Until 10 years ago, I knew very little about cars, garages, motor insurance or accident repairers because I had a company car and all that sort of thing was taken care of.

But when my step-daughter was ripped off at her first solo garage experience, away from home, her father explained the safety consequences of a bad garage and I remain shocked to this day to discover then that garages don't have to be licensed or mechanics accredited to service or repair our ever complex cars.

With this in mind, I set up FOXY Lady Drivers Club in 2004 and we now run a network of around 700 approved garages and repairers who promise to 'never overcharge, patronise or sell women anything they don't need' and to provide us with annual feedback as proof. My advice for Women Actually readers who aren't sure if their garage service is as good as it should be is to... 1 Shop around to see what the competition is. Don't just choose the nearest garage because it's convenient. Make sure they have a website and see what this tells you about their business. If you want an estimate by email, specify what service your car needs (from the vehicle handbook), ask for a local collection service or courtesy car to suit and include your car make, model, registration and mileage detail. You can see who really values your business from the professional warmth and promptness of their reply.

2 If you run an older car (FOXY loves all cars and women drivers alike, regardless of age...) chances are price matters more than it might if you drive a nearly new Porsche. You are likely to do better at a good independent garage than a franchised dealership where their overheads and labour rates will be higher.

3 But never write off a franchised dealership because some work really hard to keep their rates low for older cars. You can always be sure that their technicians are accredited to manufacturer standards, that they'll use the latest diagnostic equipment and that they won't use cheap car parts (that wear out quickly). This mightn't be the case otherwise.

4 I recommend two websites to check if your garage is one of the UK's best. The first is the Motor Codes website www.motorcodes.co.uk, which operates a Trading Standards Approved Code of Practice scheme.

The second is to see if the business or their staff are listed at the Motor Industry's Professional Register at www.imiregister.org.uk. Testimonials matter, of course, but remember that a friendly garage receptionist is no guarantee of a competent workshop and safety must always come first. Finally, there is no excuse for a grubby reception area or customer loo – we women expect a lot more than that today and know what to do if we find it. To find out more, visit www.foxylady drivers.com or contact Steph at womenactually@foxyladydrivers.com. You can leave any feedback about local motoring services at www.foxychoice.com.