MARCH APRIL 2021
MYCAP PORTAL How to access your products and services.
FUTURE RIDE
CITROËN 19_19
WHY NOMINATING YOUR APPRENTICE IS A WIN FOR WORKSHOPS & THE AUTO INDUSTRY.
Last chance to nominate!
MINI COOPER SE ELECTRIC City EV with a dose of fun.
SURVIVE. DRIVE. WIN. From disaster to world domination.
YOUR WORKSHOP'S WEBSITE 8 elements to include on your workshop’s website.
RECOGNISE EFFORT | REWARD HARD WORK | RETAIN FUTURE LEADERS
LAST CHANCE CAPRICORN
APPRENTICE OF THE YEAR
Stars
NOMINATE YOUR APPRENTICE AT CAPRICORNRISINGSTARS.COM $20,000 IN CASH AND PRIZES UP FOR GRABS! ENTRIES CLOSE 30 APRIL 2021
For more information visit capricorn.coop/tc and click on ‘Capricorn Rising Stars 2021 Terms and Conditions’.
CONTENTS APRIL 2021
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Nominate your apprentice!
Last chance - entries close 30 April 2021.
6 myCAP portal
Access all of your Capricorn products and services and keep up to date with everything new
8 9
Capricorn Rewards
Happy Mothers Day!
Capricorn Risk
Meet Capricorn’s new head of sales
12 10
Les Mcgregor
Your workshop's website
8 elements you must include on your workshop’s website
16 Drivelife 2020 MINI Cooper SE Electric - City EV with a dose of Fun
20 Gold Rush Winners Parts Connection Preferred Supplier Bonus Points Promotion
21 Busy period tips
How to be at your best when work is hectic.
14
22 TaT article
Workshop & Equipment layout
CAPRICORN IGNITION APRIL 2021 3
David Fraser Group CEO
CEO’s message
Hard work Make your has its workshop rewards. a more rewarding place to work.
Normally we start afresh during the New Year period, and although it’s already April, this month we would like to start something new. Ever since we released the State of the Nation report it has prompted conversations about what the research tells us about the automotive industry. And, more importantly, what can we do about it? Every month I would like to share with you some of the discussions we are having at Capricorn about the automotive industry at large and how we can all play a part in building a diverse and stronger community. To start off we are looking up from underneath the hood and seeing if we are adapting quickly enough to change. We often hear or talk about disruptive change. In our industry that can be a future which includes electric vehicles, autonomous vehicles, connected cars, ride sharing or subscription models all working to replace car ownership. So how do we succeed in a disrupted industry? My big tip is to know your customer. We often talk about “disrupt or be disrupted”, but this shouldn’t be confused with being customer focused. Unless you’re constantly innovating and innovating in a way that customers care about, you and your business are going to be left behind. Read Hastings, Netflix CEO, was quoted as saying “Companies rarely die from moving too fast, but they frequently die from moving too slow.” Don’t be the one who stands back and watches change happen. Don’t be the one who looks back and wonders what happened. Be someone who makes things happen. Be in control of your own destiny. Disruption doesn’t happen overnight or with a big bang. It will be small incremental steps over the next decade and beyond. Now is the time to consider what you can or should be doing from today onwards. That you should start with falling in love with your customers and planning your future – even small change is better than none.
With all new Capricorn Rewards that work as hard as With Capricorn you do! Rewards that work as hard as you do! Got your eye on a new Callaway Golf Set? Upgrade the staff Now you can get it or kitchen with a new something better, in Bugatti Diva Espresso the all new Capricorn Machine. Just one Rewards. way you can use your points with Capricorn Rewards.
Spend your points at capricorn.coop/rewards Spend your points at capricorn.coop/rewards
I have also been focusing on getting to know our Members this month so that we can better plan for our future. It has been wonderful reading all of your comments on Facebook. It seems our Spot the Difference photos are just as popular on Facebook as they are in Ignition. As always, have a fantastic month and I look forward to speaking to you again in May. Yours in cooperation,
NZ Rewards Banner Ignition March.indd 1
David Fraser Group CEO
4 CAPRICORN IGNITION APRIL 2021
22/02/2021
Follow us today by scanning the QR code or by searching ‘Capricorn Society’ on Facebook
WHY NOMINATING YOUR RISING STAR APPRENTICE IS A WIN FOR WORKSHOPS AND THE AUTO INDUSTRY. We know completing an apprenticeship is no easy undertaking. It takes a lot of passion, commitment and sacrifice to become qualified as an auto repairer. We also know how important it is to retain our apprentices as the industry continues to experience a shortage of repairers. Capricorn Rising Stars is your opportunity to recognise and reward your hardworking apprentices. Nominate your apprentices as Capricorn Rising Stars today to show them they have what it takes to be successful in the industry! Here are the Top 5 reasons you should nominate your apprentice, even if they’re still learning the ropes: 1. KEEP YOUR APPRENTICE COMMITTED TO A CAREER IN AUTO
Learning isn’t always easy, but by nominating your apprentice as a Capricorn Rising Star you can give them the encouragement they need to stay passionate about auto repair and excited to get stuck-in each day. 2. BUILD A POSITIVE WORKSHOP CULTURE
By nominating your apprentice, you’re letting them know that you’ve got their back and will be an advocate for them as they build their career. This builds trust, which is fundamental for high-performance teams. 3. $20,000 IN PRIZES TO BE WON
The 2021 Capricorn Rising Stars prize pool once again makes nominating your star apprentice very rewarding. The winning apprentice will receive $5,000 from Castrol and a Capricorn Rising Stars trophy, in addition to all of the prizes that the top five finalists receive. These include $1,000 from Castrol, a $1,000 Repco voucher and tickets to two Repco Training Masterclasses. The prizes don’t stop there — the Capricorn Member workshops who nominate the top five finalists will also be rewarded with a 12-month Repco Autopedia subscription. Additionally, the overall winner’s workshop will receive enrolment in the Workshop Whisperer’s Service Advisor Pro online program, which is valued at over $3,000.
CAPRICORN
APPRENTICE OF THE YEAR
Stars
Capricorn “Rising Stars is your
opportunity to recognise and reward your hardworking apprentices.
“
Last Chance – Entries close 30 April 2021
4. REWARDING OUTSTANDING PEOPLE
Through Capricorn Rising Stars we want to recognise those aspiring auto repairers who show passion for automotive, a positive can-do attitude and a strong commitment to forging a long and rewarding career in the service and repair industry. This unique judging criteria creates a level playing field for first to fourth year apprentices across all automotive service and repair disciplines. This also means that Capricorn Members can nominate any of their apprentices who demonstrate outstanding character and potential as they continue to learn their craft and display eagerness to further develop their skills. 5. EVERYONE WINS!
Every nominee will be sent a certificate to formally recognise their accomplishment. With your apprentice’s permission, you can display the certificate in your reception area to let your customers know about the highquality people you have in your workshop. SO WHAT ARE YOU WAITING FOR? NOMINATE YOUR APPRENTICE TODAY AT CAPRICORN.COOP/RISINGSTARS.
Nominate your apprentice today via capricorn.coop/risingstars Entries close 30 April 2021. For more information visit capricorn.coop/tc and click on ‘Capricorn Rising Stars 2021 Terms and Conditions’. CAPRICORN IGNITION APRIL 2021 5
ACCESS ALL OF YOUR CAPRICORN PRODUCTS AND SERVICES. The new year has certainly kicked off with a bang, and in the busiest of times, it can be difficult to keep organised and stay on top of everything. That’s why Capricorn provides you with everything you need right in your myCAP Portal. Through the myCAP Portal you can access all of your Capricorn products and services, as well as keep up to date with everything new, or coming soon.
