Easter Holiday Driving Advice from the IAM

If you’re driving somewhere nice this Easter to indulge in a spot of egg rolling and family feuding over whose fault it was that the Easter eggs were left next to the heater, consider taking some time to prepare yourself and your vehicle for the trip.

At any time of year it is important that you check that all of your lights are working. You should also ensure that your tyre pressure is correct and that they have enough tread – particularly since you are likely to be facing some poor road surfaces after the wintry weather we have experienced in March.

What better time to give your car a spring clean? The grains of salt which have been spread on the roads over the winter period will inevitably have made their way on to your vehicle like tiny corrosive stowaways. Leaving a salt build-up can be damaging to your car, causing rust to appear.

When packing your vehicle for your journey, try to carry as little unnecessary weight as possible as this will increase your fuel consumption – do you really need those extra pairs of shoes? Pack your things as compactly as possible; making sure that nothing obstructs your view through the rear window.

Make sure your washer fluid is topped up before you leave, and give the windscreen and headlamps a quick clean when you stop for fuel.

If you’re taking the kids with you, it’s worth gathering up some tools to keep them occupied during the long periods spent on the road, in which you will need to concentrate, and they will need to be entertained. Portable DVD players and cordless games consoles are perfect, but don’t forget the headphones as the Super Mario Brothers tune may start to grate after an hour or two.

If you feel your eyelids getting heavy whilst driving, it’s likely that opening a window or turning the radio up will not cut it. Pull over somewhere suitable and safe, drink some strong coffee, and have a 20 minute nap while the caffeine takes effect. Sharing the driving is also a great option, if possible.

The Good Garage Scheme would like to thank the Institute of Advanced Motorists (IAM) for their guest blog this week.  For more information about the IAM, visit www.iam.org.uk

If you are unsure if your car is up to a long journey to see family and friends over the Easter holidays, why not visit a Good Garage Scheme member near you that can offer a Spring Check for peace of mind?

Good Garage Scheme Members at Dakar Rally

A father and son team of mechanics from Good Garage Scheme member garage, The Old Forge Garage in Leadenham gave up their jobs for a month in January 2013 to be part of a race team involved in the legendary Dakar Rally.

Phil Bayliss, Nasser Al Attiyah and Chris Bayliss

Phillip Bayliss and his father Chris spent four weeks in South America with the Race2Recovery team, mainly made up of injured and limbless servicemen and women. Phil and Chris who run The Old Forge Garage in Leadenham, are Land Rover specialists and have grown up off-road racing their 4x4s around the country for 20 years. A friend recommended them when another mechanic dropped out and they enjoyed the exciting trip of a lifetime.

Phil said: “We watched the event on TV for years and it was our dream to race in it ourselves, but to help a team out there was brilliant.”

One of the vehicles that Phil and Chris serviced during the rally

Phil also said it was a privilege to be part of the team and admired the way the injured teammates just got on with things, despite suffering from sores where sand affected artificial limbs. The Race2Recovery team were the first disabled team to finish the rally and received a special message of congratulations from the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge for their efforts.
 
The 15-day route, which took place in January of this year started in Lima, Peru, through Argentina to Santiago, Chile. It covered 9,000km over extreme mountain and desert terrain and the support teams needed to drive ahead to meet the competitors at the end of each stage, working through the night. Not only were they coping with lack of sleep, they also suffered the effects of altitude sickness as they drove up to heights of 4,800m over the Andes.

The Bowler Wildcats took a lot of punishment and one vehicle was written off when it hit a ditch at 60mph putting the occupants in hospital.


The team's efforts aim to support Tedworth House Personnel Recovery Centre.  For more information or to make a donation, please visit: www.race2recovery.com

Banish Winter Car Blues with a Spring Check

As winter slowly fades away the Good Garage Scheme is encouraging motorists to get their cars professionally checked to ensure they are safe and reliable in the months ahead.  Good Garage Scheme workshops across the UK are offering a Spring Check to give drivers peace of mind and ensure their cars are in good health after the winter.

Extreme weather conditions and salted roads can contribute to adverse effects on a car’s vital components including the steering, suspension, wheels and tyres.   

With the first day of spring just around the corner on 20^th March, the Good Garage Scheme also recommends that motorists have their air conditioning systems checked.  Harmful bacteria and mould may have built up in the ducts of systems that have been switched off during the winter, posing a health risk to drivers as they switch them back on.

