Local garages are better

Thousands of motorists are being ripped off when they get their cars serviced a special investigation by What Car? has found.

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Thousands of motorists are being ripped off when they get their cars serviced. The shock findings of a special investigation by What Car?, to be published in the November issue on the shelves from October 5, reveal that buyers could be better off sticking to local garages than paying top-dollar at manufacturer-approved main dealers.

What Car? conducted a nationwide undercover investigation, dispatching qualified vehicle inspectors to locations across the UK to see which type of garages performed best in real-world tests. Examiners turned up at garages with cars that had been doctored with seven deliberate defects – to see if the mechanics could identify and fix the faults. The results make surprising reading.

Independent, often family-run, garages did best in our investigation, spotting 93% of deliberate faults on test cars. Seven of the 10 independent garages we visited identified and fixed every defect.

Main dealers – branded garages representing manufacturers (for example Ford or Toyota) – lagged behind. Despite usually being more expensive than independents, the standard of service was worse. They spotted only 83% of deliberate faults – missing a worrying 17% of defects. One Toyota dealer in Edinburgh (Western Toyota, Whitecraig) even failed to spot the low, and potentially dangerous, brake fluid level.

Last and definitely least were Britain’s fast-fit centres, the type of drop-in garages that used to specialise in tyres and exhausts, but now offer full servicing, too. They missed more than a fifth – 21% – of the faults. More than half the outlets under scrutiny failed to spot at least one fault. One AA centre in Scotland returned the car with every single defect still present, after agreeing to service the car but then performing (and billing for) a simple oil change.

The research is published as plans to raise industry standards through new codes of conduct, approved by the Office of Fair Trading (OFT), are in disarray. The Retail Motor Industry Federation (RMI) and Scottish Motor Trade Association (SMTA) have abandoned plans to have their CarWise scheme approved by the OFT, although the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders has obtained approval for its New Car Code of Practice.

What Car? magazine’s editor, David Motton, said: ‘We were shocked by our findings. When your car is serviced, you should expect the job to be done to a high standard. This is not happening. We’re also very disappointed the Government-backed CarWise scheme has fallen by the wayside. If you buy a car on credit, the finance company must be licensed with the Government – so why shouldn’t garages be properly regulated? Getting your car serviced properly can make the difference between driving a safe car and one that is more likely to be involved in an accident.’