Workshop issue 19

BEST OF THE BEST: WE REVEAL OUR TOP PRODUCT OF THE YEAR

ISSUE 19 | APRIL 2017

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FOREIGN AFFAIRS Why we’re head over wheels in love with our trio of newly arrived imports

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INVESTIGATION

The real reason Edd China’s leaving Wheeler Dealers

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CONTENTS.

EDITORIAL

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Followers of fashion: The TV show searching for model mechanics

HEAD OF NEWS & FEATURES REBECCA CHAPLIN rebecca@blackballmedia.co.uk Twitter: @believebecca

PRODUCTION EDITOR DAVE BROWN

dave@blackballmedia.co.uk Twitter: @CarDealerDave

NEWS EDITOR JACK EVANS

jack@blackballmedia.co.uk Twitter: @jackrober

SENIOR STAFF WRITER ANDREW EVANS

andrew@blackballmedia.co.uk Twitter: @snavEwerdnA

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STAFF WRITER LAURA THOMSON

laura@blackballmedia.co.uk Twitter: @lauramayrafiki

Attention to detail: It has to be... perfect!

36 50

The Judge: It’s so important for employees to wear their protective gear

HEAD OF DESIGN GRAEME WINDELL

graeme@blackballmedia.co.uk Twitter: @graemewindell

ADVERTISING

Our Kev: Look after your customers, folks, and you could reap some serious business benefits

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SALES MANAGER JON HICKEY

j.hickey@blackballmedia.co.uk Twitter: @cardealerjon

ACCOUNT MANAGER TOM ADAMS

On the move: New home for specialists in prestigious cars

tom.adams@blackballmedia.co.uk Twitter: @_WorkshopTom

FINANCE & ADMINISTRATION finance@blackballmedia.co.uk

SUITS CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER JAMES BAGGOTT james@thebaize.com Twitter: @CarDealerEd

MANAGING DIRECTOR ANDY ENTWISTLE andy@blackballmedia.co.uk Twitter: @CarDealerAndy

CONTRIBUTORS John Bowman, Darren Cassey, Jess Ernerth, James Fossdyke, Ian Gardner, Chris Jervis, Jon Reay.

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DISTRIBUTION Workshop Magazine is distributed to a database of up to 10,000 service and repair sites, franchised car dealers, independents, car manufacturers and suppliers.

Company No. 6473855 VAT No. 933 8428 05 ISSN No. 1759-5444 Workshop Magazine is published by Blackball Media Ltd (Company No 6473855) and printed by Warners. All rights reserved. Conditions of sale and supply include the fact that Workshop shall not, without our consent, be lent, resold, hired out or otherwise disposed of in a mutilated way or in any unauthorised cover by way of trade or affixed to or as any part of a publication or advertising, literary or pictorial matter whatsoever.

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Huge expo: The latest from CDX17 – and get your free tickets today!

Welcome

AS this magazine heads to the printers, we have just witnessed Theresa May posting her regards to the EU but saying ultimately that we’re done being part of the club.

Whether the voters of the UK were right or wrong to make this decision is yet to be known, but one thing is for certain – it’s really dragging on.

We’ve been warned that trade deal negotiations will take around two years and the EU has proposed a phased approach to these, in order of priority.

The car market is global though, so this month we decided to hedge our bets and import our latest projects from outside Europe.

We were fervently warned against it, and were told there’s no money to be made in imports these days, but it was definitely heart over head in the case of the three cars you see on the cover.

Now that each car has travelled thousands of miles across the oceans, quite a bit of work lies ahead.

Some are going to need a little more attention than

Workshop Magazine Awards: Get involved with our great new scheme – you could be a winner! others, and you can find out their stories from page 14.

Also in this issue, we’ve spoke to the one-man team behind Perfection Valet, Richard Tipper, to find out exactly what it takes to do the incredible work he does – in some cases, turning wrecks to riches thanks to the equipment he keeps in his immaculate van.

For those of you looking to restock your tool chests – this is the issue for you. We’ve got the ultimate guide to all of our top products from the past 12 months.

Also this month, tongues have been wagging about everyone’s favourite TV mechanic and previous Workshop cover star Edd China. We’ve got all of the details on why he’s split up with co-host Mike Brewer and who’ll be replacing him on Wheeler Dealers.

I hope you enjoy the issue.

Rebecca Chaplin, Head of News and Features WorkShopMagazine.co.uk

| 03

NEWS.

WERE CHANGES TOO MUCH OF A TALL ORDER FOR TV’S EDD? INVESTIGATION It’s perhaps not a typical Workshop Magazine investigation but this month’s talking point for the motoring community has been the arrival of a new mechanic on the TV scene.

Wheeler Dealers’ resident ‘grease junkie’ Edd China has decided to move on from the show which has made him a telly favourite, and the programme has announced his replacement – Ant Anstead. REBECCA CHAPLIN reports.

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heeler Dealers began back in 2003 and, since then, the well-known duo of Mike Brewer and Edd China have bought, fixed and sold a grand total of 135 cars.

The pair had their good times and occasional bad times as Brewer arrived in the workshop with cars in a far worse state than China would have liked, but is that what eventually tipped him over the edge and persuaded him to leave the show?

The making of the programme has transferred to a production company called Velocity for the next series, and China revealed in a Facebook Live video that he was unhappy to make the compromises it asked for.

‘Unfortunately, on Velocity’s first attempt at producing the show they found Wheeler Dealers too difficult to make, at least in its current format,’ said China.

‘In particular, the detailed and in-depth coverage of my fixes in the workshop; what I consider to be the backbone and USP of the programme, are something Velocity feel should be reduced. The workshop jobs are certainly the hardest part of the show to make and reducing their substance and role in the show will save the production [team] considerable time, effort and therefore money.

‘However, this new direction is not something I am comfortable with as I feel the corners I was being asked to cut compromised the quality of my work and would erode my integrity as well as that of the show, so I have come to the conclusion

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Edd and Mike, right, and Edd’s replacement, Ant Anstead, below

that my only option is to let Velocity get on with it, without me.’

Brewer also spoke to us on the subject, saying: ‘I’m obviously upset and gutted that Edd’s decided to leave the programme because we’ve got a very strong relationship and a close bond after so many years and 135 cars.

‘I respect his decision – Edd wants to move on to other things and I completely get that – but

obviously he’s been a part of my life and has been for ever, so it’s a bit of a shock that he’s decided to leave the show.’

Those boots will be huge ones to fill, but it seems viewers’ response to the arrival of Ant Anstead as his replacement has been positive. Brewer, although clearly sad at China’s departure, is feeling the love too.

‘I’ve got a new co-host, Ant Anstead – the new mechanic in my workshop – and he’s brilliant. He’s a very accomplished car builder and a good friend of mine, and we have a great working relationship already.’

Brewer added: ‘I’ve sort of lost one television husband and got married to a new one that I’m excited about.’

Anstead is the former host of the Channel 4 series For The Love Of Cars and previously hosted Building Cars Live for BBC2, but he also founded his own car-building company called Evanta.

EDD’S TOP WHEELER DEALER MOMENTS Mike Put On The Edge Of His Seat As Edd Drives A Classic Lamborghini Through the Dolomites Brewer bought a 1972 Lamborghini Urraco for the show’s 10th series, and after it was renovated, China took him to the Dolomites mountain range in northern Italy. Brewer was rather unsettled by the affair as China didn’t hold back on the twisty roads.

Edd stitches Mike up with 100-year-old Cadillac After flying all the way from California and with next to no sleep, China showed Brewer a 1916 Cadillac that was up for sale for £50,000. With it half-built and the engine disassembled, Brewer wasn’t convinced – but China bought it anyway, and then entered the pair into a 9,000-mile rally. Oh dear…

100th car for 100th show From the show’s 11th series, Brewer and China took control of a Darracq Type L for the London to Brighton Veteran Car Run. Amphicar stretches its legs on the Thames After hours in the workshop, China and Brewer took the Amphicar – named ‘Profit’ – out on to the river Thames. The ’60s production car was bought by the duo for £30,600 before being restored and sold on for a tiny profit. Shame it had to be towed back to shore.

The firm was set up to build cars with inspiration from classic sports cars but to customers’ individual specifications.

He’s become a staple in the motoring TV community, and had this to say about the move: ‘As the first, original format for fans interested in fixing cars, most TV motoring shows trace their heritage back to Wheeler Dealers.

‘Edd China told me he’d made the decision to leave Wheeler Dealers. For me, Wheeler Dealers is the great grandfather of car restoration shows and alongside millions of people all over the world, I grew up watching and learning from both Mike and Edd. ‘They’ve both become really close friends [of mine] over the past couple of years, so when Discovery phoned me up and asked if I wanted to present the show alongside Mike I didn’t hesitate – I said yes straight away. I’m really honoured.’

Anstead had a message to Brewer too: ‘Mike, I’m going to keep you on your toes. I can’t wait to

Dave Brown from this very magazine interviewed Edd and Mike at their workshop in 2015 see the first wreck that you roll into the workshop and say, do your worst!’

Robert Scanlon of Discovery Communications said: ‘First, the Discovery family wants to thank Edd China for the care, dedication and effort he’s given to Wheeler Dealers for more than a decade.

‘While we’ll miss his signature orange gloves, we know that anything they touch will turn to

automotive gold. We’re committed to making Wheeler Dealers the best automotive series on TV, and feel Ant brings the in-depth knowledge our viewers crave and a unique style our viewers will love.

‘He, Mike Brewer and the production team are laser-focused on delivering the best car projects and best episodes possible.’

WorkShopMagazine.co.uk

| 05

NEWS. | LIGHTING |

Bulbs are a critical safety item, not a consumable cost to be hidden!

WITH the MOT season in full swing, Ring, the specialist in vehicle lighting and automotive electronics, is appealing to technicians to treat bulbs as a critical safety feature and not as a consumable cost hidden in MOT invoices.

With estimates suggesting that 30 per cent of all MOT failures are caused by blown bulbs, replacements are a key part of the MOT process and bulb upgrades should also present mechanics with a useful upsell opportunity.

Henry Bisson, marketing manager for Ring, said: ‘All too often, mechanics see bulbs as a consumable and they fear that charging, as an example, £5 for a headlamp bulb and another £5 for fitting, is too much.

‘But this is based on their knowledge of how much they have paid for the bulb.

In reality, motorists do not know what the cost of a replacement headlamp is. Plus, if, as a consumer, your only fault was a £10 replacement bulb, you would be delighted.’

Mechanics are also being advised to look to motoring retailers to understand how they

| DRAMA |

Woman gives birth in Chinese workshop A BABY boy was abandoned behind a car in a workshop straight after being born. He was discovered by mechanics at the garage in Hangzhou, eastern China, as they started their morning shift, according to The Times – and CCTV footage seemed to show him being born.

The video recording – which the employees examined after the baby was rushed to hospital – showed a woman aged about 20 enter the workshop earlier that day, squat behind an Audi for less than two minutes, then stand up, tighten her belt and leave without the baby as well as a bag.

One of the employees, Xiao Song, was reported as telling a radio station: ‘There was blood [on the floor]. Even the cord wasn’t cut off. I’ve never seen a baby that tiny before.’

The woman was later reunited with her son after going back to the garage, said The Times. Police are not reported to be pressing charges.

According to the radio station, the woman went into the workshop ‘in the heat of the moment’ and didn’t know what to do after giving birth.

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have made money effectively from selling bulbs and fitting them.

Bisson added: ‘Retailers proactively offer bulb changes, and in many instances, they dominate this area of car components.

‘This raises a number of questions – how has the professional aftermarket let this happen, and shouldn’t more motorists be going to the trained professionals to have their bulbs changed?

‘MOT season is an opportunity for mechanics to sell more bulbs and profit from upgrading motorists. But, what is vital, is that garages are confident about charging a fair price for them and respecting the fact that bulbs are, and should be treated as, a vital safety component part.’

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MOT season provides a chance for workshops to sell more bulbs, says Ring

Good advice on dealing with bad online reviews No garage will be able to keep all their customers happy all the time, says Dragon2000

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any garages and workshops recognise best practice when it comes to handling complaints online, but despite the enormous growth of online reviews over the last five years, there are still businesses who deal with bad reviews inappropriately, according to Dragon2000.

The company, which has more than 20 years of experience helping garages and workshops grow their businesses, says it is essential that garages and workshops handle bad reviews in a professional manner so they send the right message out to potential customers.

Operations manager at

by JOHN BOWMAN john@blackballmedia.co.uk Dragon2000, Karen McKenzie, pictured, said: ‘Bad reviews are a fact of life and no garage or workshop can keep everybody happy, all of the time. Potential customers will read how a garage or workshop has responded to a bad review, as it gives customers a clear indication of how complaints are handled.

‘If a bad review is ignored by a garage or workshop, or they respond in an inappropriate or unprofessional way, prospective customers will understandably form a poor opinion of the garage

and workshop. How a garage and workshop handles a bad review can be potentially more damaging than the review itself. Online reviews bring a great opportunity for garages and workshops to enhance their reputation online and convince potential customers to get in touch.

‘Reviews and star ratings give garages and workshops ‘‘social proof’’ which helps motorists refine their research and make quicker decisions on which local garages and workshops they will contact.’

She added: ‘Good reviews can also be used across all marketing channels. Reviews can be very powerful, and if successfully incorporated in to a Google AdWords campaign, can help garage and workshops to increase click-through rates and boost conversions.’

NEWS ROUND-UP What’s been making the headlines at workshops around the United Kingdom?

WORKSOP:

A new Motordepot branch – including a state-of-the-art service centre – will be opening soon in the town.

More than 200 vehicles will be available on the Retford Road site with 2,000 online. Motordepot Worksop will be the sixth branch in the company’s growing portfolio. Managing director Steve Butterley said: ‘The strength of our business is in our culture and the company philosophy that our employees fully endorse.’

| WINTER FIGURES |

Record heater sales, reports GSF Car Parts DUNDEE:

An apprentice mechanic was injured after he was reportedly crushed by an ambulance he was working on. The 25-year-old was being treated in Ninewells Hospital after the incident at a depot in West School Road, Dundee. The Scottish Ambulance Service said an investigation was due to be carried out to find out exactly what had happened. The Health and Safety Executive has been informed of the incident.

GSF Car Parts says this winter has seen record levels of business on its workshop heater programme, with sales rising by more than 40 per cent.

The company struck an exclusive agreement with Z M Heaters in 2016 to take over the management of all UK sales and aftersales activities for the fast-growing workshop heater supplier.

Since September, The Parts Alliance trading group has moved to adopt the Garage Essentials programme created

by GSF across the trading group.

This has seen 90 more branches of CES, GMF, Allparts, Car Parts & Accessories, SC Motor Factors, SAS Autoparts, Waterloo and BMF gain access to the heater programme.

| EXCITING TIME |

Steve welcomed to recycling firm FAB Recycling has appointed Industry Insights managing director Steve Thompson to its board.

The Cinderford-based company, which was established in 1991 and specialises in green OE vehicle parts, said the bodyshop professional had a wealth of collision repair industry knowledge and experience.

Jason Cross, managing director of FAB Recycling Ltd, said: ‘We are delighted to welcome Steve on to the board as non-executive director at this exciting time.’

NOTTINGHAM:

An independent car servicing firm in Nottingham has opened a fourth garage. Lindleys Autocentres now occupies premises in Pavilion Road, West Bridgford.

The site was refurbished before Lindleys moved in and six new jobs have been created. Owner Dave Lindley, son of founder Richard Lindley, told the Nottingham Post: ‘The site in Pavilion Road is ideal for us and we are already very busy.’

