SIMI members

[Haille]

How can I find out if Grange Castle Motors in Clondalkin , Dublin are SIMI members?
If a car is imported and registered in Ireland how do I check the cars history in the UK.?

 

[gipimann]

Locate an appropriate SIMI Member

SIMI, the Society of the Irish Motor Industry represents over 1200 motor related businesses in Ireland. Please use the search function to locate an appropriate SIMI Member

www.simi.ie

Cartell or similar checks include the option to check UK history for imports.
If you know the UK registration, you can look up old MOTs online via the DVLA.

 

[Páid]

You can find SIMI members here - https://www.simi.ie/en/find-a-member

For all the good it will do....

 

[Leo]

As above, the SIMI body exists to represent the interests of their members, the dealers:

SIMI (Society of the Irish Motor Industry) is the official voice of the motor industry in Ireland. We are a member’s organisation which consists of Dealers, Repairers, Vehicle Distributors, Wholesalers, Retailers, Vehicle Testers and many more important operators within the industry in Ireland. Our role is to represent the views of the motor industry by campaigning to the Government, state bodies, the media and the motoring public.

 

[mathepac]

In my view, SIMI is anti-consumer and is not necessarily an accurate indicator of quality products or services. As above, they simply represent the interests of their members who purchase memberships.

 

[RetirementPlan]

In my view, SIMI is anti-consumer and is not necessarily an accurate indicator of quality products or services. As above, they simply represent the interests of their members who purchase memberships.

Does it show the vaguely more reputable side of the motor sales industry - the well-established players, and the ones who are not connected to organised crime money laundering activities?

 

[Purple]

Does it show the vaguely more reputable side of the motor sales industry - the well-established players, and the ones who are not connected to organised crime money laundering activities?

It's like making sure a plumber is in a Union in the expectation that as a Union man he'll do a better job installing your radiators.

 

[RetirementPlan]

It's like making sure a plumber is in a Union in the expectation that as a Union man he'll do a better job installing your radiators.

Except for self-employed people like plumbers not generally being in a Union, and Unions not being criminal money-laundering operations, you're completely right there.

 

[Purple]

Except for self-employed people like plumbers not generally being in a Union, and Unions not being criminal money-laundering operations, you're completely right there.

Are you saying that SIMI and/or their members are criminal money-laundering operation(s)?

I'm saying that membership of a body which represents the interests of its members does not mean that said members have higher standards of customer service, quality or legal compliance than non-members.
Vested interest groups don't raise the standards of the good or service being delivered by their members, they lower them. That's their purpose; to get as much return for the least effort. Anything else and they aren't doing their job.

 

[RetirementPlan]

Are you saying that SIMI and/or their members are criminal money-laundering operation(s)?

No, quite the reverse. There have been a number of instances of motor garages being linked to organised crime, with Garda/CAB raids on garages, garages involved in VAT/VRT frauds, and even RTE's KIN referring to the connection. It always struck me as risky, that you really don't want to find yourself in a commercial/consumer disagreement over a €20k-€50k purchase with someone who has organised crime connections.
I'm putting out a hypothesis that SIMI member garages are less likely to have such connections than non-SIMI garages, though I've no direct knowledge of this. I was hoping that others who are closer to the sector might be able to shed some light on this.

 

[Purple]

No, quite the reverse. There have been a number of instances of motor garages being linked to organised crime, with Garda/CAB raids on garages, garages involved in VAT/VRT frauds, and even RTE's KIN referring to the connection. It always struck me as risky, that you really don't want to find yourself in a commercial/consumer disagreement over a €20k-€50k purchase with someone who has organised crime connections.

That's something I've also thought about.

I'm putting out a hypothesis that SIMI member garages are less likely to have such connections than non-SIMI garages, though I've no direct knowledge of this. I was hoping that others who are closer to the sector might be able to shed some light on this.

I don't see why that would matter. As long as they pay their membership and tick the boxed they are SIMI members. SIMI are hardly going to do background checks on their members.

 

[Leo]

I don't see why that would matter. As long as they pay their membership and tick the boxed they are SIMI members. SIMI are hardly going to do background checks on their members.

And even if they did, I'm guessing most front businesses are registered in the names of individuals with clean records.

 

[Purple]

And even if they did, I'm guessing most front businesses are registered in the names of individuals with clean records.

Yea, and if SIMI could uncover that sort of thing CAB would really have to take a good hard long look at itself.