The two young men are absolute star performers; Mike our new apprentice shows great promise and his work ethic is second to none. I am confident that after serving the three years of training and education we insist on, he will make a fantastic Technician. Matthew is a new addition to our valet team, he shows great passion for getting the job done right and will be partly responsible for ensuring all our customers cars are returned in immaculately clean condition after every visit.

It is an honour being able to provide employment to personable and professional people. Thanks to the support of our customers we can continue to bolster our service levels and develop the business, meaning we can provide better a service for the same cost to you.

This may sound like a question that should only be asked once in a lifetime and of course if you’re talking about the human race the answers are varied and complex. Luckily I’m not going to try and answer that one! However recently I was asked that very question, but it was regarding my business, Motor Marque. I had to stop and think about it for while but the act of thinking it through was a fantastic process that allowed me to re-visit my passion that inspired me to set up the company some 14 years ago. It’s worth asking these questions to yourself, why do you get up in the morning? What inspires you to do what you do?

I did just that and my answer is that, I truly believe there is a different way to operate within the motor trade. I am determined to ensure people are as safe as possible on the roads and I am passionate about excellent service. I feel that going to the garage shouldn’t be a bad experience.

That fact that we keep our customers safe and they enjoy the service we give is what gets me going at 7am every morning when I leave for work, even when it’s cold and dark!

How we do what we do is equally important to me. I ensure all the team have the same ‘why am here’ as me and we all pride ourselves on keeping people safe and happy, which isn’t easy! I mean who really wants to spend their hard earned cash on tyres and brakes? Most people would rather put the money towards a lovely holiday.

It may seem like an unusual way of orientating a business but it sets us apart from the rest. Why are other garages in business? My guess is, to make money. There’s nothing wrong with that but I know who I want to repair my wife’s car and it’s not the guys just in it for the cash.

What are your whys? My bet is those answers are the ones that define how you operate at work every day.

Many motorists return their cars to the main dealer every year without realising they have a viable alternative. Quality independent garages can offer a viable and trustworthy alternative, especially if like Motor Marque they have invested in cutting edge technology and highly skilled staff, trained to work on all makes, models and ages of vehicles. Customers of independent garages often comment that they feel the standard of service and level of trust is way in excess of the main dealers! Why not ask friends or colleagues about their experiences with the main dealers.

You don’t need to  worry about your vehicles’ warranty, although you’re often told you should return to the main dealers, Government legislation has been passed (EC Block Exemption Regulation 1400/2002 Oct2003) to say you are entitled to choose where you have your servicing and repairs done without affecting the warranty.

Why should you consider a change? I hate to sound like a politician telling you how bad the opposition is but I don’t need to, others have done this already. A recent article in the Sunday Times (5^th Feb 2012) highlighted a major brand’s policy of ‘turning a blind eye to faults that are under warranty’ then hitting the customer with a huge bill as soon as the warranty period ends.

My advice is to do some research before you commit to servicing or repairs, check websites such as the Good Garage Scheme where customers post reviews of their experiences, ask friends and family for recommendations and most importantly call into a few garages for a coffee or a free safety check, there is no reason you shouldn’t ‘try before you buy’. Check out testimonials. I can guarantee you that independent garages, all of whom survive on reputation will want you as a customer and will work harder to keep you. The biggest benefit of this is that they will be honest with you and give you lots of added value such as customer shuttle services and courtesy cars – so you get the service you actually deserve.

Simply put a car’s wheels and tyres should all point forward in exactly the same direction. Imagine drawing a box round your car with a wheel at each corner, wheel alignment equipment does just that and measures all the angles very accurately.

If one or more of the wheels points at a different angle to the others, drastically increased tyre wear can occur, fuel economy goes down and the vehicle won’t handle safely. With an average tyre now costing over £80 and fuel at an all time high, it is prudent to have your wheel alignment checked regularly. The signs are hard to spot, you may notice your tyres wearing on the inner or outer edges, see my video tips to check your tyres, or when driving in a multistorey car park you might hear the tyres screeching! The only real way to ensure it right is to have the wheel alignment checked by us, click here to book in!

Insider knowledge:

Tracking is not the same as wheel alignment! Tracking actually describes setting only the front two wheels in parallel, not all four. With modern suspension set-ups this is pointless, you must insist on full Four Wheel Alignment.