EXETER:

Asbestos car parts led to the death of a man who helped in his family-run garage, an inquest heard. Martin Coffin, 55, from Exeter, was diagnosed with malignant mesothelioma – a rare form of cancer – in January 2016. Devon Live said Coffin, who died in September, helped his dad in the garage from 1977 to 1986, and that he stripped down ‘dusty’ brake pads that had ‘a lot of asbestos’. Conclusion: Death by industrial disease.

| SAFETY ALERT |

Thousands driving on under-inflated tyres

LANCING:

A mechanic has been jailed for killing a friend in a row over a debt linked to the sale of two cars. Colin Gale, 40, bludgeoned Mark Manning, 54, to death in 2014 at his garage – P&B Motors in Lancing – before getting an accomplice to help dispose of his body. Gale, of Worthing, denied manslaughter but was found guilty and admitted preventing a lawful burial. He was jailed for 15 years and eight months at Lewes Crown Court.

ONE in four UK motorists fail to check their tyre pressures every other month – and could potentially be driving with dangerously soft tyres.

A survey of more than 20,000 people found that drivers were more likely to check their screen wash levels than the amount of air in their car’s tyres. Mark Griffiths, safety expert at Continental Tyres, said: ‘As tyres are the only point of contact your car has with the road, the safety implications are considerable. More education is needed in order to reduce avoidable accidents.’

Jamie McWhir, Michelin UK technical manager, said the consequences of driving with tyres that are underinflated could be lethal.

WorkShopMagazine.co.uk

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NEWS. | THE PARTS ALLIANCE |

Now Steve’s looking forward to the road trip of a lifetime in America A PARTS manager at a garage in Buckinghamshire won the ‘road trip of a lifetime’ along America’s iconic Route 66 in a promotion being run by The Parts Alliance.

A delighted Steve Patch said: ‘I’m truly blown away to win a real once-in-a-lifetime prize. It really is one of those bucket list moments for me.’

W&M Stevens is a long-standing customer of the High Wycombe branch of Allparts Automotive. The family-run garage has been established since the 1960s.

Steve is the third generation to work within the business – his father Bob and his uncle Martin are the current owners.

Steve joked: ‘It’s great to continue the family tradition with the garage.

‘However, now I’ve won this prize, they will have to cope without me for a few weeks. Perhaps I’ll send a postcard!’

Head of marketing for The Parts Alliance, Simon Moore, said: ‘We’re delighted the first winning Route 66 scratchcard has been claimed. Steve can look forward to an

| STATISTICS |

Independents take the lead in workload terms INDEPENDENT garage workshops have carried out the largest volume of MOT testing, servicing, maintenance and repairs over the past 10 years.

The latest stats from Trend Tracker show that 66 per cent of transactions were recorded by independent garage workshops, compared to 24 per cent for franchised dealer workshops in 2015.

It’s often thought that independent garage workshops have a distinct advantage, as they are seen as being more ‘local’.

According to MyCarNeedsA.com, the UK’s leading price-comparison site where service providers quote for MOT, servicing and repair work, the competition is going to get tougher and garages need to make themselves stand out.

Scott Hamilton, managing director of MyCarNeedsA.com, said: ‘The good news is that independent garage workshops get the lion’s share of MOT work.

‘Research has shown there is a higher percentage of customers returning to independent garages, compared to franchised workshops, which indicates that motorists get a better experience in the independent aftermarket.’

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amazing experience, taking in the sights along one of the most renowned road trips in the world.’

The prize includes a personalised itinerary along Route 66, flights, accommodation and car hire too. Scratchcards included with all sets of Delphi brake pads give customers the chance to win Love2Shop vouchers, American meals, Delphi merchandise and the Route 66 road trip itself.

With five more road trips to be won before the end of April, garages can find out more online at dreamdriveusa.com.

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Steve Patch, centre, receives his prize from Allparts High Wycombe team members Ben Coekin, sales development manager, left, and Simon Baker, branch manager

Sigmavision joins line-up of top exhibitors at CDX17 Clever tread measurement device is great at building trust – see it for yourself on May 23!

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he market leader in 3D tyremeasurement technology, Sigmavision, has joined the line-up of exhibitors at CDX17, the huge automotive expo organised by Car Dealer Magazine, sister title to Workshop Magazine.

CDX takes place at The Wing, Silverstone, on Tuesday, May 23 and is the biggest event of its type in the UK. It will feature a host of workshops, breakout sessions and discussions on the Live Stage – and it’s FREE for bona fide service and repair professionals to attend, as well as car dealers.

Sigmavision is at the forefront of a tyre measurement revolution. It produces the TreadReader hand-held scanner which, in association with

Get your FREE CDX tickets at cardealerexpo.co.uk a clever app, puts the most accurate tyre measurement technology in your hands. Colour-coded 3D scans build customer trust and retention, to increase tyre replacements and wheel alignment sales.

The unique patented technology delivers fast and accurate tyre measurements, even on wet and dirty tyres.

It operates with its app, or software API for integration into workshops and EVHC systems.

The firm will join dozens of other exhibitors at the huge expo, which will fill the three huge halls at The Wing. Other confirmed companies who will be there include GForces,

eDynamix, Dragon2000 and Auto Trader. CDX will also feature our famous Women in the Motor Industry session; the Social Media 200; and keynote talks from Google, Twitter, Facebook, Instagram and the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders. The Live Stage will see dealers, franchisees, independents, car supermarkets and manufacturers discussing the automotive industry.

Rebecca Chaplin, head of news and features at Workshop Magazine, said: ‘CDX17 will be amazing and although aimed largely at car dealers, there will be a huge amount to interest service and repair professionals. Workshop Magazine readers will be very welcome.’

Focus on Sigmavision, p46

Who has the tools to be a model mechanic?

TV series has been offering competitors opportunity to be face of the industry

M Annie Parry and, below, with Emrys Wilson and Dan Griffiths, who is also pictured above next to an Aston Martin DB9

echanics in Wales have been competing for the chance to be the face of their industry in a new television series. The six-part S4C show Ffasiwn Mecanic, which started on March 31, sees professional model Dylan Garner trying to find the ideal mechanic to become a new fashion icon.

‘There’s a great group of competitors in this series,’ said Garner, who presented a series to find a model builder last year.

‘One girl made it through and that’s changed the dynamics a bit, but they’re all taking the competition seriously and seem quite confident in front of the camera.’ Each week, the 10 contestants face mechanical and modelling challenges to separate the Mercedes among them from the Minis, leaving one to take the Ffasiwn Mecanic title.

The winner will also receive a cash prize of £3,000, be on the cover of the Aston Martin magazine Vantage, have their face on show in the JD Classics showroom in Mayfair, London, and model clothes for worldwide brand Dickies.

Garner has been a successful model for about six years after being discovered while on holiday in New York by someone from a modelling agency.

He has worked for some of the fashion industry’s biggest names, including Calvin Klein and Dolce & Gabbana.

But because of the nature of his work, he had to go to London during filming for the series for a once-in-a-lifetime chance.

‘I got a call during the filming,’ explained Garner, who divides his time between London, Hamburg and Tregaron.

‘There was a shoot to try out different options for the cover of the new Rolling Stones album. The cover with me on it wasn’t chosen but I still have to pinch myself sometimes to believe I’m really doing all these jobs!’ With six years of modelling experience under his belt, Garner knows what the fashion world is looking for.

‘Large companies want real people to sell their products, so this competition is a great opportunity for someone. The question is, who will win the Ffasiwn Mecanic title?’

The 10 competitors are: Annie Parry from Groeslon; Mathew Hughes from Penrhyndeudraeth; Owain Paramore from Pwllheli; Dan Griffiths from Crymych; Billy Aubrey from Llangefni; Elgan Thomas-Palmer from Mynachlog-ddu; Stephen Lee from Deiniolen; Tom Watkins from Cardiff; Wyn Williams from Denbigh, and Emrys Wilson from Crymych.

Mathew Hughes WorkShopMagazine.co.uk

| 09

NEWS.

More room to breathe: Bigger new base for team and their prestigious cars Workshop specialises in Rolls-Royces, Bentleys, Lotuses and Jaguars (among others!)

by JOE SWEENEY workshopmagazine.co.uk

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Buckinghamshire workshop dedicated to prestige cars has moved to a new and bigger place less than two years after opening.

The Beaconsfield Workshop, which specialises in Rolls-Royces, Bentleys, Lotuses and Jaguars, opened its doors in June 2015 but has now relocated less than half a mile from the 2,500 sq ft London End workspace to purpose-built new 3,500 sq ft premises on the Hall Barn Estate, Windsor End, which cost more than £500,000.

It was originally established

by Martin Hawes, David Redrup and Leigh Birch, all of whom were previously directors of sales and servicing experts Chris Lee’s Specialist Cars Ltd in Ewelme, Oxfordshire, and the decades of expertise between them in many areas from restoration and customisation to servicing and repairs has enabled the business to thrive.

Head painter Redrup told Workshop Magazine that the move to Windsor End had been great.

‘We moved for a number of reasons. The equipment we had was dated and the building itself was fairly old,’ he said.

‘Moving to a new building means more space, though we’d always like to have more! Clients love it and a bigger area to work with is always a draw for clients. It helps with newer equipment, as well as the added bonus of a new facility.’

Between them, the business’s seven-strong staff can boast countless years’ experience of the

10 | WorkShopMagazine.co.uk

A Jaguar XK150 in the throes of restoration

Rolls-Royces and Bentleys old

premier marques, and its client list has included numerous celebrities as well as UK and foreign royalty.

The firm, which invested £100,000 in new equipment during its move, is one of only 12 such businesses approved by Lotus Cars and is the chosen repairer of Lotus Silverstone, as well as being the sole such provider for a number of major dealer groups and insurance companies as well as individual enthusiasts and collectors.

Redrup commented that the

services. After all, when money is of little concern, you’re unlikely to baulk at the cost or to compromise on the service. The late singer and TV presenter Cilla Black, a Nigerian emir and many Bentley-loving footballers have all been among the workshop’s famous clients.

Restoration is also among the many skills of the workforce.

Ranging from minor touch-ups to full-blown projects, a number of classic and notable vehicles have had new life injected through every bolt – the Gulbenkian Rolls-Royce Silver Wraith that escorted the Queen during a state visit to Nigeria was one such set of wheels.

Other services offered by the company include fibreglass body repairs – something that many bodyshops don’t deal in any more because it’s so time-consuming, said Redrup. In addition, other composites such as carbon fibre and sheet moulding compound

“

Lotus association was great for business. ‘We love that it’s British.

It’s such an iconic brand, and having such a strong link with a giant in British motoring can’t hurt,’ he said.

But Rollers, Lotuses, Jaguars and Bentleys aren’t the only highend vehicles that the workshop has had on its books, with TVRs, Ginettas and even a Gordon-Keeble experiencing its high-quality treatment as well.

A barometer of quality can be which famous person has used your

Moving to a new building means more space, though we’d always like to have more! Clients love it.

DAVID REDRUP

and new are a regular sight at The Beaconsfield Workshop, where the seven employees are loving the extra space at their bigger home have overtaken fibreglass within car manufacturing. The reinforced plastic holds no fears for Birch, though, who has worked with the material for close to 20 years, and the attention that fibreglass demands is a display of how much care goes into every vehicle worked on at The Beaconsfield Workshop.

The company is planning an open day to raise its profile, which it hopes to make an annual event, and it’s certainly not hard to see the workshop needing to up sticks again in the not-too-distant future as it expands even further.

Lotus models are regular visitors

A Rolls-Royce being resprayed

A Bentley undergoes a diagnostic test WorkShopMagazine.co.uk

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NEWS. | APPOINTMENT |

Experienced Paul is delighted with new role as panel repair technician JENNINGS Ford, part of the Jennings Motor Group, has strengthened its aftersales team with the appointment of a new panel repair technician.

Paul Blackburn, 48, from Ovingham in Northumberland, is the latest member to join the bodyshop team at the group’s Eslington Park dealership in Gateshead.

In his new role, the time-served panel repair technician, who has more than 29 years’ experience in the industry, will work as part of a nine-strong team, where he will be responsible for assessing damage to vehicles, removing and repairing damaged panels and completing reports of work carried out.

Blackburn said: ‘After leaving school, I spent three years training as an apprentice panel beater, and since then, I’ve always worked in the motor industry – it’s something I’ve always enjoyed.

‘This is a great opportunity for me and I am delighted to be working for such a longestablished and highly regarded company as Jennings Ford.’

| HAVOLINE |

Triathlete is new brand ambassador OIL brand Havoline has made professional triathlete Richard Murray a brand ambassador as it launches a new range of lubricants across Europe.

The 28-year-old South African has already begun his 2017 competitive season in style, including victories at the International Triathlon Union Cape Town World Cup race and the Xterra South African Championships.

Commenting on Murray’s new role, James Welchman, Havoline parent company Chevron Lubricants’ marketing manager for Europe, the Middle East and Africa, said: ‘Our values centre on long-term performance and endurance – a perfect match with Richard and his highly competitive spirit.

‘We’re creating a new way for our customers to identify with Havoline and its ProDS range, and with triathlon now a major, globally recognised sport, we wanted to start a new relationship with one of the world’s leading athletes.’

Murray said: ‘As a professional triathlete, protecting my body is crucial and no different to Havoline protecting a car’s engine – so being an ambassador feels like a natural fit.’

12 | WorkShopMagazine.co.uk

Before joining the dealership, Paul gained valuable experience and knowledge working as a panel repair technician for a number of motor dealers across the region.

Andrew Gills, bodyshop manager at the Jennings Ford dealership in Gateshead, said: ‘We are delighted to welcome Paul on board. He has extensive experience and knowledge in the accident repair industry.

His appointment will further strengthen and complement the team at Gateshead.’

In addition to providing a range of aftersales facilities, including accident repair, service, MOT and parts, the Gateshead-based dealership also sells new Ford models and a variety of used cars, as well as being able to cater for commercial business needs with an on-site Ford Transit Centre.

u

Paul Blackburn has extensive experience and knowledge of the accident repair industry

IGA guarantee backs up quality and value on offer Move will support our industry and help raise consumer perception of independent garages

T

he Independent Garage Association (IGA) recently introduced the Trust My Garage £1,000 Guarantee, which gives financial reassurance to consumers who have service and repair work carried out by a Trust My Garage (TMG) member.

TMG is a Chartered Trading Standard Institute (CTSI) approved code under the Consumer Codes Approval Scheme.

Terry Gibson, head of member services, commented: ‘We know our members are the best and with this guarantee we are wholeheartedly supporting the quality and value of their service to consumers.

‘In the event of a dispute where the consumer is judged to be in the right by TMG’s Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR) provider, the

National Conciliation Service, the IGA will guarantee payment of any financial award up to £1,000 where the garage is unable to meet its obligation to the consumer.

‘Not only does TMG have the backing of the CTSI through its code scheme, by financially backing our members in this way, we can support the sector and continue to raise the consumer perception of independent garages.’

The Trust My Garage £1,000 Guarantee scheme came into force on March 1. Further details can be found on the TMG website.

Trust My Garage currently has

more than 2,800 members. Each new member is put through a comprehensive site audit which it must pass in order to be able to display the TMG badge.

As the IGA’s nationally recognised customer assurance scheme, it is a consumer code that acts as a badge of quality for the independent sector, and is a recognised brand that customers know they can trust.

Members are audited to ensure high standards in service, working practices and training.

Getting involved with Trust My Garage is a great way to set your business apart from the competition.