Phil Dugmore, the Good Garage Scheme’s Technical Manager, comments: “The harsh winter may well have taken its toll on vital car components.  The Good Garage Scheme’s Spring Check aims to help give motorists the confidence that their car is in top condition as the days get longer and the weather starts to improve.”

Visit www.GoodGarageScheme.com and enter your postcode to find your local Good Garage Scheme workshop offering the Spring Check to ensure your car is in good health as the warm weather returns. 

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.

Prima Magazine offers Car Advice

The March issue of Prima magazine features a spread offering readers car advice including caring for your car, buying a car and getting a good deal at a garage.

The Good Garage Scheme's Code of Conduct and feedback system are given particular mention and Good Garage Scheme member garage, Caroline's Cars in Norwich offers advice to those worried about finding a garage.
"Personal recommendation is the best way to find a garage," says owner and mechanic Caroline Lake  of Caroline's Cars in Norwich.

Read more advice from Caroline in the feature written by motoring journalist,  Maria McCarthy.

Mind the Gap!

According to a BBC report, almost two million potholes were reported to councils in England and Wales last year and it is a problem which is likely to get worse given the extreme weather conditions we have experienced over the past few months.

Potholes form as water freezes and expands creating larger cracks in the road surface that is beginning to fracture. Normal traffic opens up the damaged road surface and wet weather loosens the crumbling surface making it larger.

According to information from the AA, a third of drivers have damaged their vehicle by hitting a pothole in the last two years.

If you wish to report a pothole, get in touch with your council or add the information via the FixMyStreet website (www.fixmystreet.com) and they will report it to your council for you.



If you are worried that your vehicle has suffered damage due to a pothole, why not visit a Good Garage Scheme member near you who will be happy to check for you?

It's like having a friend in the know!

Running out of Fuel - Guest Blog by Maria McCarthy

This is an astonishingly common problem. Sometimes it's just the result of pure carelessness and forgetting to check the fuel gauge. Other times it's because the fuel gauge itself is faulty and
was reading full when it was actually empty. Alternatively there could be a fuel leak.

How to avoid it
If you suspect that the fuel gauge is playing up, or that you've 
got a leak of any description, get it checked out by a garage as
soon as possible. And don't procrastinate when it comes to filling
up.

What to do if it happens to you
If you suspect a fuel leak then you should be able to smell
the petrol or diesel. Don't even think of trying to start the
car under these circumstances - call the breakdown service
for help.

Don't keep attempting to start the engine in the hope of
squeezing the last drops of fuel out as this can suck air and dirt
into the fuel system and make things even worse.

If you've got a can of fuel with you or can get one from a
nearby petrol station then switch off the ignition, empty it into
the tank and drive to the nearest garage to fill up properly.

If you're stuck on the hard shoulder or a long way from the
nearest petrol station then your best bet is to call your breakdown
service.

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The Good Garage Scheme would like to thank Maria McCarthy for permission to publish an excerpt from her book,  "The Girls' Car Handbook - Everything You Need to Know about Life on the Road”, published by Simon and Schuster.  Maria is a member of The Guild of Motoring Writers.

Top Feedback Winners 2012

Congratulations to the team at Lockwood & Greenwood in Ashton-under-Lyne, for achieving the most customer feedbacks in the Good Garage Scheme in 2012 and are well under way to reaching a fantastic milestone of 3000 soon. Over 99% of their customers would recommend the garage and over 99% would visit them again. Customer service is key to Lockwood & Greenwood and this is obvious to their customers as well.

Not only have they won the national prize but have also picked up the North West Regional Feedback prize for the year. 

David Greenwood, Service Manager, and Brian Langton, Marketing Manager with their awards.

Congratulations to the following Good Garage Scheme member Regional Winners for 2012:

East Midlands:  R M Services, Leicestershire

East Anglia:      DLH Auto Centre, Norfolk

Scotland:          In-Tune Garage Services, Glasgow

South Wales:    Nantgarw Garage , Glamorgan

North East:       Rovetec, Stockton-on-Tees

South West:      Interpro, Bristol

North London:   Empire Garages, Middlesex

South:   Sutton MOT & Repair Centre Ltd, Surrey

Customer feedback is at the heart of the Good Garage Scheme. Since its inception in 2006, the website features over 580,000 feedbacks from previous customers, similar to other comparison websites, so that motorists are in the driving seat when it comes to choosing a garage to service or repair their cars or carry out an MOT test.

But don’t just take our word for it - simply visit www.GoodGarageScheme.com and type in your postcode or town name for a list of garages near you. Be assured that every garage listed performs services to a strict Code of Conduct and will always have your best interests at heart.