Workshop Magazine Issue 12

OUR KEV: NOT FAIR! HOW AUNTIE JOAN WAS TRICKED INTO SPENDING TOO MUCH

ISSUE 12 | SEPTEMBER 2016

£2.50 | WORKSHOPMAGAZINE.CO.UK

SPECIAL OPERATIONS

The busy team who make Mitsubishis ready for anything

RATED & RANKED

Our experts deliver their verdicts on trolley jacks PLUS: Combination spanners and safety boots put to the test

INVESTIGATION

WE’RE HIRING

But how easy is it for you to attract and train the staff you need?

LEGAL ADVICE Fixed a car but the owner won’t pay? Let The Judge tell you what to do next

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02 | WorkShopMagazine.co.uk

EDITORIAL

BLACKBALL MEDIA HASLAR MARINE TECHNOLOGY PARK, HASLAR ROAD, GOSPORT, PO12 2AG T: (023) 9252 2434 PRODUCTION EDITOR DAVE BROWN

dave@blackballmedia.co.uk Twitter: @CarDealerDave

NEWS & FEATURES EDITOR REBECCA CHAPLIN rebecca@blackballmedia.co.uk Twitter: @BelieveBecca

CONTENTS. 32

The Judge’s verdict: First dose of useful advice from our legal expert at Lawgistics

NEWS EDITOR JACK EVANS

Bigger and better: Automechanika Birmingham will return in 2017

jack@blackballmedia.co.uk Twitter: @jackrober

SENIOR STAFF WRITER ANDREW EVANS

46

andrew@blackballmedia.co.uk Twitter: @snavEwerdnA

STAFF WRITER LAURA THOMSON

Our Kev: Auntie Joan and the garage that took advantage of her lack of knowledge

laura@blackballmedia.co.uk Twitter: @lauramayrafiki

HEAD OF DESIGN GRAEME WINDELL

SUITS

ADVERTISING

graeme@blackballmedia.co.uk Twitter: @graemewindell

SALES MANAGER JON HICKEY

jon@blackballmedia.co.uk Twitter: @CarDealerjon

FINANCE & ADMINISTRATION finance@blackballmedia.co.uk

36

Put to the test: Our verdict on safety boots and combination spanners

MANAGING DIRECTOR ANDY ENTWISTLE

SUBSCRIPTIONS If you know someone who would like a FREE copy of Workshop Magazine, email the details to subs@workshopmagazine.co.uk and we’ll do the rest.

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 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.

Workshop Magazine is fully protected by copyright. Nothing may be reproduced wholly or in part without permission.

We meet a man on a mission... and visit the charity that helps ill and injured ex-forces personnel find roles in Civvy Street

My Project Car: The Lotus Esprit that was in bits but is now almost completely restored

james@thebaize.com Twitter: @CarDealerEd

CONTRIBUTORS Kim Adams, Alex Wells, Jon Reay, John Bowman, Mal Hay

16

26

CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER JAMES BAGGOTT

andy@blackballmedia.co.uk Twitter: @CarDealerAndy

12

Welcome

THIS month, Andrew has been out on the road visiting the Mitsubishi Specialist Vehicle Operations workshop, where the team transform some of the Japanese manufacturer’s road cars into blue or amber-lighted emergency response vehicles and bespoke fleet machines.

From there he hot-footed it over to Mission Motorsport, an amazing charity that uses the buzz and noise of racing cars to give medically-discharged military personnel a new career and a new purpose back in civilian life. You can read his interview with the founder and CEO, James Cameron, on page 16.

That doesn’t mean that the testing lab has been any quieter though, as Andrew (yes, it’s that man again) has also been looking at some of the best-selling combination spanners – and somehow finding the time to make Jack Evans, the office’s Imelda Marcos and newly-promoted news editor, envious with a collection of footwear (albeit safety boots rather than trainers).

Our panel of experts has been giving a range of

trolley jacks a good pump or two as well. We’re also very excited to bring you the launch of a brand new feature to the magazine this month. The Judge – Lawgistics’ sales manager Ian Gardner – will be answering tricky motor industry legal questions every month in our Ask The Judge feature. He’s ready and waiting to solve your problems, so don’t hesitate to get in contact.

You’ll also find the latest from Our Fleet, where Laura finally gets her way and introduces two-wheeled transport to the mix, and the usual insights from Dear RAC, Autologic’s Fault Finder and Our Kev. As usual, it has not been a quiet month here – and there’s more excitement to come! Next month’s issue will contain full coverage of our inaugural Workshop Power Awards. In the meantime, enjoy this issue.

Dave Brown, Production Editor WorkShopMagazine.co.uk

| 03

NEWS.

HOW CAN WE END THE INDUSTRY’S SKILLS SHORTAGE? INVESTIGATION REBECCA CHAPLIN looks into the pressing problem of apprentice recruitment and what can be done to encourage more of an uptake

T

he changing attitude about working in the motor trade is the biggest challenge facing employers in the garage industry, according to research by Workshop Magazine. For several years, it has been reported that the motor trade is faced with a skills shortage – a puzzling fact for an industry with such attractive progression prospects, especially as the number of young people choosing the apprenticeship path is on the increase: up nationally by 14 per cent across professions to 499,900 starters in 2015 over the previous year.

Workshop Magazine spoke to those hiring young people in the industry, and all the respondents highlighted that attracting apprentices with the right aptitude for training in what is becoming a far more technical and computer-based role is the biggest challenge.

This has been attributed to an outdated view on what working as a mechanic means.

So why is the motor industry still struggling to attract people to work in it?

Steve Nash, chief executive of the IMI, explained: ‘We’re hotly in competition with other sectors and ours is one parents don’t necessarily aspire for their children to be involved with.’

As we all know, the industry is going from strength to strength and, as Nash said, this skills shortage isn’t necessarily a bad sign but a reflection of rapid growth.

‘It’s both bad and good,’ he said. ‘We’re coming off in excess of four years of growth and naturally that creates pressure. Not only that, but the number of 18-year-olds has dropped.’

We asked garages what the biggest issue is when it comes to hiring and what they believe needs to change to rectify this.

04 | WorkShopMagazine.co.uk

JCT600 is one of the largest employers in our and we’ve chosen to show our sector in the UK, with around 2,000 members of technicians holding a laptop staff across the business at any one time. Group to try to reinforce this idea to recruitment manager Adam Nichols plays a huge the public that the role has changed,’ part in that, and he said: ‘We take on around 55 Nichols said. apprentices a year across the technical side. There Workshop Magazine found that is a call to have more but you also need to have independent garages were the hardest hit the experience in the business to teach them all.’ by the skills shortage, with fewer resources But, as he explained, finding good technicians available to dedicate to apprentices. However, can be difficult. in the classic car sector, the likelihood of a fit ‘Technician roles are particularly hard to fill, for an apprentice was reported as extremely because finding good techs can be hard. successful by every garage surveyed, with ‘You’ve got to remember that the role is employers saying that this is down to a desire to changing. It’s not the image of a mechanic with engage with what they’re learning and a more a spanner that people often think it is, it’s a very traditional, hands-on learning experience. technically demanding role. Whether you’re Langley Autocraft Ltd workshop manager doing diagnostics or an MOT, it involves more Simon Maxted explained that finding apprentices complicated equipment than ever before.’ was only half the problem, and recruiting This is a sentiment that Nash those who wanted to learn about the shared, as he explained that subject was the next struggle. with an increase in hybrid and ‘We have had quite a few over electric vehicles, as well as more the years and find now they are advanced electrical systems, too young to want to learn such roles within the workshop are a hard craft and technical job,’ he constantly expanding. said. ‘We see them now the year He said: ‘Demands of customers after their work experience from are changing. We need to think school. At 16 years old it is hard not differently because the world is to want to teach them the way we changing around us. were taught.

‘Ten- to 12-year-olds in ten to 12 ‘They can’t switch off and come You’ve got to remember years will be working in jobs that to learn. Apprentices used to that the role is changing. don’t exist yet!’ have a college placement before It’s not the image of a JCT600 is trying to actively they came to us but now they change this image and attract mechanic with a spanner have to find a job and then more would-be technicians to the go for training. For me, it’s an ADAM NICHOLS industry at the same time. ongoing lottery. We normally get ‘We’ve got vans advertising careers, them from places like North London

”

Garages. They are a funded scheme that provide people with a bit of vetting before we get them. In the last and current case, we put someone to North London Garages to be able to learn in a smaller group to get more attention than college does.

‘Bosch themselves also do a group of vetted future employees and try to teach them improved work ethics and the ability to learn more technical roles. My last apprentice was an award winner and now is a major part of our business.’

NEW CHALLENGES LYING AHEAD AS LEVY LOOMS IN 2017 Many of the courses currently used by the motor industry to fill around 13,000 apprentice vacancies every year are facing cuts of up to 50 per cent.

The government has announced new funding arrangements for apprenticeships in connection with introduction of the apprenticeship levy in 2017.

This has sparked fears that businesses will suffer a trainee drought, worsening an already-critical skills shortage across the country.

The IMI said in a statement it believes the government’s plans are aimed at pushing its own ‘Trailblazer’ or ‘Employer Standards’ apprenticeships. ‘These courses attract three times the funding under the new arrangements than most current training schemes – £18,000 for a level 3 compared with £6,000 for the three-year courses available now.

‘However, with just one exception, none of the new schemes for the motor industry have been completed. Most won’t be fit for purpose for some time. In the meantime, some of the existing courses will become economically unviable for colleges to provide, leaving employers and learners in difficulty,’ it said.

IMI chief executive Steve Nash said: ‘These proposed

funding levels will leave some vital apprenticeships with up to 50 per cent less funding. Employers around the country will struggle to get training places for their apprentices under this system. How can this possibly support the government’s aim to create more apprenticeships?

‘The reform of the apprenticeship system, which was initiated by the coalition government and continues under the Conservatives, has been piecemeal, with successive skills ministers adding their own elements and responding to different recommendations from various reviews.

‘Information on key things like the levy has been sporadic and untimely and huge amounts of responsibility have been delegated to the Institute for Apprenticeships – a body that doesn’t even exist as yet! It is no wonder there are unintended consequences from many of the changes currently being rushed through.

‘Newly appointed apprentice minister Robert Halfon has a golden opportunity to undertake an end-to-end review of the whole reform process and ensure that the new system is absolutely fit for purpose before the existing one – which delivered well over two million apprentice starts in the last parliament – is rendered unusable.’

WorkShopMagazine.co.uk

| 05

COMING UP IN ISSUE 13

FULL COVERAGE OF OUR INAUGURAL WORKSHOP POWER AWARDS + Who took home the trophies + + Pages of pictures + + Full reports + 06 | WorkShopMagazine.co.uk

NEWS.

NEWS ROUND-UP

| A1 MOTOR STORES |

Members are given easier access to site

What’s been making the headlines at workshops around the United Kingdom?

PORTADOWN:

Euro Car Parts has increased its footprint in Northern Ireland by opening a new branch in County Armagh. The 6,500sq ft, two-storey building in Diviny Drive will house 23 members of staff. Eight vans will provide a six-day, 30-minute delivery service to Portadown and Lurgan, and hourly deliveries to the Armagh and Moira areas, as well as covering Banbridge, Dromore and Newry.

YORKSHIRE:

Electrical specialist Autoelectro has introduced a free online technical hub to help technicians improve their knowledge of fitting starters and alternators.

The resource offers a variety of useful online tools and services designed to help technicians diagnose correctly, as well as refining their product information and providing them with handy tips. The Bradford company’s website can be accessed by signing up for free.

AFTERMARKET buying group A1 Motor Stores has unveiled a new B2B website.

Designed to allow all of A1’s 170 members easier access to the A12U Distribution Centre, the site lets users browse through the 10,000 lines in stock and take advantage of the type of performance expected in today’s e-commerce world.

Working closely with newly appointed IT consultant Edmondson’s IT Services, A1 has revealed a complete overhaul of its previous site in order to improve user experience.

Members can access their own private user space to place orders and build a sales history.

| MOT |

Card security to be made tougher NOMINATED Testers at MOT centres are due to get a new security card later this year to replace the current PIN system.

Intended to make the MOT service less susceptible to improper and fraudulent tests, the card works in a similar way to card readers for online banking. Each time the button on the front of the card is pressed it generates a new six-digit PIN. The Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency has been trying out the card and new authentication process at around 300 testing stations, reporting largely positive feedback.

OXFORDSHIRE:

British Motor Heritage of Witney had to halt production of its classic Mini Clubman bodyshells when it turned out that a family of birds had taken roost in the specialist tooling that was required for the model. In the interests of nature conservation, British Motor Heritage worked around the great tits until the last fledglings had left. The company, which was established in 1975, also has robins nesting in an old gas bottle!

ISLE OF WIGHT:

A suspected arson attack destroyed several business premises in Wroxall, including Castle Garage. Nine appliances and more than 30 firefighters were called out, but the presence of gas cylinders at the Castle Works site in Castle Road meant that the crews had to work outside a 25m exclusion zone. A spotter drone was used for the first time to provide aerial images. No injuries were reported.

| HAVOLINE |

Freddie Hunt made brand ambassador

LONDON:

GSF Car Parts has hailed the open evening held at its Tottenham branch in July as a resounding success.

