Four out of seven garages visted by undercover Trading Standards officers in Cornwall failed to carry out servicing and safety checks properly, with two overstating the severity of problems and one saying expensive work was needed, when it was not.

Undercover officers from Cornwall Council’s Fair Trading team have been visiting garages and service centres checking that services and safety checks on vehicles are being carried out properly and to uncover whether they are identifying unnecessary work.

Undercover officers sent in vehicles to a sample of garages across Cornwall – which included national chains and independent businesses. Four of the seven garages tested were found to have missed at least two significant service items which should have been checked as part of the service schedule offered.

Two of those four businesses were found to have overstated the severity of some of the faults found; with one of these stating that safety critical work in two areas was needed when in fact it was not required at all.

Gary Webster, Cornwall Council senior trading standards officer said: “We targeted our project at those businesses for which we have received complaints about servicing and repairs over the last 12 months.

"It was heartening to find that three garages did a good job but disappointing to find that the rest failed to check some fundamental aspects of the vehicle; including tyre pressures (particularly spare tyres), windscreen wipers, brake fluid condition and the effectiveness of the coolant (antifreeze).

"In some vehicles we introduced minor faults that would not compromise the safety, but which a garage would still have been expected to check as part of carrying out a service. We found that these basic faults were missed in almost every case.

"During the project, we also noted that certain garages were very quick to offer a raft of extra service items, many of which would be of limited benefit to the consumer or their vehicle but which would substantially increase the bill.”

Trading Standards Officers will now be providing follow-up advice to those garages who failed to check some of the required service items. A formal investigation will be carried out into the garage that identified the unnecessary work.

Stuart Benson, Cornwall Council assistant head of service for public protection and business support said: “Trading Standards consistently receive a large number of complaints relating to car servicing, repairs and sales. Whilst our Fair Trading team have been proactive in advising and supporting businesses to trade within the law and to treat their customers fairly, unfortunately some still fall short of the standard the customer is entitled to expect.

"Projects like these have become a necessary tool in identifying unfair or unsafe trading practices that bring disrepute to the wider industry. We will always work to support the majority of businesses who want to comply with the law but we are also willing to take robust action against those who attempt to take advantage of consumers.”

Top tips: Ensure that you check what is being offered as part of the service. Certain garages and service centres use a menu of items which may vary from business to business. You might be surprised at just how many parts of the service are simply just a visual inspection, rather than a replacement.

The prices quoted for a service are often the basic price, which generally includes an oil and filter change, but may not cover the replacement of other consumables, such as fuel filters, brake fluid, coolant etc. Make sure that you refer to your car manufacturer’s servicing schedule (usually found with the handbook) to ensure that the right things are being checked or replaced at the right time and get the garage to quote the price for these consumables in advance.

Try to ensure that you book your vehicle in at a time where you can make alternative travel arrangements if needed. This can help reduce the pressure on you to agree to any work on the spot. It may also give you an opportunity to get quotes from other garages or seek a second opinion.

Don’t be afraid to ask questions about why any suggested work is necessary. If in any doubt, ask the garage to keep the parts for you to inspect at a later stage (and take away for a second opinion if necessary).

Be wary of claims about tyre tread depth, brake pad thickness and brake disc thickness. Some garages will be clever in the way they word this, often giving the impression that the parts are more worn than they really are. It is important to be safe, but if you’re not sure – challenge them.

Insist that they provide a schedule or checklist for all of the work done. If you have any concerns, go back to the garage and ask them to clarify what has been done.

If you require advice about your consumer rights, or wish to report a concern about the practices of a trader or company, please contact Citizens Advice Consumer Service on 03454 04 05 06.