By displaying the marque of good quality work and customer service, you can boost your reputation, increase sales, safeguard your client base and gain consumer trust.

WorkShopMagazine.co.uk

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FEATURES.

‘I’ve always fancied a fast Legacy. A comfy estate with 4WD and Impreza pace – what’s not to love?’

JON REAY

14 | WorkShopMagazine.co.uk

PHOTOGRAPHY: JONNY FLEETWOOD

‘I used to own a Toyota Hiace and always regretted selling it. This is my second chance at van life!’

ANDY ENTWISTLE

‘I don’t like to generalise about my gender, but I’m a stereotype and I can’t stop shopping.’

REBECCA CHAPLIN

IMPORT BEAUTIES Three members of the Workshop Magazine team have taken possession of a trio of VERY interesting vehicles – all of which have travelled thousands of miles to get to the UK. Many challenges lie ahead, as they report overleaf...

WorkShopMagazine.co.uk

| 15

FEATURES. Introduction

W

hen your boss appears at work and strides over to your desk, a cloud of dread and fear starts to engulf you. Often you don’t know what you’ve done wrong; this time I definitely did.

I stared straight at my computer, daring only to glance furtively in his direction. I smiled my best innocent smile. It didn’t work.

‘I mean... it’s very nice, but you might want to move it somewhere a bit less conspicuous,’ said Andy Entwistle, our managing director.

He was, of course, referring to the giant boatlike car you see on the right. It was parked in the same location as pictured here, but at a jauntier angle, occupying two spaces in our car park.

Not only that, it wasn’t UK-registered and we have fairly strict overlords running the site where Workshop Towers is based.

They would not be pleased to see a huge, rusty addition to the Workshop Mag fleet, I was told.

I wasn’t really worried about Entwistle seeing the car, in all honesty. After all, he was the first person I’d texted in a mild panic when I’d bought it. What I was worried about was the next nugget of information I was about to impart.

‘Well, there’s a slight problem with that. The move part,’ I said. ‘It doesn’t have any brakes.’

I omitted to mention the fact it didn’t have a battery either, so I wasn’t sure whether it would even turn over.

I knew that he wouldn’t mind once he’d got over the fact it was number plate-less and not working. He’d already offered to buy the 1966 Ford Thunderbird (although probably just to make me feel better about the fact I’d just spent all my money on a car I’d never seen before) and had just imported a Nissan Elgrand himself from its home country of Japan. Entwistle had followed the example set by fellow Workshop Magazine bod Jon Reay, who had decided to import a Subaru Legacy, also from the land of the Rising Sun. Reay had bought his car out of his desperate need to own a Legacy and I really have no explanation as to why my wonderful boss had his heart set on a Japanese MPV apart from, maybe, the fact that it was cheap.

The three cars were bought blind and delivered to the UK, but the lead times on the Asian exports were far longer. Several weeks, in fact.

I’ll let their owners explain in their own words exactly what’s ahead for these very different cars as they are prepared for the roads of the UK. When it comes to my American aircraft carrier, it was imported for me in the sense that I found it on eBay just after it had made it to the UK therefore cutting out the waiting time.

It sounds like I’d planned it, but really I was just stupid. I’ll ruin the ending for you though.

It still doesn’t move. It rolls quite nicely backwards, but not so much forwards.

That’s why, you’ll notice, it is in exactly the same location for every photo in this feature...

Rebecca Chaplin

16 | WorkShopMagazine.co.uk

1966 Ford Thunderbird ‘Flair Bird'

As impulse buys go, this one takes some beating! REBECCA CHAPLIN is the proud owner of a car that she’s had her heart set on for a long time...

S

o here we are. I’m stood in a car park with a car that doesn’t move under its own steam.

Unfortunately, it’s 20cm longer than a Range Rover and weighs about as much as a small private island.

It’s about 7.30am and a man with what appeared to be serious breathing difficulties had just delivered my new car on a trailer attached to a Land Rover Discovery.

That was when I found out it had no brakes.

Through a strong scouse accent, he said: ‘Where do you want it?’

‘Well anywhere is fine,’ I replied.

‘Well, you see, it’s got no brakes. So I need some space to roll it back.’

Oh, oh dear, I thought to myself. Well, that’s just one thing to add to the shopping list. No problem. The next thing I know, the Thunderbird is free from its shackles and is rolling backwards off a trailer and straight towards me.

Fortunately, Mr Delivery Man had placed a wooden fence post on the ground which just about saved me from the full brunt of a 1960s American classic as a rear wheel collided with it – taking the hub cab off with the force.

Add that to the shopping list...!

I had anticipated that the car might run after adding a bit of fuel and administering some gentle encouragement. After all, the eBay advert said that the sellers had had it running and moved it backwards and forwards.

The chance that it would even arrive seemed extremely slim but, with my positive hat on, I assumed that if it did turn up, I would be able to move it fairly easily. So the first job of the day was to enlist the help of my colleagues to move it into a parking space.

The car had been living in Wales for a week or so and the windows weren’t quite shut so, as you can imagine, it was quite damp inside.

When you read my colleagues’ reports, you’ll realise they put a lot of thought into their new project cars. I didn’t.

Ford Thunderbirds have always been a dream car of mine, but if I had to pick a generation to own, it would be the third, made between 1961 and 1963, with their arrow-like front bumpers and circular rear brake lights.

This 1966 version is a generation further on in design and technology, looking almost completely different.

It came up at the right price, but I had never

Model: 1966 Ford Thunderbird ‘Flair Bird' Engine: 6.4-litre V8 390 Power: 315bhp Max speed: 127mph 0-60: 9.1 secs Emissions: High Bought for: £4,250 Spent so far: £150

driven one or sat in one, so taking a look around for the first time was an exciting prospect.

Sure enough, there were the brake drums. Sat in the rear footwells of the car and actually not in too bad shape. There are no chips or cracks and they will be sent off to be shot-blasted soon.

Not only was I unsure what the car would look like, I also had no idea how to get into it.

Mr Reay was very supportive in the process of trying to work out how to get under the bonnet.

We Googled and pulled about at the ‘hood’ until out of sheer luck and persistence we worked out how to unlatch it. As it turns out there are quite a few variations on these cars.

Alas, there was no battery. I had a feeling that would be the case, but that filled me with hope.

Hope that with a new battery attached, I would be able to turn over the engine with no issue.

Becca’s the proud owner of her dream car

Finding a battery that would fit the allocated space and was powerful enough to turn over the 6.4-litre V8 lump was tricky, but once it was in place, things were looking up.

Everything was in place and hooked up correctly – but still nothing.

After some more online searches, it appeared that there was a starting procedure, which involved putting the steering wheel in the correct position – after all this has the tilting steering wheel – something anyone who knew anything about American classics would have worked out.

The sound of it turning over was a blessing, but there was still no firing up.

Don’t worry! We made it in the end – but that’s a story for the next edition of Workshop mag. Right now I’m just a girl, looking at a Ford and asking it to function.

WorkShopMagazine.co.uk

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FEATURES.

2003 Nissan Elgrand VX

Model: Nissan Elgrand VX Engine: 3.5-litre V6 Power: 240bhp Max speed: 112mph 0-60: 7.1 seconds Emissions: Many emissions Bought for: $2,228 (£1,900) Spent so far: £0

ANDY ENTWISTLE is now the proud owner of a Japanese day van called Bertha – and it’s all because of a few drinks down the pub with a Workshop mag colleague.

P

roject Bertha started much like most things do, over a few beers down the pub. Jon Reay and I got talking about Japanese imports and how they used to be a big thing.

Once upon a time, every other MX-5 was badged Eunos and you couldn’t move for imported S2000s. However, importing cars from Japan seems to be less prevalent these days – at least we thought so. Jon and I, as you can see before you, went down very different avenues.

I’d describe his as a rare performance wagon.

I, on the other hand, went for a Nissan Elgrand.

There is a big following for Japanese ‘day vans’ as great alternatives to the multitude of VWs on the road. Well-specced and comfortable, they make a compelling alternative and most have very active followings in the UK. As I would be technically buying blind, finding a reputable company was important. Relying on a firm literally on the other side of the world is a risky business! The better companies will also offer condition reports and provide a good number of detailed pictures on their websites.

We ended up using a well-established auction exporter called Be Forward.

It stocks a good variety of vehicles and provides excellent detail for most of the vehicles on its website. This was critical to me, as I was prepared to get the car in the workshop for some bits but didn’t want to break the bank!

Eventually I settled on a late 2003 Elgrand VX with around 70,000 miles on the clock. It looks clean and relatively unworn, and at $2,228 (£1,900) including shipping, it was a good deal.

18 | WorkShopMagazine.co.uk

This is where things got scary, however.

My chosen exporter would not accept credit card payments, so in order to buy the car, I had to send the whole amount via direct bank transfer to the company.

This goes against every piece of advice you’ll ever hear! If the vehicle didn’t turn up I’d lose my cash, with zero chance of getting it back.

So, in order to truly give myself some peace of mind I conducted a BIMTA check. BIMTA is the official UK trade body for independent vehicle importers and is able to give you something similar to a UK provenance check. They can confirm vehicle mileage and assure you that it isn’t reported as having been stolen or on finance.

The BIMTA check is recognised by VOSA and the DVLA. It’s worth doing one, not only for peace of mind, but also because the document will prove helpful when you sell the vehicle on.

So, armed with a Certificate of Authenticity that showed everything checked out, fortune favours the brave and the cash was duly sent.

Bertha (the name bestowed on the Elgrand) was then allocated to a ship and 10 days later left Japan heading for her new home. About four weeks later, she arrived in Newcastle.

There are a few things to consider before importing a car, the first of which is import tax.

Once it arrives, the vehicle won’t be released until this is paid and you will need the customs forms to register it. Another potential requirement is ‘type approval’ although Bertha, happily, is exempt because she is more than 10 years old. Now here with us, she’s ready to be made roadworthy.

Project Bertha is about to start in earnest

2002 Subaru Legacy GT-B Blitzen

Model: Subaru Legacy GT-B Blitzen Engine: 2.0-litre twin-turbo petrol Power: 255bhp Max speed: 150mph 0-60: 5.8 seconds Emissions: Don’t ask Bought for: $460 + shipping + tax (£2,300ish total) Spent so far in UK £175.80

JON REAY introduces his new purchase to us (and he was the one having a beer with our Andy when this whole importing scheme was dreamed up!)

T

his import thing is all my fault. I’m afraid I’m the founding member of this ridiculous car club, and like most large purchases in my life, it started with a winning combination of boredom and manmaths. The idea was pretty simple: get rid of my pristine(ish) but quickly depreciating Impreza, buy something cheaper and older that I could fiddle about with myself, and pocket the spare cash.

For reasons I can’t hope to explain, I decided the only possible candidate was an unremarkable estate car from the late 1990s – and more specifically, a twin-turbocharged version of it only sold in Japan.

Once I’d settled on the idea, I had two options: either find one that someone else had already imported to the UK, or do it myself. Because I’m either brave or stupid, I went for the DIY approach – so the car you’re looking at now is one I bought over the internet from 6,000 miles away.

So what’s so special about my car? While it was in its native country, not a lot.

From what I can work out, these twin-turbo Legacys were to Japan what the Golf GTI is to Britain, and as a result there are plenty of them to choose from – and at low, low prices.

Mine is at least a little bit rarer – it’s a ‘Blitzen’ special edition, made in collaboration with Porsche Design. For the most part it’s a standard Legacy GT-B – which means a twin-turbocharged 2.0-litre boxer engine and Bilstein shocks, if you don’t speak Subaru – but with redesigned bumpers and 17-inch alloys unique to the Blitzen.

Anyway, now it’s here and on the road, I can concentrate on what I actually want to do to it.

Firstly, I need to give the powertrain some proper TLC. The engines in these – labelled EJ208 in manuals and EJ206 in lesser-powered autos like mine – share most of their bits with the ubiquitous 2.0-litre lumps from Impreza WRXes and STIs, but have the added complications of a second turbo bolted on.

Unfortunately, this isn’t exactly the most reliable set-up. Aside from either of the two sequentially-operated turbos giving up the ghost out of age or boredom, there’s also plenty of other reasons for them to stop boosting as they should.

The cheapest and most obvious place to start is to replace the metres of old rubber vacuum lines in the engine bay, and as the Legacy’s first turbo seems a bit limp, this is firmly on the agenda.

If it runs long enough to justify spending £500, a remap by a Legacy expert (they’re a thing, amazingly) is on the cards too. As standard the GT-B needs 100RON fuel, which we uh… don’t have here. Retuning it to drink 98 would prevent the engine from knocking itself to bits prematurely, and should (in theory) provide a bit of a power boost too.

Secondly, and perhaps most importantly, it needs a proper sound system refit for my own sanity. Thirdly, and in typical Subaru owner fashion, I’ve decided it needs a louder exhaust. It just does – them’s the rules.

Finally, sending the bumpers off for a cheeky respray would make the whole car look considerably smarter.

Add in plenty of maintenance bits and pieces and that should be more than enough to keep me busy for the next 12 months…

There’s plenty to keep Jon busy . . .

WorkShopMagazine.co.uk

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NEWS.

Introducing... the first Workshop Magazine Awards – get involved!

Nominate yourself – or someone else – and let’s see who wins our gongs!

W

e are delighted to launch the inaugural Workshop Magazine Awards – the most glamorous night of the year for workshop professionals. It’s our opportunity to recognise the best and brightest businesses and individuals who are working in what is known for being a truly tough industry.

The Workshop Magazine Awards – sponsored by the IGA – are the gold standard for service and repair professionals and business owners alike.

They give you the chance to demonstrate exactly why you are the best at what you do!

As it’s the inaugural year of the awards, it’s an occasion not to be missed. The setting for the ceremony is The Brewery in London, where, on Monday, December 11, those in the running for a gong will be treated to a champagne reception, three-course meal and musical entertainment.

We’re delighted to announce that our host for the evening will be none other than motorsport legend Johnny Herbert, who, as well as being a former winner of the 24 Hours of Le Mans, is among an exclusive club of British drivers to have enjoyed a successful career in Formula 1.

If you’re triumphant on the night, we’ll pull out all the stops to give you the credit you deserve, with extensive coverage of the event in our magazine and video interviews as well. Check out the panel below and you’ll see the categories you could be nominated in.

To be in the running, you’ll need to put yourself forward or be nominated by a colleague, supplier or customer.

It’s as simple as that. Then you could be on your way to some well-deserved success!

Read on to find out more...

Johnny Herbert

AWARD CATEGORIES Car of the Year

Independent Garage of the Year

There may well be other Car of the Year awards out there but this one will be unique as it will be influenced by service and repair professionals. Which car do mechanics enjoy working on the most? Which cars are easy to get parts for and which are the most straightforward to maintain and put right when things go wrong? Those are some of the criteria that will be considered here.

Lifetime Achievement Award

We’ll be looking for a big hitter in the service and repair sector who has been involved for many years, having enjoyed a long and distinguished career of note. Judging will be based on the nominations we receive, along with supporting statements.

Outstanding Achievement of the Year

This special award looks to recognise the personality in our sector who has achieved something truly remarkable, whether it’s a one-off act that really made a difference or a consistent effort that truly deserves this prestigious accolade.

Product Innovation of the Year

We’ll be looking for a great new product introduced to our industry over the past year that has proved to be a boon for

Five regional champions will be crowned in this category.

There will be awards for Scotland; Northern Ireland; Northern England; Southern England and Wales. Our winners here will have undergone a rigorous judging process involving analysis of feedback websites and mystery shopping.

the garages and workshops of the UK. If it saves time, boosts business, and is clever and convenient, it could be our winner.