More than 200 people attended from a thriving local trade customer base that’s propelled the branch from its opening just three years ago to being one of the top-performing outlets in GSF’s national network. The event was supported by key suppliers including Schaeffler, Banner, Sealey and Cataclean.

FREDDIE Hunt has been announced as Havoline’s brand ambassador.

The professional racing driver son of 1976 Formula 1 World Champion James Hunt will be supporting the launch of the new Havoline range across Europe, renewing the relationship with the Hunt family that began 40 years ago.

Texaco, now part of Havoline’s parent company the Chevron Corporation, was a key sponsor of Hunt senior in his title-winning season.

Racing in the 2016 NASCAR Whelen Euro Series, Freddie Hunt will carry Havoline branding on his race suit for the season, and will represent the company at media appearances, product launches and industry events.

WorkShopMagazine.co.uk

| 07

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FAULT FINDER.

CHRIS ROUTLEDGE OF AUTOLOGIC DISCUSSES DIAGNOSTICS

No need to hit the roof if your convertible causes consternation It’s easy to feel the wind in your face again if the opening cycle fails to complete

I

magine the nightmare situation – you get in your convertible Mini on a hot summer’s day and reach for the button to open the roof. But as it moves back, you see a warning symbol in the instrument cluster displaying a fault with the roof.

The roof hasn’t completed its opening cycle and has become stuck half-open. This will also stop the boot from opening and the windows may stop functioning, as the vehicle doesn’t know what’s going on with the roof position.

Fortunately, workshops with AssistPlus and access to the Autologic Fault 2 Fix Team, providing vehicle diagnostic support, will be able to help you sort out this frustrating fault.

Here is what’s happening and how you can put right the problem...

The source is either the right or left cowl panel hooks not aligning with the stowage lock locating points, or that the hall sensor isn’t correctly adjusted or is faulty.

The repair involves simply carrying out a quick test with the AssistPlus diagnostic device.

You can check the live data positions of the roof by going into Body > CVM > Diagnostic Request > Roof and Switch Positions. This will allow you to see what the roof readings should be in four different positions.

If one of the readings is incorrect, then the roof will stop working.

In this case, the roof needs to be in the open position, so release the hydraulic pressure on the pump, which will allow you to manually open the roof. You can now check the live data for the Main Pillar Stowed

and you’ll see the reading is saying NO when it should be YES. Next, open the roof to gain access to the stowage lock locating points.

The pin for the front panel should align with the stowage point but it’s missing its target, which is causing the fault.

Remove the plastic trim covering the stowage lock. Under the trim there will be two Torx bolts and screws. Slacken off both of the Torx bolts and screws, then lower the roof into the loosened stowage locks. When the roof is fully lowered, retighten the Torx bolts and screws.

Fault Finder: Mini R57 Convertible roof jammed Symptoms

The roof will only partially open and a Check Control message displays a red padlock symbol, indicating a roof locking fault. The boot lid cannot be opened using the outside handle and the windows can also be stuck open.

Cause

Left or right cowl panel hooks are not aligning with the stowage lock locating points, or the hall sensor for the stowage lock isn’t correctly adjusted or is faulty.

Repair

Carry out a quick test with the AssistPlus diagnostic device. The result will be ‘no fault stored’.

F1. If the red Check Control message has gone out and the red LED isn’t flashing in the roof buttons, check that the boot lid can be opened from the outside. If so, the fault is fixed. Refit the trims covering the stowage locks.

F2. If the red Check Control message is still showing, with the roof fully opened, follow the next steps. On the left-hand stowage lock place a magnetic strip of metal between the hall sensor (for the stowage lock) and the retaining hook. If the red LED light goes out on the roof buttons and the

Check Control message disappears, then the hall sensor will require adjusting closer to the retaining hook. The ideal air gap is 2mm.

F3. If the red LED light or the Check Control message remains, check the wiring to the hall sensor with the aid of wiring diagrams and the assistance of your Autologic Assist Master technician to diagnose the wiring or hall sensor fault.

WHO IS CHRIS ROUTLEDGE? Chris is master technician at Autologic Diagnostics Ltd. He discusses the most common vehicle faults – plus how to diagnose and fix them fast – in Workshop Magazine every month.

WorkShopMagazine.co.uk

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NEWS.

First Bosch tech learners graduate Class of 2016 tell how useful apprenticeship scheme has been

T

he first eight technicians on Bosch’s apprenticeship scheme have graduated from the three-year course at the Bosch Service Training Centre near London.

Established three years ago to coincide with the centenary of Robert Bosch taking on his first apprentice, the scheme will see the company’s largest intake of apprentices this month.

It allows them to benefit from practical and theoretical training while earning a living, providing a balance of workplace experience and technical training.

At the end of their course, the apprentices will have learnt the necessary skills to complete their level two and level three VRQ and VCQ, as well as their IMI accreditation.

Alongside offering opportunities for young technicians, the scheme has the long-term goal of offering garages a quality apprentice

programme they can rely on, helping them to future-proof skill sets. It provides the garage with the added value of an apprentice being trained by Bosch on Bosch equipment, with a full induction, mentoring and monitoring structure.

Frazer Currall, an apprentice at Bond Street Car Service, Leicester, said of the scheme: ‘The past three years have been challenging but fun.

‘I’ve learnt more than just being an automotive technician, I’ve learnt new skills for life, and it was all made possible by some great tutors.’

Chris Golding from Barrett-Lee in Suffolk agreed, saying: ‘I’ve gained a lot of skills and I’m very pleased with what I’ve achieved.’

At a ceremony celebrating the end of their

time with Bosch, each technician was given a certificate, personalised pen and an OBD 100 – a pocket-sized diagnostic tool for fault reading.

Alex Gibson, apprentice trainer and assessor at Bosch, who presented them with their certificates, said: ‘We are incredibly proud of our apprentices and how much they have learnt and improved over the past three years.

‘It is sad to see them move on but we know they will carry their knowledge with them as they continue in their careers.’

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NEWS. | FERODO |

Snack offer aims to brighten breaks GARAGE workers could find their rest breaks catered for by a promotion from Ferodo in September and October.

By purchasing Ferodo products from participating distributors in the next two months, they will receive a snack selection box in a limited-edition tin.

Two versions are available, with the Brew Time box containing tea bags, coffee, cookies and a Ferodo teaspoon while the Lunch Time tin will hold instant soups and a pack of croutons.

Jonathan Allen, regional marketing manager at Federal-Mogul Motorparts, said: ‘Ferodo Snack Time is our latest way to reward customer loyalty. We know that our customers work hard and we want to help make break times even more enjoyable.’

| PAGID |

Bound for Mauritius after contest win A LUCKY customer of Pagid is to go on the holiday of a lifetime after winning the braking brand’s Summer BrakeAway competition.

Ben Darcy, who owns Darcy’s of Durham, scooped the grand prize of a break for two at Blue Bay on the Indian Ocean island of Mauritius after buying Pagid braking products from Euro Car Parts in July.

He said: ‘I’m so glad that I entered the Pagid Summer Brake-Away competition. I was delighted when Pagid told me I’d won a holiday to Mauritius! We can’t wait to jet off!’

Darcy was one of 10 winning customers in the competition.

| GSF CAR PARTS |

VW Caddy vans added to delivery fleet NATIONAL motor factor GSF Car Parts has invested in 10 new VW Caddy vans to be used across the branch network.

The vehicles will be added to the existing fleet, rather than used as replacements, enabling even more frequent local deliveries.

The vans were chosen using criteria to evaluate a full range of factors, including load capacity, fuel economy, purchase price and anticipated running cost – with the VW Caddy scoring well across the board. The vans also have trackable forward-facing cab cameras.

12 | WorkShopMagazine.co.uk

Second Automechanika will be twice size of first Event director tells how next year’s exhibition at the NEC ‘will help us to attract the right type of visitors’

by ANDREW EVANS @snavEwerdnA

A

fter the success of 2016’s inaugural event, Automechanika Birmingham will double in size for its 2017 return.

The exhibition, returning to the NEC, will be paired with Reifen, a global trade fair for the tyre sector.

By holding the two events in the same place at the same time, the hall format can be improved over the 2016 show and will take over halls 6 and 17 to 20.

Divided into three zones – Aftermarket, Supply Chain and Reifen – the layout will help drive the right visitors to exhibitors.

Just over two months into booking exhibitor stands for the 2017 event, which takes place from June 6 to 8, 90 per cent of 2016’s exhibitors have already secured their location.

Exhibitors who have rebooked into the Aftermarket zone include Schaeffler, ZF, Hella, Valeo, Denso, Delphi, NGK, Unipart, Osram, Mann+Hummel, Bilstein, Mapco, Draper Tools, JHM Butt and

p Attendees at the inaugural Automechanika Birmingham this year Michelin. New exhibitors for 2017 include Liqui Moly, Crypton, Pioneer, Mutlu, FTE Automotive GmbH and Comline Auto Parts, and less than 20 per cent of space remains in the aftermarket halls.

The Aftermarket Theatre in hall 19 will offer educational content covering the latest trends, industry developments, business advice and technology showcases shaping the future of the industry.

Offering keynote lectures and discussion topics, the theatre is set to be a great pull for garages, motor factors and dealers.

As with 2016, the Society of Motor Manufacturers & Traders will be supporting Automechanika Birmingham, bringing its flagship event, Open Forum, along.

Event director Simon Albert said: ‘In the interest of 2017 exhibitors,

the change in layout, increase of hall space and three discrete zones will help us to attract the right type of visitors to Automechanika Birmingham. We are working on an intensive marketing campaign with specific promotional messaging to focus on attracting more independent garage owners and technicians in 2017.

‘As well as this, the show will house an aftermarket-focused theatre offering seminars and demonstrations attracting more aftermarket visitors and therefore ensuring the buyer footfall is kept to an outstanding level for exhibitors.’

This year’s event, which had 550 exhibitors, saw more than 12,000 trade visitors pour through the doors, with Albert commenting: ‘We delivered an all-encompassing event that exceeded all expectations.’

| LEGAL ACTION |

RAC to clamp down on garages falsely using its brand

THE RAC is to more strictly control the use of its brand in the garage sector after the motoring organisation became aware of a number of garages that were employing the RAC brand incorrectly or even falsely.

RAC Approved Garages spokesman Gary Wrightson-Heyworth said: ‘The RAC is aware of some garages using its logo without any permission or association and this is something that we will be clamping down on. Only those garages which are approved under our new retail scheme to offer and

arrange our branded products and services, such as the RAC MOT Check and Repair Plan and the RAC Service Plan, are allowed to use our brand.

‘Garages not offering these branded products and services are not approved and are not permitted to use the RAC brand or Approved Garage status.

‘The RAC brand is rightly valued by customers as one of the most trustworthy in the UK and allowing its use in an uncontrolled manner where our brand equity

is endangered makes no sense. Garages spuriously using the RAC brand will be sought out and appropriate legal action will be taken where necessary to stop any unauthorised and misleading use. This is something that we are very much determined to stop.’

The RAC is stepping up its presence in the garage sector in response to growing demand by launching a plan to work with the country’s best garages with a view to supporting its eight-million-strong customer base.

| WONDERFUL WIN |

Service for pick-up truck leads to luxury weekend break scoop in prize draw

p Craig Steele, left, gives Richard Oldroyd his prize at MB Motors in Bradford

A BUILDER from Huddersfield has won a luxury weekend away after getting his Mitsubishi L200 pick-up truck serviced.

Richard Oldroyd, 65, won the prize, which includes dinner, wine and spa treatments, after entering a prize draw when he took his vehicle to MB Motors in Bradford.

The father-of-two, who runs R W Oldroyd and Sons Ltd, said: ‘I thought somebody was taking the mick when they rang to say I had won. It was a bolt out of the blue.

‘My son James, who works with me, will probably want to have the

Comline is given Queen’s Award for overseas trade

A

ftermarket parts supplier Comline Auto Parts has received The Queen’s Award for Enterprise: International Trade.

It was presented to managing director Divyesh Kamdar by the LordLieutenant of Bedfordshire – the Queen’s personal representative – at its Luton HQ in front of staff, trade media and industry bodies.

Kamdar said: ‘What a moment this is for everyone associated with Comline. We are incredibly proud to

be a British company, and I can think of no greater honour than receiving such an important accolade directly from the Queen.

‘Comline continues to enjoy considerable success here in the UK, but our export growth over the past four years has been nothing short of staggering. The hard work of our staff, coupled with the efforts of our valued distributors, has seen overseas business treble since 2012.

‘To be recognised for this achievement is hugely gratifying

and something that Comline will wear as a badge of honour over the coming years.’ Lord-Lieutenant Helen Nellis said: ‘This is a significant achievement for Comline Auto Parts Ltd and brings immediate prestige and enhanced reputation, and is a recognition of the tremendous success of the organisation, its workforce and leadership.

‘Congratulations to Comline Auto Parts Ltd for its continuing success.’

The Queen’s Award is regarded as the UK’s highest business accolade.

| CYBERSECURITY |

Connected cars lead to hack fears CAR hacking is becoming a growing concern, says an electronics giant.

Harman said the growth of connected cars meant that the prospect of cyber attacks on vehicles was becoming an increasingly serious one, as any wireless link could provide a conduit for hackers.