Have your alignment adjusted, not just checked. If the wheels aren’t quite aligned a technician can make adjustments to get it right. You will then see the benefits of better tyre wear and fuel economy.

Proper wheel alignment equipment suitable for use on modern cars is very costly, into tens of thousands, combined with a perfectly level vehicle lift and well trained staff great results are achieved. This doesn’t come cheaply, a main dealer will charge in excess of £120, but there are some places offering ‘wheel alignment’ for seemingly daft prices. If it sounds too good to be true, then it probably is too good to be true!

Some dubious mechanics have been caught charging for alignment and not actually doing anything! If you don’t trust your mechanic, first of all think about changing garage or at least ask for a print out or view on screen of your wheel alignment figures before and after adjustment.

Wheel alignment is measured in degrees and minutes, a minute is a 60^th of one degree! Think about a school protractor, a degree is about the thickness of a finger nail. So it’s pretty easy to knock out. Potholes, road debris, rough roads, curbs and even general wear and tear can all knock wheel alignment out. Unfortunately when it’s knocked out the only way to correct it is to have it re-aligned again. On the bright side wheel alignment is cheaper than tyres.

At Motor Marque we have got the very latest Wheel Alignment equipment and highly trained expert staff so we are ready to help save your tyres, your fuel and your life. Well maybe your insurance excess!

Call or book in online and save money now.

When one or more lamps aren’t working it makes judging the speed and distance of on-coming vehicles very difficult. So if someone has recently pulled out in front of you, check you own lights to be sure everyone has chance to see you.

Obviously it’s more apparent when bulbs are out at this time of year but bulbs also spend more time on meaning they are more likely to blow, especially in the cold damp atmosphere. As well as the obvious bulbs out causing difficulties and danger, headlamps can be out of alignment dazzling oncoming traffic. Xenon or ‘High Intensity’ headlamps are fitted with a self levelling system to help avoid dazzling other motorists but these systems can fail.

For your own safety and the safety of other road users it is well worth a few minutes carrying out a quick check. Combine a lights check with warming your car through; Get the engine running, bob the lights on and have a quick walk round to check you have two front side lights, two rear tail lights and reflectors. Then headlights on and check they’re clean and they operate. By the time you’ve done your car should getting nice and warm!

Top Tips:1.Pull the car up to about 3 yards/2 metres to a flat wall or garage door, the lights should form a defined beam pattern as seen here-

At that distance the top of the beam should be approximately knee height. The ‘kick up’ must be to the left of the pattern. If the pattern is not well defined or the beam is high then you could badly dazzle other motorists.

2. Many people ask me, ‘How can you check the Brake Lights on your own?’ It’s a good question, the answer is easy though. When you’ve check the front lights now carefully reverse the car up to the same wall or garage door, park up, handbrake on. Apply the foot-brake on and off and look in the rear view mirror or wing mirrors, you will clearly see the red glow from the brake lights. You should have at least two and usually a third, high level brake light. As a bonus you will have also just checked your reverse lights without realising it! These measurements are only a rough guide and if in doubt have your headlamp aims checked by Motor Marque using the correct MOT approved equipment.

These few simple checks can be done by you at home or by us as part of a Free Visual Health Check  and could save you from a nasty accident. If you find a bulb out call in to have it replaced while-you-wait or if you prefer see my video tips on how to change bulbs.

The name sounds threatening enough but getting caught out puts the wind up the most hardened boy racer and the resulting slide is rarely recoverable. At best you could end up with an embarrassing and expensive slam into the kerb, at worst, well let’s not go there!

At least with snow or slush everyone knows it is there and that’s what makes ‘black ice’ so lethal. Many factors combine to wreak havoc to drivers: The ice so called because it doesn’t reflect light and appears to be just like a patch of melt water. Usually forming overnight meaning it’s discovered by early morning commuters, when we’re admittedly not at our most alert. It also remains in patches, for example, in the shade. The surrounding higher air temperature can lull motorists into a false sense of security, presuming any ice will have melted.

So how can we best avoid an unwanted and expensive run in with this plague to the motorist? Awareness is the key initially; be prepared for ‘black ice’ even if the outside temperature gauge in your car doesn’t show a snow flake or give you a warning chime to let you know. I would say up to 5 degrees Celsius a risk still exists. It may be 5 degrees or more on your drive with the sun shining on your car or even near your house but on the road with cold grass verges either side it certainly won’t be! The gauges are also sometime inaccurate and on many cars the sensors are mounted in the front bumper, which has the hot radiator just behind it, meaning a completely false reading especially at slow speeds!