Workshop Manager of the Year

We’ll be looking for brilliant bosses who have really made a difference in their workshops. If they have driven growth in their department; helped turn around a struggling business; or introduced innovation and new ideas to help things run smoothly, we want to hear more!

Technician of the Year

Brilliant with brakes? Excellent with electronics? That’s what our winner in this category will need to be. We know there are thousands of talented technicians out there – we’ll be looking for the best of the best. Nominate yourself or a colleague you know and respect.

Independent Garage of the Year (Overall Winner)

One of our five regional winners will take the overall crown and become our Independent Garage of the Year for the whole of the UK. This really will be something to shout about!

Specialist Garage of the Year

Do you focus on a particular marque or model, or perhaps cars from a certain country? Are you a specialist in your field? And is your business thriving and well thought of by its customers?

We’re looking for operators who are efficient, technically competent and well organised to lift this particular trophy.

Trade Tyre Retailer of the Year

We’ll be looking for favourable online reviews, a user-friendly and responsive website, and easy availability of leading makes of tyres. Great customer service, the option of mobile fitting and great aftercare will all be part of the mix too.

TO SPONSOR AN AWARD CALL THE WORKSHOP TEAM ON 023 9252 2434 20 | WorkShopMagazine.co.uk

We’re thrilled and proud to be headline sponsors

T

he Independent Garage Association is thrilled to be involved in the Workshop Magazine Awards.

It’s high time the independent sector in particular enjoyed some recognition – and that’s what these awards will achieve.

That said, workshops of all shapes and sizes will be in line for some attention here – and that’s great.

The servicing and repairs they carry out are delivered with an incredible wealth of experience and knowledge – and the quality of the work is second to none. Their flexibility, their approach to technical jobs on cars, is quite unique.

From an industry perspective, we’re hoping these awards will shine a light on the best of this sector. At the moment, the efforts of everyone within it go completely unrecognised. What we’re doing is pathfinding really, and bringing about a stronger awareness of a crucial part of UK Automotive plc.

I would urge everyone reading this to get involved, find out about the award categories, and make nominations. Winning a Workshop Magazine Award will not only give the individual or business concerned a welcome

shot in the arm, but it will prove invaluable from a marketing and promotional perspective.

A particular highlight for me is the fact that there’s going to be an Independent Garage of the Year for five different regions of the UK – and one overall.

Independent garages have finally got a chance to showcase themselves and that’s great to see. We’re just so pleased to be doing this really. It’s long overdue.

So my message to independent garages – and all workshops, big and small – is get involved with the Workshop Magazine Awards, put yourself forward, and you could be lifting a trophy at the awards ceremony in London later this year. These awards are going to be fantastic for our industry – we should all embrace them and get involved. The IGA is proud and pleased to be playing a central role.

Stuart James, Director, IGA

“

Independent garages have finally got a chance to showcase themselves.

STUART JAMES, IGA

SUPPLIERS: TO FIND OUT HOW TO SPONSOR A CATEGORY AT THE WORKSHOP AWARDS, TURN THE PAGE Classic Car Restoration Garage of the Year

With the definition of the word classic seemingly expanding to include more makes and models than ever before, the number of operators in the field has grown too. Companies who really know their onions, and are prepared to go the extra mile for their customers, will excel here.

Workshop Website of the Year

Gone are the days when a homepage containing just words and pictures was enough to cut the mustard. That allimportant and crucial information still needs to be there, of course, but customers these days expect much, much more.

Social Media User of the Year

Social media may be a dark art to some, but used effectively, platforms such as Twitter and Facebook can really help build a business and take it to the next level. Using social media can be an amazingly effective form of marketing too – and we’ll be looking for the best practitioners.

MOT Centre of the Year

MOTs are the foundation upon which many a successful workshop is built. Of course, the rules and regulations mean

everyone should adhere to the same standards, but there is still room for the best to stand out. As with other categories, we’ll be looking for great customer service, user-friendly websites and general all-round excellence.

Fast Fit Centre of the Year

Fast-fit centres occasionally attract negative headlines but we know they do plenty of work that is top-quality and fairly priced. Their websites tend to be strong, with investment from national companies behind them, but which fast-fit centre is the best of the best?

Apprentice of the Year

Do you employ a youngster who is a possible star of the future in the service and repair industry? We’ll be looking for someone who is just taking their early steps on the career ladder but who already shows bags of promise and potential, is keen to learn and willing to help.

Motor Factor of the Year

This one is for a supplier to the industry. Motor factors are invaluable one-stop shops for everything a workshop could need, from parts to tools to consumables. We’ll be looking for a company that really delivers – and we mean that quite literally! Quality products and efficient service will be key

when the judges look at the entrants in this category.

Manufacturer Warranty Scheme of the Year

The best warranty schemes provide genuine peace of mind and turn promises into action when things go wrong. The factors the judges will be taking into account here include the duration of the warranty; the level of cover provided and any additional benefits that exist.

Most Reliable Car

The judging in this category will be based on our research into the least repaired / recovered cars over a 12-month period leading up to our judging process. We’ll be comparing actual numbers to the overall parc of each model to get a totally accurate picture, analysing data from multiple sources to ensure our winner is truly deserving. One thing’s for sure, the winner of this category will be shouting about their success.

Equipment Supplier of the Year

Ramps, tools, protective clothing… there is a lot to consider for any new workshop before the first car even comes through the doors. And of course, existing businesses may well be looking to upgrade and update their equipment on a regular basis. This is bound to be a hard-fought category – but who

TO NOMINATE FOR AN AWARD FILL OUT THE FORM ON THE FOLLOWING PAGES WorkShopMagazine.co.uk

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NEWS.

What are the awards?

Tell me more about the Workshop Magazine Awards The Workshop Magazine Awards celebrate every part of the service and repair industry. After all, it is a huge part of UK Automotive plc, and a central plank of our overall economy. We believe that its importance to us all cannot be overstated – but that it lacks the recognition it deserves. These awards are going to change all that and shine a light on the successful firms and individuals who do sterling work day in, day out, to keep millions of cars in good working order and safe to drive.

Where is the awards night held?

At The Brewery in London. It’s an amazing venue that oozes class and sophistication and has provided the perfect setting for the Used Car Awards for the past five years, organised by our sister title Car Dealer Magazine. It’s simply stunning and we know our guests at the inaugural Workshop Magazine Awards will simply love it.

When is it?

This will be an excuse for a Christmas party you can put on expenses. It’ll be held on Monday, December 11.

What’s the running order of the night?

Guests are treated to welcome cocktails and wine. Then we take our seats for the first half of the awards. Our celebrity host, Johnny Herbert, does his stuff then it’s time for dinner. After that, we announce the final winners, then it’s time for dancing, with the night topped off with a disco. There’s plenty of time to enjoy the night with industry colleagues and get busy with some networking in a relaxed yet stylish environment.

How do I enter?

Entry is FREE and easy. Simply go to the Workshop Magazine website and click on the Workshop Magazine Awards button to fill in the online form. Alternatively, you can enter using the form on the right. There’s no limit to the number of categories you can enter. All we ask is that you provide as much detail as you can – make your entry really stand out and make the judges sit up and take notice...

How can I sponsor an award?

There are a number of sponsorship packages. See the panel on the right or call the team on (023) 9252 2434.

How can I book a table?

Anyone can book a table at the Workshop Magazine Awards.

Sponsors get tables as part of their packages, but there’s nothing to stop other suppliers to the industry taking a table to entertain clients. Equipment manufacturers and suppliers can come along, too – bring your staff, your customers, anyone you’d like to wine and dine. It’s a great chance to launch the festive season in fine style! Everyone is sure to have a ball. All tables get unlimited beer and wine, right from 6.30pm when the party opens with a welcome drink. It’s an evening filled with awards, fun and laughter. After all that, we ask you to find your carriage at 12.30am.

The Brewery is a stunning venue – we know our guests at the Workshop Magazine Awards will love it

SPONSOR PACKAGES

Why getting involved in sponsorship is a good idea A limited number of award sponsorship packages are available at the inaugural Workshop Magazine Awards sponsored by the IGA. As each award sponsor gets a table of 10 included in the package, sponsorship is a fantastic opportunity to entertain your clients during the Christmas festivities and thank them for their support over the year as well as network with over 300 guests, a real mix of the great and the good from the industry.

A table includes a three-course meal and a free bar for the duration of the event, so no unexpected bar bills to pick up for client or staff entertaining.

Every award sponsorship package comes with the following: • A table of 10 at the awards ceremony on December 11.

• Your company logo engraved on the winners’ trophy.

• Your chance to hand over the award to the winner on the night along with our guest presenter.

• Your company logo placed alongside all publicity of the award category sponsored in the run-up to the awards.

• Your company logo throughout the venue on the night on all promotional material.

• A full-page advert in the post-event results issue of Workshop Magazine placed next to the editorial coverage of the award.

• Your company logo included in all marketing material for the Workshop Awards ahead of the event.

• Your company logo on the Workshop website.

What do you do next?

Act quickly. On pages 20 & 21, you’ll have read details about the individual awards available for sponsorship. Choose which you’d like to put your name against and get in touch with the team at Workshop Magazine to secure it.

We expect sponsorship packages to sell out quickly, so it’s worth getting in touch now to avoid disappointment. The sooner you sign up, the more publicity you’ll receive in the run-up to the awards night.

TO SPONSOR AN AWARD CALL THE WORKSHOP TEAM ON 023 9252 2434 22 | WorkShopMagazine.co.uk

NOMINATE

How to enter – you have until September 30 Entering the Workshop Awards couldn’t be easier. We’ve made sure it’s as simple and straightforward as possible.

Below is a nomination form that you can fill out and send to us in the post. If you want to nominate in more than one category, that’s absolutely fine – just photocopy the page however many times you need to and pop them in the post.

But by far the easiest way to nominate is online. Go to the Workshop Magazine website and click on the Workshop Magazine Awards button to fill in the online nomination form – it’s ideal if you’ve spotted a number of categories you’d like to nominate for.

Please give as much detail as possible about why your nominee should win, as it really helps when it comes to creating the long lists and short lists that will be part of the judging process. Make that nomination form really sing!

If you’re struggling to think of nominations for a specific category, don’t worry – you can leave them blank. But please do get your thinking caps on as we’re counting on you to nominate yourself or others!

Shortlists for each category will be drawn up by our panel of judges. The winner and two highly commended places will be invited to our gala awards night. The winners will be going home with a very special award indeed.

PLEASE FILL OUT THE FOLLOWING DETAILS TO ENTER BY POST My name:..................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................

Preferred contact telephone number:.................................................................................................................................................................................................................

My email address:................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................... ...................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................

The category/categories I’d like to enter and nominee(s) are:........................................................................................................................................................................ ................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................... ................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................... ...................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................

My reasons are:........................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................ ................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................... ...................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................

Want to enter for more categories? That’s fine – just photocopy this form.

Please send your form (or forms) to Workshop Magazine Awards Nominations, Blackball Media, Haslar Marine Technology Park, Haslar Road, Gosport, Hampshire, PO12 2AG. If you’d like to send supporting information, that’s fine too.

PLEASE NOTE – CLOSING DATE FOR ENTRIES: SEPTEMBER 30

TO NOMINATE FOR AN AWARD FILL OUT THE FORM ABOVE WorkShopMagazine.co.uk

| 23

FEATURES. HOW I MADE IT

Tipper has been running Perfection Valet for 28 years, during the course of which he estimates he’s worked on a staggering 26,000 cars

24 | WorkShopMagazine.co.uk

The PERFECTIONIST Richard Tipper has been cleaning cars for 30 years – although he’s come a long way since the days when he was earning pocket money from his nan as a 14-year-old ! SIMON DAVIS tells his story.

I

t’s a job we’ve all done as kids – washing our parents’ cars at the weekend for a couple of quid. For most of us, it was simply a way of scoring a bit of extra pocket money.

For Richard Tipper, the one-man team behind Perfection Valet, it kick-started what would become an incredibly successful career that would see him work on some of the most legendary cars that have ever graced our roads.

The list includes nearly every model of Ferrari ever produced, a plethora of famous racing cars and every supercar under the sun.

As the son of a self-employed technician mechanic, Tipper was surrounded by cars when he was growing up.

‘I started washing cars when I was 14. My passion was always cars and Dad used to bring home cars that he’d worked on.

‘Nice stuff, and I was always attracted to the types of cars that I was familiar with, even at that age,’ Tipper explains.

‘I have a real passion for cleanliness, and I used to wash my nan’s car for a couple of quid. Then a couple over the road came out and said, ‘‘Oh, have you got time to do ours ?’’

‘So from the age of 14, I had started washing cars and showing a bit of interest. That was on a weekend, after school – I had a nice little round of about 10 cars that I’d walk around to.’

Things quickly progressed when Tipper’s father started a new business in fleet management for big insurance firms that had huge fleets of cars – a large majority of which needed to be kept clean.

‘As well as the round I had built up, I was getting regular work from him through his business,’ said Tipper.

‘In the early years – between the ages of 14 and 17 – there was never really a time where I was short of work. It didn’t take long to fill up a week, cleaning one or two cars as a minimum every day of the week.’

Richard Tipper Providing a young Tipper with a stable source of work wasn’t the only way his father helped him out in progressing his career. When he turned 17 and was able to drive, Tipper’s father – noticing his son’s eye for detail and passion for cleaning – pushed him to set out and start his own business.

So it was that in September 1989, Perfection Valet was founded. Armed with his own vehicle and cleaning equipment, Tipper set out to build his brand and hone his craft.

Central to his work is his Mercedes van. Not only is it an advertisement for his business, it’s fully self-contained and holds everything Tipper needs – from machine polishers to a

high-pressure washer and water tank – to get his clients’ vehicles looking as new as they did when they first rolled off the production line.

Not only does his van enable him to carry out his fastidious work, it represents his brand and business all over the country.

‘I hate driving a dirty car. The van is always immaculate – it might get washed once or twice a day if there’s time,’ says Tipper.

‘Anything that’s personal or representing me would be mint. Aside from what I do as a business, if that was just my van, it would still look like that, because I think the way you drive a clean vehicle is totally different to the way you’d drive it if it was filthy.

‘You’d drive it more aggressively; less considerately. When you get into a clean car with perfectly cleaned glass, you’ve already got a sense of occasion.

‘You’re already starting off and you’re driving somewhere with a bit of pride. Whereas if you get into something that you haven’t cleaned for ever and you’re wiping the screen to see where you’re going, your mentality is not the way it should be, I think, for the importance of driving. Because, you know, you can killed on the road, so why not take it seriously?’

While getting his own van enabled Tipper to better pursue his chosen career, things really started to take off in 1997, when a chance encounter with a new client laid the foundations for what would become one of Tipper’s most valued working relationships.

‘I was working somewhere in Stanmore on a BMW 330 and a guy from a neighbouring house came over and asked if I had time to do his car.

It was a Jaguar and after I’d finished, he said, ‘‘you’ve done a fantastic job, really pleased with it. I’ve got another car I’d like you to work on – do you go as far as Egham?’’

‘At the time, Egham was quite out of WorkShopMagazine.co.uk

| 25

FEATURES. HOW I MADE IT the way, but I’ve never been one to turn anything down so I said I’d do it.

‘Turned out it was at Ferrari UK, and the car was a brand new Ferrari F50.’

Following that job, Tipper managed to forge a good relationship with the owner – named Mark – who asked him to work on the F50 again in 1998 when it was going to be the star of a magazine photoshoot at Silverstone.