‘A few years ago, the concept of automotive cybersecurity was largely confined to industry experts,’ said Harman director Asaf Atzmon.

‘Now it’s a topic that consumers are asking about. According to a survey, in some countries as many as 59 per cent of buyers are actively concerned about the prospect of car hacking.’

| FUND-RAISER |

GEA golf day raises thousands for BEN

| PARTNERSHIP |

Win-win as tyre maker hooks up with top football club COOPER Tire Europe has become the official tyre partner of a German Bundesliga team.

The three-year partnership with Mainz 05 starts with their first home game of the 2016/2017 season, against TSG 1899 Hoffenheim on Sunday, September 11.

The Cooper logo will be visible to local fans and the wider German TV audience via extensive broadcast coverage.

Club chief executive Dag Heydecker said: ‘The brand values of Mainz 05 and Cooper are a perfect match. Cooper combines

weekend away, so we will have to see who gets it. I’m obviously delighted to win, though – the staff at the dealership have been great to deal with, they’re first class.’

Whichever of them goes on the trip will be able to pick a destination from a choice of exclusive UK hotels.

After sales manager Craig Steele said: ‘It was great to be able to give Mr Oldroyd a call and tell him the good news, and I hope he gets to enjoy a well-deserved break. Richard and his son James use the L200 for work and for going off road, so it really is the ideal vehicle for them.’

tradition with innovation and successful corporate strategy.’ Cooper Tire Europe already has a partnership with Premier League team Arsenal, and managing director Jeff

Schumaker said: ‘Over the last few years we have shown through our association with Arsenal that football sponsorships are one of the best ways of promoting the Cooper name to a mass audience.

‘We are delighted to be extending our football partnerships across Europe with this sponsorship of the successful Bundesliga team Mainz 05.

‘This presents us with the ideal opportunity to increase brand awareness in the German market, which is one of our key territories.’

THIS year’s annual golf day organised in aid of the automotive charity BEN by the Garage Equipment Association raised more than £2,500.

The event – held at Whittlebury Hall Golf Club in Northamptonshire on August 11 – saw MAHA UK take home the GEA Team Cup out of the 12 teams taking part, with Premier Diagnostics runners-up. Meanwhile, the ASNU team scooped the BEN Cup, with Auto Trader runners-up.

A GEA spokeswoman told Workshop: ‘It was a very successful day and enjoyed by everyone who took part.’

WorkShopMagazine.co.uk

| 13

NEWS.

New facilities at MG Longbridge State-of-the-art equipment now in place to aid testing

S

tate-of-the-art test facilities have been installed at MG Motor UK’s Longbridge site – demonstrating the manufacturer’s commitment to the future and the quality of its products.

A total of £1.2m has been invested to install a fifth engine test facility and to further enhance the vehicle rolling road.

The engine test facility is significantly better than the existing test resource and brings with it a major step-change for MG Motor’s test and development capability.

Typically, vehicle emission testing on a rolling road has been outsourced, but now engineers can carry out the required tests in the correct temperature-controlled environment with full emission measurement capability. They also benefit from having the technical centre on site for continuous product development.

Being able to carry out vehicle emissions and engine development on site allows engineers to ensure that the engines going into MG products are at their best for emissions, performance and fuel economy. The engineers can run test engines through a complete transient drive cycle with the ability to control the temperature and humidity of the intake air and also the temperature of the coolant, oil and fuel.

James Scott, powertrain test senior manager, said: ‘The money that’s been invested in this new testing facility shows a real commitment to the future of MG. This additional test cell and

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enhanced rolling road allows us to continue to get the very best performance and economy.’

The new engine test facilities are just one of many new developments for the UK-based design and engineering centre. MG also recently announced an expansion to the design team at Longbridge, following the successful UK launch of the MG GS in June.

Matthew Cheyne, MG’s head of sales and marketing, added: ‘It’s great to see the company taking even more strides forward.’

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| 15

FEATURES. HOW I MADE IT

„James Cameron at Mission Motorsport

16 | WorkShopMagazine.co.uk

PICTURES: JONNY FLEETWOOD

‘WE’RE ON A MISSION TO HELP PEOPLE PUT THEIR LIVES BACK TOGETHER’ Mission Motorsport is the charity that helps men and women who have been medically discharged from the military find a new career in civilian life through motorsports.

ANDREW EVANS went to base camp in Wantage to find out how the project came about and met founder and chief executive James Cameron, who is a former Army major

I

t was really very straightforward. I have always loved motorsport and I saw an opportunity to use something I really loved to do in order to help people in their recovery as they were seeking to put their lives back together, having been affected by military operations. It’s relatively easy to use something which you’re passionate about to help engender some of that enthusiasm in others.

I’ve always raced despite the Army. I started off doing a bit of off-roading and rallying. I’ve always loved cars and been a petrolhead since forever, and I’ve instructed and raced. When I was based in Germany I instructed at the Nurburgring, and when they brought me back to the UK and posted me in Suffolk, Snetterton became the track of choice.

Because you don’t earn a fortune in the military, a nice way for me to get to access the kind of stuff that otherwise I wouldn’t have been able to, instruction was one way and journalism was the other. I wrote for evo, a bit for 911 and Porsche World and also Pistonheads and the like, helping others with magazine tests. As you know, that can give you privileged access to all sorts of things.

It was that and the connections I made through that I really leaned on when I came back from Afghanistan in 2011.

I had discussed little bits and pieces of it but in the past I’ve always used my motorsport connections to raise money for for service charities.

In 2010 into 2011 a couple of things had changed.

I think the service charity sector was really shaken up by Help for Heroes, this incredible new, vibrant, beautifully branded, really articulate thing that captured the zeitgeist of people who wanted to support the troops without there being any of the politics of whether they thought we should be in Iraq and Afghanistan or not – recognising that actually the guys haven’t made that decision.

They’re there doing it because that’s their job and they’re there so that we don’t have to do it.

A cutaway engineering model donated to the charity by Ford Australia

That was wonderful and gave us a real swell of support for the services, but it came at a time when the need was growing exponentially.

Our red Beamer used to live out in Germany at the Nurburgring, so it’s actually raced at the Ring as well – it raced in RCN. Back in 2009, when I’d been posted back to the UK, I was asked by Pistonheads to do a piece on a new MSV race series that was starting, called Trackday Trophy.

I brought the car back to the UK and entered it in the first race of this new championship at Brands Hatch in appalling rain. I was leading the race at the one-third point when the windscreen wipers failed, so I did the rest of the race looking out of the side windows.

It’s got a lovely race history and a lot of wins behind it, and it was the car I started taking guys out in. So it all began using my own stuff. There was a bit of manufacturer support, too – Mazda UK was quick to support us with the donation of seven old Mk1 MX-5s. We had to pay a pound for each to allow the title to hand over and I think we still owe them the £7. Everything you see here is begged, borrowed, stolen or appropriated from elsewhere!

One of the offers that I had, I had up my sleeve when I went away to Afghanistan. It was an offer of going racing with the Lotus series to do the Elise Trophy or Lotus On Track and to do an arrive and drive. That WorkShopMagazine.co.uk

| 17

FEATURES. HOW I MADE IT

Somehow, our man Andrew will always find an MX-5 to gravitate towards, even among Mission Motorsports’ treasure trove of classics had been donated by the people that ran the series. It was a fantastic opportunity and I would have auctioned it off for a good couple of thousand quid, but it occurred to me that I actually had blokes who would love that opportunity. I did worry that this prize was a lot to invest in one individual, but we got Martyn Coplestone through his race licence – I was actually too busy to do any instruction myself – but when he went and raced at the Donington Lotus Festival he did it supported by a team of his peers.

They threw themselves into every role around the car in order to make it happen. With a miniendurance format you’ve got driver changes, you’ve got refuelling, you’ve got things like that. The boys ended up wearing race suits, running around doing refuelling rigs, doing pit team management from the wall, and even one 19-year-old soldier repaired the race truck when the hydraulics failed and they couldn’t load the car at the end of the day.

18 | WorkShopMagazine.co.uk

That race team rang us up the next week and said: ‘Is Will Madden available, because we’re a mechanic short for Barcelona, please can we borrow him?’ So they pinched this young soldier and went and took him out to Barcelona and he found himself spannering in the pit lane at a major international 24-hour race, having never done anything like that before.

He flew home, his mum washed his kit for him and he reported straight to the pit lane at Silverstone to be trained by Jota to be the numberone right-hand man on the wheel. It was him that I was then in discussion with about putting him in full-time employment and at that point I realised we needed to do this properly.

Move on a year to the Nissan, running that car we’ve got Matt Noakes, who’s now working full time as an engineer at Bentley with no technical qualifications to his name until he came to us, and James Longmate, who was at Le Mans with

Prodrive and Aston Martin Racing and is in his second year of a motorsport engineering degree.

We had another guy there whose horizons were more family-orientated. He wanted to settle in Wiltshire where he’d been based and keep the kids in the same school, and he used a letter from Bob Neville [team principal of RJN Motorsport] at his interview to become a plumber and out of 90-odd candidates he got the job. Somebody on the panel recognised Bob Neville and asked how he’d come to have a letter of recommendation from Bob and they talked about motorsports for the entire interview.

I don’t care where they end up as long as they end up doing something they love and that meets their needs and that’s a wider picture than shiny motorsports. The shiny stuff is just a tool that we use to unlock the human potential underneath but it’s quite an effective one!

When I talk to heads of industry I have to spend very little time convincing them of the qualities of

Andrew talks to James in front of the well-travelled BMW that started it all off in the charity’s training workshop

service personnel that make them desirable from leave, you pack everything up and leave no trace of an employer’s point of view. The people who don’t you again. get it are the blokes – they think, ‘I’m an infanteer, It’s what I spent all of my military career doing. there’s no jobs for me in civvy street’. They don’t see You get metal boxes to the right place at the right the huge carry-across of lots of things that they time with the right stuff and people in them do and how valuable and useful they can and it’s exactly the same in motorsport – be to employers. there’s a lot that carries across.

The forces are an exciting place It’s easy for the guys to come – you join them for the exciting across to and feel quite at home I don’t care where stuff. It’s not exciting all the time, relatively quickly. Often for the they end up as long you get little peaks of it that first time they’re able to look as they end up doing make the boring stuff in between sideways at civvies and think ‘I something they love. worthwhile. Motorsport is exactly can do that’ about something they the same. You get a small group of never thought they could do. people who don’t necessarily work It started off as all volunteer stuff together the whole time and you go and – leaning on people in order to help do something on an expeditionary basis. out with little bits and pieces and it was very Everything’s packed up, you go to somewhere personal. I was doing something for my guys. where there’s no trace of you, you make it But when Mission Motorsport launched in 2012 absolutely brilliant to do a job and then when you it was service-wide and combined service and had

”

gained in size and momentum. We really haven’t slowed down since.

I remember when the T-shirts first came out.

I was used to Mission Motorsport, being on the team. We were at Silverstone, it’s really busy, there’s loads of stuff happening and I just wanted to grab hold of people – but suddenly everyone is wearing Mission Motorsport stuff and I don’t know who’s on the team any more!

We’re on the edge of just being able to get really excited about talking about the Royal British Legion, who are joining Help for Heroes in order to help fund an extended vocational package, because in some areas we’re generating many more job opportunities than just wounded, injured and sick ex-forces personnel can fulfil.

Why not tell us your story in How I Made It? Call the Workshop team on 023 9252 2434 WorkShopMagazine.co.uk

| 19

We’re looking for the best garages for our RAC Approved Garages Network. We don’t mind if you’re large or small – it’s quality that counts. Gaining approval gives you access to a whole range of RAC products and services including our new RAC MOT Check & Repair Plan and RAC Service Plan.

If you’d like to apply, contact us today and you could soon be harnessing the power of RAC Approved Garages Status.

Email: racapprovedgarages@rac.co.uk Visit: rac.co.uk/approvedgarages Quote: WSM02 20 | WorkShopMagazine.co.uk

DEAR RAC.

GARY WRIGHTSON-HEYWORTH FROM THE RAC ANSWERS YOUR QUESTIONS

DON’T start the engine to limit any problems caused by misfuelling M isfuelling is a common problem that we get called out to on a regular basis and it’s easily done, with it occurring on average every three minutes in the UK. Roughly 150,000 motorists fill their tank with the wrong fuel every year.

Over the past few weeks we’ve seen a few instances of vehicles that have been accidentally misfuelled and the engines have been started in order to release the steering lock or electronic parking brake to move or recover the vehicle.

Starting the engine will circulate the fuel through the fuel system, causing contamination to components that could mean that the entire fuel system requires costly repairs.

The ignition can be switched on to release the parking brake or electronic steering lock without actually starting the engine.

On most new vehicles (and usually always with start/stop systems), as long as you don’t put your foot on the clutch or brake, the ignition will come on without the engine starting.

If you’re dealing with a misfuelled vehicle, make sure you’re aware of how to turn the ignition on without actually starting the engine.

Best practice is crucial when fitting space saver wheels WE’VE heard of incidents where a space saver-type wheel has been fitted to a vehicle at the roadside only to come loose while the car is being driven away.

