Hi Chis

I would like to raise a couple of points and maybe follow on from Grahams post

1)
We have seen so many schemes come and go down the years but for some reason they never seem to make it to the top of the pile ie: become a recognized scheme with the OFT (industry standard) and most importantly the General Public

Bosch Car Service
Unipart Car Care Centres
Forte Good Garage Schemes
Kite Mark

One of the reasons that many Independents join these schemes is because they give them a bit of credibility with the motoring public as they do recognize the names and logos. Also some schemes such as the Forte Good Garage Scheme have cracked it as far as marketing goes with newspaper ads, radio, high visibility signs for workshops plus a slick website that potential customers can view feedback from other customers

How does the Motor Industry Codes intend to get the message across to OUR CUSTOMERS, for us this is the most important factor, if the motoring public is not fully aware (become a household name such as "Corgi" ) then we may as well stick with our current schemes

2)
I notice on your list of garages that there is nearly every dealership in the country plus a few Independents (at the moment). How does the Motor Industry Codes stand on "the Right to Repair campaign". If Block Exemption if phased out in 2010 this will give the Franchise Dealers an unfair advantage. Independents will not be able to carryout tasks without adequate technical information. Will this not compromise your schemes "RAC Inspections" if we do not have access to information to complete a repair (end up sending to dealer) such as safety and security systems, which according to Bosch will proliferate over the next 10 years

Peter