Maintaining machinery prolongs its life and ensures that it keeps going at as high a standard as possible for as long as possible. It is no different with cars. Having your car serviced on a regular basis – at least once a year – can ultimately save you a lot of money.
By keeping your car in good condition through car servicing, the likelihood of your vehicle developing a massive problem – that could either cost you a lot of money, or even your car becoming unusable – is greatly reduced. However, the matter of money is only second to the fact that servicing your car frequently helps to ensure your and your passenger’s safety when driving.
Choosing the right garage
When booking your car service, it is very important that you don’t just choose any old garage. You don’t want to run the risk of choosing somewhere by chance and it turning to be run by a bunch of cowboy mechanics. An unwritten rule for when it comes to picking a garage is to try and find a company or garage that follow an industry-wide recognised code of practice.
If you find that booking a car service online is a more viable and cheaper option, then try searching around for some websites that hold reviews about the company you plan to use.
A lot of people end up choosing a garage based upon recommendation that they receive from family and friends. When doing this, it doesn’t hurt to first call up to the company and request a quote for any services that you want to book your car in for.
You can rest assured that you have booked your car service in with a good garage if they:
• Only carry out work that they are qualified to do.
• Work to a ‘code of practice’ – ideally this code of practice should belong to a trade association.
• Explain to you in detail what it being repaired and why (if a repair is necessary).
• Before carrying out any work, first confirm this with you in writing (or via email).
• Produce a written quote (or an electronic version – i.e. email).
• Include the VAT (Value Added Tax) total and VAT rates in any quote.
• Do not charge you an extra fee on the day of the service – many motorists get caught out by companies/garages that do not have full inclusive prices from the start.
What to Do If Your Car Has Not Serviced Properly
Once you get your car back after a service and suspect that something has either been missed out, or that the mechanics have not carried out their work properly, contact the garage as soon as possible. If you are still unhappy and the garage and if it is a member of a trade association or a code of practice, you can take the matter to them. They may have an independent dispute settlement service.
If you have a dispute over work on a new car under warranty, the car manufacturer should be able to help. Also most new car sales in the UK are covered by the Motor Codes New Cars Code which includes a conciliation service.
Legal Advice
If, after trying the above situations, you are still unhappy about your car service you could take your complaint to court – if this is warranted. For some help or for advice ask your local Citizens Advice Bureau or council’s trading standards office.
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