Is your car ready for summer driving?

With the UK basking in a heatwave and summer holidays only just around the corner, research from the Good Garage Scheme has revealed that as a nation of motorists we are unprepared for long car journeys. A survey of 1000 drivers also found a lack of awareness of basic car maintenance needed to stay safe on the road.

Over four in ten (41%) drivers said they had no plans to get their car checked before their next long journey, while almost half (47%) admitted to not knowing their tyre tread depth and just 39% were found to have checked the condition of their spare tyre in the last year.  Furthermore, almost a third (31%) said they had never had their car’s oil system cleaned, while just over a fifth (21%) said they are prepared to deal with a tyre blow out if it happened to them.  A car health check before a long journey is essential to ensure you arrive safely and have a trouble-free and comfortable journey.

Good Garage Scheme workshops across the UK are offering a Holiday Check to give motorists peace of mind before the summer holidays.  The 21-point check provides an expert assessment of a vehicle’s health including the condition of the tyres, wiper blades, windscreen and lights, as well as the level of the coolant and engine oil.  The Holiday Check also includes checking operation of the air conditioning system and, if required, a sterilising and deodorising service, to ensure comfortable summer motoring.

Now widely accepted as a mark of quality for independent garages across the UK, Good Garage Scheme workshops are recognised as providing exceptional service to their customers based on a rigorously monitored mandatory code of practice and regular independent audits. 

Visit www.GoodGarageScheme.com and enter your postcode to find a local Good Garage Scheme workshop offering the Holiday Check.  Smartphone users can also download a free iPhone or Android app to help them locate a nearby Good Garage Scheme member anywhere in the UK. This is great to have saved on your phone so that you can contact a garage when you need it, no matter where you are. Once you download it, you can search for a garage even if you don’t have WIFI.

The Good Garage Scheme – it’s like having a friend in the know.

Good Garage Scheme Celebrates 10 Years in 2016

The Good Garage Scheme starts off 2016 with celebrations of its 10th year anniversary.

We are so proud of our members and what we have achieved together...

• Over 754,000 customer feedbacks
• Over 3500 jobs booked online in 2015
• Over 1.5 million web page views in 2015
• National TV advertising on SKY, DAVE and ITV
• Over 400 members celebrating 10 year membership
• Top App as voted by the Sunday Times

New for 2016 are the Good Garage Scheme Service Plans, a budgeting tool for motorists to spread the cost of car servicing and MOT payments.

Have a look online for more information.

Happy 10th Birthday Good Garage Scheme - 10 years of having a friend in the know!

Top Feedback Awards 2013

The scores are in and the Good Garage Scheme is pleased to congratulate member garages who have received the most feedback from their customers in 2013.

For the second year running, top prize goes to Lockwood & Greenwood in Ashton-under-Lyne who received an incredible 763 feedbacks during the year. They also collect the award for the Regional Winner for 2013 as well. Congratulations to the team at Lockwood & Greenwood with over 3800 customer feedbacks in total.

Feedback is at the heart of the Good Garage Scheme. It is useful for the garage to be thanked for a job well done and also very useful in helping them to improve their business. From the motorist's point of view, it helps them to make an educated choice as to where they will take their car.

The Good Garage Scheme congratulates all Regional Winners on a fantastic achievement.
East Anglia Regional Winner:  Car Care of Kensington, London
East Midlands Regional Winner: RM Services, Loughborough
South West Regional Winner: Surecar Ltd, Bristol
South Wales Regional Winner: G & J Starkey, Stourbridge
Scotland Regional Winner: Bishopton Hiring Garage Ltd, Bishopton
North West Regional Winner: Lockwood & Greenwood, Ashton-under-Lyne


Customers of Good Garage Scheme members have three easy ways to leave feedback after a service or repair:

• Send it on a free postcard via Freepost
• Enter it online
• Send it via the Free Good Garage Scheme App 

Visit www.GoodGarageScheme.com to fine a Good Garage Scheme member near you.

Leave Feedback And Win

Having a service or repair carried out at a Good Garage Scheme member garage may not cost you a penny.

Every customer who leaves feedback with comments after having had work done at a Good Garage Scheme member garage is in with a chance to win the cost of the service or repair back*.

It couldn't be easier, and there are three ways to leave feedback:

1. Fill in a feedback card you receive with your documentation.
2. Visit the Good Garage Scheme's website
3. Download the Good Garage Scheme's free App and leave your feedback there

There are over 629,000 feedback items from previous customers listed on the Good Garage Scheme website so that motorists can make an educated decision before they take their car to a garage for a service.

The Good Garage Scheme will award two lucky customers up to £200 each for the cost of a service or repair this year.

Visit GoodGarageScheme.com to find a garage near you.

*Terms and conditions apply. The winners will receive up to £200 for the work carried out.

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.

Channel 4OD Hosts Good Garage Scheme Advert

From Monday, 18th November, the Good Garage Scheme's TV advert encouraging motorists to find a local garage they can trust on GoodGarageScheme.com will be appearing for the first time on Channel 4OD (4 on Demand online viewing platform).

With changes in consumer television viewing habits, the Good Garage Scheme is sending its message directly to viewers of Channel 4's most popular programmes with an opportunity for them to click directly to the Good Garage Scheme website and find their local garage or download the app.

The Good Garage Scheme has advertised on ITV Player, SKY and Dave already this year and hopes to extend brand awareness to an even wider audience.

Miles Better, the popular animated star of the television ads will appear once again alongside Good Garage Scheme member garage, Lawlor Motor Company in Tyne & Wear, where the advert was filmed.

Good Garage Scheme Kicks off on DAVE TV

The Good Garage Scheme is pleased to have kicked off its winter advertising campaign on Monday, 7th October.  Miles Better appeared once again on on Dave TV and its plus-one channel, Dave Ja Vu TV, encouraging motorists to visit the website and find a local trustworthy Good Garage Scheme member garage.

So far results have shown an increase 120% of visitors to www.GoodGarageScheme.com and the number of motorists downloading the app has increased by 160%.

photo courtesy of Lawlor Motor Company

The advert was filmed at long-standing member garage, Lawlor Motor Company in Newcastle-upon-Tyne. John and the team, along with our own Miles Better, will be appearing on Dave TV alongside Jeremy Clarkson and the Top Gear crew and other favourites on Have I Got News for You.

If you missed the advert on DAVE or Dave Ja Vu, click here to watch now.

The Good Garage Scheme is now promoting its Winter Check. The temperatures have started dropping. Make sure your car is ready for winter. Find a Good Garage Scheme member near you offering a Winter Check.

It's like having a friend in the know!

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’

More Motorists Download Good Garage Scheme's Free App

The Good Garage Scheme's TV ad appearing on SKY TV this week has really caused a stir.
Not only has the website been busy, but the number of motorists downloading the Good Garage Scheme's free app has increased by over 200%.

 

In fact over 200 motorists have downloaded the app in the first three days of the campaign.
The Good Garage Scheme's television ad shows a motorist searching for a Good Garage Scheme member on her iPhone and it is as easy as it looks. If you haven't seen the Good Garage Scheme ad for yourself, please visit www.goodgaragescheme.com/tv-advert.

To download the Free Good Garage Scheme app for your smartphone, simply visit www.GoodGarageScheme.com/smartphone-app and follow the links to download the free app available for android devices and iPhones. It's peace of mind for the next time you need to find a garage you can trust, wherever you travel in the UK. 

It's like having a friend in the know!