STATEMENT & DOCS
Did you know that you can get your monthly statements through the myCAP Portal before they arrive in the mail? You can access current and previous statements here so there are no worries if your paper statement takes a walk.
PURPLE PAGES
Can't find your Purple Pages directory? All the latest details for all Preferred Suppliers are available online through the myCAP Portal.
REWARDS
Not sure what to do with all of your Capricorn Rewards Points? Well, the Capricorn Rewards website will have something to reward you and your workshop. From coffee machines, to golf clubs, to iPads, you can always find something exciting on Capricorn Rewards.
CAP EZI-PARTS
Account Details Transactions Statements & Docs Support Requests
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Purple Pages
CAP ezi-parts is an email based car parts locater service which is free and exclusive to Capricorn Members in New Zealand. It provides Members with a simple and efficient method to locate parts and equipment, removing the need to spend excessive time on the phone.
Rewards
0 pts
Specials
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KNOWLEDGE
Contacts
They say knowledge is power. Well, we like to think our knowledge products are pretty powerful. Enjoy instant access to the most comprehensive range of online service information for over 34,000 vehicles with Capricorn Service Data. Boost your business operations with AutoBoost which includes checklists, customer service guides, advertising templates, staff forms and more.
EVENTS
You can register for an event near you on the Events page as they return to your area.
MEMBER RESOURCES
Keep up to date with all things Capricorn, our Preferred Suppliers and the industry with Sparks and Ignition. Also find a digital copy of our Member Guide and Member logos under Member Resources.
CAPeziparts
Communications Security Knowledge Service Data AutoBoost
KEEP YOUR COMPUTER SECURE 1. Keep your internet browser up to date. As soon as a browser falls out of schedule it is at risk of being hacked. Your browser will prompt you to update when this happens, so make sure to take the time to download and install the new version. 2. myCAP Portal can be logged into via https://online. capricorn.coop (this is the same URL as our current login page). 3. Always make sure your passwords are over six characters in length and include a capital, a number, and a special character. 4. Do not store passwords on a Post-it note where someone can easily see them, making them easily stolen.
8. If you have never accessed our Portal or set a password, please contact our friendly Customer Service Team on 0800 401 444. 9. If you ever suspect that your login details have been compromised, click ‘Forgot your password?’ on the myCAP Portal login page and follow the prompts to set your new password. 10. When using the Capricorn portal, some of our pages open in new tabs. Always make sure to close your browser window (not just these tabs) after logging out of our myCAP Portal, before moving on to your next items of business.
5. As we continue to secure our myCAP Portal, your browser may prompt you to re-enter your login information; existing saved passwords may not be pre-filled on the browser. 6. Make sure you always see the lock button next to the URL in your browser before entering your username and password:
7. We do not recommend saving passwords on shared workstations.
CAPRICORN IGNITION APRIL 2021 7
Happy Mothers Day from Capricorn!
GIFT IDEAS!
Make her day!
Mother's Day is Sunday, 9th of May and Capricorn Rewards is here to help take the stress out of finding the right gift. Login now to browse our wide range of products to celebrate Mum or any special person in your life! Need some extra gift-giving guidance? Check out some great ideas you can get with your Capricorn Rewards points via capricorn.coop/rewards. Lancome La Vie Est Belle EDP
GARMIN vivofit 4
Swarovski Attract Round Set
Cocktail Collective The French 75 Cocktail Set
Tiffany & Co EDP
Swarovski Sparkling Dance Round Necklace
Delivery Timeframes We’re working hard to deliver your rewards as safely and quickly as possible, but the impacts of the pandemic are causing some delivery delays with New Zealand Post and various courier companies who are experiencing significant increase in demand, so please be aware your deliveries may experience delays. Throughout this period, our suppliers are also experiencing unprecedented high demand for product. Despite their best efforts to update us on stock levels, out of stocks are inevitable. We understand the frustration should you find your reward may be out of stock and apologise for any inconvenience this has created. Our customer service team will work closely with you to provide these updates, or to refund your points so you can select an alternative reward option. 8 CAPRICORN IGNITION APRIL 2021
*Products subject to availability.
TM
MEET CAPRICORN RISKS NEW HEAD OF SALES LES MCGREGOR For Les McGregor, joining Capricorn Risk Services after 30 years working in the Australian insurance industry felt like coming home. “I used to deal with Capricorn a long time ago, back in about 2000,” he said. “I was working for a company who used to assist with the insurance for Capricorn back then. In those days it was just the automotive division, so I worked fairly closely with them in providing members with insurance. “Then I was also working closely with the Area Managers, as understanding the benefits of Capricorn I was keen to promote the cooperative.” Fast-forward a couple of decades and Capricorn has its own, well-established, mutual protection arm in Capricorn Risk Services, and Les, as our new head of sales, is in charge of Capricorn Risk’s field team of nearly 40 people. It was an opportunity he jumped at. “For me, it was going back to probably the days that I enjoyed the most — which was working, dealing in the motor trade industry,” he said. “I enjoyed being out on the road, going into workshops and talking with mechanics and panel beaters and auto-electricians. You’re dealing with good people, hard-working people, and I really enjoyed being able to help them out and make sure they had the adequate protection.”
teams love being face-to-face with Members and I cannot wait to join them. Despite lockdowns and restrictions, Les said he was proud of the service the Capricorn Risk Services field team has been able to provide to Members during the pandemic. “The way our leaders and account managers have been able to get on with their jobs in tough times — not being able to see Members, but making phone calls and trying to help the Members out as much as possible — that’s really pleasing to see,” he said. “They really care about the Members.” Les, who has worked in the insurance and protection industry in Australia since the age of 18, said the fact Capricorn Risk Services is a mutual makes a big difference to the way it engages with Members and the service provided. “Nearly all insurance companies in Australia are actually pulling back and winding down their field force,” he said. “We’re actually looking to grow ours. We’ve received feedback from Members that it’s important that we’ve got people seeing them face-toface.” “It’s part of what makes it a great place to work — because we’re going out and seeing Members, building relationships with them, helping them and, I suppose, helping them grow their businesses, too.”
As restrictions ease, Les is looking forward to getting out onto the road. “It’s unfortunate that with COVID at the moment I haven't been able to go out and see too many Members,” he said. "Our field
Contact Capricorn Risk Services 0800 555 303 I info@capricornrisk.com I capricornrisk.com Products sold through Capricorn Risk Services Pty Ltd (NZBN 9429041139813) include discretionary risk protection and general insurance products. Discretionary risk protection is issued out of Australia by Capricorn Mutual Ltd. Before deciding to acquire discretionary risk protection you should consider the Product Disclosure Statement to see if it is appropriate for you. This can be obtained from Capricorn Risk Services Pty Ltd by calling 0800 555 303. General insurance products are issued by a range of insurers and are available through Capricorn Risk Services Pty Ltd as a member broker of PSC Connect NZ Limited. Capricorn Risk Services Pty Ltd is a registered financial services provider (390446) and a corporate Authorised Representative (No. 460893) of Capricorn Mutual Ltd (AFSL 230038). CAPRICORN IGNITION APRIL 2021 9
8 elements you must include on your workshop’s website Your website is your 24-hour sales companion, providing information to potential customers at all times of the day. For workshops, websites don’t need to be complicated or have fancy designs. To contribute to your success, your website has to do a few things: • Show your location • Show your services • Build trust quickly • Make it easy to book. You can achieve these things through a number of must-include design elements, which are listed below.
