Free MOT Reminder Service

We all lead busy lives and it is easy to forget when the MOT for your car is due, let alone the date of the next service.

According to the official Direct.Gov.UK website, it is the vehicle owner’s responsibility to ensure that the due MOT test is carried out on time.

The penalty for driving a vehicle on the road with an expired MOT certificate is a fixed penalty notice from the police, currently £60, or a court fine up to a maximum of a £1,000.

Although the DVLA send a reminder when it is time to renew a tax disc, there is no such reminder for an MOT, and if your MOT is out of date, it may even invalidate your car insurance.

Help is at now at hand from the Good Garage Scheme with a FREE Reminder Service.

Simply click here to set up a free email or text reminder.

There are three easy steps:

1.    Enter your vehicle details

2.    Enter the reminder dates

3.    The Good Garage Scheme will send you an SMS or email reminder

How can you cool an overheating car?

If you find your car’s temperature gauge creeping into the red, turn on the heater.
This sounds crazy but it can work.

Your heater pulls heat from the liquid that cools your engine. If you turn on the heater and then set the fan to full power, your heater will pull more heat from this liquid, helping it to cool the engine.

Also, be sure to turn off the air conditioning at the first signs of overheating. Doing so will take a load off your engine.

 The best thing you can do, however, when your engine overheats is to pull over as safely and quickly as possible and wait for your car to cool down.

Never attempt to remove the radiator cap until the engine has cooled as the coolant is boiling and under pressure.

 For more tips on car care, visit http://www.goodgaragescheme.co.uk/fixyourcar

Relief for motorists as Hammond proposes new “lane rental” scheme.

Last week, Transport Secretary Philip Hammond revealed proposals currently under discussion that could appease motorists travelling primarily at peak times.

Roadworks have long been a bane of road users, delayed by utility companies digging up roads at times inconvenient to the majority of commuters, creating delays many would feel are avoidable with better planning.

Mr Hammond has announced that those companies wishing to dig up roads during peak hours could in future be required to pay a charge. If their maintenance was conducted outside these times, when disruption would be significantly reduced, these fees could be averted. Thus, it provides an incentive to carry out maintenance activities in off-peak hours.

 He said: "Everyone knows how frustrating it can be when you are sat in a traffic jam, unable to get to work or drop off the children at school because someone is digging up the road.
 

 "This disruption is expensive as well as inconvenient, with one estimate valuing the loss to the economy from roadworks congestion at £4 billion a year. We simply cannot afford this."

If these measures were introduced, on gaining Department of Transport approval for their plan, a local authority could impose fees on these companies for the use of specific roads during peak hours.

It is intended that funds raised would be converted into local schemes to reduce future disruptions of similar works in their authorities via methods such as improved infrastructure. 

Good Garage Scheme highlights misfuelling mishaps

Over half of Britain’s drivers risk potentially very expensive repair bills through misfuelling, according to the UK-wide Good Garage Scheme.

A Good Garage Scheme poll of nearly 2,000 motorists revealed fifty one per cent had put the wrong fuel in the car themselves at the pumps or knew someone who had.

Experts at the organisation said the results were not entirely unexpected as many families have more than one car and quite possibly both petrol and diesel engine vehicles. This makes the simple mistake of filling up their cars with the wrong fuel more understandable.

Tanks filled with the wrong fuel can be flushed, but if the engine is turned on the effects can be expensive with the cost of damage to the vehicle potentially running into thousands of pounds.

In response, the Good Garage Scheme has launched a 3-in-1 insurance policy for under £2.50 a month, covering motorists for misfuelling mishaps plus MOT and alloy wheel insurance cover. This can offer motorists greater peace of mind.

Anndi Sheppard, Good Garage Scheme marketing manager, said: “Misfuelling is easily done, especially when families have more than one vehicle which they share between drivers. Our research has revealed the extent of the problem and it’s an issue which we are encouraging our member garages to bring to the attention of their customers.”

