New smartphone or tablet for Christmas?

If you are one of the many lucky ones who received a new smartphone or tablet device in your Christmas stocking, you may be downloading new apps and learning how easy it is to access your favourite games, social media, news and useful websites at the touch of a button.

What is an "app"?

For those who are still new to the world of apps, it is not complicated. "App" is short for application software that is designed to run on smartphones, tablet computers and other mobile devices such as iPods. They can be downloaded either free of charge or for a listed price from app stores such as iTunes or Google Play.

The Good Garage Scheme created its free app for iPhone in 2010 and then for Android smartphones the following year. So far over 12,000 users have downloaded the app and The Sunday Times even voted it one of the World's Top Apps in 2011 and 2012.

It is a handy app to have on your phone when you are driving in the UK. You never know when you will need to find a trustworthy garage, and there are also some handy tips on how to check your oil so that you can keep your car maintained between services.

To download your free app, simply click here.

Best wishes for a Happy New Year from the Good Garage Scheme.

Off to Uni With Your Car?

Over the next week or two, university students will be packing their cars and heading off to university either for the first time or returning for the new academic year.

If you are taking your car and keeping it on or near the university campus, you will want to be able to locate the closest trustworthy garage, should you need a helping hand with your car.  



The Good Garage Scheme is a network of over 2,400 independent garages throughout the UK that work to a Code of Conduct and have their customers’ best interests at heart.

The easiest way to have peace of mind and convince worried parents that you are organised is to download the Good Garage Scheme’s free app for your phone. 


From there you will be able to type in the town or postcode of your new university home and find a local Good Garage Scheme member to service or repair your car should you need to do so before you travel home again.

The app is free and was chosen as a Top App by The Sunday Times in 2011 and 2012. Visit the Good Garage Scheme website and download the app today.

The Good Garage Scheme…it’s like having a friend in the know!

Don't suffer from Bank Holiday Blues

If you plan to drive this bank holiday weekend, the Good Garage Scheme recommends you carry out a few simple safety checks on your vehicle before setting off.

• Make sure you have enough fuel
• Check the oil
• Check your lights
• Check your coolant level 
• Check your windscreen wash and refill if necessary
• Make sure your windscreen is clean and clear
• Check your tyres

If you are in doubt about how to check any of the above, or if something seems worryingly low, simply contact your local Good Garage Scheme member garage and ask if they could check it for you.

As well as making all of the necessary checks, don't forget to download the free Good Garage Scheme app before you set off. If you have any motoring worries while you are travelling or visiting family and friends away from home, you can locate a reliable garage using the app no matter where you are.

Over 13,500 motorists have already downloaded the app and The Sunday Times listed it as one of the Top 500 Apps in their App List two years in a row.

Here are some of the comments received from those who have already downloaded the App:


"Can't believe it's free!"

"A genuinely useful app, simple to use and the kind of app that gets you out of a hole when you need it."

"Very helpful"

"It’s a great application I found especially when you are on the move and you don’t know where you can get your car fixed. It’s so easy to use. I don’t remember if I have found something as useful as this recently."

‘This is a very useful App especially when you’re on the road a lot, off on holiday around the UK or just on the move’

Chosen as a “Top App” by The Sunday Times for Second Year!

The Good Garage Scheme is proud to announce it has been included on The Sunday Times App List – a list of the Top 500 apps in the world – for a second year running. The prestigious list, as chosen by a team of expert reviewers was published last weekend The Sunday Times as the first part of their definitive App List.

With so many apps on the market to choose from, the list offers welcome guidance on those that entertain, organise your social life and save money.  With different Top App categories and expert reviews, the guide is a must have for anyone who wants to get the most out of the latest in consumer technology.

The Good Garage Scheme’s free app is listed in the “Cars” category of The Sunday Times’ guide and advises that motorists can save money with the app by visiting one of the independent garages on the scheme instead of a main dealer without affecting a warranty.

In the past two days alone, almost 1000 motorists have downloaded the Good Garage Scheme app, available for both iPhone and Android phones, and it was ranked 31st in the UK in the Travel category of apps last weekend.

To download one of the Top Apps in the World, visit http://www.goodgaragescheme.co.uk/phone_app

Lorraine Kelly Helps Women Drivers

The team at Lorraine Kelly contacted the Good Garage Scheme because Lorraine's viewers and readers said that looking for a trusted local garage is a problem car owners regularly face.

We are proud to appear in the well-known presenter's magazine, “At Home With Lorraine Kelly”, offering an introduction to the Good Garage Scheme's website where drivers can locate a local trusted garage from over 2800 member garages across the UK.

Lorraine’s readers have also had an introduction the Good Garage Scheme’s new Android App, now available to download free from the Android Market.

The Android app is a welcome addition to the already popular iPhone App.

 Within months of the release of the iPhone app, expert reviewers at The Sunday Times selected the Good Garage Scheme’s app as one of the 500 best apps available in the world and included it in their prestigious guide, The Sunday Times App List.

If you haven’t already downloaded the free iPhone app for your iPhone, iPod Touch or iPad, visit here.

 

Find a garage you can trust wherever you may be.

Good Garage Scheme Launches Free Android App

Within months of the launch of its successful iPhone app, the Good Garage Scheme is proud to announce that it is able to offer the same great product to all Android app users.

The new Android app helps motorists find a reliable local garage anywhere in the UK and has all of the superb features of the iPhone app including handy tips on saving fuel and caring for your car.

 

After only seven months on the market, The Sunday Times' writers and experts recognised the Good Garage Scheme iPhone app as a "Money Saving App for Motorists" (The Sunday Times - 10 July 2011) and then went on to feature it in The Sunday Times' The App List, a list of the Top 500 Apps in the World!

 

Rachel Greasby, General Manager of the Good Garage Scheme, is proud of the help on offer to both motorists unsure of where to take their cars as well as those stranded with a broken-down vehicle.

“The Good Garage Scheme is like having a friend in the know” she says, “often at a time when you need a friend most."

“The mobile app is the ideal friend in this situation. It finds your nearest Good Garage Scheme member and helps you get in touch. Everyone needs a friend like that!” says Rachel Greasby.

 

Downloading the new app means you are never far away from a garage you can trust and it won’t cost you a penny. Visit the Android Market and download your free Good Garage Scheme app.