Websites are a critical part of the marketing puzzle Many workshop owners rely heavily on word of mouth and Facebook to market their business, with less than half using their own website, according to Capricorn’s State of the Nation Report. The report also shows that just 32 per cent of mechanics were “very or extremely confident” with marketing tasks. A website is an essential part of your digital marketing ecosystem
1 0 CAPRICORN IGNITION APRIL 2021
which also links directly to any Facebook ads or Google AdWords campaign you’re running. After all, you need a place to send people once they click on that ad. Unlike those two platforms just mentioned, your website is a space you own and control. The good news is that it has never been easier or more cost effective to make a website. If you’re willing to put in a few hours, it isn’t always necessary to have any coding skills or to even hire a developer (though this might be advisable if you’re looking for something more complex like a scheduling tool or online payments). There are plenty of services with offthe-shelf designs to configure and they will also host them for you for a monthly fee. Check out your Purple Pages for Preferred Suppliers who can assist you with this. Even though the builder services are out there, you still need to make sure you choose the right template and get the basics right.
Eight things your workshop website needs 1. A descriptive web address Your web address, or URL, should be easy to read and instantly tell people what you do. If you can make it easy to remember, you’re going to have more people visiting you. A good place to start is your business name or your location. ‘sydneycitymechanics.com.au’ is an example of a URL that tells visitors exactly what to expect. 2. Easy-to-find phone number and appointment booking Once someone has decided you can help them, you want them to have the quickest path to contact information. Put your phone number in bold and your address in the header to make sure it shows up on every page and is prominently displayed. Making it as easy as possible for customers to directly book services through your website is also a great idea because if people are ready to book, it removes the “layer of friction” (the need to call you) between consideration and purchase. If you offer online appointment booking (and you really should) make sure it’s nice and clear on your website home page. 3. A useful and informative footer Like the header, the footer is on every page and you can load it with useful information. Because it’s at the bottom of the page it won’t get in the way. Insert
badges of associations you belong to or awards you have won, here. Also put links to all the major pages of your website, an embedded Google Map and your opening hours. 4. A compelling call to action on your home page It’s the first thing visitors see, so make it simple and direct. Place a big call to action, like “book now”, as the main message. Also highlight between one and three services you want to promote the most. Proudly display any testimonials you’ve received, as they help to build trust with new customers instantly. As the background, or hero image, use a photo of you and the team. Do not cut corners by using a stock image: it looks cheap and impersonal. 5. A detailed list of your services Tell people what you do. List out the key makes and models you service if you specialise. List the jobs you do, especially those you are most geared towards. Do you have specialised tools or have access to special parts? Spell out the advantage of your offering, but do it like you’re talking to someone who doesn’t know too much about cars. 6. Your unique story The second most visited page on most websites behind the home page is the About page. Explain what makes you unique as a business. Tell an authentic story about yourself and what you care about. People trust people who seem real. Use real photos of the workshop and reiterate here the testimonials from happy customers. 7. Multiple contact options Make your Contact Us page a delight by giving people options to contact
you. Phone, web form and email are nobrainers. Also consider how you could accommodate Facebook Messenger and WhatsApp, which are both great for allowing people to submit pictures, videos and sounds from their car. The caveat here is that if you offer a channel, people will expect you to answer promptly on it. Don’t offer 10 options and reply on two, because you’ll be losing customers on the rest. 8. Mobile compatibility People organise their lives while they are on the go: in meetings, on public transport, waiting for their friends to arrive at a restaurant. Make it easy for people to get their car into your workshop by having a responsive web template. Responsive templates allow you to build the website once and have it display properly on any device with the information in the right order.
For more articles like this one, check out Capricorn’s CapHub for exclusive articles, interviews, industry analysis and more at capricorn.coop/caphub or scan this QR code.
“
The inside story of Brawn GP is an incredible read for any motor racing fan, outlining how a disastrous situation was completely turned around through sheer determination...
“
SURVIVE. DRIVE. WIN. FROM DISASTER TO
by Paul Marinelli
WORLD DOMINATION. 1 2 CAPRICORN IGNITION APRIL 2021
If you are a fan of true sporting success stories, here is one that has to be read to be believed. Survive. Drive. Win is the story of how a Formula One team had lost its multimillion dollar income lifeline following the 2008 season and was faced with trying to locate a new owner or investors, with extremely limited time during the onset of the Global Financial Crisis. Unable to attract a new owner, the fledgling but determined management team decided to take a massive risk to save the team by way of a management buy-out. Despite the odds being stacked heavily against them, this team beat the world’s best Grand Prix teams and drivers to become the 2009 Formula One Drivers’ and Constructors’ World Champions, laying the foundations of success that would result in a mega-team dominating the sport of Formula One motor racing to this day. The book is written by Nick Fry, leader of the management team that managed to do the seemingly impossible – and in amazing style. The highly experienced motorsport executive spent over three decades with Ford Europe before taking the CEO helm at the world’s largest motorsport based engineering company, Prodrive. He followed this with the CEO role for the factory entered BAR Honda Formula One team, Honda’s official factory team, which then became the far leaner but extremely potent Brawn GP Team in 2009. The book outlines how the Global Financial Crisis caused Japanese automotive giant Honda to announce the company’s immediate withdrawal from Formula One just as the team was engaged in its detailed engineering preparations for the 2009 season. This news was delivered without prior warning, leaving some 700 members of staff and management personnel in limbo until a new owner or another solution could be found to continue competing. Fry’s unrelenting pursuit of one of Formula One’s most talented engineers, Ross Brawn, saw him disturb the legendary Formula One engineer while on a worldwide “fishing sabbatical” after a multi-season run of success with Michael Schumacher at Ferrari. How Fry convinced Brawn to get onboard, to the total dismay of the Italian team, was his first of many major coups in saving and enabling this Formula One team to reach the highest of motorsport highs from the most disastrous of starting points. The team was purchased from Honda for the princely sum of 1£, with the new team management taking on all of the team’s liabilities, staffing and engineering, using the state-of-the-art facilities that Honda had invested millions of pounds in over their several years in Formula One. In a show of support for the new management, Honda agreed to provide limited funding to keep the team racing, but
without Honda engines — the most expensive components for any Formula One car. This meant that the team had to be run extremely lean and sadly the headcount was drastically reduced to the bare minimum required to enable the team to function. This meant 40 staff at the races instead of 140 as it was previously under Honda’s ownership. Each factory department had to lean out its costs, with Brawn and Fry flying the budget airline EasyJet to the European races. The book recounts funny experiences on those EasyJet flights after winning Grand Prix races, with F1 fans unable to believe that the triumphant team owners were sitting with them, celebrating in the cheapest seats on the plane. Cost cutting was so dramatic that any expense over 75£ required management approval! After missing the first two pre-2009 season tests, the new team, known as Brawn GP, brought their new, plain white liveried cars to the third and final pre-season test day with drivers Jenson Button and Rubens Barrichello. They were equipped with Mercedes-Benz customer engines and managed to blitz the entire Formula One field’s lap times by over 1.5 seconds! The car had been developed throughout 2008 by the Honda factory team and required modification to cater for the new MercedesBenz power unit, but in an engineering feat of perfection — mainly centred around Brawn’s ingenious rear double diffuser concept, the cars were instantly very fast. Then it was on to Melbourne for the opening Grand Prix of the 2009 season, with limited spares and a small team full of hope, backing up their testing pace with pole position and the Grand Prix win for Button and second place to his teammate Barrichello. It was a 1,2 Brawn GP debut that sent the rest of the field into a tailspin, with protests against the car’s design submitted by the big three (Ferrari, McLaren and Williams) which were all ultimately unsuccessful. A further six Grand Prix victories and five podiums followed as the Brawn GP juggernaut amazed the Formula One world. By the final race of the 17 round season, Jenson Button and Brawn GP were the 2009 Formula One World Champions, taking the cherished Driver’s and Manufacturer’s titles in one massive fairytale fell swoop. (Rubens Barrichello finished third in the title chase). The team was then sold to Mercedes-Benz and the rest is Formula One domination history that continues to this day. The inside story of Brawn GP is an incredible read for any motor racing fan, outlining how a disastrous situation was completely turned around through sheer determination, the right people and a heap of luck. Survive. Drive. Win by Nick Fry is available in Australia and New Zealand from Allen & Unwin Book Publishers.
