How to find a good garageOur verdict on garages

'Consumers are being poorly served by the garage sector' - Nigel Wonnacott, SMMT

Getting your car serviced is still a hit-and-miss affair and we can really only advise you to choose a garage on a friend's recommendation.

There's a glimmer of hope from Bosch, with the only OFT-approved code of practice in the industry, but it governs only a few hundred garages.

Garage industry regulation

The Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT) says the industry is taking steps to self-regulate. But it will be more than a year before we see signs of progress, if the OFT approves the industry's code.

Based on predicted take-up, this still leaves most of the UK's 26,000 garages with little regulation. Wider action is needed to sort out the rogues.

Our study shows a generally lax approach to servicing, unacceptable basic errors or omissions and cases of plain ineptitude across the industry. There's no discernible difference in standards between franchised garages and independents, although independents are considerably cheaper and often more conveniently located.

Few of the garages we looked at belonged to trade bodies or followed formal codes of practice. The lack of regulation shows in the poor standards we found.

New garage code

Nigel Wonnacott of the SMMT agrees things aren't good enough: ‘Consumers are being poorly served by the garage sector,' he told us. ‘Your survey is very timely. Garages need to be encouraged to improve their service to the public.' The SMMT is working with industry partners to gain approval for a new code of conduct.

The Motor Industry Service and Repair Code is being developed as a direct response to concerns raised by the National Consumer Council (NCC). This follows the NCC's threat to bring the industry to book by submitting a supercomplaint to the OFT.

Nigel Wonnacott told us around 6,000 outlets were interested in signing up to the code but couldn't say when the scheme would get full OFT approval, which may be sought at the end of 2007 or even later. Every garage that signs up will be subject to a ‘compliance visit' once every 2 years. If formal complaints are received, this period is shortened.

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Slow progress

We asked the NCC for its view on our results and the progress of the SMMT-led code. Steve Brooker, Senior Policy Advocate at NCC, told us: ‘It doesn't surprise me that problems still remain.

'While progress to achieve an OFT-approved code of practice has been slower than we would have hoped, the sector is now close to achieving this. If the code succeeds in making a real difference to consumers, it will have been worth the wait.'

He estimates it will take around a year of the scheme being monitored in practice before it can gain full OFT approval.

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