Because changing wheels is such a large part of our roadside activity and the consequences of getting such a simple task wrong can be catastrophic, we always adopt best practice when fitting a spare wheel to a vehicle.

Spare wheels can often become dirty and corroded through lack of use, they’re an old wheel that has been used before, or they are stowed underneath the rear of the vehicle where they are open to the elements. So, if you’re

attending a vehicle for a puncture or wheel change that has a temporary-use-type of spare wheel supplied, take care when fitting it to ensure that the wheel has a clean mating surface, especially where it has been stowed beneath the vehicle, and that it is free from defects and damage.

Ensure that you use any manufacturer-supplied nuts or bolts specifically designed for use with the temporary-use spare wheel, and that they’re fitted and tightened/torqued to the specifications for the vehicle.

This is regardless of the type of wheel supplied – standard steel wheel, space saver, collapsible type, etc.

Vauxhall Astra DPF sensor IF YOU’RE dealing with a 2013 model year Vauxhall Astra that’s suffering from a loss of power and/or poor running faults, there may also be a warning message displayed on the dash indicating engine

overheating and the temperature gauge in the high position even when the engine is cold.

The fault has been caused by a DPF sensor fault and will require a main dealer repair.

GARY WRIGHTSON-HEYWORTH is RAC Networks Manager If you have any questions you’d like to ask the RAC, contact us at dearrac@workshopmagazine.co.uk WorkShopMagazine.co.uk

| 21

FEATURES. INTERVIEW

WANT SOMETHING SPECIAL? WE CAN DO IT!

ANDREW EVANS visits Mitsubishi’s Specialist Vehicle Operations workshop in Cirencester, where vehicles for a variety of emergency services and other fleet clients are prepared.

W

hether you’re constantly ploughing a furrow up and down the country or you only head a few miles to and from work every day, you probably can’t miss the variety of response vehicles that share the roads with us.

From the blue-light vehicles used by the emergency services – and the Highways Agency vehicles often mistaken for them – down to the rapid-response vans used by utilities companies, there’s a lot of highly specialist machinery out there on our highways and byways.

These vehicle fleets are hard to create. What’s good for an electricity company won’t be great for a paramedic first responder; while something that suits one police force might not meet another’s requirements. Some outfits that run their own fleet may choose to adapt their vehicles to their own designs, but ultimately no-one knows the

22 | WorkShopMagazine.co.uk

cars and their capabilities like the people who made them originally.

This is where Mitsubishi’s Specialist Vehicle Operations (MSVO) comes in. An in-house arm of the manufacturer itself, based a few hundred yards from the Colt Car Company (CCC) headquarters in Cirencester, MSVO has been providing bespoke fleet solutions for Mitsubishi cars, vans and trucks for almost 15 years.

‘It first started with the odd few being done at the import centre at Portbury,’ Darren Hughes, MSVO manager, tells us. ‘It was probably one or two a year but it was just the fleet sales guys who were here at the time wanting to test the water.

‘After that, it started to grow and it moved into our head office at CCC where the training department is. The staff was one technician, one workshop manager and that was it – we’re currently at 17 people here!

‘From there we went to an airfield just outside Cirencester, with a big hangar.’

The current home for MSVO is a former Mitsubishi dealership, squirrelled away on an industrial estate. With an unassuming frontage and slightly awkward access, it’s hard to see how this place can be where every single police Shogun, Highways Agency Outlander or fire and rescue service L200 has been built, but once inside, it doesn’t take long to work out why Mitsubishi chose this location.

At the back is a significant space. With the volume of vehicles that MSVO gets through – it’s producing around one finished vehicle every day of the year – it’s quite cosy in there, but there are eight bays of two-post lifts, two dedicated paint booths and a valet bay.

The whole thing is bisected by a central driveway that takes vehicles from arrival on one

Darren Hughes at the MSVO workshop in Gloucestershire PICTURES: JONNY FLEETWOOD

side to a large car park at the rear. When we visit, there are 16 vehicles on the premises – a fairly typical figure, we are told.

The range of clients is fascinating. Alongside the fairly common police and highways vehicles, MSVO produces adapted cars for fire and rescue services, airports, utility companies and ambulance services. In fact, the bays are currently filled with a 50:50 split of prototype L200s being produced for a telecoms firm and a fleet of paramedic first responder Outlander PHEVs. Some of the PHEVs are being fitted with solar panels on the roof, which is an unusual modification, but the telecoms vans are the interesting challenge.

‘According to the guys that have asked for it, nobody has done this before,’ says Hughes. ‘We mount a 12-metre mast in the cab behind the front seats, which is a bit of a challenge.’

These vehicles are designed to go to places where mobile coverage has failed – hence the L200 base – and fill in with their temporary mast while repairs are carried out. Hughes continues: ‘It’s good, because this company is going to other network providers to say ‘‘this is what we’ve done’’. The first vehicle was really challenging – with us building the vehicle and it being tested by the end user, it’s probably been about four months. The power systems are key for them because they have so much comms equipment and they have to run this mast and aerial.’

While locating a 12-metre mast inside a car may seem like the limits of complexity, there’s no end of challenges to the creations MSVO turns out – not least regulatory. When it comes to creating some of the more focused police vehicles, there’s a number of legal hoops to jump through. Firearms WorkShopMagazine.co.uk

| 23

FEATURES.

vehicles, for instance, have set requirements for the secure storage of weapons and ammunition, but that’s not the end of it.

Hughes tells us: ‘One big one we’ve been challenged with recently and had success with is dog vans. It all came about through a company we were dealing with who’d been doing dog vans for a long time but weren’t prepared for us to fully build the vehicle here.

‘We were doing the lighting and them doing the dog parts and it was such a headache. We looked at totally redesigning it and the feedback we’re getting is amazing.’

One major advantage of having the manufacturer doing the work is that MSVO vehicles are all still subject to the original warranty and, for the most part, they can be serviced at any Mitsubishi dealership across the UK. ‘Ninety-nine per cent of the time One big one we’ve our dealer network will service, been challenged with repair and maintain the fleet Andrew Evans chats to Darren Hughes at the MSVO workshop recently and had vehicles out there. Some are done success with is by the individual fleet company.

‘We built the cars – we know weight sometimes and that’s a challenge in itself. dog vans The only time we get involved is if them inside out!’

MSVO doesn’t do any under-the-bonnet the dealer is uncomfortable or finds Many of these vehicles are tinkering though. Hughes notes that this is they’ve come to a dead end – like if there’s a selected for their sheer ability to largely down to the warranty and service status problem with the light bar – we will either go to carry as much stuff as possible, with these of the cars – the more deviation from standard them or get the car back here and get that sorted telecommunications L200s being something of specification, the harder it is to look after on a out and back to the customer. an extreme example. With all of the additional daily basis. ‘The only thing we do fit is an uprated ‘We have a dedicated helpdesk where the equipment on board, some of them could be suspension kit for the L200,’ comments Hughes, dealers will email us with all the details. We try getting close to their gross vehicle weight values ‘and that’s only so that the ride is better with the to fix things over the phone or by email first and – an Outlander PHEV, for example, has a GVW of extra weight.’ if we can’t do that then we get the vehicle back. around half a tonne more than its kerb weight.

Another advantage of providing an in-house ‘Sometimes it’s quicker and more cost-effective Hughes concurs that, with passengers, there’s solution is that MSVO is as much a part of the to just bite the bullet and get it back. not a lot of room for manoeuvre when it comes to fleet sales process as the vehicles themselves.

”

24 | WorkShopMagazine.co.uk

A lot of work the MSVO does is repeat business, with customers wanting replacements for vehicles they have had before Hughes notes: ‘The process for us really starts with the fleet sales guy. Their job is to go out, sell vehicles to the specialist fleet customer – police, highways, airports, amber, anything out there with a good enough volume for them to look at or anything specialist that we need to look at.

‘Then we run through the specification and see how we can do it, price it up and that’s what starts the ball rolling.

‘It usually starts with a brief from the end user to see what we can and can’t do.’

What MSVO can’t do seems to be a bit of an unknown quantity, and while the increase in the

production rate is coming from new business, a lot of customers return to Mitsubishi time and again because of the work MSVO does.

Hughes remarks: ‘We get a lot of repeat business. Most of the customers we deal with – whether new or we’ve been dealing with them for many years – already know the sort of product they want because it’s probably a replacement for something they’ve already had built.’

It’s not just the highly visible vehicles either, as MSVO has been responsible for one of the stealthiest fleet vehicles out there: the unmarked police car.

‘Covert Evos were always nice to do and we’ve done a few of those over the years,’ says Hughes.

‘Covert stuff is good to do. It’s a bit quirky, a bit different, you’re putting lights in places where you wouldn’t normally. You’re going from one end to the other, from a vehicle that needs to be seen as much as possible to one that needs to do a similar thing, but in a covert way.’

With the Evo no longer with us though, isn’t the covert market drying up?

‘We’ve done covert Shoguns recently as well which was nice – all I can tell you is that they are black!’

WorkShopMagazine.co.uk

| 25

MY PROJECT CAR.

LAURA THOMSON FINDS OUT ABOUT A LABOUR OF LOVE THAT STARTED WITH THE CAR IN PIECES

Esprit set to be first of many restorations for talented trio

R

obert Oates and Simon White are Lotus enthusiasts as well as firm friends. Oates owns a fully restored Excel – a job he did himself – while White has previously owned a number of Esprits.

So it’s little wonder that when the pair began to consider buying a classic to restore and sell from White’s garage based in Droxford, Hampshire, they both found themselves drawn to the very same eBay-listed Lotus, a 1983 Esprit.

As White was busy with the day-to-day dealings of Taylor’s Garage, it was down to Oates to visit and inspect the vehicle, which was about 40 miles north, in Thatcham, Berkshire.

‘The car was in pieces,’ Oates explained. ‘The engine and gearbox had been taken out by the previous owner, who thought they knew what they were doing. But when they took the engine apart, they realised it was above and beyond what they could do.’

Luckily, the seller had been extremely careful in their deconstruction, and labelled every last part. Once the car was in the possession of its new owners, the first job on the agenda was the gearbox, which was sent off to a local specialist to refurbish.

Meanwhile, Matt Kendell, manager of White’s Motors in Portsmouth – a sister garage – was taking apart the bottom end of the engine, in

order to replace the crankshaft. The existing crankshaft was the car’s original. However, Lotus had previously recalled these engines for a modification, which this example hadn’t received.

‘For us to do, the job is financially feasible, but for an amateur to do it would be nigh on impossible, because you need the experience to do it,’ said Oates. ‘We many not be Lotus dealers but Simon and his team have the expertise to do a proper job of it,’ he added.

White and Oates are sourcing the majority of parts for the restoration from Lotusbits.

This includes the aforementioned crankshaft, plus a number of the gearbox parts and the clutch assembly.

The midlands-based company also breaks the cars, so body panels are plentiful.

However, Oates adds, due to its fibre glass construction, the body is in remarkably good condition, with no rust or paintwork issues.

He continued: ‘For the interior, we’ll go to a local upholsterer who will retrim the seas and recolour the leather, so we can restore it to its original perfection – if that’s the right word to use.’

Once the restoration is complete – by late October/early November – the car will go on

sale at White’s garage. It will be the first of many classic restorations that the trio will complete, Oates hopes.

Of course, the project’s cost-effectiveness will need to be examined, with Oates estimating that they have already spent over £2,000 on the car – and that’s without taking labour hours into consideration.

But with a complete history file, and such a comprehensive rebuild, he hopes it will sell for more than enough to justify further projects.

And which classic is up next?

Oates ponders. ‘I don’t know, but I’m sure something will come up all of a sudden – something that looks interesting.’

Work on the restoration is well under way

DO YOU HAVE A PET PROJECT? LET US KNOW! We‘re looking for the cars that mechanics are doing up in their spare time. Email editorial@blackballmedia.co.uk and we‘ll do the rest.

26 | WorkShopMagazine.co.uk

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| 27

FEATURES.

THE FUTURE OF HEADLIGHT TECH IS ALREADY WITH US Vehicle lighting has come a long way in a short time. Here, ALEX WELLS is dazzled by headlight technology and looks at headlight testers as well.

W

e’ve said it before but it’s worth repeating – ‘the future is here’.

If you think headlights are all about traditional filament bulbs, you’d better take a closer look at the cars coming through your door. What you might think of as advanced headlight technology has been mainstream for a while.

Rising popularity

An HID bulb

Headlights – high intensity Tim Brotherton, marketing manager for Elta Automotive (Lucas Electrical), comments: ‘HID systems, also known as gas discharge bulbs, provide 200 per cent more light on the road than a standard halogen bulb. Unlike a standard halogen bulb, an HID system uses xenon gas, which is ignited by creating an electric arc between two electrodes.’

They’ve been around for a while. ‘HID bulbs first appeared in automotive applications in the early 1990s as an option on the BMW 7 Series, but it was not until the end of the decade, however, that the first bi-xenon headlights as we know them today appeared on the MercedesBenz CL-Class.’

There’s an appreciable power difference.

‘HID headlamp burners produce between 2,800 and 3,500 lumens from between 35 and 85 watts at 12.8 volts, compared with between 700 and 2,100 lumens using 40 to 72 watts on a standard halogen.

