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Service with a spanner
Page 138
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• Special note will be taken of facilities for commercial vehicle repair during inspections for a new system of garage grading which the Automobile Association revealed last week. This assurance was given to CM following the official announcement of the scheme, which will replace the present AA garage approval system.
Under the AA plan, garages are being invited to apply for registration as "onetwoor three-spanner" facilities. The garage displaying three spanners on a new AA sign will have to be able to handle every kind of mechanical and electrical repair and overhaul, plus body and paintshop work; two spanners will indicate an ability to carry out competently all standard mechanical, electrical and servicing tasks but will not (unlike the three-spanner) have to have more than 75 per cent of its adult workshop staff fully trained and qualified; while a one-spanner garage will be able to handle minor mechanical and electrical repairs, adjustments of all major assemblies and components and have at least half its workshop staff trained and qualified.
A break-down truck sign will indicate "firstaid" repair service until at least midnight and a good range of fast-moving spares.
All the applicant garages will have to pass detailed inspection by AA engineers and, when approved, will have to subscribe to a code of practice covering the provision of written estimates, speedy completion of work and a three-month warranty covering workmanship and materials.
This customer-protection aspect in particular has drawn praise from the Minister of Transport who, last, week, welcomed the scheme and said he thought it would contribute valuably to road safety.
The Motor Agents Association, while commenting on the soundness of the AA's classification scheme, has not welcomed the registration charges involved—which are £4 a year for breakdown service garages, £9 a year for a classified garage and £12 a year for a combination of the two.