MOT
MPs from the Transport select committee today heard of the overwhelming opposition to Government plans to reduce the frequency of MOTs. Bill Duffy, co-ordinator of the Pro-MOTe campaign, supported by a range of motoring organisation, road safety campaigners and industry bodies said scrapping annual testing would be "dangerous, expensive and unwanted".
In the US, Oro-Tek has added QR codes to its TPMS sensor packaging, allowing technicians to get application and relearn data direct to their smartphones. QR code scan apps are available for free for iPhone, BlackBerry and Android smartphones.
CES (UK) has announced that TPMS specialist, Schrader has appointed it as one of its selected UK distributors. The parts distributor says the partnership will allow it to stock one of the most comprehensive ranges of TPMS sensors available in the UK. It also enables CES to supply the service kits, tools and diagnostics that garages will need to undertake TPMS servicing and repair.
As of the 1 January 2012, the MOT test we all know and love will change. No I am not talking about the government consultation exercise mooting a possible change to 4-2-2 frequencies, that would be opening another can of worms entirely. What I am referring to is the technological evolution of the test that will see our belovedly idiosyncratic MOT stretch itself to incorporate an MIL survey. That’s a Malfunction Indicator Lamp check to you and me.
BeeBee Garage Equipment are the latest recruits to the expanding Trade Garage Equipment Group. BeeBee is aiming to become the key player in the garage and MOT equipment market in the Norfolk, Suffolk, Cambridgeshire and Essex areas. Sales & Service Manager of BeeBee Garage Equipment Nigel Clarke, explained the reason for joining the group. "We at BeeBee have been impressed by the way the Trade Garage Equipment Group have grown and established themselves as the leading players in the UK garage equipment market. We like the way they operate with national coverage but with a local service; this fits in perfectly with the way we do business and we see a great opportunity to benefit from the wide experience and expertise of the group members.
Government claims that reducing MOT frequency will reduce the financial burden on motorists have been undermined by a report which shows that proposals to scrap annual testing will hit both motorists and the UK economy hard.
The report by Pro-MOTe – "A cost too far" – includes research that estimates that the average motorist would be more than £57 worse off under a less frequent MOT system than he or she is today.
As of the 1 January 2012 the MoT Test will incorporate a malfunction Indicator Lamp (MIL) check. This will call for the examiner to visually check that warnings lights for ESP, SRS, ABS and TPMS are not permanently illuminated. This will come into effect from 1 January but will be highlighted as an advisory item only until 31 March. From 1 April onwards, vehicles will fail an MOT if these lights are illuminated. Warnings lights or MIL that are to be noted if illuminated include ESP; Electronic Stability Programme, SRS; Safety Restraint System, ABS; Anti-Locking Brake System, and TPMS (Tyre Pressure Monitoring System).
More than nine out of ten people who responded to the Government’s own "red-tape challenge" and who raised the MOT issue opposed proposals to reduce testing frequency, according to DfT papers released today.
The Government consulted the public on vehicle safety and standards as part of its review of road transport regulations in May and June this year. More than three-quarters of respondents raised the issue of the MOT but less than five per cent of those (and less than three per cent of all respondents) supported changing frequency.
ATS Euromaster has been named Van Equipment Supplier of the Year in the Fleet Van Awards 2011. Judges praised the organisation for standing out as “the best example of a totally van fleet-focused company”. The Award recognised ATS Euromaster’s £10 million investment during 2010 and 2011 in extending its offer to the van (and car) market, with new services including nitrogen tyre inflation, air-conditioning recharging, computerised wheel alignment, fault diagnostics and electronic brake servicing.
According to a UK-based vehicle hire website, 14.6 per cent of British motorists admit retaining the tyres on their cars until they fail the MoT or are flagged as illegal during vehicle servicing. The website, VanRental.co.uk, did not specify the size or makeup of the survey group, however founder Roland Head states the results “highlight the casual attitude taken by many motorists towards tyre safety.”
Car parts and garage consumables distributor CES (UK) says that it is working to help independent garages ready themselves for continuing developments in the market, focusing on new TPMS legislation. From November 2012, TPMS will be mandatory on all new vehicle platforms, legislation designed to improve vehicle safety and drive down emissions. Although there is still almost a year until TPMS becomes mandatory, there are already many vehicles in the car parc that use the technology. The company has also recently launched its 2012 catalogue, with 100 pages of consumables, tools and cleaning products that are typically used every day by technicians.
Cam Systems has announced that its third party integration module for the commercial vehicle market – 3PI – is being adopted by All Fleet Services, provider of the Goodyear Dunlop ActionLine. After implementation, the AFS call centre will be able to take an inbound call, issue the SMR job via 3PI directly into Cam’s UniSerV Call Logging module, creating a service record and reducing double handling in log management between AFS and Actionline service providers.
Trading Standards Officers from Nottinghamshire County Council report that they have visited a number of tyre dealers as part of a countywide operation during national Road Safety Week and that all tested part worn tyres were illegal for one reason or another. According to the officers, the move was prompted by an increase in the number of serious accidents involving cars with faulty tyres and in the numbers of drivers buying part worn tyres.
New European requirements on roadworthiness testing will mean that there will be changes to the content of annual vehicle tests from January next year. From 1st January 2012, revised European legislation will introduce new requirements to annual vehicle tests to reflect advances in technology. The changes include additional checks for some of the vehicle systems already examined such as brakes, steering suspension and lighting.
A poll of motorists by the Institute of Advanced Motorists reveals that 60 per cent think that a car's first MOT should continue to be carried out after three years. Only 29 per cent think we should move to a European system.
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