Which? report slams incompetent and dishonest garages

There are still shocking levels of incompetence in UK car garages, says Which?, after a rigorous undercover investigation – despite the introduction of several new codes of conduct.
WHICH FOUND: Nearly 90pc of the garages investigated by the consumer watchdog missed or ignored at least one potentially dangerous fault, while 39pc charged for a product that wasn’t supplied. Which? introduced four deliberate, easily fixed faults that any competent mechanic should spot – deflated spare and nearside rear tyres, brake fluid at the minimum level and a blown bulb on the reversing light. Just eight of the 62 garages tested returned the cars fault-free; five garages failed to fix any of the introduced faults. • 48pc of garages didn’t spot that the brake fluid was at the minimum level. • 68pc didn’t inflate the nearly flat spare tyre. • 57pc missed the blown reversing light bulb. • 21pc didn’t notice the low pressure in the nearside rear tyre. The consumer watchdog also filled up the screenwash as an honesty test to see how many garages charged for it anyway - 39pc did so. The amounts charged were small, ranging from 68p to £2.41, but Which? thinks the practice of billing for a product that wasn’t supplied shows inexcusable dishonesty.		In response to the survey, the SMMT backed Motor Codes body says, "Independent research published today by Which? shows that in just two years of operation, automotive consumer champion Motor Codes is already making significant progress in raising service and repair standards in UK garages. "The research highlights that Motor Codes garages performed significantly better than non-Code subscribed service centres, spotting almost 20% more faults in tests set out by the consumer watchdog. “Motor Codes is encouraged that after just two years of operation it is having such a dramatic impact in what is a long-term process of gradual change and improvement,” said Chris Mason, Motor Codes director. “We acknowledge that there’s still a way to go to ensure lasting improvements are made, but this independent research proves that our approach is working.”

Poor servicing standards in this industry are nothing new, but there are now several codes of practice that aim to raise standards and boost consumer confidence. While Which? applauds such codes in theory, so far they’re failing to deliver in practice. Garages affiliated to the Bosch Car Service scheme scored highest, fixing 64pc of introduced faults. Motor Codes garages came a close second with 60pc of faults fixed. But it’s bad news for the ironically named Good Garage Scheme; its score of 39pc is actually worse than the 43pc achieved by independent (non-code) garages. Which? is calling for all codes of conduct to include robust mystery shopping, and would like to see a recognised, industry-wide qualification introduced for all mechanics.
		Peter Vicary-Smith (*left*), chief executive, Which?, says, “This is a worrying snapshot of an industry that desperately needs to clean up its act. "Almost all the garages in our investigation failed to fix basic faults. This could have endangered the lives of drivers and other road users and is simply not acceptable. “The fact that the Bosch and Motor Codes schemes have out-performed independent garages is encouraging, but there’s still a long way to go for the industry to win the confidence of car owners.”