Kent Car Craft is a family owned and run garage that is passionate about providing a dealer level service but without the inflated costs. We are not just a business – our whole family relies on us being a total success. Our guarantee to all clients incorporates the following ...

Quality of servicing & repairs

Our head technicians trained with Ford and Renault dealerships and we continue to update our expertise with ongoing training that keeps us fully up-to-date with the very latest in technology.

We view ourselves as being main dealer quality at local garage costs. Our training, expertise and level of relevant qualifications exceeds that of a typical ‘back street’ or ‘one-man-band’ garage and we have many more services and facilities than other garages. It’s unusual to see a smaller garage have a professional dealer level CRM (customer relationship management) system, online booking and parts requisition system, but we have everything required to ensure that our customers get a main dealer service at local costs.

When you take your vehicle to a main dealer you are paying over the top for overheads that we don't have at Kent Car Craft. The only difference between us and a main dealer is the cost of labour and the fact that we truly care about our customers. It’s worth comparing some costs of labour locally ...

To give an analogy, if you went to a supermarket and looked at branded version headache tablets and then the unbranded version, then Kent Car Craft would be the unbranded version. Both products have exactly the same ingredients but the branded version (meaning: the main dealers) feel they can charge more because of their name recognition and perception of increased quality.

You can trust us

Kent Car Craft have been a family run business for 4 years and members of our team have worked with cars for many more years beforehand. As a family, we put everything into our business because we are dedicated to succeeding.

Thanet has roughly 60 vehicle repair garages ranging from 1 employee to main dealer workshops. Of those garages, 3 are members of the Good Garage Scheme, 8 are members of the Motor Code and only 4 are Unipart Car Care Centres. We are members of all those schemes to demonstrate that we are fully accountable.

It works out that only 25% of garages within a 6 mile radius of Cliftonville are linked to any form of governing or auditing body. Kent Car Craft are within that 25% which means that you can come to us safe in the knowledge that it’s in our interests to provide the best possible service to you.At Kent Car Craft we self-audit our work out of choice to maintain our highest standards, this means our governing body of the Unipart Car Care Centre program hold us accountable for our work by carrying out rigorous examinations.

No nasty cost shocks

We always provide an estimated cost of repair/servicing prior to starting. This can also be provided online. Price is estimated subject to what is visibly faulty/due for repair. In the event that further investigation of your vehicle reveals further work needed we will always contact you to confirm that you are happy for the additional work to be carried out. We always aim to exceed expectations and where possible we may offer ‘used&rsquo parts to help with car repair budget restrictions.

99% of the time, our initial estimate is what clients pay.

Keeping you informed

We will keep you informed (by phone, email, or text) about the current stages of car repair so that you know when the vehicle will be ready for collection.

Good Garage Scheme

We are members of the Good Garage Scheme. This means that all our customers can provide feedback directly to the scheme, which has an impact on our overall scoring. Our score is consistently high, which is something we’re proud of. If the Good Garage Scheme thought that we weren’t keeping to the terms of our membership then we wouldn’t be allowed to participate. Therefore, our wish to be part of the Good Garage Scheme acts as part of your guarantee that we will always aim to exceed your expectations.

Parts and labour guarantee

Kent Car Craft provide a 6 month warranty on the majority of parts. If there are any parts that wouldn’t be covered by the warranty we would inform you before commitment to start the work.

Courtesy car & pickup service

Although many of our customers bring their vehicles to us, we can also provide a courtesy car if required and also pick up and deliver vehicles.

First time fix

Kent Car Craft carry out a large quantity of local vehicle diagnosis for trade as well as public requirements. We also pride ourselves on giving customers a ‘one-visit&rsquo service which means we pride ourselves on repairing your fault FIRST TIME as opposed to numerous visits which would cost both time and money. Sometimes, vehicle repairs can be unpredictable in a given timeframe but Kent Car Craft will provide the best service possible to keep YOU mobile by picking-up/delivering your car from your home or workplace to make your car repairs the LAST thing on your mind should any repairs take longer than estimated.

Transparency

It’s unfortunate that garages generally have a bad reputation, due to rogue traders. At Kent Car Craft we are totally transparent.

98% of total diagnostic repairs are carried out by us in-house, which means no sub-contracting to third parties and therefore no additional costs.

We always keep parts that have been replaced and are happy for customers to ask to see them so that there is proof the replacement was needed. We also provide print-outs and evidence for diagnostic repair, which is something rarely provided in the aftermarket of the motor trade. This proves that there was a fault with the part replaced or evidence to show there was a need to replace it.

We’re better than our competitors

We think one of our guarantee points should refer to how we compare to other garages. Without naming competitors, there are a few questions you could ask yourself ...

Is the garage you use qualified to sufficiently repair your car?

It’s thought that up to 35% of vehicle technicians in the UK DO NOT even hold the basics, which are NVQ level 2 or equivalent qualifications. At Kent Car Craft we hold relevant qualifications that ensure you are dealing with professionals. We are always happy to provide proof of our qualifications.

Can you speak directly to the technician at your dealership?

At Kent Car Craft you are able to speak to the technician working on your vehicle - we don’t want to just provide you with a repaired car but want to help you understand where your money is being spent and why. We use plain English at all times because we feel that confusing a customer with technical terminology is not going to help in understanding the value of the task carried out by the technician.

How is your local garage accredited?

We feel it’s important to be highly visible and accountable. By doing so, we maximise the positive news about the Kent Car Craft quality of service and in the unlikely event of discontent, our reputation would be damaged. A small garage with low visibility in the community isn’t accountable to anyone.

We are accredited and proud members of:

1. The Good Garage Scheme UK (www.goodgaragescheme.co.uk)
2. The Federation of Small Businesses UK (FSB) (http://www.fsb.org.uk/)
3. The Channel Chamber of Commerce (http://www.shepwaybc.co.uk/)
4. BNI Viking Chapter South East (http://www.bniviking-thanet.co.uk/vikingchapter.html)
5. Unipart Car Care Centres UK (www.uccc.co.uk)
6. Motor Codes (http://www.motorcodes.co.uk/)

It’s valuable for you, our customer to know also that we are members of Motor Codes because it is now the most nationally recognised auditing body that has been applied to Main Dealerships within the UK. We are a member of each of the above to help prove to you, the customer, that we are here to help and provide a decent, affordable, trouble-free and trustworthy service.

If you have any questions at all about our guarantee to customers then please do contact us – we’ll be happy to advise you without obligation to use our services.