Making sure the job is done well – at the right price.
The motorist choosing a garage to service and repair his car looks for prompt attention, good workmanship and a reasonable price. If he is wise, he will also foresee that disputes can occasionally arise, so that a garage which belongs to a scheme for settling disputes is better than one which does not.
How does a motorist find out whether a garage does a good job for a fair price? Obviously the recommendations of friends are valuable, especially if they have been going to the garage for some time.
But not all garages are equally suited to deal with each type of car. The complexity of modern motor vehicles makes it essential that major repairs should be carried out with special tools and equipment, by trained mechanics experienced in dealing with your make of car. In practice, this means using a garage which is the manufacturer's authorized franchise-holder.
These garages are the specialists. They should have a comprehensive stock of essential spare parts and a staff of mechanics with the relevant experience. In addition, they will be kept informed by bulletins from the manufacturer about modifications and defects affecting the models they sell and service.
Motoring organizations experienced in dealing with complaints about garages have found that the greatest single cause of dispute is repair work carried out by garages which are not the appropriate franchise-holders (for instance, the replacement of the clutch or the hydrolastic suspension unit of a BMC Mini by a garage which is not a BMC franchise-holder).
Garages and their facilities vary considerably – from the normal petrol station type, mainly interested in selling petrol, oil and possibly a few accessories, to the larger garage which deals with insurance, car hire, new and used car sales and major body repairs. It is unreasonable to expect the same type of service from both these types of garage.
A detailed guide to the size, facilities and equipment of garages is provided by the spanner gradings of the Automobile Association's Garage Plan. Under this scheme, garages are allowed to display a one, two or three-spanner sign, according to the range of services they are equipped to provide to the public.
A garage displaying any one of the spanner signs has been inspected and found to be well equipped and staffed by trained mechanics.
A good way of ensuring reliable service is to become a regular customer. The motorist who goes to a garage for petrol, spares and routine work is valued – someone who is more likely to get extra assistance when he is in difficulties.
What will it cost?
Garage charges for repair work are made up of two elements: the retail cost of any parts supplied, and the cost of labor, charged at an hourly rate.
Labor charges vary from one part of the country to another, but there is usually little or no difference between rates charged by franchise and non-franchise garages in the same area, or by garages with one, two or three-spanner gradings.
Experience shows that most customers ideas of what a repair will cost are wide of the mark. To avoid unpleasant surprises, always ask for an estimate before authonsing garage to go ahead. If the price quoted is quite high, ask to have the quote in writing.
The garage may say that it is not possible to give a reliable estimate without first dismantling parts and investigating the cause of the trouble.
In this case it should give an estimate of the cost of this exploratory work, and a second estimate of what the repair itself is likely to cost.
If either estimate appears to be unreasonably high, there may be another franchise-holder nearby whom you can ask to estimate for the same job. But beware of giving the job to a non-franchise garage, even if it quotes a substantially lower price. This could easily turn out to be a false economy.
If the work is eventually done by a second garage, expect to pay a fair charge, be to the first garage for investigating the cause of a breakdown. ie, An estimate which appears to be too high can also be checked with your motoring organization. If a repair is going to be too costly and you are unsure whether you can afford it, ask for an estimate giving the upper and lower limits of the cost.
Many disputes over bills are caused by the variation between estimates and bills. Usually this variation arises because the garage has found additional repair work urgently needing attention, and has gone ahead without consulting the car owner.
A good garage will not proceed with these extra jobs without authority. But to be on the safe side, the motorist can set a cash limit on repairs when leaving the car, and ask the garage manager to get in touch with him before this limit is exceeded. He should also give a telephone number where he can be reached during the day. He will then be liable to pay only for the work he has authorized.
When ordering repairs to dents and other body damage, ask for a written quote divided into these two categories:
1. Removal and refitting of any parts.
2. The cost of any new panels or parts.
An estimate in this form can be easily and fairly assessed.