CAPRICORN IGNITION APRIL 2021 1 3
FUTURE RIDE
CITROËN’S PROMISES ‘LE VOYAGE IN E-COMFORT’
1 4 CAPRICORN IGNITION APRIL 2021
Citroën, the French automaker, has given us some classic designs over its century in business. Think of the sleek and imposing Traction-Avant of the interwar years, the sporty SM of the 1970s, and the bug-like 2CV that captivates children and adults alike whenever we see one pootling along the road. With a track record like that, their latest concept car releases are possibly a little less… iconic. Let’s take a closer look at one of them — the Citroën 19_19 Concept. Citroën promises the 19_19 will be “le voyage in e-comfort”. While the 30-inch tyres don’t immediately scream “this ride is going to be comfortable”, Citroën says the comfort is provided by an innovation — a fully glazed, suspended cabin which sits on a modified version of Citroën’s Progressive Hydraulic Cushions suspension system. It’s so smooth Citroën has promoted the 19_19 as “a living room on wheels”. (Which might also explain the safety-defying passenger seat, which is quite literally a chaise longue like you’d see in a posh city apartment, and the marble magazine rack. No, really: it has a marble magazine rack.)
But are we really interested in comfort? No-one who sees a Lamborghini Gallardo zipping past them on the freeway thinks “yeah, but those seats have absolutely no lumbar support”. We want something beautiful — and powerful. How does the 19_19 stack up? Well, unlike the Traction-Avant and the SM, the 19_19 doesn’t really have the most drool-worthy appearance. Apparently, the design is based, in part, on an egg and on a long-defunct Citroënmade helicopter. Let’s get to the power. The 19_19 is powered by an all-electric drivetrain, and Citroën says it accelerates from 0 to 100 km/h in five seconds and reaches a top speed of 200 km/h. Driven by 100 kWh batteries, the 4WD drivetrain comprises two motors (one at the front, one at the rear) and develops torque of 800 Nm and power of 340 kW. Citroën says the vehicle has a range of 800 km — which would make this ugly duckling more practical for long distance travel than many electric vehicles. Compare that to the Tesla Model 3, currently available. Tesla says the Model 3 hits 100 km/h in 3.3 seconds, has a top speed of 261 km/h and has an estimated range of 657 km. The big difference, really, is that the Tesla might just be a more practical option for a family trip to Coles than a car with a chaise longue. OK, so we’re giving the 19_19 a well-mannered hard time because of its over-the-top design. Obviously, it’s important for car manufacturers, like Citroën, to have the space to be creative and try new things with concept cars. And no-one really expects to see the 19_19 — complete with chaise longue and marble magazine rack — sweeping around the Great Ocean Road in the near future. Concept cars are the place for manufacturers to try out all their kooky ideas. But another Citroën concept car, the Ami, is on its way. It’s a reprise of an old Citroën name, but it’s being marketed as the heir to the 2CV. When the Ami concept was launched in 2019, it looked a bit like a particularly robust vacuum cleaner — especially with the charge cord hanging out of it. Yet it received rave reviews. Now that car (technically a quadricycle) is about to hit the streets of Paris and… it still looks like a vacuum cleaner. So, sometimes, taking a risk pays off — and the public falls in love with a kooky concept. Most likely, the 19_19 isn’t a future ride at all. It’s an experiment. An idea. A concept. Perhaps we’re not meant to drool over it, like the old SM? Maybe it’s meant to bring a smile to our faces when we see it, like the old 2CV and the new Ami? Not every idea can be a classic. Whatever the future holds for the 19_19 and its marble magazine rack, good on Citroën for pushing the limits.
CAPRICORN IGNITION APRIL 2021 1 5
Written by DriveLife online
2020 MINI COOPER SE ELECTRIC City EV with a dose of Fun
The MINI Electric might seem like a new model, where some time will be spent making it better, ironing out bugs. But that’s not the case; using the electric drive system from the BMW i3, the MINI Electric should be pretty well sorted out of the box. However, it does have a smaller capacity battery than the i3, at 32.6kWh (the i3 is 42kWh), and there’s no Range Extender option either. Does this mean the MINI Electric shouldn’t be on your list, if you are considering moving to an EV that is designed for city use? MINI sent us a stock standard model for three weeks over Christmas to see if it could roll with the big boys.
THE RANGE The UK-built MINI Electric comes in just the one flavour: the $59,990 Cooper SE. Actually, the MINI Electric is built at the birthplace and heart of MINI production, in Oxford, England. It’s front-wheel-drive only, with the electric engine up there of course There is the Countryman available as well, but since that’s a plug-in hybrid, we’re ignoring it for this review. The electric engine manages 135kW of power, and 270Nm of torque – good figures for a 1,365Kg car. 1 6 CAPRICORN IGNITION APRIL 2021
The MINI Electric is closest in specs to the Cooper S, but does add some extra equipment, like a digital TFT LCD instrument cluster, a 12-speaker Harmon Kardon sound system and a heads-up display. From the Cooper S, it takes heated front seats, adaptive LED headlights, Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, leather seating, 17” alloy wheels, SatNav with Real Time Traffic Information, MINI Connected Services, Comfort Access, adaptive LED headlights, heads-up display, front and rear parking sensors including Parking Assistant, Qi wireless phone charging, electric park brake, keyless entry and start, City Crash Mitigation with pedestrian detection, reversing camera with dynamic guidelines, cruise control, speed limiter, front LED fog lights, rear fog light, auto high beams, auto wipers, LED interior light pack, heated exterior mirrors and washer jets, ambient lighting, MINI logo projection from the doors, dual zone climate AC, and wireless Apple CarPlay. Our test car did come with a double sunroof, which isn’t actually available on New Zealand-spec models.
The MINI Electric is $6,000 more than the equivalent petrol-powered MINI Cooper S. Compared to say a Hyundai Kona EV which is double the cost of the petrol equivalent, the MINI Electric is good value. There’s four colour combinations available, which includes different wheel options as well, namle 17-inch MINI Electric Power Spoke wheels paired to White Silver and Midnight Black, or 17-inch MINI Tentacle Spoke wheels paired to Chili Red and British Racing Green. The changes in wheels also goes to the mirror caps and front blade. You can read more about the MINI Electric on MINI New Zealand’s website.
FIRST IMPRESSIONS "However it happens, our task will be to make a MINI recognisable as a MINI,” says Oliver Heilmer, Head of Design for MINI. Well, they’ve achieved that and also managed to not make the car look too weird and scare off potential buyers.
DRIVELIFE
There’s a few features that point to the car not being a petrol-powered MINI; the covering of the grille with a big piece of plastic is one, you’ll certainly notice the different wheels, and a few EV-looking badges on the sides and rear of the car. There’s also some yellow mirror caps as standard, and the familiar Union Jack tail lights which admittedly look very cool at night. Speaking of the wheels, well they got a lot of attention. They are certainly modern and different, and the yellow used lines up with the yellow used on the mirrors. Definitely a personal taste item and judging by the response I got on them, not a popular one. Thankfully, these can be changed at no cost to something more normal with Chilli Red or British Racing Green exterior paint. MINI has kept the fake bonnet vent which helps the car retain some sort of good looks. I would have been happy for them not to cover the grille at all, but that’s just me. Overall, it’s still a good-looking car, as long as MINI doesn’t change it too much in the future and make it look strange.
