The Independent Garage Association (IGA) has started out on the road to gain Government-approval for its Trust My Garage (TMG) voluntary code of conduct.

The IGA’s move comes as oversight for approved codes transfers from the Office of Fair Trading (OFT) to the Trading Standards Institute (TSI).

The Motor Code for Service and Repair (MCSR) is an inaugural member of the new TSI-governed programme as it had already won full approval under OFT auspices. Other launch members include the Bosch Car Service Network and the Vehicle Builder and Repairers Association.

With its submission of interest approved by the TSI, the IGA scheme now needs to demonstrate member support and compliance of the code to get full stage-two approval.

This should be achieved by the first quarter of 2014 according to IGA Director Stuart James who said: “Recently there has been criticism surrounding independent garage businesses which in many cases the IGA believes to be unsubstantiated and unjustified.

“With the independent sector being so huge, the IGA believes that it is right to stand up for all the good independent garages.

“However, we accept there are a small number of garage businesses in the independent sector that cause consumer concerns. A Trust My Garage Code will work with Trading Standards and other consumer bodies to address these concerns and offer assurance to consumers by driving out the cowboys.”

Once approved the IGA says TMG will be unique in being the sole code only open to independent garages. The MCSR is also available to franchises which, while they currently make up the majority of the membership, should eventually reach a 50:50 balance as independent membership grows.

Forte’s Good Garage Scheme continues to win consumer recognition with high-profile television advertising, while Groupauto MCSR-backed Approved Garages Network has grown from 300 sites at launch in April to nearly 400 mid-June.

Consumer polls shows there is a high level of confusion surrounding multiple motor industry codes. Motorists continue to distrust the industry, even saying they have no faith in the MOT symbol, while the Citizens Advice Bureau says garages are still one of the most common calls of complaint to its hotline.

The Independent Automotive Aftermarket Federation cast doubt on these figures, saying they may mask other problems and could paint an inaccurate picture of true levels of consumer satisfaction with workshops.

The increasing level of pollen could provide garages and workshops profit opportunities through new cabin air filters.

Factors Andrew Page is urging garages to check the cabin filters and offer a change as a part of a summer check up.

According to the NHS, 20% of the population in England are affected by hay fever during the spring and summer months, and one way of helping these sufferers is to change the air filter on the vehicle.

It is suggested that the cabin air filter is changed during regular services in any case, every 12,000 miles or 12 months, so this gives garages the chance to develop sales opportunities and help maximise their profit margins.

The filter prevents harmful contaminants from entering the vehicle, provides a flow of fresh clean air to allow adequate ventilation and clear vision and protects air conditioning and ventilation system components.

After the success of its hybrid training, the Independent Garage Association (IGA) is preparing to roll out onsite diagnostic training later this year.

This new scheme will involve IGA staff visiting member garages and to train technicians to make the best use of their equipment in ‘real world’ diagnostic situations on customer’s cars.

This new scheme comes off the back of the successful hybrid training course in September 2012, where the IGA visited 1,250 technicians and 500 individual member garages.

Independent Garages Association Director Stuart James, said: “We were delighted at the feedback received from the hybrid training and want to enhance our training offer by responding with a product that is in high demand and will greatly benefit our members.

“Diagnostic equipment can be an expensive piece of kit and our members tell us they are not using the equipment to its full capability when diagnosing faults. The purpose of our diagnostic support training is to ensure garages have the skills and knowledge to apply logically ordered processes with any make of diagnostic equipment and vehicle to achieve a repair outcome.”

ABP Motorsport in Crewe is celebrating more of its technicians gaining the prestigious ATA qualification.

The CAT Garage of the Year Award winner previously had just one technician accredited with the ATA. Owner Chris Meredith says it was only a matter of time before he wanted all his technicians to be certified: “Training is expensive for a small business when you consider the cost involved per person. It comes to over £1,000 per technician but I believe the benefits far outweigh the costs.

“From a customer perspective what better way to show them that your technicians are not only fully qualified and able to carry out work on their cars but that they have also been independently assessed and accredited as able to work on the latest vehicles.

“It also shows as a business that we only employ technicians who are able to demonstrate that they are fully able to comply with modern vehicle technology and aren’t just people that passed exams 25 years ago!”

Meredith says more garage owners should consider sending their technicians on the qualification scheme: “Rather that give your men 3 percent at review time send them on an ATA course as it’s a WIN-WIN scenario – they get the accreditation and you get to market it!”

Dayco's new inspection tool

Dayco has released its latest set of technical updates for independent garages.

This time Dayco is focusing on how to detect a worn multi-rib belt. The supplier says that generally the obvious signs of wear include cracking, chunking, glazing or splitting on neoprene compound belts.

However the company says that in more modern cars extended-life rubber compound (EPDM) belts can have a service life of around 100,000 miles, and thus any signs of wear are harder to detect.

Dayco says that EPDM belts tend to wear in much the same way as tyres, with material loss being the main cause for a replacement.