The journalist running the shoot was Richard Meaden, who took Tipper aside afterwards and said: ‘I’ll give you a card, I love what you’ve done with the cars. It would be really interesting to get to know you a bit better. Can’t say too much about it at the moment but we’re setting up a new magazine. It will be out soon, called Evo.’ Tipper didn’t think too much of it until he got a call from Meaden a year later in 1999, asking if he’d like to be featured in the new magazine.

‘Back then, they ran articles called Inside Job,’ Tipper explained. ‘It was two pages, and it featured someone closely related to performance cars in one way or another. They’d had a model maker, they’d had an artist, they’d had a driving shoe maker and then they featured me.

‘I had two pages, one was written and the opposing page was a picture of me. Mark let me use his F50, he said it was on the ramps in Egham having a service.

‘I went down with Richard and Emma Bradshaw – who is now his wife – and then that got published in Issue 4 in 1999.

‘That really, really pushed me out there. I’d done very special cars prior to that point, but that got me out to a massive audience.

‘I restricted myself to my own little cluster of customers, but that was nationwide and beyond.

Literally the week that hit the shelves I got a great deal of phone calls from all over the place.

‘That was the real point of change that got me out to a wider audience. I still bend over backwards for Evo, and I doubt that things would be the same for me now if it wasn’t for them.’

Tipper has now been running Perfection Valet for 28 years, over the course of which he estimates he’s worked on a staggering 26,000 cars.

These include no fewer than 28 different Ferrari F40s, F1 world champion Nigel Mansell’s JPS Lotus 91 from 1982, as well as the Le Manswinning Silk Cut Jaguar XJR-9.

The list of rare and extremely valuable cars that Tipper has worked on is seemingly endless. However, out of all the multi-million-pound vehicles he has detailed as Perfection Valet, one brand stands tall: Porsche.

‘It’s because of the whole ethos of the company,’ he explains. ‘The pedigree – just where they’ve come from and what their relevance is in motorsport, what

26 | WorkShopMagazine.co.uk

Richard Tipper hard at work

Word-of-mouth recommendations are key to the success of the business their passion is, why they produce cars and the quality they produce.

‘For me, it’s just a very special brand. Obviously, you could say all of that about Ferrari, but there’s quite a definite line between the two companies.

Spot the difference, before and after!

Simple answer, I’ve probably done more Porsches than almost any other car. That said, I have done 64 different types of Ferrari.

‘I’ve done a lot for Porsche in terms of actual manufacturer-based work. I’ve worked for Porsche at the Goodwood Festival of Speed for 11 years doing all the Cayennes.

‘I used to do the supercar enclosure until the Cayennes sort of dominated and my time as a company was required more on the Cayennes than on the supercar enclosure.

‘So you get to know the staff, and I mean the staff up at the big house – not the dealership staff.

‘The people who are very relevant within Porsche UK, you get to know them.

‘And then you have their personal passion towards the brand as well.

‘It’s quite different to any other manufacturer

PICTURES COURTESY OF RICHARD TIPPER

Tipper’s van contains everything he needs

DAY I FOUND A BAG FULL OF CASH HAVING worked on around 26,000 cars, Richard Tipper has come across his fair share of strange odds and ends that have been left behind or forgotten about by their owners.

However, one of Tipper’s strangest finds came about roughly 20 years ago when he was in the process of cleaning out a Datsun 280ZX. ‘The car was worth pence,’ he recalls.

‘It belonged to a woman who had moved house about two years prior. I was cleaning this car and I got under the boot cover to reach the spare wheel and there’s this Sainsbury’s bag sitting there.

‘I thought ‘‘bloody hell’’ because it was full of money. I mean, bulging.

‘I got this money out, put it to the side and took it in to the lady after finishing.

‘She was a very, very well-to-do singing teacher.

Very theatrical, had a huge house.

‘So I’ve got this bag, and I go and say, ‘‘you’ll never guess what I’ve found in the front of your car’’ and she went, ‘‘oh my goodness!’’

‘She’d put this bag of money – which she had kept in a great big vase in her old house – into her car, moved house and had totally forgotten about it. It was £2,500!

‘It was 20 years ago, so at the time that could have got me out of debt, but I didn’t even get a drink out of it! Ah well, never mind…”

Products designed to achieve perfection . .

Obtaining a flawless finish is all-important

that I’ve ever worked for. So Porsche would definitely be my chosen brand.’

These days, Tipper details roughly 300 to 320 cars per year – a far cry from the 200 vehicles he could be cleaning every week during the early days of his career. One thing that has remained constant throughout, however, is that the vast majority of his work is generated through wordof-mouth recommendations.

‘In the early years, it was word of mouth,’ says Tipper. ‘That still happens now, it’s just that the word of mouth is slightly more prominent in that there’s a very niche market of car collectors.

‘Everyone knows everyone, they all know what they own and a lot of deals go on off-market.

‘When you’ve got in with a couple of the big collectors, the sharing of information – especially as to how you got your car to look like that – is very relevant. Big collectors will not let an unknown start working on their cars.

‘That’s how a lot of stuff is generated now, through being recommended by relevant

people – people who others really listen to in terms of their opinion.’

Social media – Twitter, in particular – has also been a useful tool through which Tipper has managed to reach a wider audience.

Presently, the Perfection Valet account has 12,900 followers and provides outsiders with a glimpse of some of the cars that Tipper gets to work on.

‘For me, social media is a very easy way of advertising what I do in a way that helps people interpret me as a person,’ he explains.

‘I’ve made it quite clear, or I hope I have, that my detailing account is very different to other detailing accounts in that I’ve made it predominantly about the cars, not so much about what I do to them and about, ‘‘oh, look at this 50/50, look what I’ve done’’ sort of thing.

‘For me it’s about the type of cars that I work on. And it’s about showing my followers cars that they wouldn’t normally see.’

As far as the future of Perfection Valet is

concerned, Tipper would love to see his business running in much the same way as it is now, although there are a number of avenues he could see himself exploring.

‘I’m 45 in April, so age becomes a concern because it’s very, very labour intensive,’ he explains. ‘I’d perhaps see myself doing some consulting, some involvement in sales.

‘Because of my client base, I’m often approached by people who are looking to buy cars that don’t hit the market but they know I’m involved with and vice versa – people with cars like that who are looking to sell but don’t want to do it publicly.

‘I think there’s definitely a market for me to be a go-between. So brokerage, consultancy, training – not so much products because I think the market’s flooded. I think more of an upmarket involvement rather than the other things that I could get involved with.

‘But I would be more than happy if I could sit here in 10 years’ and tell you the same story.’

WorkShopMagazine.co.uk

| 27

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| 29

NEWS.

WORKSHOP POWER: SURVEY THAT LETS YOU HAVE YOUR SAY

Our 2016 Workshop Power award winners

After a hugely successful inaugural event in 2016, our survey and awards return for 2017. Once again, we need your help to discover the suppliers who do their best for you (and identify those who don’t!)

L

ook at the happy faces of the people in the picture on this page! The reason everyone is smiling is that they were all winners in last year’s inaugural Workshop Power Awards, voted for by the readers of this fine magazine.

The first Workshop Power Awards night was a fantastic occasion, during which the most highly regarded suppliers to the service and repair industry were rewarded for their efforts.

We said last year that our aim was to make the Workshop Power Awards the largest, most comprehensive and most talked-about in our sector – and we’re well on the way to doing that.

Over the next two pages, you’ll see questions about suppliers in categories ranging from motor factors large and small to garage cleaning product supplier of the year. All we ask is that you give us your honest views on the companies you use.

We want to know which suppliers are the best and how good they are at helping you out (even when the going gets tough); which parts and equipment you use; who you go to for advice; and

30 | WorkShopMagazine.co.uk

who enhances your presence on the internet.

It’s all done in confidence, and you don’t have to fill the survey form in by hand and post it to us. Using the workshoppower.co.uk website is the easiest way to get involved.

Once we’ve received your answers, they’ll be fed into our Workshop super-computer and we’ll then be able to pull together all the data we need from the anonymous opinions.

By the end of the process, we’ll have an accurate idea about the suppliers who are at the top of their game, those who are simply average, and those who are, well, not so hot.

We’ll be sharing our findings to make sure your opinions are heard, so it’s highly likely that suppliers will make changes to the way they work based on the feedback we give them. That could be good news for all of us!

Can I say what I really think?

Absolutely. The whole reason behind the Workshop Power Awards is to allow the industry to be entirely forthright, whether that’s praising

suppliers to the skies or hanging them out to dry.

As mentioned earlier, the survey is completely anonymous. We’ll be telling the suppliers and agencies what we found out, but not who told us, so you can speak your mind fearlessly.

And again, we’ll hold a glitzy awards night to celebrate their achievements.

So, how do I take part?

That’s really easy. You can fill in the survey on the following pages and post it to us using our address on page three.

Or, if you don’t want to rip up this gorgeously glossy magazine, you can go to workshoppower.co.uk to fill in the questionnaire online. Nominations close on August 24, 2017.

So, please spare a few minutes to complete the form – either in this magazine or online.

We promise it won’t take long – and the opinions you express could genuinely benefit all of us in the industry.

We look forward to finding out what you all think. Why not complete the form today?

The easiest way to fill in the survey is online at workshoppower.co.uk Please give a mark out of 10 where shown.

And remember... this is completely confidential, so don’t be shy about telling us your views!

We want to know about the suppliers with whom you work. The winners will not be decided solely by being the most popular but by how good they are at providing you with a product or service. We’ll be naming a winner and two highly commended places for each category, and these will be announced at the Workshop Power Awards ceremony on September 28. For each category, first tell us your supplier, then give them a mark out of 10, and finally add any comments you have, which will help the judges decide. The closing date for nominations is August 24.

1. Large Motor Factor of the Year We use ......................................................................................................

Please give a mark out of 10

3. Hand Tools Supplier of the Year We use ......................................................................................................

Please give a mark out of 10

10

7. Best Customer Care Who provides it? .......................................................................................

Please give a mark out of 10

10

Comments:................................................................................................ ................................................................................................................... ................................................................................................................... ................................................................................................................... .................................................................................................................... .................................................................................................................. ...................................................................................................................

Comments:................................................................................................ ................................................................................................................... ................................................................................................................... ................................................................................................................... ................................................................................................................... .................................................................................................................... ..................................................................................................................

4. Power Tools Supplier of the Year We use ......................................................................................................

Please give a mark out of 10

8. Trade Insurance Provider of the Year We use ......................................................................................................

Please give a mark out of 10

10

10

Comments:................................................................................................ ................................................................................................................... ................................................................................................................... ................................................................................................................... ................................................................................................................... ...................................................................................................................

Comments:................................................................................................ ................................................................................................................... ................................................................................................................... ................................................................................................................... ................................................................................................................... ...................................................................................................................

5. Diagnostics Systems Supplier of the Year We use ......................................................................................................

Please give a mark out of 10

9. Recruitment Agency of the Year We use ......................................................................................................

Please give a mark out of 10

10

10

Comments:................................................................................................ ................................................................................................................... ................................................................................................................... ................................................................................................................... ................................................................................................................... ................................................................................................................... ...................................................................................................................

Comments:................................................................................................ ................................................................................................................... ................................................................................................................... ................................................................................................................... ................................................................................................................... ................................................................................................................... ...................................................................................................................

Comments:................................................................................................ ................................................................................................................... ................................................................................................................... ................................................................................................................... ................................................................................................................... ................................................................................................................... ...................................................................................................................

2. Small Motor Factor of the Year We use ......................................................................................................

Please give a mark out of 10

6. Lubricants Supplier of the Year We use ......................................................................................................

Please give a mark out of 10

10. Tyre Supplier of the Year We use ......................................................................................................

Please give a mark out of 10

10

10

Comments:................................................................................................ ................................................................................................................... ................................................................................................................... ................................................................................................................... .................................................................................................................... .................................................................................................................. ...................................................................................................................

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10 Comments:................................................................................................ ................................................................................................................... ................................................................................................................... ................................................................................................................... ................................................................................................................... ................................................................................................................... ...................................................................................................................

WorkShopMagazine.co.uk

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NEWS. 11. Best Garage Software Provider of the Year We use ......................................................................................................

Please give a mark out of 10

15. Suspension Products Supplier of the Year We use ......................................................................................................

Please give a mark out of 10

10

10

Comments:................................................................................................ ................................................................................................................... ................................................................................................................... ................................................................................................................... ................................................................................................................... ...................................................................................................................

Comments:................................................................................................ ................................................................................................................... ................................................................................................................... ................................................................................................................... ................................................................................................................... ...................................................................................................................

12. Best Product Innovation of the Year We think it is .............................................................................................

Please give a mark out of 10

16. Best Tech Product of the Year We think it is .............................................................................................

Please give a mark out of 10

10

10

Comments:................................................................................................ ................................................................................................................... ................................................................................................................... ................................................................................................................... ................................................................................................................... ...................................................................................................................

Comments:................................................................................................ ................................................................................................................... ................................................................................................................... ................................................................................................................... ................................................................................................................... ...................................................................................................................

13. Extra Mile Award Who has gone above and beyond the call of duty for you this year? ...................................................................................................................

17. Best Filter Supplier of the Year We use ......................................................................................................

Please give a mark out of 10

Comments:................................................................................................ ................................................................................................................... ................................................................................................................... ................................................................................................................... ................................................................................................................... ................................................................................................................... ................................................................................................................... ................................................................................................................... ................................................................................................................... ................................................................................................................... ................................................................................................................... ................................................................................................................... ...................................................................................................................

Comments:................................................................................................ ................................................................................................................... ................................................................................................................... ................................................................................................................... ................................................................................................................... ................................................................................................................... ................................................................................................................... ...................................................................................................................

14. Batteries Supplier of the Year We use ......................................................................................................

Please give a mark out of 10

18. Garage Cleaning Product Supplier of the Year We use ......................................................................................................

Please give a mark out of 10

10

10

Comments:................................................................................................ ................................................................................................................... ................................................................................................................... ................................................................................................................... ................................................................................................................... ................................................................................................................... ...................................................................................................................

Comments:................................................................................................ ................................................................................................................... ................................................................................................................... ................................................................................................................... ................................................................................................................... ................................................................................................................... ...................................................................................................................

32 | WorkShopMagazine.co.uk

10

Who were our winners in 2016? Go online to bit.ly/power-winners to find out Portsmouth’s Spinnaker Tower – the venue for our awards ceremony on September 28, 2017

SUPPLIERS GUIDE.

IF YOU’RE LOOKING FOR A WORKSHOP SUPPLIER, YOU CAN FIND THE DETAILS OF SELECTED COMPANIES HERE

Are you looking for a supplier? Here’s your essential guide

This invaluable directory provides you with information and contact details of some of the key suppliers of products and services to the automotive repair industry – from components and parts to garage equipment, web design, online solutions and even legal advice for when a transaction goes sour.

Our guide to the industry’s must-have partners follows on from the success of a similar resource in our sister publication, Car Dealer Magazine.

This automotive repair, service and maintenance industry version will become just as indispensable.

Keep an eye on this space each month as we include more and more of the industry’s leading suppliers.

Diagnostic Equipment

Aftersales Software

Approved Schemes

eDynamix

RAC Approved Dealer Network

Garage Equipment

Garage Equipment

Garage Equipment

Butts of Bawtry

GEMCO

Pro-Align

Garage Equipment

Garage Management Software

Legal & Compliance

Straightset

Dragon2000

Lawgistics

Parts Suppliers

Parts Suppliers

Trade Bodies

Blue Print

Febi Bilstein

IGA

W: edynamix.com T: 0845 413 0000 E: enquiries@edynamix.com Info: eDynamix offers web-based applications providing a connected and simple-to-use platform in which dealers can manage a customer throughout the service lifecycle, including service plans, electronic vehicle health check, repair and finance plans, proactive follow-up, online bookings, MOT cleanse, VIDEO1st, aftersales surveys, and automated confirmations and reminders.