As soon as you are on the road and before you hit the traffic carry out a test; when it’s completely safe to do so and at a very low speed, I apply the brake quite hard. This will do two things, give you an idea of the grip available and if your car has ABS, give you an idea of the feeling when that activates. That’s only a test of that particular bit of road surface but it may just highlight how slippy it is and how that will massively affect your stopping distance. Also, if you skid a little, it will give you an idea of how crazy the ABS will go whilst trying to safely bring yourself to a halt! There will be noise, vibration and ‘push back’ through the brake pedal. All quite disconcerting if you’ve never experienced it before!

If despite taking care, the worst happens and you do find yourself ‘Dancing on Ice’ remember not to panic and hammer some big inputs into the controls. Pushing for all your worth on the middle pedal or frantically turning the steering wheel maybe a natural reaction but it will not help your situation. Ease off the brakes, be gentle with the steering and prepare for some grip to kick in. If you can allow the wheels to roughly carry on rotating at the same speed and maintain direction the chances of regaining traction are greatly improved. Also, as is often the case with ‘black ice’, it may be just a small patch and when you’ve passed it the tyres will grip again.

Keep aware, keep plenty of distance, keep safe and keep your money in your pocket!

Some of the changes are sensible additions and in my opinion are long overdue. For some cars with less responsible owners the MOT is unfortunately the only time the car will visit a garage and therefore a vital safety check. Some of the changes, however, are more controversial, I am not quite sure how we are supposed to check the operation of your speedometer when VOSA encourage us not to test drive the vehicle during an MOT!

It is hoped the new tests will reflect the electrical complexity and sophistication of modern safety car features. It’s worth noting that these changes will add a considerable amount of time to the MOT and no price increase is applied, garages just have to take that one on the chin.

However as a car owner it is the more obvious changes that may affect your pocket! If you’ve been ignoring a warning light on your dash, the chances are that will mean your car will fail the MOT test and therefore be illegal to drive on the road!

So what does that mean- Well initially you will have to have a diagnostic check carried out (cost at main dealer £90, cost at Motor Marque £55). This will show which, of many possible faults, could be causing the failure and the light to show. I am sure that’s making many wince already, however look at it this way, the MOT is a minimum safety test for all cars over 3 years old to pass. If your car has a warning light on it is there for a reason, there is a fault present that could affect the safety of you, your family or another innocent road user. I am sure no one wants to be at the hands of a car that is dangerous.

The trouble really begins once the diagnostic test has been carried out, which is when that little orange light can really start causing some major inconvenience! The story starts a long time ago when manufacturers first began to realise that if they programmed the computers on their cars in a way that only their machines could communicate with, the vehicles would have to be repaired by one of their own dealers with that code (A bit like trying to run windows on a Mac). At last they could virtually force people to always use the main dealer guaranteeing continued revenue at their own pricing level.

‘Monopoly’ I hear you cry! And so did the European Government! So came about ‘Block Exemption Regulation’ a law put in place to try to enforce manufacturers into allowing other independent garages to have access to this code as well as other information. Problem is that ruling runs out on 1^st June 2013 and the manufacturers have on the whole ignored the freedom of information part of it, sighting security issues and generally making it very difficult for independent garages to get hold of certain codes and downloads for their vehicles.

So, the big picture is that your 5 year old car could fail the MOT on a warning light and try as they might an independent garage may not be able to repair it to get the light off. So you have an unusable vehicle unless you pay a visit to the main dealer for a software download or specialist repair, and guess what they’ll charge for that? Ouch!

Now that is not the norm and Motor Marque has invested thousands in technology so we can get you back on the road for a reasonable cost, but I really don’t believe the bods at VOSA have really thought about the potential cost implications for motorists. I do think a car with a warning light on should be repaired to make it safe, but I also believe that VOSA should be leaning on the manufacturers in order for them to play ball. We supposedly live in a free market and main agents should win your custom like we do, through excellent service at a fair price, not by bullying people into visiting them.