‘HID bulbs are designated an “S” burner or “R” burner. An “S” burner has a plain glass shield and is used in projector-type optics, whereas “R” burners are designed for reflective-type optics and have an opaque mask on certain parts of the

28 | WorkShopMagazine.co.uk

shield to create the cut-off boundary near the top of the low beam.’

Taking stock Prices for OE HID/gas discharge bulbs remain high, but aftermarket costs are coming down. So is it now time to put HID into stock?

‘HID bulbs have an average life of 2,000 hours compared with the standard bulb, which is between 450 and 1,000 hours,’ says Brotherton.

‘This equates to around 90,000 miles for the average driver and so HID bulbs are generally considered a “lifetime” bulb.

‘Because of this, many motor factors decided against holding stock of expensive HID bulbs, preferring to order on demand. While this made good sense a few years ago, now is the time to consider stocking a small range.’

Since then, HIDs have risen in popularity and an increasing number of vehicles fitted with them are entering the aftermarket. After all, 90,000 miles is by no means ‘end of life’ for a vehicle today, especially the high-end marques that commonly feature HID systems.

‘Lucas has seen a significant increase in demand for replacement HID bulbs in recent years and expects the trend in growth to continue. Lucas believes motor factors can capitalise on the growth within the aftermarket by choosing to stock a range of lower-cost, high-quality aftermarket HID bulbs in favour of ordering OE on demand.’

Brotherton adds: ‘Just like OE counterparts, Lucas HID bulbs provide 200 per cent more light on the road than standard halogen bulbs, producing between 2,800 and 3,500 lumens. They also boast the same average life of around 2,000 hours and replace both projector (S) and reflective (R)-type optics, including LLD1R, LLD1S, LLD2R, LLD2S, LLD3R, LLD3S, LLD4R and LLD4S.’

The future So where next for lighting? ‘LED technology is by no means new and many vehicles now feature light-emitting diode lighting,’ says Brotherton.

‘The super-quick response times of LEDs make them ideal for stop and tail lights, where they have become commonplace.’

Not for headlights, though. ‘The heatgenerating properties and costs have proven challenging for vehicle manufacturers. The 2009 Audi R8 V10 was the first car to feature all-LED lighting. However, there is another contender.

FOLLOW THE SUN A garage looking to invest in headlight beam testers has a range of options open to them.

Commenting on Snap-on’s offering, a spokesman said: ‘The Sun Headlight Tester is a fully adjustable DVSA-approved headlamp alignment unit that comes with a digital lux meter as standard.

‘The device also benefits from two lasers: the first for longitude alignment with the vehicle; the second a forward-facing laser, central to the lens for setting the height against the vehicle. Both lasers come with a 30-second auto-off timer as standard.’

Sun’s headlight tester is approved by the DVSA for the testing of all vehicle classes, with the appropriate rails at four metres for cars and light commercials.

For class V testing of HGV/PSV vehicles, an optional unit is available.

Additional extension rails are available on request.

It is adaptable for many headlight types. ‘The lens allows accurate focusing of all current types of headlights, including gas and xenon. The Sun Headlight Tester also comes with a laser alignment visor with auto off-timer for longitudinal alignment with the vehicle and a central lens laser pointer with auto off-timer for correct height adjustment to vehicle lights,' said the spokesman.

The latest BMW i8, Audi R8 LMX and the BMW 7 Series all use full-beam laser, which has a range of up to 600m – twice that of LED headlights.’

Adaptive lighting technology It’s not just the type of lights that are changing – it’s the application. Adaptive safety systems have made driving safer over the past decade, and adaptive vehicle lighting has been one of the most important recent developments.

When leaving a well-lit area, intelligent adaptive lighting allows the driver to permanently activate the vehicle’s high beams. In the latest systems, a camera mounted at the base of the rear-view mirror detects vehicles ahead in the same lane as well as oncoming vehicles and relays this information to the headlamp control unit.

The system then forms dark tunnel areas within the high-beam headlamp cone to dynamically ‘single out’ or ‘exclude’ vehicles in real time.

Hella UK’s senior head of marketing and communications, Helen Goldingay, says: ‘Due to its very nature, the adoption of adaptive lighting technology, which uses “intelligent” LED headlamps, will naturally make a significant contribution to reduce road accidents at night.’

Sensor controlled Strong support has come from CLEPA, the European Association of Automotive Suppliers. A study commissioned from the Technical University of Giessen via its LightSightSafety initiative compared the technology with conventional low-beam headlamp systems. The study cited the detection of a hazard on the road 105 feet, or 1.4 seconds, sooner when driving at 50mph.

In 2012, Hella introduced the world’s first camera-controlled headlamps with glare-free high-beam lighting.

The original system employed xenon bulbs as their light source. Today, several individually controlled LED light sources, known as the Matrix LED System, are integrated in glare-free high-beam headlamp lighting systems.

Such systems are already being seen within the aftermarket. Goldingay observes: ‘Hella launched sensor-controlled headlamps with adaptive front lighting systems (AFS), in 2006 and cameracontrolled headlamps in 2009.’

Lights in the workshop With the range of choice available, garages have an opportunity to help their customers get the best lights possible.

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| 29

FEATURES.

Cars rely on effective lights, of course, and so do workshops. TV’s Edd China recommends inspection lamps manufactured by Philips

‘I think the industry in the UK is slowly moving towards the mindset that is more commonplace in continental Europe, realising both the cost and performance benefits of fitting quality bulbs,’ says Richard Armstrong, UK country manager for Lumileds, Philips’ automotive lighting subsidiary.

‘The tendency has for far too long been simply price-driven, but other factors have come into play.’

With free space under the bonnet becoming more of a rarity, fitting a light bulb takes longer than ever before. Armstrong says workshops have to consider the potential consequences of fitting a lower-quality ‘budget’ bulb.

‘Not only do you fit a bulb with less margin in it for you, but you run the very real risk of it failing very quickly and having to replace it – at your cost on both product and labour.

Then there’s the potential damage to customer relations to consider.

‘So it really is a case of “penny-wise, poundfoolish” when it comes to bulbs.

‘We, as manufacturers, need to keep educating the trade and public alike as to why quality really counts, from every perspective – but of course, with road safety uppermost in mind.’

Two is better than one too, adds Armstrong.

‘Changing headlamps should be done as a pair, because if one bulb fails, the other is likely to follow. You don’t want a car running with a set of mismatched lights either.’

Fight the fakes One problem area where garages and consumers alike need to take utmost care is that of counterfeit bulbs, which has become a real issue, particularly with regard to HID xenon bulbs.

Armstrong comments: ‘Philips has led the way on fighting the fakes for three years now.

We have a certificate of authenticity on every HID xenon bulb package – a holographic device through which the purchaser has the confidence that they have chosen a genuine product, as they can check it against our live database – and it has a QR code on it to make it accessible for anyone with a smartphone, to make the information easy to access.

‘Make no mistake: the companies behind fake bulbs know what they are doing, and it is often part of a wider spread of illegal activity by those who are involved in the counterfeit product trade.

‘We are working with the authorities both at the place of manufacture and where they are being sold – most of which is through companies selling via the internet.’

Armstrong concludes: ‘Counterfeit bulbs have been seized and destroyed in their tens of thousands and prosecutions are pending. Other manufacturers are now joining us, but it is a real fight – as we know, a significant proportion of the product sold online is suspect.’

30 | WorkShopMagazine.co.uk

Headlight testers

Workshops need to think carefully about acquiring the right equipment to enable them to work on modern headlamps

Changes in headlight technology means you will need to update your headlight testing equipment, too. Phil Batchelor, marketing manager at Autoquip, comments: ‘The checking and adjusting procedure for headlamps will become increasingly difficult if you are using older equipment.

‘Headlamps with a single-point light source are a thing of the past. This makes the boundaries of the image on the screen less distinct.

‘Modern beam setters have light-capturing lenses and have been designed to work with xenon and clear lens headlights.

‘When replacing equipment, always check that it can cope with modern headlamps. According to VOSA, incorrect headlamp aim is the largest MOT failure item, with around 21 per cent of heavy goods vehicles failing on headlight aim every year, around 13 per cent of passenger service vehicles, and 16 per cent of cars.’

Serviceability How equipment works when it is in your garage is also very important. ‘The serviceability of the testing equipment is another concern,’ says

TOP TIPS FROM GEMCO Before and even while using your headlight tester, there are several tips that you need to bear in mind.

Flooring

When installing your headlight tester, whether it’s surface-mounted or recessed, it is vital that the entire floor surface is either level or has a uniform slope. As well as this, both rails must be flat within +/-2mm or all test results will be inaccurate.

Environment

Batchelor. ‘For example, the rails on which a headlamp beam setter runs should be regularly checked to make sure that they run parallel and are level and flat. Furthermore, the beam setter itself should be regularly calibrated by us, either on its own or with a brake tester.’

Commenting on how Autoquip serves its customers, Batchelor adds: ‘Autoquip will always tailor our products to our customers. We can offer service packages on headlamp aligners at very achievable prices with flexible terms.

Our products include MOT-approved headlamp aligners for a number of classes, as well as a nonMOT pre-inspection headlamp aligner.’

Get schooled Whatever technology is deployed on a car, the great leveller for lights is the MOT headlight test.

It doesn’t matter how advanced the tech is – if a headlight is out of alignment, that’s a fail.

Commenting on headlight testing, Hannah Weeley from Gemco says: ‘Whether it’s a car or commercial, having a reliable headlight tester along with an MOT/ATL bay is key to running a successful workshop. Gemco has over 30 years of experience in providing MOT ATL bays for

independent garages, franchised dealers and fastfits throughout the UK. With the ever-growing world of technology we live in, it is vital that your equipment has the correct spec to complete any job that drives through your door.’

Latest from Gemco Commenting on Gemco’s latest offering, Weeley says: ‘Being sure you have the correct equipment is, of course, necessary to continue testing. For those looking to add to or upgrade their existing headlight testers, there are a couple of options.

‘Bradbury Litecheck 2L is suitable for cars, motorcycles and vans. It is an easy-to-use optical headlight tester that comes with a single laser as standard. The laser shines a beam across the bonnet of the vehicle, and is very handy for aligning the headlight tester to the vehicle.

‘Also suitable for cars, motorcycles and vans, GEMCO Litecheck 4/4DL comes complete with a double laser system as standard.

‘In this case, the laser is not only used to align the vehicle but also to position the optical box to the centre of the headlight being tested.’

Weeley adds: ‘Both headlight testers are approved by the DVSA for IV, VL & VII.’

It doesn’t take a rocket scientist to know not to leave your headlight tester in the immediate vicinity of hot objects such as heaters or radiators.

Making sure that it’s covered from rain or excessively damp areas is also vital as its electronic circuits could become damaged.

User and public safety

When operating the laser, you MUST be aware of the risk involved. The laser must not be located in a transit zone or near any public access areas. The class 3A laser has a wavelength of 650nm and a power of 3mW. This means that not only must direct eye contact not be made with the beam but also its reflection is considered extremely hazardous to the eye. Be sure to switch the laser off immediately after use.

Calibration

Make sure your headlight tester is correctly calibrated. If you do not regularly calibrate your equipment, it will always give false readings. Be sure the beams are correctly positioned and level.

This can be seen through the aiming panel on the viewing panel on top of the optical unit. Regularly check the beam intensity on the lux meter. If not correct, this may be another reason false readings are recorded.

The correct use of the machine allows long periods of use without significant maintenance.

WorkShopMagazine.co.uk

| 31

CLUB.

WE’VE DONE THE WORK ON THE CAR BUT OUR CUSTOMER WON’T PAY US!

O

ASK THE JUDGE: Ian Gardner, sales manager at automotive legal experts Lawgistics, delivers his verdicts on the problems that are affecting you and your workshop

ne of the most common questions that the Lawgistics legal team is asked is the following: ‘We have done some work for a customer on their car but they are now refusing to pay or even to come and collect their vehicle. What can we do?’

The Judge delivers his verdict: If you have a difficult customer who is refusing to collect his or her vehicle, there is something you can do.

If a customer refuses to pay for the work you have carried out on the vehicle, you will have a lien over the vehicle until they pay for it. This means you may retain the vehicle until the outstanding bill and costs have been met in full.

This, we know, is not an ideal situation as it leaves you with a vehicle that is not yours and the outstanding amount still unpaid.

However, using the Torts (Interference with Goods) Act 1977, you could have the power to sell the vehicle to recoup your money.

There is no power of sale within common law under the lien, you may usually only sell on a vehicle after giving proper notice to the owner

under the Torts (Interference with Goods) Act. The notice which must be compliant with the above Act will require them to collect the vehicle and pay all outstanding monies.

You should also send a compliant notice informing them of your intention to sell the goods after a specified date if they fail to do this.

The law states that you must give them reasonable notice to act. We recommend 90 days.

It is good practice to take FULL contact details, postal address, telephone number and email, so you know where to send the Torts Notice.

The Act also allows for customers that you cannot trace so all is not lost if you cannot track down your customer.

Even if the customer goes to Citizens Advice, they will be told they should pay the bill. If the issue is a disagreement over the cost, you are still entitled to refuse to hand the vehicle back and in this scenario, Citizens Advice will advise your customer they should pay the invoice in full, but mark it ‘paid under protest’.