W: buttsequipment.com T: 01302 710868 E: info@buttsequipment.com Info: Butts of Bawtry is literally a ONE STOP SHOP for the garage or workshop. Offering a comprehensive range of Quality Garage Equipment from leading manufacturers, backed up by our team of trained and certified service and repair engineers. From a trolley jack to a complete workshop installation, Butts have the answer.

W: straightset.co.uk T: 01909 480055 E: paul.bates@straightset.co.uk Info: Straightset is the UK’s leading independent garage equipment company, providing best-in-class design, supply, installation and service of car and commercial workshops for nearly 30 years. We carry a vast range of quality equipment carefully sourced from top manufacturers within the EU and US and offer one of the most comprehensive aftersales services in the market.

W: blue-print.co.uk T: 01622 833007 E: adl-blueprint.bpic@bilsteingroup.com Info: As part of the Bilstein Group, Blue Print supplies OEmatching quality vehicle components, with strong Asian and American coverage. With more than 23,000 different parts in its range, from braking and clutch components to filtration, Blue Print covers a huge portion of the vehicle parc. Want to get it right first time? Think Blue Print.

Approved Dealer

W: rac.co.uk/getapproved T: 0330 159 1111 E: dealernetwork@rac.co.uk Info: Being authorised to use the RAC name as a badge of quality creates strong consumer confidence and increases profitability.

As an RAC Approved Dealer, you have access to one of the UK’s most respected motoring brands. There’s a range of RAC-backed products and services at your disposal, as well as a customer reach of more than 8 million RAC members to promote your dealership.

W: gemco.co.uk T: 01604 828500 E: sales@gemco.co.uk Info: GEMCO is the UK market leader and your one-stop shop for the supply, delivery, installation, training, calibration and maintenance of garage equipment. With the largest comprehensive range of equipment brands available for both car and commercial vehicle workshops, GEMCO provides top-quality garage equipment products and services to car and commercial vehicle workshops.

W: dragon2000.co.uk T: 01327 222 333 E: sales@dragon2000.co.uk Info: Dragon2000 supplies garages and car dealers with a multiaward winning Dealer Management System, time and efficiency monitoring and integrated websites for online service bookings.

Includes free APPraise mobile app for all users – for sending personalised VHC images & videos to customers’ phones to help increase upsold work and customer trust.

W: febi.com T: 01977 691100 E: enquiries@febiuk.co.uk Info: As part of the Bilstein Group, Febi Bilstein supplies a range of more than 25,000 different articles for all popular European vehicle models. From steering and suspension to rubber, metal and electrical, Febi Bilstein provides OE-matching quality components with first-time fitment and long service life. For quality, choose Febi Bilstein.

Nebula Systems

W: nebulasystems.com T: 01280 816333 E: sales@nebulasystems.com Info: Nebula Systems specialises in the development of advanced technologies for the automotive and future mobility industries.

We make vehicle data and systems more accessible so that a vehicle’s health, status and utilisation can be monitored, analysed, diagnosed and maintained, faster and more effectively, anytime and anywhere.

W: pro-align.co.uk T: 01327 323007 E: enquiries@pro-align.co.uk Info: Dedicated wheel alignment specialists, supplying, supporting and servicing the world-leading Hunter brand nationwide: Hunter aligners – Fast, accurate, reliable, unlocking business opportunities, delivering major income stream and rapid ROI Road Force balancer – A new service very few workshops deliver Tyre changers – Easy service perfection

W: lawgistics.co.uk T: 01480 445500 E: sales@lawgistics.co.uk Info: The motor trade’s leading legal firm, giving help and advice to our members and the industry in general. Passionate about fairness under the law. Our legal team are there to protect your interests.

Not anti consumer, just pro trader. Don't miss our advice, which is published every month in Workshop Magazine. See pages 36 and 37 of this issue for The Judge’s contribution to this month’s issue.

W: IndependentGarageAssociation.co.uk T: 0845 305 4230 E: enquiries@rmif.co.uk Info: The Independent Garage Association is the largest and most prominent representative body in the independent garage sector. We are the voice of the industry in matters arising in UK and EU Government, and we help independent garages to thrive in all aspects of their business by offering advice, information and services.

TO HAVE YOUR DETAILS INCLUDED HERE CALL 023 9252 2434 AND ASK FOR WORKSHOP SUPPLIERS GUIDE LISTINGS WorkShopMagazine.co.uk

| 33

SuperUnleaded.com THE GRID

Top stories, accelerated by you...

SuperUnleaded is your new motoring service station where you choose what’s important. Like a post? #AccelerateIt up The Grid for others following in your slipstream and help set the starting line-up of timewasting content for everyone else.

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Daily motoring news where you help choose what’s important. From the makers of @_WorkshopMag straight out of @BlackballMedia

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Fast & Furious Dodge Charger Is Going Under The Hammer

R.I.P. Motorsport Legend John Surtees

It’s not every day that a car from a multimillion-dollar film franchise hits the market, but in Pennsylvania that rare opportunity has just come around. Find out more!

Go online to: bit.ly/SU-furious

Along with many others, we are mourning the death of ex-Formula One and motorbike world champion John Surtees at the age of 83. He was one of the most talented racers of all time.

Go online to: bit.ly/SU-Surtees

Supercar Vlogger Mr JWW Ultra Rare DeltaWing Race Goes Drifting In The Batmobile Car Goes On The Market In one of his latest posts, supercar vlogger Mr JWW goes to Sweden to drive a recent Gumball Rally icon, the Galag Batmobile, on an ice lake alongside some super-powerful cars.

Go online to: bit.ly/SU-Batmobile

The motorsports world watched with intrigue back in 2012 when the DeltaWing debuted at the 24 Hours of Le Mans – now you can buy one of the three cars built to the design.

Go online to: bit.ly/SU-Delta

Student Shows He’s Driving Sober By Juggling For Cops

Aston Martin Names Its Upcoming Hypercar Valkyrie

When student Blayk Puckett was stopped by police after they spotted that one of his brake lights wasn’t working, he ended up proving his sobriety in a rather unorthodox way.

Go online to: bit.ly/SU-juggle

Remember SuperUnleaded telling you about the rather epic-looking Aston Martin and Red Bull Racing creation the AM-RB 001? Well, it’s now been given a name with more impact.

Go online to: bit.ly/SU-Valkyrie

Australian Driver Causes Stupid Accident With Truck

Driver Overcorrects – And Lands On Roof Of House

If there’s one type of vehicle you don’t want to mess with on the road, it has to be a lorry.

Unfortunately, one bull-headed driver in Australia didn’t seem to agree recently.

Go online to: bit.ly/SU-truck

The last place you’d want to find yourself in a car is on the roof of someone else’s house.

Unfortunately, that’s where one man ended up after losing control of his Honda CR-V. Go online to: bit.ly/SU-roof

MY PROJECT CAR.

AN 83-YEAR-OLD ASTON MARTIN TOOK PRIDE OF PLACE ON NEC STAND, REPORTS REBECCA CHAPLIN

Jezebel rallies round after lying forgotten in a garage for years

A

1934 Mark II Aston Martin called Jezebel has been given a new lease of life after a full restoration that came just in time for its 80th birthday.

It’s been a special car both on road and track, and classic car insurer Footman James has taken the time to celebrate this exhaustive project car at the Practical Classics Classic Car & Restoration Show, held at the NEC in Birmingham.

The car was first registered back in 1934, on June 8, and has covered a huge amount of ground since then, with accolades for both concours and racing feats.

These short-chassis two-seaters are incredibly rare. It was, in effect, an improved version of the Le Mans racer with a stiffer chassis, and the 1.5-litre engine produced more power than the original model.

The Mark II was available as both a two- and a four-seater, but Jezebel is the former.

This was more popular, but in total, showing a sign of the times when cars were hand-built to the exacting specifications of the buyer, only 61 examples were made, with few thought to be left – let alone on the road.

Weighing in at 950kg but with that straight four-cylinder engine only producing 73bhp, it doesn’t sound like a racer for the road, but in 1934 it was quite the runabout.

Jezebel has been a winner throughout its life, from concours gold to racing trophies, and a highlight being taking the top title at the Johor Singapore Vintage Grand Prix in 1962.

However, as time went on, the Aston was put into storage and became just a tad unloved. As you’ll see, pictured top right, this classic car was nearly unrecognisable compared with its former self.

It’s a great place to be when you realise that you still own a historic motor, as in July 2012 when Jezebel was rediscovered by its owners, Mary Antcliff and Nigel Dowding, after being stored in an Aldershot garage.

They instantly began a restoration project to get it back in a road-going state, with attention given to absolutely every element of the car.

Fortunately, being stored in the dry had largely saved the parts on the old motor from disrepair. However, as you can see, parts had been

dismantled or were missing from the car. The paintwork was dull across the bodywork and as the car had been sitting dormant for years the mechanicals needed tending to, to make it both safe and roadworthy.

By 2014, the Mark II Aston Martin, now a glorious 80 years old, was back to an almost factory-fresh state.

And it was a mark of how solid this restoration has been that last year Jezebel took on the Rally of the Incas and raised an astounding £12,513 for Prostate Cancer Research in the process.

The historic rally, organised by the Endurance Rally Association, started in Lima, Peru, driving down through Argentina to Esquel in Argentine Patagonia, before returning up the east coast of the country to finish in Buenos Aires.

With Jezebel having to take on both tarmac and gravel stages, it was far more than the car was ever designed for, but it embraced the challenge with real British spirit!

Now, Footman James has helped to celebrate a historic turnaround for Jezebel and what has been an incredible career since.

How Jezebel looked in 2012 It placed the Aston Martin centre stage on its stand at the NEC show to share its story and demonstrate how passion, time and hard work can be so rewarding.

From March 31 to April 2, it paid homage to all enthusiasts who restore vintage and classic vehicles, and those attending the show could take a close-up look at the hard work that had gone into transforming the classic racer, in a mock garage – complete with retro signs.

Nigel Dowding and Mary Antcliff with their restored Jezebel

Looking good for its age at 83 years old!

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CLUB.

ONE OF MY GUYS WON’T WEAR HIS PROTECTIVE GEAR. CAN I MAKE HIM?

W

ASK THE JUDGE: Ian Gardner, sales manager at automotive legal experts Lawgistics, says that protecting workers is an employer’s responsibility.

e have a workshop and a restore and respray area. One of the lads refuses to wear the clothing we provide when he is using the equipment. Am I at risk?

The Judge writes: Personal protective equipment (PPE) falls under the Personal Protective Equipment at Work Regulations 1992.

Items such as gloves, eye protection, high-visibility clothing and safety footwear all come under PPE. If PPE is required, then you must ensure that the worker has the items needed and wears them. If he is an agency worker, it should be provided free of charge by the agency but in practice, you’ll probably need to pitch in.

Protecting the workers on your site is your responsibility and you need to ensure protection is adequate.

Regulation 7 even goes so far as to state ‘every employer shall ensure that any personal protective equipment provided to his employees is maintained (including replaced and

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cleaned as appropriate) in an efficient state’ – so while it does not state your employees are not allowed to take the clothing home to wash, you may wish to do so if there are any potentially hazardous substances.

Employers cannot charge or cause charges to be made to employees in relation to health and safety requirements.

You must choose the equipment carefully and ensure employees are trained to use it properly if applicable. As an employer, you should never allow exemptions from wearing PPE for reasons such as ‘it only takes a few minutes’.

If an employee is refusing to wear the PPE, then find out what the objections are. Is it too heavy or does it restrict movement? If so, there could be a simple answer.

As an employer you can, and should, enforce the rule that employees must wear PPE. Employees themselves have a duty under Section 7 of the Health and Safety at Work Act to ensure their own health and safety at work. Refusing to wear equipment necessary to control exposure to residual risks

puts them in breach of that duty and of the regulations.

As an employer, you should make sure the contractual terms and conditions allow you to treat failure to follow reasonable health and safety instructions as gross misconduct.

There may be other considerations such as religious issues and you will need to bear other legislation such as discrimination in mind.

The employee can refuse to work if they believe the equipment provided is substandard and they are at risk.

If you do not provide the correct and appropriate PPE then you are at risk of an employee or ex-employee attempting to sue for damages if they suffer injury. n If you have a dilemma that’s giving you

nightmares, an issue that’s keeping you awake, or a dispute that won’t go away, simply send an email to TheJudge@lawgistics.co.uk and you may see your problem dealt with in these pages.

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TO JOIN GO TO WORKSHOPCLUB.CO.UK OR CALL 023 9252 2434 AND 36 | WorkShopMagazine.co.uk

Customer says he paid £350 for unnecessary work on car

W

e have received a complaint from a customer who we dealt with a couple of months ago. He recovered his car to us saying that he suspected the timing chain had jumped or was loose. We advised him that we would charge £350 for the diagnosis and that it would be necessary to strip the car down in order to ascertain the fault.

Following diagnosis, we quoted £5,500 for a replacement engine or £3,300 for a repair.

He subsequently took the car from us and we heard nothing further until receiving a letter threatening legal action claiming that a third party has advised him that it was unnecessary to strip down the engine in order to diagnose and that he has had his car repaired for half the price we quoted. He wants us to repay the £350 he paid for his diagnosis.

He hasn’t provided us with any evidence from the third party and our mechanic is adamant the work we carried out was necessary to

diagnose and that the remedies offered were proportionate.

The Judge writes: Differences of opinion occur, and one person’s approach won’t always be the same as another’s, despite both being professionally qualified. In this case, the customer is complaining about what he perceives to have been unnecessary work based on a second opinion he has received.

If you were required to defend a county court claim in the event the customer tries to recover the £350 diagnostic costs, you would need to show that you had performed the service with reasonable care and skill, that a reasonable price was paid and the service was performed within a reasonable time.

This includes showing that the work you carried out was necessary and refuting any claims the customer may provide to the contrary.

I suggest you ask the complainant to provide detailed information as to the other opinion he has received in order to ascertain the factual basis for his complaint, without which you cannot consider the request for a refund.

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As part of your membership, you will have a free telephone consultation with Lawgistics worth £100. You will also be signed up to Lawgistics’ basic membership package worth £95, have 25 per cent discount off Lawgistics products, get access to guidance notes and document templates and enjoy a discount off membership upgrades – £100 off the Small Business pack and £250 off the Professional membership pack – to better suit your needs.

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Strength in Quality WorkShopMagazine.co.uk

| 37

PRODUCTS. AWARDS

The best of the best Some of the most popular pages in Workshop Magazine are the ones that carry our regular product tests, performed and written by ANDREW EVANS. Over the past 12 months, a huge variety of products have been used and evaluated by Andrew – and now it’s time to

​Brake cleaner: Wynn’s How much: £7 Where from: halfords.co.uk This product from Wynn’s was Andrew’s pick of the bunch when he tested brake cleaners in Issue 7. He noted that it ‘just had the edge’ over the Pagid product he also looked at.

Commenting on the Wynn’s offering, he said: ‘It didn’t seem to need as much to get the job done either – like the Pagid product, the can has a neat precision jet, but the Wynn’s seemed to have a slightly higher pressure, which worked well when it came to shifting dirt quickly.’

assess the best of the best. On the next seven pages, we are reprinting all the ‘best buys’ from the categories Andrew has looked at over the year – all of which were awarded the maximum five stars. We end our round-up by crowning our overall champion on page 45.

