The problem affects petrol-engined Minis produced between 2001-07 although a modification was made in January 2005 which they claim has ‘virtually eradicated the problem’ but not completely I see.

BBC Watchdog showed driving examples of how the power assisted steering (PAS) could fail and how heavy the car steering would be afterwards. Yes I can vouch for that – I once owned a Porsche 924S without PAS and it was heavy to drive but by no means impossible or unsafe for that matter.

But the more worrying incident was if that same PAS system then overheated and caused a fire as several had done. It’ll be interesting to see how widespread this problem is as word spreads and more women drivers contact the Watchdog team.

If you have concerns as a result of reading this OR you have experienced a problem to do with your Mini’s steering OR have paid for a replacement power steering pump, you should contact Mini’s Customer Service line on 0800 777129.

Worryingly many motorists may then be told to pay to have their car checked. If that means main dealers rates that could be quite expensive and probably close to £100. Alternatively, you could join FOXY Lady Drivers Club for £20 per annum and claim free quarterly Car Fitness Checks carried out by some of the best and female friendly UK garages; this will allow you to keep an eye on this instance alongside other safety related items and your car’s CO2 motoring emissions.

No matter – get your car checked if you have a petrol Mini registered between 2001 to 2007 – what price your peace of mind.

FOXY Steph

I now read that I should ask if a Corgi Gas Fitter is on the Gas Safe register.  I remember the BBC Watchdog programme mentioning this recently.

Presumably this is so that Corgi can stretch its brand and look at the likes of plumbers, builders and other home services. No bad thing if the minimum standard for registration is a qualification which needs to be refreshed to keep it up to date on a regular basis.

Once more, we are expected to check that our electricians and gas fitters are qualified but we are not told that few car mechanics are qualified to an industry minimum standard like that operated by the Institute of the Motor Industry.

By keeping quiet about this, most motorists, including many women drivers, seem to imagine that all mechanics are qualified and they are as horrified as I was when I found out they aren’t and that garages don’t have to be licensed to operate in this safety business.

So why don’t car mechanics in the UK have to be qualified like Corgi engineers and how do you find out who the good ones are; garages and mechanics.

As things stand, there are two relatively new quality schemes in the garage services area, each doing things differently. There’s the highly regarded and expensive to get BSI Kitemark and the government’s Consumer Codes Approval Scheme including service and repair schemes that have reached Stage Two of the OFT-approved code. So far I estimate that in the region of 10% of all garages, dealers and fast fits have either or standards (the very best have both…).

Can you imagine letting an unqualified electrician or gas fitter loose in your house?

So why would we let an unqualified mechanic work on our cars? Because few of us know enough about this subject I suspect.

One thing is true of all, they can all kill us if they do their job badly.

Interestingly there are few publicly available statistics about the number of fatal or serious road accidents caused as a result of unsafe cars. I suspect this might change if insurance companies decide to reject claims when they can prove that a car that caused or was involved in an accident wasn’t roadworthy.

Of course, shoddy workmanship isn’t the only reason for the high level of complaints in the garage industry.  Many women drivers are unhappy about being patronised and we all object to paying over the odds. Choose a main dealership rather than a good independent  to service your old car and chances are you will pay considerably more than you needed to had you gone to the independent.

Our garage website FOXY Choice doesn’t take sides in the main dealer versus independent garage debate though – we believe that motorists should be given the information to choose whether a dealer or an independent garage is best for their car and budget at car servicing or repair time. Anecdotal evidence included many car dealerships who are starting to compete on price with the top end independents.

Putting on my FOXY Lady Drivers Club hat for a moment, my advice to an unsuspecting motorist would be to see which local businesses have invested in quality services and amenities over and above others and then shop around for the best price, all things being equal.

I’d then say ‘don’t be fooled by a DIY cheap car servicing or MOT offer without doing your homework first’ for fear of this being a loss leader, leading to paying more for services you didn’t need. Always remember that the consequences of a bad car service could be life-threatening. And don’t think that one car service will be the same as another – again there are no agreed minimum standards here so caveat emptor and always study the small print to see what you are getting for paying more, or less.

The Club introduces foxy ladies to some of the best garages in the UK and includes many exclusive MOT and servicing offers. The FOXY Choice website is open to all, including a Garage Services shopping Guide and listing quality and female friendly garages and dealerships to choose from whether it’s garage services or new car buying time.

Always do your homework first and, please excuse the cynic in me speaking here, don’t place too high a value on a friendly voice answering the phone – that’s nice, of course, but it doesn’t tell you what the workshop standards are so always ask.

FOXY Steph

PS  If you want to check where the industry qualified mechanics are in your area, visit industry site OKwithATA.com. Like the new Motor Industry code, there are more dealerships listed than independent garages which is a shame because price is the main decision-factor in getting older cars serviced regularly – make it seem too expensive and they mightn’t get serviced (no one makes you service an old car and the MOT is but a snapshot on the day) losing business for the industry and likely to result in an unsafe car on our roads.