Good Garage Scheme’s iPhone app appears in Sunday Times article and is downloaded over 700 times!

The Sunday Times newspaper on 10th July contained a two-page article in its Ingear section about how families are being required to economise on their motoring costs and are giving up the luxury of a second car.

The article highlighted a typical two-car family that reassessed their finances and realised they could make do with one car and thus eliminated half the costs of tax, insurance and fuel in one go.

As a further benefit to consumers looking to save money on motoring costs, the article listed four money saving “apps” under a section entitled, “Money-Saving Apps for Motorists”. The Good Garage Scheme’s iPhone app was highlighted as the first of four recommended choices.

The free Good Garage Scheme iPhone app was recommended for motorists hoping to locate an independent local garage and offering a significant saving to that of a main dealer. The Good Garage Scheme member will follow a Code of Conduct and also offers a complaints procedure.

The app, launched by the Good Garage Scheme in January 2011, is a useful tool for motorists that incur car problems while out and about with their vehicle.

It enables the user to access either a map or a list of the nearest Good Garage Scheme members plus contact details, feedback and star ratings for each of those garages shown. Car care tips such as how to check the oil are also available within the app.

Please click here to find out more and download the app.

 

 

Continuous Insurance Enforcement affecting all UK motorists is now in force.

As many as around 160 fatalities and 23,000 injuries are estimated to arise as the result of the actions of either uninsured or untraced motorists annually. Premiums of law-abiding motorists currently include an additional £30 annually to cover these actions of the irresponsible.  

Continuous Insurance Enforcement was introduced on 20th June 2011 to tackle this problem and was enforced throughout Great Britain.

This law applies to all motor vehicles on British roads, regardless of their frequency of use, with two exceptions.

1)    A Statutory Off Road Notification (SORN) has been made for the vehicle by contacting the DVLA.
2)    Vehicles owned that have been kept off the road longer than the SORN has been in existence (since 31st January 1998) and remain off the road. Vehicles that were off the road at that time and at some point since have been reinstated to use on the road, need to be insured.

Vehicles cannot be taken off-road temporarily to avoid insurance unless you make a SORN simultaneously. At the point when you wish to return the vehicle to use on public roads, the vehicle must be re-insured.

The UK’s Motor Insurance Database (MID) is compared with the DVLA’s records to ascertain if your insurance details are correct and valid. Some insurance brokers are able to amend or update this for their customers so please check to see if yours do as some pass the responsibility of this to their client.

Alternatively you can check your MID details by clicking here.

Good Garage Scheme provides some basic advice on the use of oil in the modern motor car.

One of the key ingredients in a car’s continued smooth running is oil. Cars need oil to lubricate the engine and prevent premature wear of its components. Numerous additives found within the oil can help lessen friction of moving parts and keep the engine cooler, while also being able to clean the interior of the engine of contaminants.

Have you ever wondered about the combinations of numbers and letters on oil containers, for example, 5W30? This is part of a standardised scale created. These numbers and letters help indicate the viscosity levels of that oil grade. 

Viscosity indicates oil’s ability to flow. For example, if a spilt bottle flowed out quickly, it would be less viscous than if it flowed out slowly. There are eleven grades of oil, six of which have a W (winter) grading. This means these grades are good at cold temperatures.

Low viscosity at cool temperatures is needed to help oil travel quickly to the top of the engine to start lubricating its parts as it trickles down. A higher viscosity is favourable once engines have warmed up in order to keep the oil thick enough to keep parts separated and lubricated.

For more basic advice from the Good Garage Scheme, please click here.

Important: always check the right grade of oil for your car by referring to your owner’s manual.

Good Garage Scheme member’s Ladies Day proves a great success

Last Saturday saw Good Garage Scheme member AMK Gatwick run a Ladies Day aimed at demonstrating basic car maintenance to ladies in their area. This is the latest Good Garage Scheme garage to see the benefit of running these events in their communities.