Dayco said: “The ‘V’ profiles of the ribs on the belt begin to wear down and start to resemble a ‘U’ and not a ‘V’. As the profile changes, the contact area of the belt on the pulley is reduced and the efficiency of the belt drops, which can lead to slippage and affect the performance of the belt, as well making it very noisy.”

Naturally, Dayco has a tool to sort the problem – its ‘a-WEAR-ness’ gauge is able to perform visual checks that helps the technician assess the condition of the belt.

ABP's impressive surroundings

A visit to ABP Motorsport in Crewe has a lot to live up to. After all, the business has been named CAT Magazine’s Garage of the Year for the past three years running, as well as being frequently named as either a winner or a runner up in numerous other competitions.

Owner Chris Meredith explained how it all began: “The business started in 1964, it was then called just ABP which were the initials of the father of the owner of the time. The previous owner was very much a petrol head, he did a lot of rallying and such for many years and that’s where the motorsport element came into the business.

“I joined the business when I was 17, back in 1990. One way or another I’ve been working here for the past 20 years, and I was made Director in 2003. When I first started I was packing mail order parcels and packaging goods, at some time I’ve done every job here.”

Meredith was presented with the opportunity to take over ABP Motorsport in 2009, it was one he found too good to pass up: “That was a crazy year. Not only did I take over the business from the previous owner, but I also got married and moved house. If you have a crazy year you might as well have one like that!

“The decision to buy the business was tough – if it all went pear-shaped I’d be out of work. When you’re in control of a business and the bank has got your name on the dotted line it makes things tough – but if you’re passionate about something you can always make it work. The business isn’t going to grow all by itself, you have to view failure as not being an option.”

ABP Owner Chris Meredith

Since taking over ABP Motorsport has gone from strength to strength, Meredith reports that 2010/11 was the best ever year for the business, with 2012 already raising the bar even higher.

While ABP has enjoyed a seemingly unending spree of success, Meredith knows all too well that it isn’t the case for everyone: “Doom and gloom is something that people tend to turn to too easily. I do think a lot of garages are run very well – but are the technicians businessmen? I couldn’t do all of what our technicians do in the workshop, but that’s why I work more on the marketing side of the business.

“There are so many guys locally who’ve set up by themselves and they don’t have that business acumen – unfortunately they get so involved on the technical side that often they go under.”

For ABP, a lot of success comes from clever marketing – Meredith says at least a third of his business growth has come from marketing power: “Just this week I’ve had four customers book their cars into the workshop just off the back of the press attention we’ve had from winning the CAT Award.”

Meredith also sees a new problem emerging – a lack of properly trained technicians: “I think a lot of youngsters now don’t want to learn the skills. A few years ago Bentley Motors went on a massive recruitment drive in our area to recruit new technicians, we lost two guys to that business. The pool was empty at that point and we needed to replace those staff members – we ended up recruiting in Poland.”

ABP’s roots lie in performance tuning, and a look around the workshop reveals this is still at the core of the business. Upgraded springs, suspension units, exhausts and performance paraphernalia litter the upstairs stock room, with orders ready to be fitted to waiting customer’s cars.

ABP has a large workshop

That isn’t to say that ABP turns away the regular garage work though – MOTs and servicing is still important to the business. Local customers come to ABP for the service they should be getting at the main dealer: “We get a massive number of letters and emails from female customers saying thanks for the service, we treat them professionally and we don’t speak down to them.

“I think there’s a huge problem with garages not treating female customers right. Some technicians just have a difficulty relating to females; it has to come down to the training. I’d like to think that by now that sort of problem would have gone but it’s something that customers keep complaining about.”

For Meredith the biggest problem facing the market is discounted MOT rates. While he says the move to keep the 3-1-1 schedule is undoubtedly a good thing, VOSA needs to do more to stop discounted MOTs: “Unfortunately I don’t think that VOSA will ever take the move to enforce the price of the MOT.

“If I asked customers whether they just wanted an MOT certificate or if they wanted their cars to be safe, I’d send the ones who just wanted the certificate down the road, because anyone can do that. If they want their car to be safe we’ll do it properly and we’ll charge £45.”

ABP Motorsport – vital stats

ESTABLISHED                        1964

HQ                                              Crewe

BAYS                                          5

STAFF                                       9

FLEET                                       0

WEB                                          Abpmotorsport.co.uk

Want to see your business featured here and in CAT Magazine? Email darren.moss@haymarket.com or call 020 8267 5927

Tesco Cars has closed its doors to new orders just one year after its launch.

The supermarket chain’s operation had hoped to provide consumers with quality used cars and connect them with a network of more than 1000 independent garages for more affordable servicing and repair work than is available at franchises.

Tesco planned on buying cars from rental companies and other fleets, but difficulties in securing supply of stock is blamed for the closure which was announced through the consumer-facing website today.

“With effect from 3rd April 2012 we have decided to close the Tesco Cars business and are no longer accepting orders from customers.

“For customers with outstanding orders please contact the customer services team on 0800 072 3627. If we are unable to fulfil your order we will refund your deposit in full.

