Guide to getting a good garage
Cars are a necessity for the majority of people nowadays to get
to work, to get the children to school, or to do the weekly trip
to the supermarket. To keep legal on the roads, you must have
motor insurance, car tax, and MOT, as well as ensuring your car
is regularly serviced.
Most people don't want to spend more than they have to on their
car, so sensible car owners do their best to keep the cost of
their car to a minimum by buying cheap car insurance, keeping
their fuel usage down, and keeping their car well maintained.
However, when it comes to servicing, most car owners could be
paying well over the odds for the work that is being carried out
(or even for work that isn't carried out at all). Many motorists
do not have any mechanical knowledge, and entrust their cars to
the garage in good faith that the necessary work will be carried
out at a reasonable price.
In a Which? survey of 2004, the failings of many English garages
were brought to light, with the majority given a "poor" rating.
In the research, it was found that 67% of garages failed to spot
common faults, whilst 23% carried out unnecessary work on
vehicles.
So how should you go about finding a good garage? Here are some
tips for getting a good service from a good garage:
get friends who are knowledge about cars and servicing to
recommend a garage
check the local press for any garages that have received praise
or awards
ask several garages for a free inspection and free written
quotation inclusive of VAT, and compare prices (remember that a
quotation will give you the exact amount it will cost, whereas
an estimate is just a rough guide and can change)
remember that a cheap garage might look good in the short term,
but if they are using low quality parts, they are likely to wear
out quicker and need replacing again
consider that high labour rates might look bad, but it is better
to be sure your car has proper attention paid to it than someone
who does a cheap but poor job
visit garage premises and check that they are neat and tidy, and
that it is an established business
make sure the garage are happy to show you any parts they have
replaced after the sevice
make sure the garage will call you if any extra work that will
cost you more needs to be carried out
The Retail Motor Industry Federation (RMI) is a leading trade
organisation that has membership of many garages across the UK.
If a garage is a member of the RMI it means that they should be
working to the Code of Practice laid down by the RMI. Find out
more about their Code of Practice at www.rmif.co.uk.
However, the Which? study found that membership of the RMI did
not mean that the customer would necessarily get a good service,
but one which was on par with a service at a franchise garage
and on average better than at an independent garage without RMI
membership. Also, the cost of servicing was around