FOXY's Good Garage Guide for women drivers

Leading motor trade bodies

Copyright ©2008 by Stephanie Savill, Founder of FOXY Lady Drivers Club

Many garages join trade bodies to represent their best interests in the face of legislation, to keep them up to date with industry matters, health and safety, environmental and employment issues and to benefit from buying economies of scale. Many organise a customer complaint handling service for their members.

Automotive Distribution Federation (ADF)
www.adf.org.uk

The ADF is the independent voice of the manufacturers and importers of vehicle parts, representing their members' views and best interests within the UK, in Europe and often internationally.

Institute of the Motor Industry (IMI)
www.motor.org.uk

The IMI is the professional association for individuals working in the motor industry. The Institute is the Sector Skills Council for the automotive retail industry, part of the Skills for Business network and also the governing body for the Automotive Technician Accreditation (ATA) scheme.

MVRA (formerly the Motor Vehicle Repairers Association)
www.mvra.co.uk

MVRA is a trade body providing specialist support to businesses involved in the repair of motor vehicles.

Retail Motor Industry Federation (RMIF)
www.rmif.co.uk

RMIF is the trade association for the retail motor industry, representing the interests of operators in England, Wales, Northern Ireland and the Isle of Man. Motorists can refer complaints about member garages to the RMIF conciliation and arbitration service.

Scottish Motor Trade Association (SMTA)
www.smta.co.uk

SMTA provides a similar service to the RMIF representing the retail motor industry in Scotland.

Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders Limited (SMMT)
www.smmt.co.uk

SMMT represents the automotive industry at a national, European and global level across issues as varied as the environment, legislation, safety and security, as well as education and the economy. Their Regulation and Compliance Unit runs the conciliation service for the SMMT New Car Code of Practice (cars within their warranty period), the Code of Practice for Mechanical Breakdown Insurance Schemes.

Vehicle Builders and Repairers Association Ltd (VBRA)
www.vbra.co.uk

VBRA is an association for the vehicle body building, commercial vehicle repair, tail lift repair, car body and SMART repair industry, representing their best interests in the UK and Europe. The VBRA 'car body repair' code is the only one recognised by the Office of Fair Trading under its Consumer Codes Approval Scheme.

The Right To Repair Campaign

FOXY Lady Drivers Club and FOXY Choice support The Right To Repair Campaign www.r2rc.co.uk so that all UK motorists can choose where to have their cars maintained, without invalidating any new car manufacturer warranties, providing that business is VAT registered, follows the manufacturer's servicing procedures, employs a suitably qualified mechanic and uses original parts, specified fluids or ones of matching quality.

To encourage fair competition in the face of new EU proposals from 2010 onwards, vehicle manufacturers should be required to make the latest technical information freely available to all businesses in the after sales automotive market, including independent garages and car dealerships. Freedom of choice is in the best interests of all UK motorists.

First published at www.foxychoice.com in July 2008
Copyright @ 2008 by Stephanie Savill

1. FOXY Garage Guide will be updated on a regular basis.
2. Whilst every care has been taken in its preparation, FOXY can accept no liability for any event arising from its use.
3. Mindful not to offend either gender, where the words he or she are used, please assume both genders are implied with equal concern and weighting as relevant.
4. All rights reserved. No part of this Guide may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system or transmitted, in any form or by any means, without the prior permission, in writing, of the author.

FOXY Choice is a trading name of FOXY Drivers Limited, company number 5071266, registered in England and Wales with registered offices at The Courtyard, Beeding Court, Steyning, West Sussex BN44 3TN

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Start of FOXY's Good Garage Guide for women drivers

FOXY signs of good garage quality
Different types of garage solutions
Garage tips to save money and run safer cars
Leading garage networks
Leading motor trade bodies