“We are very sorry indeed for any inconvenience caused.”

More to follow…

A key figure in the fight to guarantee access to technical information has committed to action after a demonstration of the difficulties garages can face getting data.

Philippe Jean, Head of the Automotive Industry Unit of the Enterprise and Industry Directorate General of the European Commission, visited a garage in Holland for the demonstration along with Colin Parlett from the Independent Garage Association.

Jean was shown the hurdles which garages face when connecting with vehicle manufacturers’ websites.

In an interview you can see below, Jean said: “You know the problems. Now I am looking at he difficulties which could be faced by independent operators in order to access the data. It makes the problem more real for me.”

Jean said there was an obligation for the European Commission to monitor the access which independents are entitled to, and ensure action taken was effective in improving the situation.

Colin Parlett of the IGA said: “The Commission has seen the difficulty that my colleagues are having in obtaining information. We need the Commission to look at the situation to make sure manufacturers comply with the regulation, both in spirit and in practice.”

Delphi is recommending garages replace entire ball joints when MOT inspections reveal damaged dust covers.

Although a car could pass the new MOT test if cracked dust covers are replaced with new boots, this doesn’t address the potential for damage to the ball joint.

Delphi says the joint could have been exposed to 51 weeks of dirt, debris and grease loss if a boot was damaged shortly after the previous MOT.

It says replacing the entire joint is the best approach to take as a result, and also suggests universal fitment boots designed to get cars through the new MOT might not be suitable in all applications.

Blue Peter Garage, Basingstoke

Blue Peter Garage in Basingstoke has been through a lot of change in recent years. Current owner Cliff Poulter has spent upwards of £60k renovating and restoring the business, and working to gain the trust of the local motoring population. If the queue of cars in his car park is anything to go by, he’s got it.

Poulter explained how he got into the business: “We were looking for a garage to buy in Basingstoke, having just sold our courier business. As a former mechanic myself I wanted to get back into the motor trade because I have a lot of passion for it. I knew the guy who owned this garage, and he told me he was looking to retire. So we bought this business.

“We totally rewired the building and had to bring in new lighting and customer facilities.“

Poulter says one of his biggest renovations has been to give the garage a friendlier atmosphere: “It’s the little things, like making sure your waiting area is warm in the winter, and making sure it’s a pleasant place to be. All those things add up to the customer thinking they’ll use your workshop. If they find somewhere they like they will come back. It takes so much time, effort and expense to get a new customer, and it takes less than five minutes to loose them. It’s as simple as that.

“If a customer can see inside the workshop and they see it’s covered in tools and grease they might not want to come inside.”

Garage owner Cliff Poulter

With the pre-Christmas cold snap not bringing in enough of the usual winter repair work, Poulter is relying on his staple business of MOT tests. He says workshops which offer reduced-rate MOT tests are devaluing the trade: “I read an article in the latest MOT magazine where someone was moaning that we have to pay for the paper and ink to print MOT certificates. I agree those are more expenditures, but then don’t forget that if you’re offering ridiculous prices for MOT’s then of course it’s going to be an extra cost.

“I think people are now getting wise to the fact that the cheaper an MOT is, the higher the chance of it failing.”

Poulter cites a case and point of a customer who visited a garage offering cheap MOT tests. His vehicle failed because the headlights were out of alignment, and the customer was charged £12.99 per light to put it right. Blue Peter Garage charges £44 for an MOT test – and consequently doesn’t charge customers to put small faults right.

Poulter is an active member of the Bosch Autocrew network, the supplied branding on the outside of his workshop is a welcome sight for customers: “We were approached by Autocrew through our relationship with Euro Car Parts. I looked at the proposal and there seemed to be a lot of advantages. The Bosch technical backup and the diagnostic equipment is brilliant.

We also get preferential rates with ECP, which considering they have a big branch just down the road is another advantage. I can usually have a part here within ten or fifteen minutes.”

The garage has an impressive interior

Poulter laments at some of the aspects of the modern motor trade. He thinks the ‘neighbourhood mechanic’ has all but disappeared: “These days there aren’t any more neighbourhood mechanics. When you book your car in these days you talk to a receptionist rather than a technician, and that’s a shame. We have people popping in all the time and we don’t charge for having a look. We always give customers a chance to shop around if they want to.”

“There are too many garages in the UK and there are certainly too many garages in Basingstoke. On this one industrial estate for example there are three other garages. There are four MOT testing stations on this one site. We’re probably the dearest out of all of them.”

There’s something to be said for Blue Peter Garage’s continuing success then – because despite Poulter admitting being one of the dearest workshops in the area, it’s also one of the busiest.

Blue Peter Garage – vital stats

ESTABLISHED          1992

LOCATION                Basingstoke

BAYS                          5

STAFF                        6

TEL                            01256 810707

WEB                          http://www.bluepetergarage.com/

Want to see your business featured here and in CAT Magazine? Email darren.moss@haymarket.com or call 020 8267 5927