I see that the Brighton Argus has picked up on this long standing industry concern – that in 2010 car manufacturers might be able to use EU legislation to actively prevent independent garages from access to the technical information that is readily available to franchised dealerships, under the guise of ‘safety reasons’.
This is important because independent garages would be unable to compete effectively and they charge less than main dealers. Whilst everyone should have the choice to pick which ever garage solution suits them best at MOT, car servicing or repair time, motorists including women drivers (FOXY’s main interest) deserve to save c £30 per hour on labour rates alone, where they can.
I am a great believer in competition as the customer is the winner in the end. But I am unhappy at the thought that one type of garage or dealership might fare better than another in this way, unless that favour is based on quality standards or female friendly credentials.
FOXY supports the Right to Repair campaign and has written about this and similarly bizarre industry discrepancies in a Garage Services Guide.
Some time ago there was a furore about the possibility that our annual MOT regime might become an every other year regime. This didn’t happen, despite the fact that many motorists might have supported this idea for cost reasons – it didn’t happen for safety consequences, of course, as well as the economic multiplier effect concerning the survival of so many motoring businesses.
Interestingly, there is a fairly new Motor Industry Code for garages and dealerships but many more dealerships are subscribers to it than independent garages (because the manufacturers insisted their dealers signed up) so the garage choice for UK motorists is skewed here, to the more expensive solution. Thankfully this is an OFT supervised scheme whic is yet to be approved so we can be sure that the need for consumer choice will be addressed, particularly when many garage industry complaints are about being ripped off and charged for services that weren’t wanted or needed.
I’ll be interested to see how the Right To Repair campaign proceeds in similar territory and where the strategic might and foresight of the manufacturers is far greater than the voice of the independents.
FOXY will be quick to lobby if we see any signs of this initiative reducing customer choice and the opportunity to choose a good quality value for money garage solution to suit the car or budget in question. If I am very honest I can’t see this happening but I’d hate to do nothing and be proved wrong!
FOXY Steph
“The only thing necessary for the triumph [of evil] is for good men to do nothing.” Edmund Burke