They would then have to sue you, at which point you will have to justify your costs. 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, send an email to TheJudge@lawgistics. co.uk and you may very well see your problem dealt with in these pages. And in the meantime, join Workshop Club!

JOIN TODAY AND GET THESE SUPERB BENEFITS More than £400 off braking training

One free month of additional support

£100 off your motor trade insurance

The price of a Pagid Professional Academy brake training programme is normally £1,000 but Workshop Club members can book their place for £599. Take your or your team’s braking knowledge to the next level for this special Workshop Club price.

Just quote ‘Brake Training 2016’ in the Promo Code box when registering your interest. Find out more and register your interest here: pagidprofessional. co.uk/training/braking/

Autologic produces a successful fully-integrated vehicle diagnostics support system. AssistPlus is a tablet containing diagnostics software, a PDF viewer, web browser and YouTube application to allow you to investigate vehicles, along with a full vehicle history on the device recorded against VIN. An on-board camera allows you to capture video and stills. Club members signing up to Autologic Assist will receive a month of additional support on top of their first year.

With 25 years of industry experience in the world of commercial vehicle insurance, Plan Insurance Brokers is the expert for the UK’s professional road users. Motor trade insurance is vital to keep your business moving, whether it’s your own vehicles or customers’ cars you’re moving about – even if a customer’s car is involved in a fire or theft while in your care.

Club members can receive an exclusive £100 discount on their motor trade insurance through Plan Insurance Brokers.

Discount on software and free health check app Dragon2000’s dealer management system is one of the most versatile and easy-to-use products on the market.

The software can help manage supplier and customer details, help you keep on top of your costs and ensure that your business is running as smoothly and as profitably as possible.

Workshop Club members are eligible for a 10 per cent discount on their first year of a Dragon2000 software subscription – and they get the free Vehicle Health Check app too.

Dragon2000

TO JOIN GO TO WORKSHOPCLUB.CO.UK OR CALL 023 9252 2434 AND 32 | WorkShopMagazine.co.uk

Left out of pocket and with an engine block that’s no good...

I WAS contacted recently by a workshop in the North of England who had ordered a reconditioned engine from a company near Glasgow, says The Judge.

The engine turned up and was unsuitable.

The workshop put the original engine and the replacement on pallets and both went back to the engineering firm. After a month, the original block was returned to the workshop and fitted into the vehicle but it didn’t work.

The firm in Scotland picked the engine up the following day and took it back to resolve the issues.

Again the block was returned, installed and again worked incorrectly, only three cylinders working correctly.

At this point, the workshop decided to take the engine elsewhere and get it done properly and get back the surcharge they had paid for the original broken engine (£600).

But the company they were dealing with refused to refund the surcharge citing an alleged delay in returning the

2 TONNE LOW PROFILE ‘QUICK LIFT’ TROLLEY JACK STOCK No. 31481

70mm engine blocks to them. Someone from the firm, however, admitted that they had entered the dates wrong, but still they refused to refund the surcharge.

This has left the workshop out of pocket and with an engine block that is unfit for purpose.

The only hope of recovering their money would be a costly and timeconsuming claims action in Scotland.

I would like to recommend that should any Workshop readers need to purchase a reconditioned engine block, or have their existing one reconditioned, that they do so through a member of the Federation of Engine Re-Manufacturers (www.fer.co.uk). You will receive the highest quality of work, backed up by the federation’s complaints procedure.

FOR JUST £39.99 10 per cent discount off all products Dickies is one of the UK’s leading suppliers of workwear. Specialising in industrial workwear, including overalls, hi-vis safety clothing, safety footwear, work boots and protective clothing, Dickies can help your business meet HSE requirements for personal protective equipment. You can even add your company logo and website link to your workwear.

Workshop Club members are eligible for a 10 per cent discount on any Dickies product.

Free legal advice plus discounted membership 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.

TWIN PISTON PUMP FOR FAST LIFT HEAVY DUTY STEEL CONSTRUCTION JUST 70MM ENTRY HEIGHT MAKES THIS JACK SUITABLE FOR LOW CLEARANCE VEHICLES EXTRA LARGE RUBBER LIFT PAD PREVENTS DAMAGE UNDER VEHICLES

QUALITY SINCE 1919

SPEAK TO ONE OF OUR TEAM

VISIT: DRAPERTOOLS.COM

FOLLOW US:

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| 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.

Fuel for thought

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

facebook.com/superunleaded

twitter.com/SprUnld 34 | WorkShopMagazine.co.uk

Cop Chases Red Light Runner, Slipper-Wearing Porsche Gets T-Boned Immediately Driver’s Reckless Overtake If you think you’re having a bad day at work, spare a thought for this police officer in Minnesota. He’s rather keen to give chase and it doesn’t end well in this video. bit.ly/2c5AqVH

For the slipper-wearing woman driving a Porsche Cayenne, her choice of footwear is no excuse for the appalling driving style in this video. Watch and wince. bit.ly/2bxXBwu

Audi R8 TV Ad Banned…

For Being Too Exciting!

Russians Invent All-Terrain Two-Wheel-Drive Bike

Supercars are exciting. There’s no getting away from it. But one person complained to the ASA about an Audi R8 advert that was said to be TOO thrilling. What were they thinking? bit.ly/2c8oy5L

If you’ve ever wanted an all-terrain, two-wheeldrive, floating, lightweight, folding motorbike, then we’ve got some good news for you. If you didn’t, what’s wrong with you? bit.ly/2bTdHxr

Moto3 Rider Displays CatLike Reflexes To Bounce Back

Chap Has A Really Bad Day, Punches Through Windscreen

We’ve all had an edge-of-our-seat, buttockclenching near-miss, haven’t we? But none is probably greater than this save Moto3 rider Hiroki Ono had at the German GP. bit.ly/2c8parL

This footage, shot in Leicester, shows a man sat on the bonnet of a (pretty nastily) modified Mercedes CLK convertible punching its windscreen. He’s not a happy bunny, obvs. bit.ly/2bCFAY9

Touring Car Crashes Heavily, Wipes Out Cameraman

It’s The Daftest Overtake In The Most Garish Car Ever!

Take a look at this scary video from the British Touring Car Championship round held at Snetterton. At the start of race three it all goes a bit Pete Tong... bit.ly/2bGeT6n

On a backroad in Russia an innocent, dashcamtoting motorist is going about his business.

Suddenly, his world becomes a blur of noise, colour and a poorly-controlled Audi R8. bit.ly/2bPnyFo

PRODUCTS.

Cool for cats

This new range of air-conditioning machines allows for the quick and efficient service of air con systems – cleaning the AC system and replacing refrigerant. Each machine includes a new air purge function that helps the user to manage the discharge of non-condensable gases and ECO LOCK® quick couplers that prevent gas wastage during removal – safeguarding the machine’s operator and protecting the environment.

Lube me do

Changing the cartridge on a standard grease gun can be a messy and time-consuming process, but Lube Shuttle’s screw-top cartridges should ensure clean-handling and keep reloads fast and simple. Additionally, while there is always some residual grease in standard cartridges which is wasted, Exol claims that Lube Shuttle will leave only minimal residue after use, optimising the recycling process and contributing towards environmental friendliness. The exclusive patented system of 400-gramme cartridges is offered with three of Exol’s grease products.

Live and let dies

Laser’s new Wheel Stud Thread Restorer Master Kit is designed to correctly align and restore both external and internal damaged wheel stud threads. The new master kit brings together two existing sets and thus offers a complete solution. The set includes three split dies to suit the most common wheel stud or bolt sizes: M12 (1.25mm pitch), M12 (1.5mm pitch) and M14 (1.5mm pitch). Four sizes of internal thread restorer are also included: M12 (1.25mm pitch), M12 (1.5mm pitch), M12 (1.75 pitch) and M14 (1.5mm pitch).

New for you Start me up

Around 70 per cent of all new vehicles now include start-stop functionality as part of an emissions reduction strategy. Starting an engine is the most demanding thing that your battery will do, so doing this repeatedly places massive strain on it. The batteries used in start-stop require a different approach to charging and CTEK has developed a battery charger compatible with any start-stop vehicle. Foolproof, spark proof and reverse-polarity protected, the CTEK StartStop Battery Charger comes with a five-year warranty.

PRODUCT TESTS

The ties that bind

Suitable for all automotive applications but especially useful for classic car restoration and kit cars, this new cable tie and accessory kit from Gunson Tools offers a versatile selection of cable ties and mounting tabs that will ensure neat and professional-looking cable and harness installation. The selection includes 50 standard cable ties of various lengths and widths, 10 each of two sizes of panel-fixing cable ties, 10 selfadhesive cable tie mounting tabs, 10 half-inch R-clips and 10 mounting head cable ties. All are supplied in a handy case.

COMBINATION SPANNERS: P36

SAFETY BOOTS: P38

OUR EXPERTS TEST TROLLEY JACKS: P40 WorkShopMagazine.co.uk

| 35

PRODUCTS. TEST 15

Combination spanners A mechanic without a decent set of spanners? Unthinkable! So if you’re planning a purchase shortly, here’s your chance to find out what our expert tester ANDREW EVANS thinks.

T

he spanner is probably the tool most inextricably linked to the motor industry – ask a child to draw a picture of a car mechanic and they’ll be holding a spanner. Even the colloquial term for doing work on a car is ‘spannering’.

Every motoring job starts and ends with a decent set of spanners, and the combination spanner – with a ring spanner on one end and an open spanner on the other – is generally the weapon of choice. It’s not a simple tool, though.

With such a variety of forms and features available on the market, we’ve been looking at a selection of the most interesting to see which we want to keep in our own toolbox.

Kennedy 3972K

Sealey AK6313

Laser 1572

How much: £98.92 (inc VAT) Where from: cromwell.co.uk

How much: £61.54 (inc VAT) Where from: tool-net.co.uk

How much: £50.88 (inc VAT) Where from: lasertools.co.uk

We were a little less impressed by this set than its siblings. Again, the pouch that you can mount on the wall or roll up and take with you is a nice idea and the range of sizes in the 14-piece set is good – from a small 6mm to a huge 32mm – but there isn’t a 12mm spanner, which is odd for such a common size. The extra length means you can apply more torque, but the ring end seems to slip off much more easily than others.

They also seem to be made to slightly looser tolerances than the other Kennedy spanners.

The undisputed product test champion, this 12-piece Sealey set comes in sizes from 8mm to 19mm so covers most bases – 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. Having the ring and open ends at 90 degrees to each other makes them very versatile and much more comfortable to use, particularly with the ring engaged, and they’re exceptionally sturdy too.

When it comes to basic spanner sets, the Laser 1572 is our favourite here. They’re just the right length and just the right weight – in fact, they’re the lightest here – to suit almost any bolt on our cars, and with the 12-piece set ranging from 6mm to 22mm, there’s a spanner for almost any job apart from the odd specialist task. If the tolerances were a little tighter they might even graduate from Recommended to Best Buy.

HHHHH

HHHHH

36 | WorkShopMagazine.co.uk

HHHHH

HOW WE TESTED THEM Heading down the science route, we’ve looked at the tolerances of the open end and ring with a set of calipers, using the same size spanner in every range where possible. With weight and length assessed too, we’ve got a pretty decent picture on the quality and construction. After that, we’ve looked at how they are to work with on a series of different tasks.

Siegen S01074

Kennedy 3898K

How much: £26.95 (inc VAT) Where from: amazon.co.uk

How much: £56.64 (inc VAT) Where from: cromwell.co.uk

If the titanium Sealey set appeals to the magpies among us, this multicolour affair from sister brand Siegen will push them into overdrive. Having each size of spanner painted differently is a reasonable idea – you won’t have to hunt for the right size when you can just grab the orange one – but ultimately, this is just another set of basic combination spanners. Ranking below the three similar pieces when it comes to tolerances, they’re also surprisingly easy to roll off a nut under moderate torques. They’d be good for hobbyists, home use and as a decorative item, but we’d look at the other sets for serious use.

With a more pronounced offset on the ring end, this set of Kennedy spanners provides an extra dimension (literally, in this case) of functionality, giving better clearance on recessed bolts or items with obstructions in the same plane. They’re much more plain than some of the other sets here, though like the other Kennedy spanners, they come in a roll that you can mount on the wall, but they are a little more versatile and the tolerances are reasonably good.

HHHHH

HHHHH

Sealey AK6308

Clarke CHT805

Clarke CHT812

How much: £31.44 (inc VAT) Where from: tool-net.co.uk

How much: £23.98 (inc VAT) Where from: machinemart.co.uk

How much: £33.59 (inc VAT) Where from: machinemart.co.uk

Very much a set of spanners for the magpie, this titanium-coated set is pretty but we can’t find much else to recommend them above the other basic combination spanners here. In terms of sizing, they’re in between the Laser and Kennedy for like-for-like tolerances and the range of ten items covers every millimetre sizing from 10 to 19, so it really could do with something slightly smaller and larger. The case they come in is a little irksome, and though no different from the Laser in that regard, we’d be less happy decanting these shiny items into a toolbox and letting them rattle around!

