And the Winner Is...

With the Oscar season upon us, it is with great pleasure that the Good Garage Scheme extends congratulations to the team at Fields Car Centre in Woking for recently winning Independent Garage of the Year (Southern England) in Workshop Magazine's 2017 Awards.

Photos courtesy of Fields Car Centre Ltd,

The evening, held at the Brewery in London's Barbican district, was hosted by Mike Brewer, star of TV's 'Wheeler Dealers' who presented the awards.

Mike and Richard Field were astonished when they were announced as winners as were the team, which included workshop managers, Chris Maple and Gary Churcher, who were also speechless. As you can see from the photos from the night, disbelief soon turned into happy celebrations.

Mike Field said, "... one of the most amazing experiences as we walked from the back of the room to the stage, some 100 feet away, past table after table of guests, all applauding Field's Car Centre from Woking! I cannot put into words the feeling of such a moment. You can't buy this type of experience; you can't prepare for it as you don't expect it."
 
For more information about Fields Car Centre, visit their page here.

Good Garage Scheme Member in BBC Programme

Ajay Gokani, owner Empire Garages

Empire Garages in Enfield, Middlesex has been involved in an episode of the current series, "Don't Get Done, Get Dom" which is due to air on BBC One on 3rd May at 11am.
Don't worry if you are unable to watch it on Friday - the programme will be available to view on BBC iPlayer.

Ajay Gokani, owner of Empire Garages, was approached by the BBC's research team and participated in two hours of filming. As the programme investigated a garage that did not treat a customer fairly, Ajay was on hand to offer advice to viewers on how to best to protect themselves.

Ajay commented, "After the two hours filming, there was a worry that the final version may have only been sensationalist, so it was good that the editors kept a few very important messages to consumers in the brief, edited version:

• Regular servicing is very important
• Use review websites to make educated choices about the garage you use
• Ask what is included in a service. The word 'service' should have a defined structure such as a service schedule

All of these are important messages that have always been endorsed by the Good Garage Scheme."

Even more good news for Empire

Not only are they stars on the television, they have also been shortlisted for the Motor Trader Industry Awards for 2013 and are now in the running for the "Independent Garage of the Year Award". We are not surprised that the Industry has recognised Empire to be one of the best garages in the UK and wish them all the best in the competition. Congratulations Empire!