The Office of Fair Trading gets greater choice for consumers over new car servicing. All major makes of new cars in the UK will in future (as of 14 May 2004) be sold without servicing ties as part of their warranties, following action by the OFT.

Consumers will now be able to choose freely where they have their new car serviced. Aftersales costs are a big expense, representing around 40 per cent of the whole life cost of the car. Franchised dealers tend to be more expensive than independent garages. Many people don’t realise that independent garages can offer the same quality of service as franchised dealers and might even be more convenient for you, so it's worth shopping around.

At AvailableCar we say, about time too and well done OFT. For this full story visit: www.consumerdirect.gov.uk

Additional Information

For further information on buying a car visit www.oft.gov.uk and read the car consumer advice section. Also visit sites like www.moneymadeclear.fsa.gov.uk, www.financingyourcar.org.uk, and www.consumerdirect.gov.uk.