5 Out Of 7 Garages Perform Badly In ‘Secret Services’
The results of an undercover car-servicing project, undertaken by Warwickshire County Council’s Trading Standards Service have revealed that five of the seven garages targeted provided services that were rated below average to very poor.
In the worst cases, a Warwick garage failed to fix 14 of the 26 faults that were on the vehicle. Those not rectified included a leaking wheel cylinder, badly worn front brake discs, and low tyre pressures.
The same garage also charged for replacing a fuel filter that was not replaced and for brake cleaner that was not used - the vehicle had not even had its wheels removed. And the cost of this service – almost £450!
And in Nuneaton a garage failed to fix 11 of 21 faults on the vehicle. These included failing to remove the wheels to check the condition of the brakes and again charging for a fuel filter that had not been replaced – the cost £131.
Mark Ryder, Head of Warwickshire Trading Standards Service said:
“Although we targeted these garages because we had already received complaints and enquiries about them, nevertheless we are extremely disappointed by the results.
"Garages that fail to perform proper services on vehicles are putting their customers lives at risk. A good service will help ensure that your vehicle remains roadworthy – but the results of this survey clearly show that some garages are not taking their responsibilities seriously, and that the quality of car servicing is therefore unacceptable.”
Of the remaining garages tested, these were located in Leamington Spa, Stratford upon Avon and Rugby.
All the garages in the survey have been notified of their results.
In the past year Warwickshire consumers have made over 100 complaints about car servicing.
Top Tips for Car Servicing:
· Be clear about what sort of service you require
· Get quotes from several garages and go on recommendation if possible
· Be specific with the garage about what you want doing
· Ask them to report any faults and state that any further work that is required beyond the service will need your prior authorisation
· Get this and everything else in writing – before you leave the garage
The Trading Standards Service is now considering taking appropriate action against those garages that performed poorly in the survey. Any company that is prosecuted will be named.
The results:
Warwick (garage 1): missed 14 of 26 faults - very poor
Warwick (garage 2): missed 9 of 22 faults - poor
Stratford upon Avon (garage 1): missed 8 of 22 faults - below average
Stratford upon Avon (garage 2): missed 2 of 23 faults - reasonable
Leamington Spa: missed 8 of 23 faults - below average
Rugby: missed 4 of 20 faults - average
Nuneaton: missed 11 of 21 faults - very poor
For advice on car servicing, follow the link below.