Most garages fail to repair illegal tyres and other dangerous faults in Which? investigation
By Denna Bowman
Most garages could be putting lives at risk by routinely failing to find basic faults like illegal tyres, according to an alarming investigation by Which?
Of 62 garages secretly tested by the consumer group Which?, nearly 90 per cent, 54, missed at least one potentially dangerous fault and five failed to fix any of the problems.
Four basic faults were presented to the garages - a nearly flat spare tyre, minimum brake fluid, a blown reversing light and low pressure in a rear tyre.
Sixty-eight per cent failed to inflate the spare tyre and 21 per cent the rear tyre. Forty-eight per cent did not spot that the brake fluid was very low while 57 per cent missed the reversing light bulb.
Beforehand Which? filled up the screenwash as an honesty test – 39 per cent charged for it anyway.
Peter Vicary-Smith, chief executive of Which?, said: ‘This is a worrying snapshot of an industry that desperately needs to clean up its act.
“Almost all the garages failed to fix basic faults. This could have endangered the lives of drivers and other road users.’
Number: Z8037079
Reg: NKF419
