• Before every trip: 

  Make sure the wipers are clean and in good condition, keep the windscreen washer filled, clean the windows – inside and out
  torrential rain makes the car mist up in seconds, set the heater or demister controls before you set off.
   

• During your trip: 

  If you see water pooling or streaming across the road, don't brake or accelerate onto it.

  Don't use cruise control on wet roads – it may create problems if you start to aquaplane.

  Slow down and give yourself more time drop back from the spray from the vehicle in front.

  Turn on your headlights whenever you need to use your wipers.

  Slow down, look ahead and increase your following distance.

  Make allowances for other road users

  A suddenly very wet road surface increases your chances of slipping when braking or steering on water, ease off the accelerator, grip the steering wheel firmly and try to steer straight ahead.

  On motorways, put your wipers on their fastest setting before overtaking.

Stuart James, IGA Director, commented “The Trust My Garage scheme guarantees the consumer the quality of workmanship of its members. It offers consumers who use the garages in the Trust My Garage scheme financial reassurance in the event of a dispute or if the garage goes out of business. This reassurance is backed by the Independent Garage Association.

“Currently consumers have no one to turn to in the face of a dispute with an independent garage. The Trust My Garage scheme offers exactly that. If a dispute does take place and the consumer is judged to be in the right, the IGA will financially reimburse them up to £1000.”

There are currently over 2000 garages signed up to the scheme, a number that is growing daily. Each new member is put through a stringent site audit which it must pass in order to be able to display the Trust My Garage badge.

James continued “Garages will be able to display the Trust My Garage sign as a badge of honour that demonstrates their professionalism and dedication to the highest standards of skill and personal service.”

Consumers can search for a garage taking part in the scheme at www.trustmygarage.co.uk

You have till the end of March to post your comments. Winner will be announced on Monday 2nd April.

The Office of Fair Trading’s Consumer Codes Approval Scheme (CCAS) makes buying and selling better for everyone. It helps consumers choose garages that have promised to provide a higher standard of customer service than required by law, including better protection in the event that something goes wrong. It gives garages the chance to show their commitment, by displaying the OFT Approved code logo. For more information, visit the Consumer Codes website.

The Government first announced its intention to look at changing the MoT test to a 4-2-2 system 18 months ago in order to bring it in line with European rules.

In a written ministerial statement, Transport secretary Justine Greening said: "Having listened closely to the very many views put forward and considered the available evidence, I have decided that I am not going to carry out further work in relation to relaxing the first test date or the frequency of testing.”

However, the DfT will be looking at other areas of vehicle testing.

Data from the Vehicle and Operator Services Agency (VOSA) has shown that more than a quarter (27.7%) of vehicles tested in 2010-2011 had one or more car defects that were either missed by MoT test centres or incorrectly assessed.

The VOSA data also showed that the roadworthiness of one-in-eight cars (12.4%) was being incorrectly assessed by MoT test centres.
As a result, the Government has said it will work with industry, motoring organisations and consumer groups to focus on the reliability and standards of garages.
The Government has said it will:

• Share more information on the performance of MoT testing stations by releasing hitherto unpublished VOSA survey data on whether the sector is complying with test standards.
• Work with motoring organisations to find out what problems motorists experience and enable them to share examples of good customer service – in particular to find ways to make it easier for customers to give feedback on their experiences of garages in a way that others can see – potentially in the manner of existing online hotel and restaurant review websites.
• Encourage the take up of industry codes of practice – and expand them to include MoT testing – so that customers can find garages signed up to schemes delivering the highest standards and take action if they have not received the service they expect.
• Help motorists to spot “clocked” second hand vehicles, by changing MoT certificates so that they carry the last three years’ mileage information as well as the mileage on the day of the test, and encourage car buyers to check full MoT histories using the online MoT database.
• Arrange “mystery shopper” tests to help improve performance in addition to those already carried out by VOSA.


Alec Murray, RMI chairman, said: “The Retail Motor Industry Federation (RMI), representing the interests of motor industry operators throughout the UK, welcomes the Department for Transport’s (DfT) announcement of the MoT review.

“It is positive that after much speculation that MoT frequency will not feature in the review. The RMI have always been against any change to MoT frequency on the grounds that it is unnecessary and poses considerable safety issues. 

