Tuesday 26 February 2013

Prima Magazine offers Car Advice

The March issue of Prima magazine features a spread offering readers car advice including caring for your car, buying a car and getting a good deal at a garage.

The Good Garage Scheme's Code of Conduct and feedback system are given particular mention and Good Garage Scheme member garage, Caroline's Cars in Norwich offers advice to those worried about finding a garage.
"Personal recommendation is the best way to find a garage," says owner and mechanic Caroline Lake  of Caroline's Cars in Norwich.


Read more advice from Caroline in the feature written by motoring journalist,  Maria McCarthy.




Monday 18 February 2013

Mind the Gap!


According to a BBC report, almost two million potholes were reported to councils in England and Wales last year and it is a problem which is likely to get worse given the extreme weather conditions we have experienced over the past few months.

Potholes form as water freezes and expands creating larger cracks in the road surface that is beginning to fracture. Normal traffic opens up the damaged road surface and wet weather loosens the crumbling surface making it larger.

According to information from the AA, a third of drivers have damaged their vehicle by hitting a pothole in the last two years.

If you wish to report a pothole, get in touch with your council or add the information via the FixMyStreet website (www.fixmystreet.com) and they will report it to your council for you.



If you are worried that your vehicle has suffered damage due to a pothole, why not visit a Good Garage Scheme member near you who will be happy to check for you?

It's like having a friend in the know!



Friday 8 February 2013

Running out of Fuel - Guest Blog by Maria McCarthy

This is an astonishingly common problem. Sometimes it's just the result of pure carelessness and forgetting to check the fuel gauge. Other times it's because the fuel gauge itself is faulty and
was reading full when it was actually empty. Alternatively there could be a fuel leak.
How to avoid it
If you suspect that the fuel gauge is playing up, or that you've 
got a leak of any description, get it checked out by a garage as
soon as possible. And don't procrastinate when it comes to filling
up.

What to do if it happens to you
If you suspect a fuel leak then you should be able to smell
the petrol or diesel. Don't even think of trying to start the
car under these circumstances - call the breakdown service
for help.

Don't keep attempting to start the engine in the hope of
squeezing the last drops of fuel out as this can suck air and dirt
into the fuel system and make things even worse.

If you've got a can of fuel with you or can get one from a
nearby petrol station then switch off the ignition, empty it into
the tank and drive to the nearest garage to fill up properly.

If you're stuck on the hard shoulder or a long way from the
nearest petrol station then your best bet is to call your breakdown
service.

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The Good Garage Scheme would like to thank Maria McCarthy for permission to publish an excerpt from her book,  "The Girls' Car Handbook - Everything You Need to Know about Life on the Road”, published by Simon and Schuster.  Maria is a member of The Guild of Motoring Writers.