THE INTERIOR The yellow accents are carried over to the interior with a splash of it on some fake carbon fibre on the dash, and also on the gear shift lever. Those new to MINI will be blown away by the interior at first glance; it looks very sporty, with those row of toggle switches above the centre console, and more toggle switches up on the roof. Sure, they’re old school but they still look good, and they feel great. Up front, there’s a single 12-volt socket, and both a USB C and standard USB port. The dashboard has changed in the electric version of this car, it’s still a pod mounted above the steering wheel, but it’s gone flat-faced. You would think this would show
reflections badly, but the face of the 5.5” dash has a matte finish, and reflections didn’t really bother me. The instruments are really clear too, with nice, crisp readouts. There’s very little customisation though, as in none. There’s no cubby in the centre console of this car, instead there’s a lift-up panel and under that you place your phone for wireless charging – assuming your phone can wirelessly charge. Only one gripe here; the width of the charger is quite restrictive, and I had to take my phone out of its case to be able to charge my phone. So it’s a tight squeeze, but still handy. Closing the lid on the charger also takes away the temptation to look at the screen. In the centre-front of the car is an 8.8” central display, which is controlled by a dial between the front seats. Anyone who's driven a recent BMW will find this very familiar. The seats are heated in front, and there’s no power adjustment. For you taller people, there is manual cushionlength adjustment, and manual lumbar adjustment. The rear of the front seats are fairly heavily scalloped to give some extra legroom for your rear passengers, and the rear seats dip down a lot for extra headroom. I doubt it’d be a fun time back there on a trip to Auckland, but for short trips they seemed to do just fine for my passengers. The boot has a false floor to it, always handy for storing extra junk in. In the lower part lives the electric charge cable, a tyre pump (no spare here) and some MINI gloves. It’s quite a large area under there, and you can remove the false panel to give yourself a bit of extra height for tall stuff. Boot space is reasonable at 211 litres (3 litres bigger than a Corolla hatch), and it goes to 731 litres with the rear seats folded down.
THE DRIVE As always with an electric car, the instant push of acceleration when you take off is enjoyable and addictive. The MINI Electric is no exception, and at 7.3 seconds to 100km/h, it’s no slouch, and will see off many petrol-powered cars at the lights. And that was running the car in ‘Mid’ (normal) mode. Stick it into Sport mode, and you feel the car tense up, as it just wants to go. This is a fun part of the car, make no doubt. It looks sporty, and it accelerates very well. Wheelspin in the dry is easily possible, so you’ll need to watch that right foot, and in the wet, flooring it at 50km/h will see the front wheels spinning too. There’s also Green and Green+ drive modes to pick from, and with all that torque and relatively low weight, the car can easily cope with either of these modes. Switching on Green+ will kill the aircon and heated seats, so I see this more of a ‘get you home’ mode if you are low on range. Naturally, there’s also reduced performance to save battery power. A shame that none of the drive modes stick when you turn the car off; if you have it in (say) Green mode and then get out of the car, it will always reset to Mid mode. There’s two switchable brake regeneration modes in this car; Low Energy Recovery and High Energy Recovery. It’s easy to tell MINI really wants you to use the High mode, as when you select Low brake regen, an orange light inside the toggle switch comes on as a warning. Also, when you get out of the car and back in, it reverts to High brake regen. Not that there’s anything wrong with that, and that High mode is intense. It washes off speed very quickly, and honestly, you will rarely use the brake pedal. This is as close to one-pedal driving as a Tesla. I did switch brake regen to Low on the motorway, as you don’t want to freak people out by de-accelerating so quickly in motorway traffic. Of course, this does give
The contents of and any opinions contained in this article do not reflect the opinions of Capricorn Society Ltd and Capricorn makes no representation or warranty as to the accuracy, completeness or reliability of any material in this article. CAPRICORN IGNITION APRIL 2021 1 7
brake auto-hold to the car. For a car that’s designed for city use, this is a big item that’s missing.
you a nice little boost of battery charge, especially down a long hill. Brake regen in High mode will stop the car on the flat, and even downhill to a point. Weirdly then, I found when I went to take photos, the front wheels were covered in brake dust and had to be cleaned. I would have thought of all cars, they’d be completely clean. While the MINI Electric is primarily aimed at city users, there are still times when those people want to go on the motorway. It was for this reason I was really surprised that the car only has standard cruise control, and not adaptive cruise. Adaptive cruise is a major safety feature in stop-start traffic on the motorway or just in general, and I would have thought at $60K, it’d be standard. The car does come with adaptive LED headlamps, which are always nice. But if the car is aimed at city buyers, this seems like overkill. I’d rather have adaptive cruise, thanks. At least the standard cruise control the car has is a one-touch on system, something that’s appreciated. Blind spot monitoring is also missing, but thankfully with those big, long doors, visibility out of the car is reasonable, barring that chunky C pillar. There is one drawback with the long, frameless doors; They look awesome when open, but when driving the sun visors in this car are very short, and once folded out to the side barely cover 40% of the side window. This means if there’s sun coming in the rear of your window, there’s no way you’re going to be able to block it out. At a minimum, the car needs sliding sun visors so you can move them along. Sunstrike was an issue for me due to this. Brake auto hold is another item that’s MIA. There’s an electric park brake, but for some reason MINI chose not to add
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I’m going to cover off one last thing I didn’t like, then we can stick to the good stuff. To start with, the ride in our test car was pretty hard. This may be down to Wellington’s streets, but the MINI Electric was not a fan of bumps. According to MINI, it has go-kart like handling, and while the ride quality is better than a gokart, it’s still very firm. In saying that, our test car arrived with about 6,000Ks on the clock, and by the time it hit 7,000Ks with me, the ride had improved to the point where it was acceptable. It’s still very firm, but you can live with it. Hopefully it just needed that extra mileage on it to soften it up some. We’ve seen this before with other cars, but it doesn’t normally happen in that short an increase in mileage. The MINI Electric has a heads-up display (HUD), but it is the cheaper version, with a small piece of plastic that pops out of the dash when you turn the car on. Still, it does the job, and shows you your current speed, the speed limit, any SatNav directions (including a countdown to your down meter) and other info. While a ‘normal’ HUD is better, this is better than nothing. Sound quality is top notch, with the standard Harmon Kardon sound system. The tweeters are perfectly placed at the bottom of the A pillar, and there’s some awesome separation and a good range of frequency. No complaints here at all. Other good stuff? The turning circle is excellent, managing tight turns in city streets with ease. As mentioned, there’s Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, and very happily, Apple CarPlay will work through Bluetooth, and you don’t have to pay a $500 premium to get this (as you do in a BMW). In all laziness all this means is that you don’t have to plug your iPhone into a USB cable to use Apple CarPlay, but for me it’s one less thing to do; just get in and drive. Handling-wise, MINI says this car is still designed to handle like a go-kart. Deciding to take up the challenge, I took the car out to a particular road with lots of twisty corners, not quite go-kart territory but a road that can really show a car’s handling. The MINI did excellently, far better than I thought it would. Turn in was excellent, steering very good, and it tracked the corners fantastically. I had brake regen on the max setting of course, and this meant I didn’t need to use the brake pedal, saving time. If I was going too fast, I came off the ‘gas’ pedal, let brake regen do its thing, then back on
the accelerator out of the corner. I could modulate my speed using this method too – if I didn’t need braking, I just took my foot off the accelerator enough to keep the speed up without braking. It was all too easy, and a blast of a drive. Naturally, acceleration out of the corners was stunning, and the grip was great too. I’m happy to say that instead of fitting some extremely hard compound tyres for economy, the MINI Electric has Goodyear Eagle F1s. They gripped until the last, and were perfectly matched to the car. If I’m being honest, the back of the car did step out a few times when hitting a bump mid-corner, but there was no drama along with it. Once over the bump the car settled back down and got on with it. It almost felt like I should have been in The Italian Job. This car is FUN! One drawback of the Eagle F1 tyres is tyre noise on coarse chip seal. Coarse chip seal brings out some noise that you eventually get used to, but is not pleasant at times. Well, what about charging, and range, and all that stuff? We know charging isn’t an issue; plug it in at home at night. That’s pretty much it. When people ask how long it takes to charge up, I say it’s less than a minute - that’s how long it takes to plug it in. So easy. But our test car didn’t initially come with the ‘EVSE’, or home charging unit, so I had to rely on fast charging for the first week or so. Leaving home on a 45Km commute, including motorway traffic, got me worried. Then, I got to my destination to find I’d used 14Km of range. This seemed too good to be true, and I didn’t
The contents of and any opinions contained in this article do not reflect the opinions of Capricorn Society Ltd and Capricorn makes no representation or warranty as to the accuracy, completeness or reliability of any material in this article.
