More motorists are booking joint MOT and service procedures and MOT failures rates are expected to increase, according to service and repair shops. Indeed, demand for combined MOT and service procedures increased almost 50 per cent last month (48%), according to BookMyGarage.com. Meanwhile, MOT-only bookings were down in February compared with February 2020
A wide selection of new exhausts, catalytic converters (CATs) and diesel particulate filters (DPFs) have been added to the Klarius Products range. Aimed squarely at popular vehicle applications such as the Ford Kuga 2.0, every new part is available to distributors on next morning delivery. A comprehensive 2-year warranty and a Fit First Time guarantee is also standard.
According to the SMMT, in the last year, sales of pure electric vehicles (EVs) have risen by 185.9 per cent and, as of September 2020, more than 164,100 EVs are on the road. EV registrations have been growing every year since 2013, which means that it’s now not uncommon for an EV to be entering the workshop, so technicians need to be prepared for these complex vehicles. To accommodate this growing sector and to ensure that they are able to fit the parts with confidence from a reputable supplier, repairers can rest assured that First Line Ltd supplies an extensive range for EV components and has done for years.
The automotive aftermarket has been encouraged to embrace electric vehicles or risk getting left behind in an exclusive webinar titled “Auto industry skills shortage & tackling electric vehicles (EV)”, hosted by automotive and engineering recruitment specialist, Glen Callum Associates. Supported by trade associations IAAF, IMI and MMMA, the webinar challenged perceptions about how the trade could embrace and alternative fuel future. An expert panel comprising businesses and associations from engineering, crash repair, electromechanical and automotive sectors, explored whether the aftermarket is prepared for an EV future, with the experts unanimously urging businesses to invest in technology and training sooner rather than later.
2020 provided a turbulent 12 months for the humble MOT. At the start of the year, the centralised testing conducted on the island of Ireland was thrown into disarray after faulty vehicle lifts were found on both sides of the border. It also raised questions about the wisdom of centralised approach in comparison of the de-centralised model used across Great Britain. Of course, all this took place while Covid-19 was still a Far Eastern problem. And yet, before the first quarter was out, national lockdowns had resulted in the deployment a six-month extension of the MOT renewal date, which had the knock-on effect of causing an MOT boom in the last quarter of 2020. The last cars to make use of the extension had their testing date deferred to the end of January 2021, so that complex chapter in the history of the MOT is now over. It also means that we have a chance to learn what happened. At the same time, the latest full-year 2019/2020 DVSA vehicle testing data has now been released, so we can also learn more about how last year’s projections compared with the end results in the months preceding the pandemic and what this might mean in terms of tyre demand.
The rise of diamond turned alloy wheels, which have overtaken traditional painted alloys as the most common product on the market, presents an opportunity for garages and fast-fit operations to diversify, Portsmouth-based innovator, Diamond Cut Refinishing (DCR) says. The refurbishment of these wheels is often reallocated, with significant lead times. However, DCR’s latest machinery for the automotive aftermarket enables depots to offer the restoration service themselves. It says the technology “saves hours of time in repair work” and “opens up a significant new revenue stream worth hundreds of pounds per day.”
Excel Automotive Group (EAG) will distribute RYMEC clutches to the aftermarket. RYMEC has been a prominent name in the automotive aftermarket for nearly 40 years, providing high quality clutch kits and transmission parts. Its components are accredited to ISO9001 and ISO14001, giving customers complete peace of mind when fitting them.
VARTA brand ambassador Andy Savva explains the importance of replacing a car battery with the same type of technology (or upgrading) and advises never to downgrade technologies. When it comes to vehicles with a start/stop system, it’s essential that an Absorbent Glass Mat (AGM) or Enhanced Flooded Battery (EFB) is fitted, as a traditional, conventional flooded battery would not cope with the vastly increased number of engine starts – and not last very long.
Goodyear has reportedly entered the automotive lubricants segment in India. Goodyear is collaborating with Assurance International, a part of Satya Group, in the venture which focuses on a new line of engine oils that are designed to complement Goodyear’s tyre product portfolio. According to local news sources, the product line includes “greases, brake fluid, transmission oil, tractor oil, diesel exhaust fluid, gear oil and hydraulic oils”.
BM Catalysts is reassuring business partners that it is “business as usual” despite the second UK national lockdown.
According to the company, “The team has implemented strict procedures and systems to ensure we can continue trading as normal, in the safest way possible, while adhering to Government guidelines.”
Recent data released by the DVLA and Department for Transport (DfT) has illustrated that the UK car parc is older than it has ever been. Older cars are undoubtedly popular, and as a result aftermarket support will be required for these vehicles long into the future.
It isn’t news to say that the tyre and autocentre sector is becoming an increasingly technological business. However, two recent trends confirm the need for garages to be properly equipped – increasing electric vehicle take-up and, in the short term, booming MOT demand.
In January 2019, we predicted a 5 per cent increase in MOTs during the course of the year. One calculation suggested this would work out as 2.6 million extra MOT tests during 2019, which equates to something like 50 extra MOTs per site per month. The latest DVSA numbers suggest that MOTs actually went up by an estimated 6.2 per cent last year, rising from 29.560 million in 2018 to 31.405 million last year. So far DVSA have only released data relating to the first nine months of 2019, so the final figure could go down, but in all likelihood it now looks like 5 per cent was a conservative estimate.
Garages are not required to close during lockdown since the aftermarket has been assigned ‘key worker’ status. This, combined with the delay in MOTs, will lead to a “very busy” fourth quarter of 2020, according to Klarius CEO and former Goodyear UK MD, Mark Brickhill.
The Motor Ombudsman
Toyota
BookMyGarage.com
DCR
RYMEC
Hamaton
Varta
BM Catalysts
S. Hermann & F. Richter; Pixabay
Klarius