Motorists looking for their nearest Good Garage Scheme member can quickly locate one by using the Good Garage Scheme website or downloading the iPhone app and view previous customers’ comments. 

Good Garages are Noticed

The garage trade is hugely competitive and in order to stand out from the crowd it is important that the premises garage owners operate from are visually appealing to encourage customers to enter.  

One way of achieving this is by being a member of a nationally recognised scheme that consumers know and trust, and having the recognised signage that sets a Good Garage Scheme member apart from local competitors.

Good Garage Scheme members up and down the country adhere to the highest standards and Code of Conduct which consumers recognise. The brand is backed by regular national television advertising which makes the Good Garage Scheme even more instantly recognisable.

So, how do customers know which garages are in the Good Garage Scheme?  This is where strong signage comes into play, and as part of their package of benefits, members can access subsidised signage for their garage, saving up to 50% on costs.

In order for a Good Garage Scheme member to obtain one of these distinctive signs for their premises all they have to do is speak to their local representative who will arrange for photos of the garage to be taken and processed.  Once the garage owner has approved the signage, installation is arranged, and the garage becomes instantly recognisable. 

The feedback from member garages shows that good signage really does make a difference, and along with the marketing support they receive, garages do see an increase in business.  After all, if you wanted to go to a garage you can trust where would you go? 

If you are a Good Garage Scheme member, then contact us today to arrange your garage signage.

If you are a motorist looking for a trusted garage, then look no further than your local Good Garage Scheme member.  Why not download our iPhone app to see which garages in your area are a member of the Good Garage Scheme, or log on to our website and search by postcode at www.goodgaragescheme.com.

 

The good work of BEN for the automotive and related industries.

What does BEN do?

The BEN (Motor and Allied Trades Benevolent Fund) charity was established in 1905 to support those who work or have worked in the automotive and related industries plus their dependants.

Its work encompasses a variety of practical methods such as support, advice and care centres to better the lives of those in their care, which number over fifteen thousand. The charity has opened four residential care centres in the UK (in Merseyside, Northumberland, Berkshire and Warwickshire), providing homes to over 300 people, plus a day centre in Coventry.

Each year, the charity participates in many events including challenges such as climbing Mt. Kilimanjaro in Africa, the highest free standing mountain in the world, or treks such as along the Great Wall of China, sporting activities like the Great North Run, football, golf, cycling or karting events plus industry and corporate events like Goodwood Revival.

Last month saw the charity run National BEN Week from 18th – 24th July with the slogan “Hit the beach with BEN”.

Individuals employed to do charity work for BEN include nurses, carers, gardeners, physiotherapists, domestic assistants and many more. 

To contact BEN, please click here. To visit the BEN shop, where you can obtain a variety of items for your own use, while also raising awareness as well as contributing to the charity, please see here.

Prestige marques top Good Garage Scheme specialisms

Independent garages and workshops are increasingly specialising in some of the world’s most prestigious vehicle marques.

A poll by the UK-wide Good Garage Scheme revealed that over a recent three month period, a total of 39 different marques were searched by over 2700 motorists looking for a specialist independent garage.

Motorists visiting www.goodgaragescheme.com can find their nearest Good Garage Scheme member and refine their search to identify those who have expertise in specific makes of vehicle.

 Ford, Volkswagen, and BMW were the most popular marques searched, comprising over 35% of postcodes searches.

Anndi Sheppard, marketing manager at the Good Garage Scheme, said: “More and more of our members are specialising in specific marques to offer consumers an alternative to taking their vehicles to main dealerships without compromising the standard of work being carried out.”
Consumers are spoilt for choice when it comes to finding a specialist Good Garage Scheme member in the UK. The Good Garage Scheme can now reveal the most popular marques its members specialise in:

1.    Volkswagen

2.    Audi

3.    BMW

4.    Mercedes

5.    Rover

6.    Vauxhall

7.    Ford 
8.    Peugeot

9.    Land Rover 
=     Renault

 Visit www.goodgaragescheme.com and check your postcode and your make of vehicle to find a garage you can trust.