The Ladies Day was run in two sessions which included on-car demonstrations being carried out by technicians Mark and Richard. Among the topics demonstrated were water and oil checks. There was plenty of interaction with lots of questions being asked during the checks.

Later during the session the ladies were shown the procedure for changing a wheel and this resulted in one lady volunteering to take part and fit one herself. The sessions were concluded with a small prize draw and everyone leaving with a goody bag and a certificate of attendance.

Sarah Brown commented: ‘Mum and I had a brilliant time at AMK Ladies Day yesterday, very informative. If you get the opportunity ladies, do go.’

Fiona Buchanan added: ‘Sorry so late a reply but been meaning to write in and say thank you for the very informative and fun morning - I really learnt a lot and it was lovely having a behind the scenes look. Please let me know if you have any more informative mornings!’

The owner of AMK Gatwick, Justine Lawson, has said she intends to run another event in the future. For more information about AMK Gatwick, please click here.

Fuel Saving Tips from the Good Garage Scheme

With petrol prices at such a high, the Good Garage Scheme offers some sound advice on best ways of getting the most of your fuel.

Pump up to cut down
Check and adjust your tyre pressures regularly and also before long journeys. Under-inflated tyres increase CO2 but over-inflated tyres can be unsafe. Check your car manual for the correct tyre pressures.

Less clutter in your car means less CO2
Removing extra weight could reduce your engine's workload. Burn less fuel and cut your CO2 emissions by unloading any items you won't need before your journey.

Driving at an appropriate speed reduces CO2
Staying at or within the speed limit not only increases driver safety but also reduces CO2 emissions and saves money on your petrol costs. At 70mph you could be using up to 9% more fuel than at 60mph and up to 15% more fuel than at 50mph.

A clean engine works more efficiently and uses less fuel
Having your car regularly serviced and ensuring that the fuel and oil system is cleaned will make the engine work more efficiently, use less fuel and produce less CO2.

For more tips visit http://www.goodgaragescheme.co.uk/driving or look for a Good Garage Scheme member near you who can give you further advice.

Good Garage Scheme to offer insurance protection for damage caused by misfuelling blunders

It is estimated that misfuelling incidents – where motorists fill their diesel-powered vehicle with petrol, or less commonly, put diesel in their petrol-driven vehicle – happen every three and a half minutes.*

Of over 1800 consumers recently surveyed by the Good Garage Scheme, 51% said they or someone they knew had put the wrong type of fuel in a car.

It is very easy to do, especially when sharing cars within a family or using a different car for business travel.  A moment’s distraction can cause an error that could damage your vehicle and leave you with hundreds of pounds worth of repairs.

The Good Garage Scheme is now offering an insurance policy to all motorists to offer peace of mind for less than £2.50 a month.  The insurance policy not only covers for misfuelling, but also includes MOT and Alloy Wheel insurance cover.

For further information about the insurance and to purchase this fantastic offer, please visit http://www.goodgaragescheme.co.uk/insurance.

* Figures as result of a recent study carried out by the British Insurance Brokers Association.

What about my warranty?

Prior to 2003, motorists who took their vehicle for a service or repair at any garage other than a main dealer were at risk of invalidating the vehicle's warranty.

In October 2003, the European Commission Block Exemption Regulation 1400/2002 changed all of that and gave motorists more flexibility. Independent garages were given access to technical information from the manufacturer including diagnostic equipment and software allowing them to service and repair cars.

As a result of the legislation, motorists are free to take their vehicles to any garage for maintenance or service work provided Original Equipment 'Matching Quality' (OEM) parts are used and recorded as such. The garage must also follow the manufacturer's service schedules.

How does Block Exemption Regulation (BER) affect the motorist?

Block Exemption Regulation is good news for the motorist because it allows more choice in the vehicle servicing and repair market leading to lower costs and higher standards without invalidating the vehicle’s warranty.

According to a study of garage servicing prices carried out by Which?, franchised dealers consistently charged the most and independent garages were 18% cheaper.

If you are still unsure, just ask your Good Garage Scheme member garage.