking. But would it sound like it was rubbing?

 

[screenman]

Would do if it was extremely lose or broken, as in rubbing on the frame or brakes.

 

[lukesdad]

Is the wheel seated in the dropout squarely ?

 

[Miffy]

Is the wheel seated in the dropout squarely ?

I'm not even sure what that means
Its pretty frustrating not knowing much about this stuff because it does leave you open to be fobbed off and i'm not sure I trust Halfords after what i've read on this site .
Anyway, my friend took it back to them today (unfortunately I couldn't accompany her) but they basically said "yeah it will rub a bit" , they pushed the plastic protector around a bit (so it would seem they agree that is whats causing the rubbing noise), didn't replace remove or repair it - and declared that the rubbing would not be a problem because it wasn't stopping the wheel (looked like it was to me - and won't it make pedalling harder work if thats rubbing on the cogs when the wheel is turning?) As for the gearing problems apparently they tightened up a few things and said "if we change one of them we'll have to change them all" whatever that means so they didn't do anything about the bad gear shifting- its still bad. I know ranting on here isn't going to fix this bike but it does make me feel better!
Thanks all for the help, i'll go up with her next time and throw some of those phrases around, see what happens!

 

[snorri]

"yeah it will rub a bit" , they pushed the plastic protector around a bit (so it would seem they agree that is whats causing the rubbing noise), didn't replace remove or repair it - and declared that the rubbing would not be a problem because it wasn't stopping the wheel (looked like it was to me - and won't it make pedalling harder work if thats rubbing on the cogs when the wheel is turning?)

As screenman said in post 11, the plastic bit, the rear wheel and the big cog will all be revolving together when you are pedalling, so it is difficult to understand the comment of the "mechanic". It seems unlikely the disc has anything to do with the problem.
Regarding the gears, it is sometimes true that when one component needs replaced, the other bits are best changed as well. If that is what it takes, then the job has to be done, a bike with bad gear changes is next to useless and it won't get any better on its own!
If the bike is still new or under guarantee a return trip to the shop is called for asap. if not covered by guarantee, you may just have to take the loss and go to a lbs(local bike shop) where the staff know their stuff.