Improved standards of service and consumer care are best achieved through industry self regulation, said Ray Holloway, director of the RMI’s Independent Garage Association at the Trading Standards Institute Consumer Affairs & Trading Standards Conference & Exhibition in Bournemouth.

Holloway was commenting on the recent launch of the Motor Industry Code of Practice and said, “The Motor Industry Code of Practice aims to promote and safeguard the interests of consumers by helping them identify subscribing garages and providing an easily accessible and robust dispute resolution mechanism, should it be necessary.”

Over 5,500 garages had already signalled their intent to subscribe when the code was launched to the trade at the Office of Fair Trading (OFT) in May and now that the web-based system is live, garages up and down the country are signing up in readiness for the launch to consumers in August.

Kia has appointed Daniel Gregorius (left), who was previously one of Kia’s Regional Business Managers, as heading up the field team looking after dealers in the southern half of England, Wales and the Channel islands.