Adjustable wrenches: Draper Redline 67589 How much: £6.40 (inc VAT – current promotion) Where from: drapertools.com For the 20th of his product tests for Workshop Magazine, published in Issue 14 last November, Andrew put adjustable wrenches through their paces. He had no doubt when it came to picking the best one. ‘The Redline wrench is by far our favourite,’ he wrote. ‘The scale is clear, easy to read and accurate and the jaws adjust as quickly as any other item here. It’s a brilliant little piece of kit.’

Prices and stockists have been updated accordingly since products first appeared in the magazine

Multitools: Sealey E540 Dust mask: uvex silv-Air 2110 How much: £23.78/pack 15 Where from: arco.co.uk Protective dust masks were put to the test in Issue 7 of Workshop, the April 2016 edition. Andrew picked this offering from uvex as the cream of the ones he tested, describing it as ‘easily the best option’. Andrew observed: ‘The uvex mask fitted well and was very comfortable over long periods of time.

The foam nose-piece is a nice touch that helps the fit as well as the comfort.’ Andrew noted that none of the masks he tested was rated against fumes, but said that the uvex one did the best job of ameliorating them.

38 | WorkShopMagazine.co.uk

How much: £47.94 (inc VAT) Where from: sealey.co.uk When it came to testing multitools at the start of 2017, Andrew selected as the winner the most expensive of the three that he examined. He confirmed: ‘The Sealey E540 is the priciest option and that very nearly swayed us into placing it second, but ultimately the Sealey product combines the better parts of the other two.

It has the same, stepless variable motor speeds as a rival from Draper and its useful presentation box (which seems to be of a higher quality than the others) enables easy location of the various bits you can fit.’

Combination spanners: Sealey AK6313 How much: £53.20 (inc VAT) Where from: tool-net.co.uk The undisputed champion when Andrew tested combination spanners, the 12-piece Sealey set that he selected (with one from the collection pictured above) comes in sizes from 8mm to 19mm. Andrew wrote in Issue 12 last September: ‘It might be nice to see some larger options, but what’s here will deal with most tasks you’d use a spanner for. The tolerances are pretty solid too, but it’s the two-plane construction that impresses us the most.’ Quite a Sealey of approval!

Floor cleaners: Thompson’s Oil & Drive Cleaner How much: £8.00 Where from: diy.com Spills are a fact of life when you’re working on cars. The Thompson’s product shown above left was Andrew’s pick of the bunch when he put various brands to the test in Issue 11. He noted that although all the ones he tested were ‘fairly level-pegging’ on painted floors, ‘the Thompson’s did the best job on the brick, concrete and tarmac surfaces’. He added: ‘The difference between this cleaner and the others was most noticeable on the tiled floor. It is used neat, however, so some of the other products offer better value at the cost of outright performance.’

Pressure washers: Karcher HD 5/11 How much: £559.68 (inc VAT) Where from: cromwell.co.uk The Karcher brand is pretty much synonymous with pressure washers and it probably wasn’t much of a surprise to see this Karcher (right) come out on top when Andrew put a variety of options through their paces in December. He noted: ‘Although it’s a pretty weighty unit, the huge 10-metre hose gives you plenty of freedom without having to drag it around.’

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PRODUCTS. AWARDS

Gloves: Sealey MG799L How much: £16.95 (ex VAT) Where from: Discontinued Andrew got his hands on various pairs of mechanics’ gloves for Issue 9. And when it came to his winner, shown above, he said: ‘You might find it a little too chunky to work your computer but it has a light enough touch for your mobile. There’s marginally better fingertip precision, but no skimping on protection, with a well-reinforced palm. It’s a fine all-rounder.’ Sadly, they’re now discontinued, but some may still be available at your stockist.

Gas torches: Rothenberger Super Fire 2 How much: £55.70 Where from: amazon.co.uk

Glass cleaner: Meguiar’s PerfectClarity

Gas torches were tested in our October 2016 issue, with Andrew picking the Super Fire 2 as his winner in this category. He said: ‘It is nothing short of excellent. The long, angled nozzle makes it easy to get the heat where you need it, away from the bulk of the gas canister, and it got our fixings up to glowing heat before any of the others. Unlike the other torches here, once you have done with it, you can switch it off with a single button rather than turn the gas flow down.’

How much: £10.00 Where from: meguiars.co.uk

Safety glasses: Sealey SSP612

When it came to testing glass cleaner in last month’s edition of Workshop Magazine, there was a clear winner: PerfectClarity from Meguiar’s. Andrew wrote: ‘This product is undoubtedly the best, but it’s also the most expensive. On the initial wipe, it foams up ever so slightly – to the point where you might think it would leave a smear – but it buffs away to leave an exceptionally clean piece of glass.’

How much: £5.65 (ex VAT) Where from: sealey.co.uk

40 | WorkShopMagazine.co.uk

Eye protection is crucial in any workshop and various pairs were evaluated in Issue 9 last June. Andrew picked this pair as his best buy. He told us: ‘The shape of the arms is excellent for protecting eyes from anything flinging in from the side and the rubber parts where the glasses rest on your face make them comfortable to use. The key difference is an anti-glare coating, which is a neat addition that makes them look a little more stylish but also gives an extra layer of eyesight protection. These are the specs we picked for working on Workshop’s own projects!’

Ear defenders: uvex K3 How much: £19.07 (inc VAT) Where from: axminster.co.uk Andrew put on various pairs of ear defenders to identify the top performers in Issue 8. His conclusion? ‘For the very best protection, you’ll want these uvex K3s. They look the business, with big, chunky cups, and are perfectly comfortable to wear for prolonged periods. At the key 200-2,000Hz range, where the majority of workshop noises occur, they’re the best at drowning out the environment, dragging noises that would be at the level of a rock concert down to a conversation.’ Shown left, they’re impressive stuff.

Knee protectors: Site Optimus How much: £14.99 (inc VAT) Where from: screwfix.co.uk He’s a clever bloke, our Andrew. In Issue 11, he wrote: ‘You probably won’t realise how important your knees are to your daily life until you injure one of them.’ With this in mind, he put knee protectors to the test and of the product below, he wrote: ‘These Screwfix own-brand pads ended up just about head and shoulders (if not knees and toes) above the rest. The bottom Velcro strap is pretty standard fare, but the upper strap hooks into place and has a sliding adjuster.’

Trim removal tools: Power-TEC Trim Remover Set How much: £17.02 (inc VAT) Where from: power-tec.co.uk The five-piece Power-TEC set above took top honours when Andrew tested trim removal tools in February. He noted that they looked identical on the surface to a Sealey set he also evaluated but he said there were some very slight differences that put the Power-TEC set in pole position. Expanding on his theme, he added: ‘The material feels slightly softer and of a higher quality, but more importantly there’s marginally more flexibility in the tools.’

Hand cleaner: Swarfega Orange How much: £2.99/450ml Where from: screwfix.co.uk No fewer than five Swarfega products were put through their paces when Andrew tested hand cleaners in Issue 8 last May. And it seemed that the future was orange, to quote an old mobile phone ad. Andrew explained: ‘Out of the array of Swarfega products on offer here, the Orange has to be our favourite. The pump dispenses just the right amount of gel for one wash and it both feels and smells great afterwards.’

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PRODUCTS. AWARDS

Penetration fluid: WD-40 How much: £4.99/400ml (inc VAT) Where from: screwfix.co.uk

Protective goggles: uvex u-sonic

‘There’s a good reason why WD-40 is the byword for penetrating fluids everywhere: it’s the best.’ That’s what Andrew wrote in Issue 10, adding: ‘The WD consistently proved to have the lowest removal torque bar the odd exception, and the now-traditional aerosol-and-straw can set-up means easy, accurate and sparing application.’

How much: £12.97 (ex VAT) Where from: arco.co.uk Protective goggles came under the spotlight for the 12th of Andrew’s product tests in Issue 10 (July 2016). The uvex pair above left got his vote as best buy, and he wrote: ‘Fitment and comfort is unrivalled here and the screen does an excellent job of resisting all kinds of damage. They also come with a neat shaded screen that attaches magnetically, which provides an extra layer of protection.’

Ratchet spanners: Laser 6296 How much: £110.98 (inc VAT) for a 12-piece set Where from: lasertools.co.uk In December 2016, Andrew described the ratchet spanner as a ‘fascinating hybrid’ before revealing the winner of his 22nd product test for Workshop Magazine. Choosing the 12-piece Laser 6296 set, he said its ‘pure precision’ had led to it being named our best buy. ‘Simply put, the Laser ratchets fit the best and will work in the smallest spaces,’ he added.

42 | WorkShopMagazine.co.uk

Safety boots: CAT Spiro ST How much: £90.49 (VAT-free) Where from: safetybootsuk.co.uk Good safety footwear is a must in any workshop and Andrew picked the CAT pair of boots below as his winner when he tested various makes in Issue 12 last September. In fact, he noted at the time that it was ‘a bit of a stroll to victory for the CAT boots’, adding: ‘Although they’re not the best outright in any one of our test categories, they’re consistently near the top in every one. They could perhaps do with a little extra width for broader feet, but otherwise there’s nothing to take away from them. These would be the boots in our locker.’

Angle grinders: Clarke CAG800B How much: £29.99 (inc VAT) Where from: machinemart.co.uk The humble angle grinder is one of the most important tools in a mechanic’s arsenal, Andrew noted in Issue 16 at the start of 2017 – and the result of this test took him by surprise. He wrote of the winner, the Clarke CAG800B: ‘We weren’t expecting the Clarke to put up much of a fight, but it’s rather a stroll. Although it seems inconsequential given the price of consumables, it comes with a grinding disc included and it has an additional, pre-packed guard that allows you to switch between grinding and cutting with a single screw.

But it’s the operation of the Clarke that impresses the most.’

Workwear: Würth Modyf Basic How much: £29.33 Where from: Würth supplier Andrew had no trouble choosing his overall winner when he put workshop workwear to the test in Issue 13 last October. The Modyf Basic set from Würth (shown right) was his pick, and he wrote: ‘Although this set of overalls relies on a zip as the main fastener, the fact it’s a nylon affair with wide teeth makes it a very sensible prospect in a busy workshop and gives you the extra protection of a fully sealed front.’

Socket sets: Clarke PRO340 How much: £10.79 (inc VAT) Where from: machinemart.co.uk The festive season was approaching when Andrew tested socket sets in Issue 14 of Workshop Magazine last November. The winning set was the colourful one pictured above, with Andrew noting: ‘This bright set of sockets neatly sidesteps the problem of picking up a 15 when you need a 16 by having each socket in a different colour. Unexpectedly, the tolerances are among the best too – also proving a pretty snug fit in the real-world tests. They were not the best set when it came to rounded-off bolts, but otherwise performed well enough to be our favourites.’

Screwdrivers: Clarke PRO122 How much: £28.79 (inc VAT) Where from: machinemart.co.uk When Andrew put screwdrivers to the test in Issue 17, he described this 10-piece Clarke PRO122 set as ‘absolutely our favourite’. He added: ‘The Clarke PRO set has everything you’d need or want in a driver. Along with the handles being a perfect size to provide exactly the torque you want and with a great grip to make them comfortable in the long term, each driver has a hex nut on the top of it to provide extra drive if necessary and a decent face for hammering to perform a drive-through function.’

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Sealey Group, Kempson Way, Suffolk Business Park, Bury St Edmunds, Suffolk. IP32 7AR Tel: 01284 757500 E-mail: sales@sealey.co.uk

OFFERS WILL BE WITHDRAWN WHEN STOCK IS SOLD. WE RESERVE THE RIGHT TO CHANGE PRODUCTS AND PRICING AT ANY TIME. PRICES AND SAVINGS EXCLUDE VAT UNLESS STATED OTHERWISE. E&OE

44 | WorkShopMagazine.co.uk

PRODUCTS. AWARDS

Our overall winner: the Sealey Rechargeable Soldering Iron SDL6 How much: £74.94 (inc VAT) Where from: sealey.co.uk Our overall winner for 2016-2017 is this soldering iron from Sealey – so congratulations to the manufacturer for developing such an excellent product. Andrew put it through its paces just last month, in his 28th product test for Workshop Magazine. He wrote: ‘This is one of the neatest ideas we’ve seen in a while. It combines all of the convenience of other gas irons with the traditional electric-powered soldering iron by using lithiumion batteries that you’ll find in other cordless tools. It does have a little chink in the armour in that it takes a little over 20 seconds to heat up – but for a four-hour charge you’ll get well over an hour of use out of it. The charging dock doubles as a stand and a small LED perfectly lights up the target.’ Well done to our overall winner – a great achievement by Sealey.

WorkShopMagazine.co.uk

| 45

FOCUS ON

SIGMAVISION

A GREAT NEW WAY TO INCREASE EFFICIENCY AND CREATE TRUST SIGMAVISION

T: 01865 233030 W: SIGMAVISION.COM

Innovative scanner and associated app combine to provide a fantastic new way of measuring tread depths on tyres – consigning old-fashioned practices to the past.

TREADREADER is a new system for measuring tyre tread depths, and not only is it a vast improvement on older, more traditional methods – its developer says it will create trust between technicians and their clients.

This trailblazing invention allows the user to scan a car’s tyres with a handheld device. A detailed 3D image of the tyre is created and can then be viewed on the TreadReader app.

This measurement system is more accurate than a traditional tread-depth gauge and it’s also more reliable. Even if the tyres are wet, dirty or have stones stuck in their grooves, TreadReader isn’t fooled by these typical causes of error.

Andy Pryce, Sigmavision’s managing director, believes his product will save lives.

‘All the statistics that Highways England and TyreSafe publish tell us what an alarming situation we have,’ he says.

‘Up to 10 million vehicles a year travel up and down the UK road network with at least one illegal tyre. When a car comes into a dealership for a routine service, an engine problem, or a cracked windscreen, it’s the ability to quickly and efficiently get a diagnostic on the tyre condition that gives the dealership an opportunity to rectify that problem and take advantage of the sales opportunity that goes with it.

‘Our technology creates a 3D scan, so we can very easily see uneven wear on the tyre that might be inflation-related or, particularly, wheel-misalignment related. If we detect uneven wear, we can recommend rectifying that problem there and then with the client.’

The ability for a technician to show a customer in detail what needs doing to their car is something that Pryce is certain will help overcome one of the service and repair industry’s biggest challenges – trust.

‘Nobody ever wants to buy a tyre, they have to,’ he says.

‘Overcoming that barrier is done very effectively with the 3D scan – more effectively than even the most experienced tyre technician making a recommendation.

‘People are naturally suspicious, and the common reaction is to go home and think about it.

‘When the client sees that 3D scan, they trust it and they follow the advice they’re given by the technician.

‘You have the ability to retain your clients. If they trust what you’re saying, they are happy to accept that the recommendations are well-founded. The client then trusts the organisation and the people in it, and will come back when they need more work done.’

Another key advantage of such a technological advancement is how it will help workshops become more effective and efficient.

‘We have an app that operates with the handheld scanner,’

46 | WorkShopMagazine.co.uk

‘Our technology creates a 3D scan, so we can very easily see uneven wear on the tyre’.

ANDY PRYCE, SIGMAVISION’S MANAGING DIRECTOR

says Pryce. ‘It communicates over wi-fi and it’s a very effective way of capturing the registration through automatic number plate recognition, keying in other details about the vehicle, capturing scans and storing that data.