This 32-piece Clarke selection is the most varied we have here, with both imperial and metric sizes from 6-19mm and 1/4” to 3/4”. We’re most interested in the stubby spanners though, as they’re something a little different. The small size means they can get into spaces you might not normally try to put a spanner in and it limits the amount of torque you can apply so you’re less likely to round off a nut. It’s a pity that the size range for the stubbies isn’t larger though, and the tolerances are a little hit and miss.

With a nice presentation roll that you can hang on a wall, this selection is quite neat aesthetically. The cushioned grips are an excellent idea – we’re not sure how long they’d stay red in the workplace, but they’re easier to keep hold of compared with the similar items in the CHT805 set. The range of sizes in the 14-piece set (6-32mm) is good and we found that all of the items we measured were within one per cent of the rated diameter, which is among the best here. As is to be expected, they’re a little on the weighty side though!

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PRODUCTS. TEST 16

Safety boots ANDREW EVANS put his foot well and truly in it this month – and all in a good cause.

He’s been busy slipping his tootsies into something chunky to see what’s best at protecting them.

T

here are many things in an automotive environment that can cause damage to your feet.

Whether it’s things that are already on the floor and waiting to give you a novel foot piercing or items trying to get down to the floor and don’t care if your size nines are in the way, there’s always something lurking and waiting to make you hobble around if it can.

Sometimes it can even be the floor itself. If a colleague has been cleaning it with the floor cleaners from our previous issue, the wrong footwear can turn you into Bambi on ice.

Good safety footwear is therefore a must, and with this in mind we’ve been trying out some of the most recognised and best-selling safety boots on the market.

JCB 4x4/H

Tuffsafe BWB08

Himalayan 5161

How much: £64.95 (inc VAT) Where from: jcbworkwear.com

How much: £40.00 (inc VAT) Where from: cromwell.co.uk

How much: £55.65 (inc VAT) Where from: cromwell.co.uk

It’s pretty tough to separate the 2nd- 3rd- and 4th-place boots, and while we’ve put the JCB offerings just off the podium, you’re not going to be disappointed in them.

We particularly like the lace eyelets, which we think will enhance the longevity over the more simple loops of the others. The extra sole on the toe is good, too, and will help stop you slipping while crouched – but overall they ranked in the bottom three on the slip test, which is why you’ll find them ranked outside the top three.

The Tuffsafe boots put in a fair performance but ultimately came up short compared with better boots.

The one Achilles’ heel they do have is on the slip test, where they performed very firmly in the bottom two on every surface and were particularly easy to slide on wet tiles. Comfort around the ankles is not the best here either, and there’s not a lot of flex in the sole, so you might find them less fun to live with if working below waist height. They’d be a decent budget buy, certainly.

In all tests there must be something that comes last and it’s the Himalayan boots that bring up the rear, perhaps a little unfortunately. They’re not the least comfortable – there’s plenty of space for wide feet and they offer decent flex – and they’re not the easiest to mark either.

Where they come a cropper is a comparatively poor performance in the slip test. The perceived quality isn’t high but they’re a decent, functional boot that would do better if it weren’t for a higher quality field.

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HOW WE TESTED THEM

CAT Spiro ST

We’ve assessed each of the pairs of boots for fit and comfort initially and also looked at their comparative ability to shrug off scuffs, scrapes and stains. Slip resistance is important, too, so we’ve compared how easy it is to start sliding on a number of surfaces, wet and dry.

How much: £89.95 (inc VAT) Where from: cromwell.co.uk It’s a bit of a stroll to victory for the CAT boots. 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, with the hex-bolt eyelets for the laces being both a nice touch and something that should aid their working lifespan over the looped alternatives.

Hard to mark and an excellent slip performance mean that these would be the boots in our locker every time.

HHHHH

uvex 8401.2

Draper DSF6

Wurth Modyf M422135

How much: £69.95 (inc VAT) Where from: cromwell.co.uk

How much: £34.99 (inc VAT) Where from: drapertools.com

How much: £49.99 (inc VAT) Where from: Wurth stockists

With a decent performance in our slip tests – only wet tiles proved a chink in the armour – the uvex boots managed a solid safety score. Their big weak spot really is comfort. It’s quite a narrow boot on the inside, much more so than the rivals here, so it’ll be a bit tight if you have wider feet. Like some of the other boots here the sole is pretty inflexible, so they won’t be as good if you’re working lower down. However, they’re a goodquality boot and they stand up to scuffs and scrapes pretty well.

To look at the honey-coloured, suede-effect boots you wouldn’t think they’d be among the hardest wearing we have, but the Draper boots proved to be surprisingly difficult to mark. After kicking the toes off everything and even playing a little bit of boots conkers, the Drapers came off the best – though it may be different if you spill oil and grease on them. They may rank as the most comfortable to wear here, too, though we’d have a little concern over impacts elsewhere on the foot other than the toe, since those areas seem less well protected.

As the only S1P boots here they’ll also be less water resistant, which you should keep in mind.

The Modyf boots came top of the list in the slip test with a pretty impressive performance and were among the better ones when it came to fit and long-term comfort, with a nicely flexible sole making them easy to work in.

We did find that they marked a little too easily, though, particularly on higher parts of the boot away from the chunkier protective parts, with even water leaving a tidemark after an accidental splash from the wet slip test. They’re not far off our top two pairs, though, and would certainly be worth a look.

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PRODUCTS. TEST DRIVE

Garage test: Trolley jacks Our expert testers, Steve, Kev and Harry, give us their verdicts on five of the best-selling examples.

CLARKE Racing 2.5 Tonne Aluminium CTJ2000A Price: £155.27 (inc VAT) From: clarketools.net

Steve Like the other Clarke jack, the nylon wheels make

Steve Harding Moreland Motor Service

Offering the full breadth of garage services, Moreland covers everything from body repairs and engine replacements to wheel balancing and tyre changes.

How Steve rated them: 1 Clarke Strong Arm; 2 Clarke Racing; 3 Sealey; 4 Draper; 5 Kennedy

this very easy to move about. The handle attaches to the jack body with a screw-type bolt, making it easier to attach and remove, so it’d be great for getting to breakdowns. It feels a little cheaper than the other Clarke, but it does start to pump as soon as you move the handle.

Kev It’s a good jack. It doesn’t weigh too much either so it’s a lot easier to manouevre about. It’s got the nylon wheels again, which is a good idea. It’s not quite as low entry and doesn’t quite go as high, but being an alloy jack it’s much more convenient. They’re so much easier to fling about.

Harry For me this is the best one. I like the nylon wheels – when you’re on the floor it just glides and you can position it much easier than the ones with the steel wheels that you can really feel the weight of. It goes up pretty high and it’s not particularly strenuous when you pump it either.

HHHHH

Kev Grady North Eastern Tyre and Exhaust, Teesside Part of the Tyre Plus group of local rapid-fit garages across the UK, NETE has served the Teesside and North Yorkshire area for 80 years.

How Kev rated them: 1 Draper; 2 Clarke Racing; 3 Clarke Strong Arm; 4 Sealey; 5 Kennedy

CLARKE Strong Arm 2 Tonne Ultra Low CTJ2QLP Price: £119.98 (inc VAT) From: machinemart.co.uk

Steve This is our favourite of the five. The handle isn’t as easy to quickly fit and undo as the other Clarke, with a 17mm hex bolt attaching it to the jack body, but the nylon wheels make it very easy to move over the ground. The quick lift function is good, though it’s not any quicker than the other quick lift jacks here.

Kev Low entry is a great idea and we like the nylon wheels – it means we’re not scratching our nice new lift. The quick lift is quite good and a little quicker than the other ones to reach full height with a load on it.

Harry It’s almost as good as the other Clarke. The only downside I can find on it is that it’s just two tonnes compared to 2.5 tonnes with the other. It’s slightly lower and a little quicker to lift things than the other Clarke.

HHHHH

Harry Smith Auto Tyre Centre, Gosport

A family-run, local one-stop garage, Auto Tyre Centre offers the full range of repair and replace services to keep your car running day-to-day.

How Harry rated them: 1 Clarke Racing; 2 Sealey; 3 Clarke Strong Arm; 4 Draper; 5 Kennedy

40 | WorkShopMagazine.co.uk

DRAPER 2.5 Tonne Quick Lift TJAS250

Kennedy 2.5 Tonne Low Profile Quick Lift QLT450

SEALEY 2 Tonne Low Entry 2001LEHV

Steve This isn’t as easy to move about, due to the steel

Steve The Kennedy has the useful side handles and the

Steve The Sealey is nice and easy to move about and it has

Price: £166.74 (inc VAT) From: drapertools.com

wheels, though the handles on the side are a good idea for dragging or lifting it about quickly. It starts to lift immediately, and the handle attaches with a thumbscrew so it’s quick to take apart.

Kev It’s not low entry, but you don’t always need low entry.

It’s got the metal wheels on it, so it’s a bit noisy when you’re moving it about – but working in a garage you’re not going to be that bothered by that!

Harry I liked this one but it takes a long time to actually pump up – one pump will only go a little bit so you’re there for ages and it reaches the top very quickly. We did a Land Rover with this one and it only just reached the frame and with one more pump it was at its top. With the nut on the handle you can’t do it up as tight and when you’re dragging it across rough ground you want it as tight as you can.

Price: £179.99 (inc VAT) From: cromwell.co.uk

screw-type fitting for the handle, but otherwise it’s our least favourite. It’s a lot harder to move over the ground than the other jacks, there isn’t a cushioned pad on the cup and it takes a long time to jack up, with the first half of the handle’s travel not really doing anything.

Kev This is the best-looking one, but when I was jacking a car up I’d have go near enough halfway down to get any lift on it. It’s lightweight and easy to move about. It doesn’t have a cushioned rubber pad either.

Harry It takes forever to pump up - you’ve got a whole 45 degrees of travel before it does anything. There’s no rubber on it either, so you’d want something on there to protect the car.

It doesn’t feel very nice when you’re dragging it about either.

Price: £167.94 (inc VAT) From: sealey.co.uk

the lowest entry of any of the jacks here. It’s very noisy on the move though and the jack handle attaches with a hex bolt rather than the more useful screw type.

Kev It’s quick to lift up, but it’s got the metal wheels. It’s not a problem if you’re outside, but they’ll scratch the lifts or damage the rubber. In bright green you’re not going to lose it in a hurry though!

Harry I did like this one to be fair. It’s on par with the Clarkes – it’s lower so it’s a little better there but again it’s only two tonnes and the metal wheels count against it. We’ve had problems with our jacks on steel wheels used on rough ground they eventually shatter and snap off.

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FOCUS ON

AUTOQUIP

WHATEVER YOU NEED IN YOUR WORKSHOP, CALL AUTOQUIP! AUTOQUIP T: 01227 731195 W: AUTOQUIP.CO.UK IF YOU’RE looking for workshop tools and equipment, no matter what the size of your organisation is, there’s only one firm you need to call: Autoquip.

The family company, which has been established for nearly 50 years, supplies, installs and services equipment for garages of all shapes and sizes – and has a great reputation for providing excellent customer service.

The team certainly live up to the company’s slogan of ‘large enough to cope, small enough to care’ – and no matter what your requirements are, they will be able to assist.

The family-run firm, based at Chilham, near Canterbury, Kent, specialises in products such as scissor lifts, two- and four-post lifts, as well as a full range of MOT equipment.

Smaller items such as tyre changers, wheel balancers, presses, air conditioning, brake testers and jacking beams can also be provided.

Operating alongside Autoquip is sister company One Stop Garage Equipment Servicing. This arm of the company takes care of calibrations, installation and aftersales support.

This includes major pieces of kit such as lifts, tyre changers and brake testers, but also involves items such as air guns, torque wrenches and oil pumps.

One Stop Garage Equipment Servicing takes great pride in the quality of its work and ensures that everything it does is carried out to the highest possible standards.

Workshop Magazine recently caught up with Autoquip director Ben Davis, who told us: ‘As a third-generation family firm, we at Autoquip pride ourselves on being easy to deal with and friendly to talk to.

‘Workshops unsure about what products will best suit them, or which equipment will best suit the space they have available, can contact us for a free site survey and we

will provide a demonstration of products with no obligation to buy.

‘Part of our service involves taking new customers to see installs that have been completed elsewhere – this gives people a great idea of what can be achieved and what they can expect.’

To help you plan your ideal garage, the Autoquip team can also offer free computer-aided design (CAD) which will not only show you what your garage will look like once it’s done, but can identify the best equipment for your available space.

One Stop’s engineers are trained to the highest of standards, each holding a multitude of qualifications such as City & Guilds plus GEA-accredited and manufacturer product training. And the team take care to hold regular health and safety meetings and checks to keep up-to-date with all the current legislation.

This means that you can be 100 per cent confident that your workshop equipment has been installed correctly, safely and securely. And it’s good to know that Autoquip works with all the leading brands, such as Ravaglioli, Bradbury, Stenhoj, Nussbaum and many more.

Ben Davis told us: ‘We’re proud of the fact that we are a family

business that has stood the test of time. We’ll be celebrating our 50th anniversary in two years. It’s quite rare to have a family business that’s lasted that long in the motor trade.

‘We operate on a nationwide basis now, whereas 10 to 15 years ago, we were concentrated very much on the south-east of the country.

‘And as I hope we make clear on our website and in our literature, we deal with anyone from a small, independent garage all the way through to manufacturer level.

