Think of it as your car’s motoring fitness check and even though it’s simply a safety snapshot on the day, it’s good to have the MOT milestone done and dusted for the year ahead. And to know that you can have it done a month earlier than its expiry date without the garage altering its 12 month validity.

I’ve just received a reminder from SB Motors in Hove that the Citroen’s MOT is due. I had hoped we’d have exchanged this car for a younger one by now but it has never faltered, has the 2.0HDi engine which gives us 60+ mpg on combined motorway and urban use and so we haven’t got round to it yet. At least it’ll have a fresh MOT when we do. We’ve acquired a second Citroen, an XM, in the meantime but goodness knows what the plan is for that other than a quirky mechanical challenge for the helpdesk team!

We are seeing some fantastic motoring offers for Club members but where these are for garage services, how can non member women drivers tell who the best and therefore safest garages are?

Well I’m likely biased as far as SB Motors is concerned because we’ve been working with them from FOXY’s very early days and they are now a FOXY approved female friendly garage in Hove and listed at FOXY Choice. Another factor that matters is that they are a Unipart Car Care Centre which means a no quibble 12 month parts guarantee should any repair fail and you’re travelling the country or on holiday. You can count on Unipart even if it’s better known in the trade than by women.

But if you want to know what your quality garage choices are, I suggest you read our Good Garage Guide although it’s a far too complicated choice I’m afraid. Or join the Club and we’ll help you on a 1:1 basis.

Just for the record, if you are in Hove, here are SB Motors’ latest offers which all include 20% VAT of course.

• Half price MOT with any service
• MOT for just £35 – RRP £54.85
• Low mileage minor service for £70
• Air con and regas £39
• Free fitting of wiper blades and most bulbs

All in all we’ve a great selection of deals like these, for members of FOXY Lady Drivers Club to share with their family knowing their motoring and female friendly garage choices can be trusted and relied upon.

FOXY Steph

In an industry that isn’t overly famous for being female friendly, FOXY Choice’s garage subscribers know that it’s the people that matter most in a business and that it’s very important to convey a friendly image at all times.

Under normal circumstances it is enough to show their Unipart Car Care Centre credentials, that they care sufficiently to wear a smile & clean overalls and that the workshop is neat and tidy…

But when the staff are handsome too , then that is a bonus for local women drivers as female friendly FOXY Choice garage subscriber Swiftest Aldershot illustrates very well.

As you might expect, this business employs females in what is predominantly a male-dominated industry, has female friendly magazines and knows that a park next door can help Mums entertain young children whilst their car is being MOT’d, repaired or serviced.

Good one Swiftest Aldershot – you are also listed at www.femalefriendlyapproved.com I see.

FOXY Steph

I am considering adding testimonials to the FOXY Choice website in 2010, having decided against this last year in the light of so many bland and evidently prompted endorsements that I find on other websites.

In an industry where garages don’t have to be licensed or mechanics qualified, how good can an endorsement be to the effect that ‘I’ve been coming here for years and they are nice people..’  if the person giving it doesn’t know how to check that the standard of the workmanship in the workshop is good enough.

But a recommendation that arrived yesterday caught my attention and summed up what makes a garage female friendly in my opinion, over and above the FOXY minimum standards we expect.

So in case anyone is reading this and wonders what the female friendly FOXY Choice website is all about, and what a garage, dealer or dealership has had to do to be listed by us (other than sign the female friendly FOXY Promise of course) this testimonial speaks volumes about the level of service we are working hard to identify and promote for women.

It is about a FOXY Choice garage subscriber in Sheffield which is also a Unipart Car Care Centre and called Chris Noyland Bill Rhodes.

This is what one of their female customers, Christine Antunes, has said about them.

“I was recommended to Noyland+Rhodes a few years ago and have not looked back. We have always been impressed by their friendly service but also by their reasonable prices.
I am a mom with 2 young children and I recently developed a problem with my car’s clutch. I had just dropped off my toddler at nursery and almost all the red lights came on.

I had nowhere else to go and I prayed to get to the garage, which I did thankfully.

I had my 3 month old daughter with me at the time and the manager, Phil, said he would fit my car in and try and sort it out asap. He was really friendly and helpful. They also offered me a loan car, which was such a help, as my car repair took 3 days. I could use the car at no extra cost, which I could not believe! My car was still under warranty and Phil took my details, phoned the necessary people up and sorted it all out for me. What a star.

I would highly recommend Noyland+Rhodes to other women drivers for their friendly and professional customer service.“

Thank you Christine for troubling to tell us some good news.  I agree that this is a sign of a caring garage that goes the extra mile for women. Well done Phil.

FOXY Steph

“Four words sum up what lifted successful individuals above the crowd – a little bit more. They did what was expected, and a little bit more.”

A. Lou Vickery.