‘The app – in combination with the scanner itself – is a very convenient way to capture that data, display it to the client and store it for future use.

‘When you see a vehicle repeatedly over a period of time, you can build up a history of the tyre condition and then start to use that in a predictive sense.

‘It may not be an immediate tyre sale, but based on the history that you’ve generated, you can make a recommendation to the client that they come back after a certain period of time because, based on the history, that’s when you would anticipate a replacement tyre being needed.’

Pryce also explains that tools such as these are absolutely key for dealerships and workshops to stay competitive in an ever-expanding market.

‘A lot of dealerships are looking very carefully at the revenue generation from their service areas,’ he says. ‘The initial sale of the car is an opportunity to earn revenue and

margin, but the service function is increasingly important in the dealership, and I think this is a direct result of the whole service space being so much more competitive now.

‘If you walk into a fast-fit centre – where you traditionally bought replacement tyres – they want to service your vehicle as well. If you walk into a dealership – where you traditionally have your vehicle serviced – they now want to sell tyres.

‘The whole space is much more competitive, and that’s why dealers are looking very carefully at customer acquisition and retention strategies. They cannot afford to have missing elements to that service proposition. They need to offer a full service capability to compete.’

If Sigmavision sounds like something that could help your business, you can see the system for yourself at CDX in May, where there will be a full demonstration.

CDX is the biggest automotive expo of its kind in the UK. Organised by our sister publication Car Dealer Magazine, it will be held at Silverstone on May 23.

It’s free to attend for bona fide motor trade and service and repair professionals.

‘Our focus will be the hand-held scanner together with

Introducing the new standard in tyre tread measurement The TreadReader™ Hand Held Scanner and App from Sigmavision

3.8

3.6

2.8

Say hello to a lightweight and easy to use laser scanner that puts the most accurate tyre measurement technology in your hands.

• Colour-coded, 3D scans build customer trust and retention, to increase tyre replacements and wheel alignment sales.

• Unique and patented technology delivers fast, accurate tyre measurement, even on wet and dirty tyres.

• Operates with smartphone app, or software API for integration into workshop and EVHC systems.

the newly-released app,’ says Pryce. ‘We can give visitors a full demonstration of how the hand-held scanner works, the presentation of the data and how we store the data.

‘We’ve had a very good response since we launched the hand-held scanner and the app at the beginning of the year.

‘We’re very excited about displaying it at CDX17 and everyone is invited to come and see us, have a demo and discuss with us how it can help their operations.’

A TreadReader hand-held scanner, and in the main picture, being put to good use

Visit sigmavision.com today and find out how you can join the tyre measurement revolution.

WorkShopMagazine.co.uk sigmavision_89x271mm_Aftermarket ad r6.indd 1

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19/09/2016 12:45

OUR FLEET.

MG Metro Turbo No tax, no MOT and no head gasket... other than that, everything’s going well for Christian at the moment!

A reasonably-priced battery bought on eBay, main picture, soon got D 821 ACJ going again

should’ve known better, really. After getting the Metro to a point where it was roadworthy and capable of the odd trip out without self-destructing, it unfortunately seems I’m pretty much back to square one.

With the glorious benefit of hindsight, it was foolish of me to expect anything other than problems with an unrestored, 30-year-old ‘hot’ hatch that has only covered a handful of miles in the last decade, especially as I’ve owned D 821 ACJ for nearly 13 years and am well aware of its numerous quirks.

So, what’s up now, then? Unsurprisingly, the breakers-bought battery didn’t survive the winter and even refused to hold any kind of charge, so that put paid to any grand ideas of waking the car up before the MOT expired.

A replacement was sourced from eBay for a very reasonable £26 and despite my pessimism, it soon had the Metro, er, roaring.

With electricity restored, a quick run-through of MOT items then revealed the windscreen washers to be inoperative.

Suspecting the pump to have seized due to lack of use, it was removed from the boot and hooked up to another 12v supply, which duly saw it working… so something’s amiss with the wiring instead, and I hate wiring.

A whole lot more worrying though, was a check of the fluids. The coolant was well down and, considering the Metro likes to mark its territory, the oil seemed to need no topping up.

Couple this with the ‘performance’ being pretty lacklustre and a slight misfire, and I’m pretty

I

certain the head gasket’s toast. At the moment then, that’s how the Metro sits – no tax, no MOT and, I suspect, no head gasket.

How long it’ll stay that way I don’t know, but if the cylinder head’s coming off then it could lead to a whole lot more grief and expense.

Still, I guess it’s got to get worse before it gets better, right?

Model: 1986 MG Metro Turbo Owned by: Christian Tilbury Engine: 1.3-litre, 4-cylinder Bought for: £680 Mileage: 67,984 Spent this month: £26 Highlight this month: Finding a new battery that cost under £50.

OUR WHEELS... WE LOVE CARS (AND BIKES!) HERE AT WORKSHOP AND HERE’S THE PROOF.WE’VE WRITTEN ABOUT THEM

FORD FIESTA XR2

VW TYPE 3 FASTBACK

NISSAN ELGRAND

HONDA CBR600RR

SUBARU LEGACY GT-B

by James Baggott Chief executive, @CarDealerEd

by Rebecca Chaplin Head of content, @BelieveBecca

by Andy Entwistle Blackball Media MD, @CarDealerAndy

by Laura Thomson Staff writer, @lauramayrafiki

by Jon Reay Multimedia manager, @JonReay

Matt the mechanic tried to collect the XR2 but couldn’t get it started.

That’s James’s next headache and it’s all getting a bit frustrating.

The Type 3 has been enjoying the sunshine, if only briefly! Sitting in salty air meant sticky brakes ruined the fun a little, unfortunately...

You can read more about Bertha on page 18 – Andy thinks she’s still recovering from her arduous trip to the UK from the Far East!

The CBR is my daily ride again and neither of us could be happier. But, as it makes only 35mpg, my bank manager isn’t as pleased...

After what seemed like years, the Legacy is finally registered. Jon can now actually enjoy driving the car rather than just stare at it…

48 | WorkShopMagazine.co.uk

Jaguar X-Type Estate

VW Type 3 Fastback

The clocks go forward and James decides to enjoy an evening spin

Charges of one sort or another have been on Becca’s mind this month

I HAD mixed feelings about the clock change the other week. On the downside, I got an hour less in bed, but on the upside, I got 60 minutes more daylight to play with in the evening. And I like to think I have used the time wisely.

When you live on the south coast, the winters are pretty grim (and that’s coming from a Mancunian), but the summer months bring long, balmy evenings and the ideal time to go for a drive. Now, I’m well aware that cruising along the coast is a job better suited to a Series I E-Type than an X-Type, but I’ve decided I can convince myself that the two are basically the same. Sort of.

Yes, I know one’s a two-seat sports car and the other’s a five-seat, four-wheel-drive estate, but they are similar in several key areas.

Both, for example, use a six-cylinder petrol engine and top 140mph. They both have a Jaguar badge on the front, too, and I think they’re both very pretty cars.

To try to justify the X-Type by comparing it to the E-Type, though, is to do it a disservice.

It’s fast, it’s comfortable, it’s full of lovely wood and leather and when you put your foot down, it growls like a Jaguar should.

It’s a great car in its own right, and when the sun’s out, the windows are down and the V6 is purring, there are few modern cars I’d rather be driving.

Model: Jaguar X-Type 2.5 AWD Estate Owned by: James Fossdyke Engine: 2.5-litre petrol V6 Bought for: £2,000 Mileage: 103,750 Money spent this month: £0 Highlight this month: Enjoying the lighter evenings with a run along the coast.

THERE’S something about the days getting longer that draws me to my Volkswagen Type 3.

Excellent visibility, the relaxed driving style and the soothing chug of the air-cooled engine make it the ideal companion for driving along the coast where we’re based in Gosport.

This meant I had a new sense of purpose when it came to getting back on the road.

It’s over a year since I bought him and you’ll have noticed from our cover feature that I’ve acquired another rusty blue car, which, funnily enough, is exactly the same colour.

I bit the bullet this month and decided I had to buy a battery charger. It’s a purchase I’d been thinking about for a while as I’m forever leaving one car to die as the Mini I own is run.

I had planned on buying a portable charger which I could keep in my glovebox and recharge easily at home, but the Thunderbird has forced my hand somewhat.

Because I needed it to be powerful enough to fire up a car with a 6.4-litre engine, and it didn’t make sense financially to purchase more than one, I ended up buying a plug-in charger rather than a battery-powered unit. I went for a Ring Automatic WorkshopCharge20.

I was fairly limited with what I could choose when I visited our local branch of Halfords

without much time to spare, but this has done the job nicely!

(When I was at university, it used to be a worry that I would drive somewhere and my Rover Mini wouldn’t start because of its dodgy battery – but that isn’t an issue I have any more.)

I accepted that to have one that would fullycharge the car battery overnight was a far more suitable solution. Now the Type 3 is back on the road and running (sweeter than before) with only a few niggly injector issues still to sort.

The only problem is, for the first time in my life, my classic car insurance didn’t just roll over into the following year and charge me automatically. In the past, this is something I’ve raged about, as I’ve forgotten to cancel it for a better deal elsewhere. But the insurance company I was pleased with has now ended my policy and it’ll have to be stored again until I find the time to sort it out!

Model: Volkswagen Type 3 Fastback 1600E Owned by: Rebecca Chaplin Engine: 1.6-litre Bought for: £3,500 Mileage: 92,505 Spent this month: £150 Highlight this month: The car running very sweetly!

AND EVERYTHING...

JAGUAR X-TYPE ESTATE

BMW 330D TOURING

MG METRO TURBO

MAZDA MX-5

PEUGEOT 205 GTI 1.9

by James Fossdyke Staff writer, @JFossdyke

by Jack Evans News editor, @jackrober

by Christian Tilbury Staff writer, @Christilbury1

by Andrew Evans Senior staff writer, @snavEwerdnA

by James Baggott Chief executive, @CarDealerEd

James’s car has been stretching its legs with a pleasant run along the south coast now the dark days of winter are behind us at long last.

Belfort has had a spring clean, and his power steering fluid levels have been topped up (eliminating a rather unpleasant groaning noise).

With a suspected head gasket failure, the Metro’s literally blown Christian’s chances of getting back behind the wheel any time soon.

Pato has been feeling a bit unloved as owner Andrew hasn’t been in the office much lately. Some TLC will be on its way soon though...

Finally the Peugeot has been picked up and was with Matt when this was written. James is waiting to learn what the damage is.

WorkShopMagazine.co.uk

| 49

OUR KEV.

OUR MAN ON THE INSIDE SPILLS THE BEANS ON THE GARAGE BUSINESS...

How one happy customer led to a mini-boom in business S ometimes, this job can be heart-rending. When I tell a punter that their car is beyond economical repair, I sometimes feels like a doctor delivering bad news – maybe because they’re emotionally attached to their wheels, or because they simply don’t have the funds to repair or replace it, and being without a car would cause them untold difficulty.

At all times, I try to be sympathetic. I don’t believe in the ‘tough sh**’ approach shown by some other garages, who will turn down work if they believe the repair isn’t economically viable, or want cash on delivery for their work. The latter is, in all fairness, quite reasonable as you can’t run a business without secure income, but I take each case on merit, based on the way the customer is when I give them the bad news.

I’ve just put a 1998 Land Rover Freelander through its MOT at a cost of £800. For that, you could buy a similar vehicle in road-legal condition, but the old dear who owned it was beside herself when I broke the news that her trustworthy old steed not only needed a full exhaust system, but also some fairly major brake repairs, some welding to the rear subframe and a new steering rack.

Her problem was two-fold – she needed her car, as she looked after a number of less fortunate people locally by delivering meals on wheels and doing occasional gardening and cleaning jobs, and she’d also grown quite attached to the old thing.

Initially, I offered to sell her one of my part-ex bargains from stock, with a full MoT, for the £400 it owed me and allow her to pay for it in dribs and drabs (sometimes, you just know when someone has a sense of responsibility and WILL pay you), but she was adamant that the better option was to keep the car she knew and loved.

In the spirit of ‘better the devil you know’, I decided that there was some rationale behind her thinking. The car had served her well, and mechanically it was still in apparently rude health, so I agreed instead to fix it up, keeping the costs as low as possible. I sourced a second-hand rack from eBay, got my old mate ‘Sparky’ to do the welding in exchange for some beer tokens and did the rest of the work between jobs at a small discount from our usual labour rate.

Even so, the bill still came to just shy of £800, which was more than her monthly pension. Aware of this, I told her to ignore the 28 days payment terms on the invoice, and to pay me in instalments as and when she could.

She left extremely grateful, having paid over £200 with a promise to come back with some more money for us in a few weeks. A soft touch? Maybe, but this is how I run

my business, and there is more sense behind it than some people realise.

A fortnight later, I had an old Mondeo in for a service and MOT. Clearly well maintained under the care of its owner, a chap in his sixties, the car sailed through the test, and when he came in to collect it, the guy paid me £335 – £200 more than the actual bill – as ‘a contribution towards Sandra’s car’.

It turned out that she was a friend of his elderly mother, and under the pretence of looking after her garden, was one of the most valued people in her life for popping round and chatting with her twice a week.

She’d been there at the time of his last visit, and recommended us as the best garage she’d ever used.

A couple of weeks later, I was asked to give a body repair estimate for a four-year-old Ford Focus that had been sideswiped by an errant bin lorry. The owner was the Mondeo owner’s son, and he’d specifically asked his insurance company if he could use our garage to do the work, because he wanted to use a garage he trusted. Quite remarkable, really, as his car had only just come out of main dealer servicing and he’d never brought his custom to us before.

That job more than plugged the gap in the finances that the outstanding balance on the Freelander owed us, and still they keep coming back. Family and friends, friends of friends, all from one customer who is well-known in the community and goes out of her way to tell people nice things about us.

When she came back in last week to settle her final bill, I gave her half the balance back.

‘You can’t buy advertising like that,’ I told her. ‘But in this case, I’m making an exception.’

Look after your customers, folks.

Even if you need to carry a cost upfront, in a trade that has an unfairly unscrupulous reputation, a happy customer is the best source of revenue you could ever wish for…

WHO IS OUR KEV? If we told you, we’d have to kill you... What we can say is he’s been around for longer than he cares to remember and has a fund of stories to tell...

50 | WorkShopMagazine.co.uk

”

The bill still came to just shy of £800, which was more than her monthly pension.

Aware of this, I told her to ignore the 28 days payment terms on the invoice, and to pay me as and when she could.

6-8 June 2017 NEC Birmingham

The UK‘s leading exhibition for the automotive aftermarket and supply chain

250 EXHIBITORS NEW FOR 2017

See over 800 quality exhibitors.

Network with new and existing suppliers at the event which will be 70% bigger than 2016, including exhibitors from the UK and abroad.

Choose from aftermarket seminars delivered by industry leaders from Frost & Sullivan, the IAAF, the IMI and the NTDA. Topics will cover industry trends, advanced IT and connectivity, business management, skills training and future drives.

Experience our new Workshop Training Zone, hosting talks and live demonstrations from the likes of Frank Massey, James Dillon and Andy Crook covering new technologies in diagnostics and connectivity, battery technology, diesel engines, ADAS, tyres, and hybrid and electric vehicles.

Find out more at www.automechanika-birmingham.com

Product categories include: »

Parts & Components

»

Garage Equipment & Tools

»

Consumables

»

Accessories

»

Wheels & Tyres

Automechanika Birmingham has been licensed to Forest Exhibitions Ltd by Messe Frankfurt Exhibition GmbH

In association with

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