DRIVELIFE
2020 MINI COOPER SE ELECTRIC
repeat that again, but it felt good at the time. One day I was heading back to the city, and the batteries got to 8% remaining. I called into a ChargeNet fast charger and plugged in. Went and got a haircut, came back and it was done to 95% full. That took 46 minutes (luckily there was a queue at the barber shop anyway) and cost $18.26, for 26.4kWh of charge. Keep in mind, normally you’d only charge to 80% at a fast charger, but since I didn’t have the home charger at that time, I pushed it up to 95%. That 95% gave me 179Km of range. I have to say, I never saw 200Km range on a full charge, ever, and the max I saw was 197Km. I know the WLTP range is 233Km, but I also know that Wellington is one of the hardest places on EVs, ever. Our hills fair suck out range like nothing else. We see this same result with other EVs we’ve tested, so the MINI Electric is not alone. Another weekend, we shot over to Masterton for lunch. We left home with 161Km of range, with a 115Km drive according to SatNav directions. We got to Masterton with 79Km and 50% battery left. Considering that meant going over the Remutaka Hill, using 82Km of range to drive 115Km or so is more than reasonable. I plugged the car in while we had lunch, it took 28 minutes to get it to 95%, taking 15.6kWh and costing $10.95. I was still eating lunch when the car had finished charging. When you think about it, $10.95 to go 115Km is not really cheap. With the petrol-powered Cooper S using 5.2L/100Km, that equates to around the same price in petrol as it cost in power. But remember that was me using a commercial fast charger. Charging at home should always be your first choice, when you can. Once I had the EVSE, I just plugged it in at night, if I needed to.
MINI Electric or simply my perception has changed with more EVs that we’ve tested, but I didn’t care as much about the range as I used to. For example, some days I’d be down to 20Km range left. A few years ago, I’d be freaking out, but now? It’s a ‘meh’ moment, as I know 20Km is going to get me around town and home easily, so why worry? This was highlighted again and again during our 3-week test. Driving EVs is all about attitude and driving style, and the more you drive an EV the easier it is. According to MINI, the car should use 15.2 kilo-Watt-hours (kWh) of battery per 100Km of driving. During out 3 weeks and around 1,500km, we averaged 13.8kWh/100Km. For a change, this is better than what MINI and the WLTP says, and is better than the 15.4 that we got out of the Hyundai Kona EV but a little more than the 12.7 we got out of the e-Golf.
VEHICLE TYPE
Small, front-wheeldrive, 3-door hatchback
STARTING PRICE
$59,990
PRICE AS TESTED
$59,990
ENGINE
Single electric
POWER, TORQUE 135/270 KW/NM SPARE WHEEL
Pump only
KERB WEIGHT, KG
1,365
L X W X H, MM
3845x1727x1432
CARGO CAPACITY, LITRES
211/731
BATTERY CAPACITY, KWH
TOWING CAPACITY KG,
UNBRAKED/BRAKED
POWER EFFICIENCY, KWH/100KM
THE COMPETITION Really, it’s all down to your requirements. For not that much more money, you can get into a Tesla Model 3. More space, more pace. But since the MINI Electric is aimed at city dwellers, would they consider the much bigger Model 3? Likely not. Good to see we are getting more options down the ‘cheaper’ end of the EV market in New Zealand.
CHARGING PLUG
32.6, 28.9 usable Battery type: lithium ion 750 /3500 Advertised Spec - combined – 15.2 (WLTP) Real World Test combined – 13.8 Type 2 NA
TURNING CIRCLE, METRES
Small: 6-10m / Medium 10-12m / Large 12m+ 8-year battery warranty
WARRANTY
3 Years Scheduled Servicing 3 Years Warranty 3 Years Roadside Assistance
ANCAP SAFETY RATINGS
5 Star
I’ve got to say that I’m not sure if it’s the CAPRICORN IGNITION APRIL 2021 1 9
GOLD RUSH WINNERS ANNOUNCED! Parts Connection Preferred Supplier Bonus Points Promotion Capricorn Preferred Supplier, Parts Connection, continues to give back to Members with their generous prize pool of Capricorn Preferred Supplier Bonus Points worth $30,000. Members who purchased from any Parts Connection member received a lucky gold nugget card which put them in the running. The list of lucky winners this month include; 100,000 Preferred Supplier Bonus Points
• Dargaville Ford • Whangaparaoa Collision Repairs • Sherson Automotive
A big thank you to all Members who participated in the campaign! The promotion runs until 30 November, so there is still plenty of opportunity to win.
SUPPLIER PROFILE Landlogic
Landlogic is an import and distribution company established in February 2020. They focus on supplying the needs of primary industry with a focus on specialty equipment, technology and parts.
Zone serviced: South Island Website: landlogic.co.nz & vapormatic.co.nz
Vapormatic has one of the largest ranges of replacement tractor and machinery parts in the world with over 20,000part lines. They also have a very large range of accessories such as paint, PTO shafts, tools, linkage, bale tines, lighting and electrical parts plus workshop accessories and hydraulic hosing parts. With a team of 10 working out of their warehouse facility, Landlogic has been working to grow their range of other brands including new technology services such as drone imagery, mapping and surveying services. BRAND NEW SUPPLIER
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BUSY PERIOD TIPS
Like any business, your workshop will have busy periods. But while these times can provide a revenue bonanza, they can also create a lot of risk.
both times when customers are likely to:
How so? Well, when we’re busy, sometimes our standards slip. And if our customers aren’t getting the level of service they expect from us, they might take their business elsewhere next time. (Customers don’t see being busy as an excuse for poor customer service!)
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So, how do you ensure your team is still giving their very best, even when you’re getting slammed? The answer, according to customer service expert and New York Times bestselling author Shep Hyken in his article 5 Ways to Prepare for Being Really Busy - is preparation. Here are Shep’s five tips for handling those busy times well while still delivering an amazing experience to customers.
"If you know you're traditionally busy, then you can prepare for it." 1. Look at your history and know when you’re busy Look back over your records and track the patterns during your busy times. Knowing when you are busiest will help you make a game plan. Most workshops are really busy around Easter and Christmas –
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Have time off work, so it’s convenient for them to bring their vehicle in for a service. Be planning to travel, so will want to ensure their vehicle is in tiptop condition for a long journey. Potentially have an unfortunate accident especially during the stress of the Christmas rush.
If you know when you’re traditionally busy, then you can prepare for it. 2. Properly staff your workshop to meet the workload Being understaffed means potentially irritating customers when they don’t get the service they’re used to. This can show itself in many ways. Perhaps paperwork is building up on the counter, the customer lounge isn’t looking as good as it should, or maybe you don’t have enough time to offer Mrs Jennings a drive home like you normally would. Not having enough employees on hand to meet (and exceed) customers’ expectations could cause a customer to leave, hang up or, even worse, never come back because of one tainted experience. 3. Recognise the opportunity you have with new customers When customers receive great service during busy times, they know that less frantic times will be just as good, if not better. This is especially important for new customers.