“By retaining the current system the Government has cut the risk of the additional road deaths and injuries that would have potentially occurred with a move to less frequent testing. 

“The RMI along with other trade bodies have been engaged with the DfT for some time on the wider issues around the current test and continue to view the review as a positive step. There are many areas of the MoT that could be improved and we have been in discussions with the DfT to air our views on what positive changes could be made. 

“We will continue to work with Government throughout the review to ensure the interests of our members and consumers are best represented.”

• change a wheel
• learn how to check oil, water, windscreen washers and tyre pressures
• Take a look under the bonnet and understand how your car works
• They were also briefed on car safety

This is what one of our visitors had to say….

Why not ask the motoring expert Harish?

Harish runs one of the largest independent garages in the UK and has well over 20 years experience in his field. He will be available to answer your questions on Twitter on Wednesday 18th January between 2-5pm. If you have any questions, his Twitter handle is @harishautos . Alternatively, you can post them on his Facebook page.

We look forward to hearing from you!

The proposals affect all 39 regional offices, described by Mr Penning as "expensive". They are Beverley in East Yorkshire, Birmingham, Bournemouth, Brighton, Bristol, Carlisle, Chelmsford in Essex, Chester, Exeter, Ipswich, Leeds, Lincoln, Borehamwood in Hertfordshire, Sidcup in south east London, and Wimbledon in south west London. Maidstone in Kent, Manchester, Newcastle Upon Tyne, Northampton, Norwich, Nottingham, Oxford, Peterborough, Portsmouth, Preston, Sheffield, Shrewsbury, Stockton-on-Tees, Theale in Berkshire, Truro, Worcester, Bangor in Gwynedd, Cardiff, Swansea, Aberdeen, Dundee, Glasgow, Edinburgh, and Inverness will also be affected. The regional offices carry out administrative functions such as arranging trade plates for garages, vehicle inspections and personalised registration mark transfers. Ten of the 39 offices affected by the announcement are also home to regional enforcement centres.

Mr Penning said: "Centralising the DVLA’s services is the first crucial step towards making more of its transactions available online, allowing people to deal with the DVLA at their chosen time and place. "This will mean quicker turnarounds and meet our customers’ growing needs." He said the centralising of services will provide "much more choice and flexibility around how and when motorists deal with the DVLA," including electronically and in partnership with others. DVLA chief executive Simon Tse said the proposals were a response to the fact that "times change and customers’ needs change". "It’s essential that we move with the times and make the best use of our services and experience to make sure we give the motor industry and the general public a service that is fit for the 21st Century."

As part of the proposed changes, a wider range of services will be introduced in Northern Ireland. Motorists there do not currently have access to all vehicle services available elsewhere, such as being able to tax a vehicle online. Last November, PCS claimed that it had learned of a plan to close 39 DVLA offices from a leaked government document – but the DVLA said no decision had been made at the time. The PCS said the plans would be "fiercely" resisted, with industrial action very likely. PCS general secretary Mark Serwotka said: "With unemployment and inflation remaining high, these cuts to local communities are outrageous and unnecessary, and will further weaken economies crying out for investment. DVLA senior managers have previously denied this is what they were planning, so to announce it just two weeks before Christmas is insulting and devastating for staff.

Source: BBC News

• Christmas Eve: Open 8.30 till 12.30
• Christmas Day: Closed
• Boxing Day : Closed
• Tuesday 27 December : Closed
• Wed 28 / Thu 29 / Fri 30 December:
  Open 8.30 till 4.30
• Saturday 31 December:
  Open 8.00 till 12.30
• New Years Day: Closed
• Monday 2nd January: Closed
• Tuesday 3 January: Open as usual

Opening hours for the new year will be:

Weekdays: 8.30 – 6.00

Saturdays: 8.00 – 12.30

Wishing you all a merry Christmas and a happy new year! Thank you for choosing Harish’s Autos

Come along to Harish’s Autos Ladies Evening on 15th January 2012 and learn how to….

• Change a wheel
• Check oil, water, tyre pressures, windscreen washers
• Take a look under the bonnet and understand how your car works
• We will also advice you on all aspects of car safety

The evening will take place between 7 and 9pm and will include kosher refreshments.

To reserve your place today, call us on 020 8238 9190 or email us.