For more information on block exemption and your choice visit http://www.r2rc.eu or see our web section http://www.motormarque.co.uk/ditch-the-dealer

Some of the changes are listed below;

• High intensity discharge (HID) headlamps, washing and levelling system
• Electrical socket for trailers, including the function of 13 pin sockets
• Steering wheel locking mechanism
• Electronic power steering and malfunction indicator lamp (MIL)
• Steering and brake fluid levels including warning lamps
• Electronic parking brake and electronic braking systems malfunction indicator lamp (MIL)
• Electronic stability control system including switch and the malfunction indicator lamp (MIL)
• Tyre pressure monitoring systems including warning lamps (only applicable to cars first used after January 2012)
• Supplementary restraint systems (SRS), including airbags, seatbelt pre-tensioners and load limiters
• Driver’s seat adjustment mechanism
• Tow-bar assembly
• An increase of brake efficiency for cars first used on or after 31 December 2011 (from 50% to 58%)
• Illumination of speedometers, if it is incomplete, inoperative, has a dial glass broken/missing.

Despite grief from our families we kept on growing and managed to raise alot of awareness and attention, culminated in a double appearance on ITV’s Calendar on Friday 25th November with Tina Gelder.

Alongside all the fun there has been a serious message; Men just aren’t very good when it comes to health issues, we are ignorant to the dangers or too embarrassed to visit the Doctors. Prostate cancer is a huge killer of men and the statistics for testicular cancer are frightening. A very good friend of mine had a close call with testicular cancer and thankfully has recovered and gone on to live a full and normal life. If he had been less diligent it would have a been a great loss of a young man’s life.

Overall this years The ‘Movember Foundation’ has raised millions to help combat male cancer and bring awareness to these delicate issues. I am pleased to say we did our bit and thanks to your support we managed to raise nearly a thousand pounds! Not bad for a month with some extra facial hair! Now we’re all clean shaven again I have to say, I quite miss my ‘Mo’

There is so much information out there about how best to cope with another heavy Winter on the roads but I can simplify it into two words; Careful Planning. I know drivers with rally driving experience who admit without proper preparation their skills would be useless on the Winter roads.

Always have your car prepared, paying particular attention to tyres. Remember they are the only part of the car that actually touch the road! See http://www.motormarque.co.uk/video-tips/ for some helpful maintenance tips.

In the event of snow or icy conditions plan ahead and set off half an hour earlier than planned, last Winter it took me 10 minutes to de-frost my car properly! This will give you the time you need to prepare your car and take an alternative route if needed.

Avoid steep inclines and drive round another way if possible. Leave loads of room in between the car in front, you may make up the hill but if they stop and you both lose momentum you will be stuck and at risk from the car in front sliding back into you.

Have the all the right gear in your car: Always have at least half a tank of fuel, at least if you do get stuck you can keep the engine running to keep warm. Have a Winter coat, boots any necessary medication and a high energy snack bar. Extra screen-wash is a good idea, as is some grit if you get really stuck. Most people have a mobile but ensure you take you in-car charger too and if your doesn’t have one, a first aid kit, just in case.

If you are not sure your car is prepared do not hesitate to call in to Motor Marque and we will carry out a free Winter Check for you while you wait.

Most people still think that a newer car must go back to the franchised dealer for service and repair. This is simply not true! Don’t take my word for it though; there is actually a European Law in place that enables motorists to have the work done at certain quality independent garages like Motor Marque

The dealers are still telling people otherwise and fighting to tie people down but it’s not working, many motorists are unimpressed with the crystal palaces, cold clinical waiting areas and sometimes less than warm staff. Instead car drivers are looking at a sensible alternative, the up and coming modern independent garage.

We are not talking about the spit and sawdust workshops of days gone by but a breed of forward thinking businesses that are offering the same quality of workmanship (and in many cases the same technicians) as the main dealers. Independents have a huge advantage; they lack the complacency of the main agent and these quality independents working for a hard-earned reputation. Most of their business is by word of mouth, which after all is the closest thing to a guarantee of quality you can get. Simply put; Dealers think you will come back because they have made you feel like you should. Motor Marque customers come back out of choice because of the experience they have.

Quality independent garages are often leading the way in customer service too. Meaning you get even more ‘bang for your buck’! If you choose Motor Marque instead of a main dealer not only will you get the same or better quality workmanship carried out, as you would expect, but you would get the added value of excellent service. Our aim is to delight not just satisfy our customers.

The chance of building a good trusting relationship with a less corporate company can be invaluable too when it comes to being assured that your car is in safe hands and get the work it really needs and no more. Many drivers tell me they feel undervalued by the main dealer and now they know there is an alternative they never look back, they are now valued Motor Marque customers.