4. Warn customers about busy times Let customers know that you’re busier than normal and that could cause some delays or other service issues. “While I suggest you do all you can to avoid problems, sometimes they are inevitable,” Shep said. “Tell your customers how they can avoid problems during busy times.” 5. Have good self-service options Customers are getting used to taking control of their issues by going to websites, interacting with webchat facilities, and more. If it’s something as simple as checking whether their vehicle is ready to collect, your customers will appreciate the availability of a good self-service option.
“Just make sure that if the customer opts to talk to someone instead, it’s fast and convenient to do so,” Shep said. And finally… No matter how busy your workshop gets, giving every customer a great experience is vital if you want them to keep coming back. So, get yourself prepared for your next busy period now, to ensure everything runs smoothly when the time comes.
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WORKSHOP AND EQUIPMENT LAYOUT - by Jeff Smit
Mechanical workshops have traditionally never been the prettiest of places but attitudes have certainly changed in recent years, because there are now many workshops where you could literally eat your dinner off the floor. There are just as many who have paid little attention to the cleanliness and equipment storage in their workshops – if they only knew the potential financial rewards in running a clean workshop, with everything in its place. There are two very good reasons for running a clean and well-organised workshop – it’s a much nicer place to spend at least a third of your life, and productivity increases substantially if everyone knows where things are. Increased productivity should translate to a healthier cash flow. For many workshops that have been around for a few decades, the hard part might be finding the time and the inspiration to make the changes that might be needed.
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“ Imagine the satisfaction for all concerned when the workshop runs like a well-oiled machine and you can find everything you want when you need it. A well laid out and organised workshop is not only efficient but can have a huge impact on the productivity and satisfaction of staff, and on the perception of the efficiency of the business as seen through the eyes of customers. Achieving this perfect state won’t be easy, and it will demand a lot of effort, thought and planning. So where to start? Begin with the layout. This refers to the placement of machines, workbenches and storage, usually in a confined space but relative to each other. Poor layout forces excessive travelling time between these areas. Extra clutter or disruption from tools in the wrong place will make the situation worse. Tools should be categorised and kept in designated and clearly outlined locations. Cabinets, chests, and lockers are a good means of storage for groups of tools. Open-shelf displays are good for visibility and even an open wall, fitted with pegboard or slats, can store tools on hooks or in open baskets. An efficient workshop will have a designated living place for every piece of equipment, every tool and all the stock. Then comes the planning, which means storing tools and spares close to where they are needed. This may seem like a no-brainer, but it’s amazing how many workshops haven’t figured out how much unnecessary work and time loss they cause by not having things close to the action. For instance, if a certain hoist is used for standard service work, all the standard service tools and equipment must be close to that hoist. A good start is to go through your workshop, section by section, and assign a permanent location or storage place for everything as you go. Especially target those items that were stored somewhere ‘just for now’ but have never moved since.
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Workshops perform much better when staff don’t have to waste time hunting for something they know exists but they can’t remember where it lives, or when it was last used. The frustration this causes is bad for morale and very bad for business.
A well laid out and organised workshop is not only efficient but can have a huge impact on the productivity and satisfaction of staff...
How much more effort is required to put every object in its designated home? Clutter is reduced, workspace is cleared, and productivity improves. There are no downsides to simply being tidy. Grouping of tools or parts makes it easier to find things when they are needed and has an added advantage of immediately revealing tools and stock, thereby removing the temptation to replace things you can’t find when the tool truck calls. Once you get the groupings right, organise the storage so that the most frequently used things are at the front of the storage area and at shoulder height. The less frequently used things can be either at the rear, or on a higher or lower location. As much as possible, arrange items so that something else does not have to be moved before you can reach them. Start with a small section of the workshop and document the position of every piece of equipment as you go. Each cabinet, shelf or wall spot should be identified with a number or letter, with each shelf numbered and every piece of equipment assigned to a set position. Once that’s done, you will have a complete equipment and tool catalogue, and the beginning of a far less frustrating and more productive era. After your reorganising is done, one very simple rule must apply forever – when you use something, put it back where it belongs. When everyone realises the time and effort they are saving, this simple rule will become habit and once it becomes habit, it is no longer a chore that you have to think about. At least once a year, I recommend a review of each section in the workshop, almost like a visual stocktake that will reveal storage that is not working. Workshops which have been established for some time will appreciate a well-planned declutter and restructure.
It’s a common practice to leave parts, components or tools on a workbench, out in the open where they can be seen, with the theory being that they serve as a constant reminder that something needs to be done. This visual clutter is counterproductive because sooner or later they will become absorbed by an even bigger pile of stuff.
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IT’S PERSONAL. Your very own Risk Account Manager comes to you to discuss your business protection needs. It’s because Capricorn is invested in your success.
Join us! Ask your Risk Account Manager for a review of your current cover. See how you’re better off with mutual protection through Capricorn Risk Services. 0800 555 303 | info@capricornrisk.com | capricorn.coop/risk Products sold through Capricorn Risk Services Pty Ltd include discretionary risk protection and general insurance products. Discretionary risk protection is issued out of Australia by Capricorn Mutual Ltd. Before deciding to acquire discretionary risk protection you should consider the Product Disclosure Statement to see if it is appropriate for you. This can be obtained from Capricorn Risk Services via capricornrisk.com. General insurance products are issued by a range of insurers and are available through Capricorn Risk Services Pty Ltd as a member broker of PSC Connect NZ Limited. Capricorn Risk Services is a registered financial services provider (390466) and a corporate Authorised Representative (No. 460893) of Capricorn Mutual Ltd (AFSL 230038).
TM
DIRECTOR ELECTION Are you looking for personal growth and your next challenge? Capricorn will be looking for energetic and passionate members to join our board of directors. In 2021, director elections will be held for a director in the New South Wales/ Australian Capital Territory zone to fill a vacant director position and one for the Victoria/Tasmania zone. As a Member your participation in the election process (as a voter or a candidate), is one of the most important contributions you can make to your Capricorn. Capricorn will soon call for candidates in the 2021 Director Election. Capricorn is ultimately controlled by its directors. They set the strategic direction for Capricorn and also the framework in which the Group CEO and the executive team work. Directors are responsible to the Members for the performance of Capricorn and must always act in the best interests of Capricorn.
Being a director is a demanding and challenging role. It carries with it a great deal of ethical and legal responsibility. Seeking to become a director of Capricorn, however, is one of the most important contributions you can make to Capricorn. We recently held an online information session with Russell Becker, Capricorn’s previous chairman and current NSW/ACT director who provided insights into what it means to be a Capricorn director. A recording of this interview is available for Members interested in becoming a Capricorn director in the future. Second, we will be hosting a mini-governance course so Members can learn more about the role of the board and the requirements to be a director. Participation in the mini-governance course or access to the information session is relevant to all zones, and is not limited to NSW/ACT and VIC/TAS Members. If you have been interested in becoming a director in the future, this session will still be of benefit to you.
If you are considering standing as a candidate in the future contact Ms. Sarah Chamberlain on +618 6250 9591 or email sarah.chamberlain@capricorn.coop
• Are you looking for personal growth and your next challenge? • Do you want to use your experience and industry knowledge to give back to the automotive industry? • Would you like to be part of the team that helps shape the future of Capricorn? If you answered YES to those questions, then becoming a Capricorn director could be the right fit for you.
o o T d o o G nottnot o to Share
If you have a story or a ride that could be published in Ignition, email it to ignition@capricorn.coop Ensure you include Member Ride in the subject line.
