Car maintenance, including MOTs, car repairs and all aspects of their routine servicing is a £9bn sector of the UK motor industry which is dominated by independent players. The older the car the more likely it is maintained where overheads are less and prices therefore lower.

Understandably the battle for this valuable business is intense because car dealerships have been used to maintaining most new and nearly new cars within their warranty and, in the light of fewer garage services following fewer new car sales in 2008/9/10 they will be looking to replace this lost garage income by finding new customers to look after, those driving older cars who would otherwise use independent garages…

This has become more interesting following new EU rules concerning the repair and maintenance of cars which came into effect on 1 June 2010. The intention was to benefit motorists by making it easier for independent garages to get access to technical support from car manufacturers – who had previously been known to encourage women (and men) drivers to have their cars maintained, serviced and repaired by their franchised dealerships whilst within warranty. This often resulted in the customer paying more than she could have done because typical franchised hourly rates are higher than in most independent garages.

If you end up paying more than you need to, without having been given a choice, you do feel ripped off and you may well complain about this which may have something to do with the level of complaints about dealership services (on a par when I last looked with independent garages…).

So all in all, anything that gives the customer more choice of value for money and quality garage services is a good thing?

Yes, of course but I believe there is still a grey area here from the female motorist’s point of view…

On the one hand car manufacturers can no longer make a warranty conditional on having oil changed or other services carried out in authorised garages. That’s the good news.

But car manufacturers can still ‘request’ repairs that are covered by the warranty and to be paid for by the manufacturer be carried out within the authorised manufacturer’s network.

Of course this is understandable as it is in the best interest of manufacturers that their franchised dealers do well in this area. I THINK this means that all oil and routine car services can now be carried out where the customer wants the work done but that when there is a necessary repair (examples invited to help me understand some circumstances here) and the manufacturer is clearly liable, that the manufacturer should be able to ‘dictate’ where the work is done.

But who is to define what happens if the manufacturer ‘requests’ an authorised repairer which isn’t as convenient for the customer as another? Isn’t the word ‘dictate’ a more honest representation of what is likely to be the case?

And isn’t it also likely that dealerships have a vested interest in muddying the waters here a tad by suggesting to female motorists (who are likely to be confused here) that the definition of ‘repairs’ within a warranty period includes servicing to maintain that warranty. This would be an easy message to convey even though the easiest way is for them to compete with independent garages would be on the basis of

• ATA qualifications
• high customer service levels/facilities
• female friendly garage standards (FOXY Choice plug but definitely relevant here)

I’d also like to know who in the UK motor industry is responsible for telling women drivers about this change to their car servicing rights?

And how are we expected to find out? I haven’t read anything about this in the sort of publications I read although if it was titled ‘Block Exemption’ (its catchy EU nom de plume) I wouldn’t read on any further…

FOXY Steph

Find out about genuinely good and female friendly garages for your MOT, car servicing and repair work.

FOXY supports an organisation that is busy telling the garage industry, male and female motorists alike that the EU may well be on course to limit UK consumers’ freedom to choose who services their cars after 2010.

Despite previous legislation intended to encourage fair and open competition here (catchily called Block Exemption…), we find that many women drivers still think they have to take their new car to be serviced by the dealer they bought it from, during its warranty at least.

They don’t have to, unless they really want to of course.

The fact is that most main dealers are a lot more expensive than many leading independent garages so there is much money to be saved here, providing you choose a good independent garage and understand how the warranty business works.

The organisation is called the Right To Repair campaign www.r2rc.co.uk and, led by AutoCare Service’s CE Jim Mazza, they are doing a sterling job (no pun intended) to reassure and represent consumer and industry best interests before it might all be too late.

Have a look at their You Tube video and if you get the message and agree this is important, please support Jim and this campaign at the R2RC website.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IZ6H_Ys8iL4

A huge number of UK businesses and jobs could be at risk otherwise.

FOXY Steph