‘We can supply anything – from screwdrivers all the way through to commercial MOT test lanes for trucks.

‘In a nutshell, we’re a one-stop shop for people who run workshops. People can come to us with a blank canvas of a garage. We can be there at the planning stages, right the way through to installation and aftercare once everything is up and running.’

With highly trained staff, a friendly approach and great relationships with the major manufacturers, maybe it’s time you spoke to Autoquip – you’ll be glad you did.

by Dave Brown (@CarDealerDave)

“

We can supply anything – from screwdrivers all the way through to commercial MOT test lanes for trucks.

WorkShopMagazine.co.uk

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OUR FLEET.

Honda CBR600RR Laura Thomson hits the road to put some new tyres through their paces

S

o here it is, the very first motorbike to join Workshop Magazine’s fleet. And what a bike. R600TJH has been in my possession for a little over a year now, and it’s been very much a love-hate relationship.

While I love my baby blade and its brutal power, I hate the associated costs of being a biker.

Yes, in the long run it may work out cheaper than four wheels, but try telling me that after an infuriating hour-long phone call to a certain insurance company, who insist on charging me almost half the bike’s value to cover it.

But, gripes aside, as I write this, I am still buzzing from a recent exhilarating, yet sweaty, ride. On what was possibly the hottest day of 2016 so far, I collected the CBR from Purbrook Garage Services in Hampshire, who had fitted new ContiSportAttack3 tyres kindly provided by Continental.

The ContiSportAttack3 are street tyres designed with high performance, and longevity in mind.

Now, these two don’t usually go hand-in-hand, however the innovative design has already proved its worth in multiple comparison tests.

With more, wider grooves on the edges of the tyres and a specially-activated silica compound construction, the rubbers are rumoured to boast an increased wet grip.

While this is something I don’t particularly want to experience, I will undoubtedly do so in the near future – thank you British summer.

After a whole day in the baking sun, the roads were perfect to run the grippy sport rubbers in, and heeding the friendly mechanic’s advice, I tentatively set off.

Within a mile, any wariness had disappeared, and the tyres began to inspire confidence – perhaps a little too much, if you know what I mean. It was like riding a different bike.

Admittedly, I’ve been pretty lax on the bike maintenance front, and my old Dunlop rubbers were relics from its previous ownership.

That said, I’ve ridden on tyres from brands better known for their sporting prowess, and yet

the SportAttack3s really impressed me.

Combined with better throttle response – due to a recently tightened chain – the Honda was a joy to ride, not that it ever wasn’t.

With these two wheels looking to become a regular feature in Workshop Magazine, I’d better brush up on my motorcycle maintenance.

Next stop, suspension.

Model: Honda CBR600RR Owned by: Laura Thomson Engine: 600cc inline four Bought for: £4,100 Mileage: 5,101 Money spent this month: None This month’s highlight: Running in new rubber

BMW 330d Touring A new battery means Belfort is raring to go once again – better, faster, stronger...

AS YOU may have read, Belfort’s been struggling recently. A slightly dicky battery has meant he’s not been all that eager to get going, which has in turn caused the brakes to go a little bit, well, rusty.

A glimmer of light has come through, though, thanks to battery maker Yuasa, which has been kind enough to send me a new battery for the 330d. Easy to fit, the car started first time, taking away bigger mechanical worries from my head.

Up and running, the car feels just as good as always, and some heavy braking quickly wore

off any rust from the discs. It’s actually a little bit faster than I remember, and with this new battery it’s a darn sight more reliable too.

So what’s next for the Touring? Well, I had intended to change the winter tyres to summers, but with autumn already on the cards I think it’s best to keep them where they are. It could definitely do with a substantial service, and a pollen filter change would be a good idea as the inside has started to smell a bit diesel-y.

The passenger-side window has also gone a

Our cars...

We love cars here at Workshop and here’s proof. We’ve written about them and everything...

44 | WorkShopMagazine.co.uk

VW TYPE 3 FASTBACK

VW TRANSPORTER

FORD FIESTA XR2

SUBARU IMPREZA STI

by Rebecca Chaplin Head of content, @BelieveBecca

by Cliff Culver Advertising executive, @CarDealerCliff

by James Baggott Chief executive, @CarDealerEd

by Jon Reay Multimedia manager, @JonReay

After being told she’d be better off swapping FI for carbs, Rebecca is going to fix her standard injectors rather than modify the engine.

How long can it take to find out what the blue button on the battery control panel does? If you’re Cliff, 24 hours! (It’s an invertor switch.)

The little XR2 is still suffering from a really annoying knocking noise from the exhaust. I need some help from Matt The Mechanic!

The slimline Scooby is the perfect fit for the roads of north Wales – and it’s all thanks to a certain punitive Japanese tax law.

MG Metro Turbo

Subaru Impreza

Christian lets the professionals handle things after a spell of slow progress

Size is indeed important, discovers our scribe on a trip to north Wales

PROGRESS on the Metro front has been slow, but for once the blame doesn’t lie completely at my feet.

After finally pulling the bits together that would hopefully see D821ACJ benefit from working rear suspension, and all of five minutes spent debating with a friend whether we could swap all the sickly bits ourselves, I dumped it at my long-suffering local garage.

Although barely a mile away, getting there wasn’t without its issues. Before the Metro would even attempt to start, it demanded a new battery and then, no doubt in protest as its scrapyard-sourced replacement, it developed the misfire from hell.

Still, with the help of a foot-to-the-floor ‘Italian tune-up’ and much to the disgust of my neighbours, the Metro eventually cleared its throat and drove surprisingly well.

Even better, the brakes worked, which is always a bonus.

And that’s unfortunately where the Metro literally sits – at the garage, waiting its turn on the ramp and serving as a reminder as to why you should never say ‘just look at it when you can’ to a very busy mechanic.

In other Metro-related news, I’ve finally found another couple of the Ronal alloys that were exclusive to the ’80s MG Metro Challenge Cup racers, the lucky purchase meaning I now have a full set. A full refurbishment is on the cards, but whether that happens depends on the eventual bill for repairing the suspension...

Model: 1986 MG Metro Turbo Owned by: Christian Tilbury Engine: 1.3-litre, 4-cylinder Bought for: £680 Mileage: 67,952 Money spent this month: £20 Highlight of this month: Discovering that the Metro’s turbocharger does still boost. Sort of.

little haywire, so that will need looking at. But, apart from that, all of the major components work and act like they should (touch wood).

A road trip is definitely needed, as it’s been a while since the 330 was used for anything longer than a run to the shops.

There’s got to be some maintenance work before that happens, though.

JAGUAR X-TYPE ESTATE

BMW 330D TOURING

WE'VE got many reasons to be grateful to the Japanese car industry. From Toyota, we have the hybrid powertrain; from Honda, we have VTEC; and from Nissan we have… the curry hook.

Individual manufacturers aside though, there’s one thing the Japanese are particularly good at doing: being efficient with space.

Well, I say that, what I really mean is ‘making everything 20 per cent smaller’. The downside, in the case of my Impreza, is that sitting inside it can feel like visiting a model village.

The seats bases are tiny. The dashboard is narrow. Rear leg room is non-existent. In short, it’s quite small in there.

The reasoning behind it – as with most things in life – comes down to money. In Japan, cars wider than 1.7m get taxed considerably more harshly, so Subaru designed within those margins – and the result is a four-door saloon narrower than a current generation Skoda Fabia.

And why is this a good thing? Well as I discovered this month, Subaru have accidentally designed a car for North Wales. On the winding and incredibly narrow bits of tarmac where glossy (and some not-so-glossy) car mags do their road testing, the Impreza finally seems to make sense.

There’s no worrying about clipping stone walls or giant motorhomes coming the other way – it just fits. Combine that footprint with a rear-biased four-wheel-drive system putting down 276bhp and there’s not much that can beat it.

Who needs a Focus RS, eh?

Model: BMW 330d Touring Owned by: Jack Evans Engine: 2.9-litre turbocharged straight six Bought for: £2,600 Mileage: 146,000 Money spent this month: £0 Highlight this month: Having a reliable car again

MG METRO TURBO

Model: Subaru Impreza WRX STI Owned by: Jon Reay Engine: 2.5-litre turbocharged petrol Bought for: £9,000 Mileage: 104,828 Money spent this month: £0 Highlight: Finally visiting the Impreza’s natural habitat

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

The Jag has had a wash this month, and looks much better for it, but its pesky oil leak remains a minor, yet annoying, problem.

Belfort’s had a new battery fitted, so who knows what could happen next? The world is indeed his lobster, as Del-boy would say.

A replacement battery got the Metro up and running, but it’s parked up again while Christian’s local garage gets round to fixing it.

Pato’s insurance has been renewed for the princely sum of £194 – the lowest Andrew has ever had to pay to insure a car. Result!

Finally it’s been out of the garage for some TLC – and not just because I’ve seen the prices they’re going for at auction lately.

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| 45

OUR KEV.

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

We can do without those who give our industry a bad name A personal bugbear of mine this month, and one borne out by an old classic I bought recently…

Being in my early 40s, I’m a big fan of cars from the late Eighties and early Nineties, so when a regular customer of mine asked me if I’d be interesting in saving his deceased aunt’s old Rover, which would otherwise go for scrap, I decided it’d make a nice little project.

Indeed, it was better than that, needing only a tyre to get through a new MOT (and believe me, our own cars get the absolute strictest of MOT tests), but then that was hardly surprising, as the car came with more history than the world itself – 28 stamps in the service book over 21 years, and a sheaf of bills equating to almost half a rainforest’s worth of paper.

Among them were receipts for services every nine months, regardless of the fact that, in her later years, Auntie Joan covered a minimal mileage, and booked her car in for an annual ‘winter check’, when she took it in to make sure it would see her through the colder months.

She was clearly a motorist of the old school, trained to prevent problems rather than cure them.

Alas, her responsible attitude wasn’t reflected by that of the garage owner, who clearly saw Auntie Joan as his own personal meal ticket.

Thumbing through the car’s service history, the first warning sign I spotted was a receipt for a service in 2002, in which the independent garage had advised Joan that the clutch was ‘dangerously worn’, followed by a receipt two weeks later for a new clutch, at the princely sum of £580.

I’m all for warning motorists of possible impending problems, especially if it saves them from inconvenience or added expenditure, but the idea of describing a high clutch as ‘dangerously worn’ suggests that Auntie Joan was led to believe she was in peril unless she got it fixed right that minute. What’s more, 14 years on, I’d struggle to justify £580 for changing a clutch in something as straightforward as a Rover 400…

But that’s not the half of it. On another occasion, a bill appeared for investigating and rectifying a charging fault. As well as £45 for ‘diagnosis’, the garage had then added £101.50 for an exchange

alternator and £45 for fitting, leaving Joan with a bill in excess of £200 once the VAT had been added. That’s a lot of expenditure to change an alternator, especially as I bought an exchange unit for a customer’s MG ZR the other week that I’m pretty sure is the same unit, yet paid only £45 for it at 2016 prices.

And to charge £45 to diagnose a knackered alternator when it’s the first thing you check… put it this way, if it takes you an hour, how can you call yourself a mechanic?

The worst of the lot, though, was the £30 that Auntie Joan had been charged to ‘check and charge’ the car’s battery. It takes two minutes to remove a battery and seconds to connect it to a charger – I wouldn’t charge any of my regular customers a penny for such a service.

So while it’s nice to be in possession of an old car that I know has been properly loved and looked after, it riles me somewhat that the independent mechanic who looked after it has clearly profiteered from an old lady for the best part of 20 years.

It’s people like this who give our industry a bad name, and the trust placed in them by people who don’t understand the finer points of vehicle maintenance is what leads cowboys into temptation…

If, like me, you’re a responsible garage owner, you’ll hopefully understand that return custom, word of mouth and the loyalty of your regular customers is far more important than making a fast buck, or preying on those who don’t understand the value of car repairs. After all, our customers, like most of us, are just trying to make an honest living themselves.

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...

46 | WorkShopMagazine.co.uk

”

Return custom, word of mouth and the loyalty of your regular customers is far more important than making a fast buck, or preying on those who don’t understand the value of car repairs

Are You At The Back of the Queue?

MOT Annual Training is mandatory! There are over 60,000 testers that need to complete it. Don’t wait until it’s too late.

Complete Your Annual Training with the RMI As a replacement for DVSA’s MOT 5-year Refresher Course, all MOT testers must now complete three hours of annual training and pass an online assessment by March 31st 2017.

Although it’s easy to put off, if you wait until later in the year you could struggle to meet the deadline, as you’ll be queueing with the other 60,000 testers rushing to complete it too.

The Retail Motor Industry Federation offers a number of annual training options, which all include three hours of training or self-learning, plus access to the online assessment. They all meet the annual training requirements set by DVSA.

Not sure where to start?

Call our friendly team to book your training or get advice on 0845 305 4230 www.RMItrainingAcademy.co.uk The Retail Motor Industry Federation has been serving the motor WorkShopMagazine.co.uk | 47 body. trade for 103 years as the UK’s leading automotive trade

sales@dragon2000.co.uk dragon2000.co.uk  01327 333  sales@dragon2000.co.uk  dragon2000.co.uk  01327 222222 333

48 | WorkShopMagazine.co.uk