CAPRICORN IGNITION APRIL 2021 2 5
CAPRICORN CLASSIFIEDS Classifieds Advertising Guidelines Do you have a business for sale, have equipment that you need to get rid of, or are you just looking for a part that you haven’t been able to find? If the answer is yes, then you should advertise in the Capricorn Classifieds; it’s FREE to do so. See below for details. • The Capricorn Classifieds are for Capricorn Members only to advertise. Payment is to be organised between advertiser and purchaser. • Parts or equipment that relate to your business only may be advertised. • Businesses for sale may be advertised. • Cars for sale cannot be advertised. Shoreline Panel & Paint Great opportunity for a Panel Beater / Spray painter to purchase a business with clients walking through the door constantly with insurance claims as well as plenty of private work. Small fully equipped workshop to carry out small repairs. Baslac water base paint system diesel fuelled baking oven. $150k. U2/12 Griffin Drive Dunsborough 6281 Call 0413930286. Harris Best Panelbeaters Business, Marlborough NZ Expressions of Interest, long established busy panel shop in a prime location. Turn key operation. Wheel Aligner and Hoist. Potential to grow. Price $97K. Call Trevor 0272464108 all reasonable offers considered. Tin Can Bay Workshop/Mechanic Want a Sea change? Well established business, with great returning customers. Tyre Bay and 3 Hoists, and fully stocked. Owner retiring due to ill health. Phone 0438 632 951 2WD Dynotech, Rockhampton QLD With extras, fan, ramps, new computer and more, ready to plug and play $33,695+ neg. Shipping to be calculated. Photos by request. Contact Rhys - rhys@tsomechanical.com.au or 0402 742 733 Workshop service station, Richmond TAS. Well established independent service station with mechanics workshop long lease offered, Good strong customer base with huge potential, owner retiring. Call 0408906076
• Classifieds are on a first come, first served basis. Depending on the number received, your classified may not appear immediately. • No positions vacant. • No pictures to be submitted. • By submitting the Online Capricorn Classifieds Ad Form, you acknowledge that the price of any goods or services shown is inclusive of GST.
Automotive Mechanical & Suspension Business, Myaree WA. Established 1974, huge client base, excellent reputation, 3 units on long lease, 4 hoists incl wheel aligning hoist, all equipment & stock, office manager & mechanic happy to stay if required. Contact Graeme 08 9330 3231 or graeme@g-mac.com.au
Truck Wheel Alignment & Mechanical Brisbane North Trading for over 46 years this fully quip 725 m² workshop situated in a high exposure position on Brisbane North. Full mechanical & wheel alignment for cars 4WD trucks buses & trailers $342,000 + SAV. Ph.0450 484 008
Automotive workshop, Tauranga CBD, NZ Since 2011. WoF AVIC. Spacious. 2 hoists, tyre machine, balancer etc. courtesy car,. reasonable rent, good lease/landlord. good returns and potential to increase turnover, inquire today $200,000. Andrew 022 6469334
Premier Automotive Repairs business, Berry NSW. Established for over 20 years with loyal customers and continuous repeat business. Great location, strong returns, this is an Ideal lifestyle business. Price on Application. Call Steve 02 4464 3999 or 0417 251 205.
Automotive Repair Workshop, Sunshine Coast QLD 3 hoists and lot of equipment, high profile frontage. Long Established family run business, large client base. Come and enjoy the Sunny Lifestyle so the Owner can retire. $134,000 WIWO. Call Richard 07 5493 6000
Mechanical Automotive Workshop, Gladstone QLD Well established. Owner retiring. Strong customer base. Always busy. Well equipped with plenty of room. $110,000 ONO. Ph: Michael Carr 0401 828 615.
Mechanical Workshop, Melbourne VIC Established in 1962 with current owner for 12yrs, located in Bayside, mechanical service & sales, very prominent loc. Owner retiring. Ph: 0411 460 460 Siemens Exhaust Tube Bender - Rapid make press type 1¼in to 2½in. Tooling has had minimal use. $6,500. Press Hydraulic 35 ton Manual plus air over hydraulic operation. $1,500.Suspension Spring Compressor Hydraulic operation automotive. $500. Call Denise 07 5520 2755
Antique Block Boring machine, circa 1915 “Improved Universal Cylinder Reboring Tool – USA”. In very good condition. Packed in original wooden box with instructions. $1000.00. Contact owner 07 4630 7001 Mechanical Workshop, Port Macquarie NSW. Town is booming and this great earner could be yours! Prime location, large loyal customer base, excellent google reviews. 4 hoists, wheel aligner, injector bench, scan tool etc. Price/ lease negotiable. Call Maca on 0414 850 365 Brake, Mechanical Workshop, Port Lincoln SA Well Established for 28 years. 5 Bays. 2x Molnar Hoists. Large pit. Fully equipped large block. WIWO. Freehold, equipment & stock. Owner needs to retire. Contact 08 86830779 or 0428113242.
How to Advertise in the Capricorn Classifieds 1. Send an email to ignition@capricorn.coop with the following details: your Member number, business name, contact details and details of your advert (no more than 30 words). 2. Capricorn must receive your classified advert by the 16th of the month preceding the publication month. If we have not received your classified advert by this date it will be published in the following month depending on the number of adverts received. 3. Check out your advert and fellow Members’ classifieds in the next edition of Ignition. Email: ignition@capricorn.coop Publisher's General Disclaimer All information, material and content contained in this edition of Ignition is provided or sourced by Capricorn Society Limited (“Capricorn”) for general information only and is not intended to be advice or comment on any particular matter or subject. Before acting on any information, you should consider the relevance of it to your own circumstances and, if necessary, take professional advice. Capricorn makes no representation or warranty as to the accuracy, completeness or reliability of any material (including, without limitation, any third-party supplier advertisement in respect of which Capricorn merely acts as a conduit) included in this edition of Ignition. To the fullest extent permitted by law Capricorn, its officers, employees, agents and representatives disclaim any and all liability to you or any other person for any loss or damage whatsoever connected with: (i) reliance on material in Ignition; or (ii) inaccuracy, error or omission in material in Ignition. Capricorn, Stronger With Capricorn, Ignition, Capricorn Travel, Capricorn Mutual and the boomerangs device are trademarks or registered trademarks of Capricorn. If you have any news or information that you think would be of interest to your fellow Members, please send the information to Capricorn via email ignition@capricorn.coop.
Capricorn Society Limited ACN 008 347 313 Postal Address: Locked Bag 3003, West Perth WA 6872 Registered Office New Zealand: PO Box 91567 Victoria Street West Auckland 1142 Phone 0800 401 444
N R O C I R P CA
Spot the Difference Find them all and win! 1st Prize: 4,000 points 2nd Prize: 2,000 points
LAST MONTH'S ANSWERS LAST MONTH'S WINNERS 1st Prize - 4,000 points Muirs Radiators
2nd Prize - 2,000 points Menzies Mechanical
Email your answers to ignition@capricorn.coop before 21 April 2020. Winners will be selected by a lucky hat draw of correct entries. Please ensure you include your Member number and email address when submitting your entry.
WORD Hunter
Find the 16 words hidden in the jumble. They could be horizontal, vertical, diagonal or backwards. See if you can find them all!
GOVERNMENT
WORKSHOP
MILLION
ADVERTISING
ORGANISED
HARDWORK
EQUIPMENT
DETERMINATION
MAXIMISE
PANEL
SURVIVE
PORTAL
PROACTIVE
KNOWLEDGE
ELECTION
FINANCIAL
CAPRICORN IGNITION APRIL 2021 2 7
Take another l k
ezi-parts
It’s now even easier to find vehicle parts with CAP ezi-parts. New Features: • Get the right part the first time with more accurate vehicle descriptions • Search fields will pre-populate when you enter the plate number • Preferred Suppliers can tell where Members are located for faster service
It’s free! To get started, login to capricorn.coop and click on CAP ezi-parts.
