The Garage 353

INDUSTRYNEWS
Industry insight
The Motor Ombudsman
The Motor Ombudsman
reports on some of the key
drivers of vehicle service and
repair concerns brought by
consumers to its Alternative
Dispute Resolution (ADR) service
since the beginning of 2023.
Earlier this year, The Motor Ombudsman’s comprehensive Motor
Industry Code of Practice for Service and Repair celebrated
15 years since being launched, and is today adhered to by
thousands of independent garages, franchise dealer workshops,
and body repair centres across the UK. The now long-established
Code of Practice was introduced in 2008, with the principal aims of
driving up standards in the service and repair sector, and to reduce
the level of consumer detriment.
During the first half of this year, issues stemming from a vehicle
service and/or repair conducted by a business, accounted for
the second largest proportion of disputes (around 20%) brought
to The Motor Ombudsman by consumers after new and used
vehicle sales complaints (40%). To quantify this, a total of 2,323
service and repair cases were logged by individuals with The Motor
Ombudsman’s Alternative Dispute Resolution between January
and June 2023, growing year-on from year by 11% from the 2,097
recorded for the equivalent period in 2022. This slight increase in
complaints can be attributed to the fact that consumers are keeping
their existing cars for longer due to supply issues with accessing new
ones, coupled with rising prices, thereby making the prospect of
changing vehicles less affordable.
When looking at the key drivers behind consumer complaints,
drivetrain issues, which cover the powertrain, transmission, as
well as the fuel and exhaust systems (for petrol, diesel or hybrid
vehicles), were responsible for over half (57%) of all service and
repair complaints seen in the opening six months of this year. Most
related to the failure of individual components found within the
engine, such as injectors, or problems with fluids, such as coolant
and oil, or the complete mechanical breakdown of the engine itself.
Similarly, concerns in relation to customer service proved the
second biggest grievance during the first half of the year, making
up nearly a fifth (19%) of complaints. A key issue for consumers
was replacement parts being on back order and delaying repairs,
which was exacerbated where vehicle owners were having to make
finance repayments on a vehicle that was off the road. This was
further compounded by the fact that consumers may not always
have access to a courtesy vehicle from the business, when they are
heavily reliant on one for personal commitments and commuting, as
demonstrated by the following case:
Consumer A said: “The business has been waiting on parts for
over three weeks now. After leaving me without a car for a
week, and after complaining, I got a hire car from them. The
inconvenience of not having my own bigger car has been very
upsetting, I cannot get my grandchildren’s prams and chairs in
the car, and I can’t get my bike in, as I like to go riding. I’m still
waiting now, and I think I deserve to be compensated for
a problem not of my doing.”
Other disputes were initiated by vehicles being damaged whilst in
the care of a business, and having to pay for diagnostics and several
repairs despite the initial reported fault not being solved.
Chassis issues (8% of service and repair complaints), which
encompass areas of the vehicle, such as the suspension, brakes, and
steering, were largely put down to poor workmanship and a substandard
level of care and skill than would ordinarily be expected
of a business. This was followed by bodywork disputes (8%) due
to damaged paintwork and parts being fitted incorrectly during
repairs, and electrical problems (6%) which resulted from erroneous
software updates, and faulty components affecting the operation of
vehicles. Complaints about the interior were the fewest in number,
at just 2% of service and repair disputes. These were focused
around damaged cabin fittings, and replacement parts of inferior
quality.
The lion’s share of service and repair complaints during the first
half of this year were about diesel models (53%), although this was
down from 55% in the first six months of 2022, and will no doubt
continue to decrease as consumers shift away from this fuel type.
When comparing the first half of 2022 and 2023, petrol vehicles
have continued to account for around 40% of the complaints
8 THE GARAGE
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