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Garages
Pitfalls
There are a number of things you should know first is that 80% of
garages are according to a BBC
report are charging excessive repair and servicing fees.
In the London Area they are as high as £170 an hour and elsewhere
in the country 80 % of garages were charging £100 plus, franchise
dealers charged on average of £66.35 an hour and peaked at £117.45.
The cheapest independent garages charged just £23.50 an hour for
labour,does this mean that the more you pay the better the service
not necessarily. Surveys into the standard of car servicing regularly
highlight the following problems |
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Delays in carrying out the service,
Charging for work which is not carried out
Excessive differences between the final price and the initial estimate
Poor, substandard, unsatisfactory or even dangerous workmanship.
Choosing a garage can be a bit of a lottery.personal recommendation is
usually the best. The Retail Motor Industry Federation is the trade association
for the retail and servicing arms of the motor industry. Their members
subscribe to the Motor Industry Code of Practice, drawn up with the Office
of Fair Trading, and have to abide by set standards. Although this code
also contains a disciplinary procedure, it is purely voluntary, which
still leaves a bit to be desired
There are also garages with AA or RAC approval which will give you a bit
of security but with all these garages you should take certain precautions
unless you have a good relationship with them. Remember once you give
them your car to service you will have to pay whatever bill they give
you to get it back and if not satisfied with the work they have carried
out negotiate or sue
You cannot refuse to pay garages they have the right to keep your car
until you settle their bill and as said before you may have to sue for
work that has not been done or was not authorised or badly repaired. Removing
your car.stopping cheques or credit cards are criminal offences you should
pay the bill and write on it under protest.
There are a number of things you can do to try and avoid problems
Make sure that the garage understands what work you require and preferably
get something in writing that shows this.
Do not
be afraid to ask the garage what is included or excluded in the service.
Tell them what you want and make sure that they are able to provide
it.
Obtain a
quotation in writing giving you an exact cost of the service including
parts, labour and VAT.
Find out the length of time the work will take and when you will be able
to collect your vehicle.
Check what means of payment is required to settle the bill.
Leave a phone number or means of contact so the garage can ask you permission
before doing any extra work.
Obtain a detailed invoice listing price of parts and labour costs individually. |