Workshop Magazine Issue 16 by James Baggott

PROJECT: THE RACE-INSPIRED BIKES FROM A NEW BRITISH BRAND

ISSUE 16 | JANUARY 2017

Â£2.50 | WORKSHOPMAGAZINE.CO.UK

GEAR CHANGE

Why it will be a whole new World Rally Championship in 2017 RATED & RANKED

Compressors put to the test PLUS: Multitools and angle grinders assessed

MOVING FORWARD

ONES TO WATCH The companies that can help your business make more money this year

INVESTIGATION How DPF removal could lead to trouble

Experts in the Garage Equipment Industry

SALES 0844 249 8104

SERVICE 0844 249 8100

M eq an uip ufa me ctu nt rer av ap ail p ab rov le fro ed w m or G ks EM ho p C O

SPARES 0844 249 8102

Workshops of the future. .

. . av ailable today

02 | WorkShopMagazine.co.uk

ESTABLISHED IN 1985 | PART OF THE STENHØJ GROUP

10339

EDITORIAL

BLACKBALL MEDIA HASLAR MARINE TECHNOLOGY PARK, HASLAR ROAD, GOSPORT, PO12 2AG T: (023) 9252 2434 HEAD OF NEWS & FEATURES REBECCA CHAPLIN rebecca@blackballmedia.co.uk Twitter: @BelieveBecca

PRODUCTION EDITOR DAVE BROWN

dave@blackballmedia.co.uk Twitter: @CarDealerDave

CONTENTS. 16

Autonomous cars... and the challenges ahead for workshops

NEWS EDITOR JACK EVANS

jack@blackballmedia.co.uk Twitter: @jackrober

Contenders ready: The drivers and cars set to take on some of the toughest conditions on the planet in the 2017 World Rally Championship

SENIOR STAFF WRITER ANDREW EVANS

34 50

andrew@blackballmedia.co.uk Twitter: @snavEwerdnA

STAFF WRITER LAURA THOMSON

laura@blackballmedia.co.uk Twitter: @lauramayrafiki

Ask The Judge: A wheel’s come loose... but are we to blame?

HEAD OF DESIGN GRAEME WINDELL

graeme@blackballmedia.co.uk Twitter: @graemewindell

ADVERTISING

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

SUITS

SALES MANAGER JON HICKEY

CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER JAMES BAGGOTT

ACCOUNT MANAGER TOM ADAMS

Our Kev: The ball of string that comes in handy when dealing with tricky customers

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

FINANCE & ADMINISTRATION finance@blackballmedia.co.uk

james@thebaize.com Twitter: @CarDealerEd

MANAGING DIRECTOR ANDY ENTWISTLE andy@blackballmedia.co.uk Twitter: @CarDealerAndy CONTRIBUTORS Alex Wells, Jon Reay, John Bowman. 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 that Workshop shall not, without our consent, be lent, resold, hired out or otherwise disposed of in a mutilated way or in any unauthorised cover by way of trade or affixed to or as any part of a publication or advertising, literary or pictorial matter whatsoever. Workshop Magazine is fully protected by copyright. Nothing may be reproduced wholly or in part without permission.

How I Made It: The awardwinning garage that’s going from strength to strength

Welcome

I THOUGHT winter was supposed to be a quiet month but it seems like everything in the world of motoring is go, go, go… That’s certainly true for the World Rally Championship mechanics who’ve just revealed the products of their hard work to the world for the first time ahead of the 2017 series. The teams will be heading to Monte Carlo for round one not long after this magazine reaches you, and reporter Jack Healy has run down all the technical spec updates that promise to make it one of the most exciting seasons yet. For the first time we’ve featured a motorcycle in our project section because we know a lot of you are as interested in two wheels as four. Turn to p32 to find out more about the latest British bike manufacturer to hit the scene. If you’ve got a project hidden in the workshop, big or small, get in touch and we could be featuring you later in the year! Plus, to prepare you for the months ahead, we’ve got our Ones To Watch In 2017 section. These are the

Fault to Fix: DPFs – and why you may need to force the issue

Put through their paces: Resident tester Andrew looks at multitools and angle grinders, while our panel of professionals checks out compressors companies that can take your business to the next level thanks to the expert knowledge they have in their fields. We’ve also been examining diagnostics in this issue, with some fascinating insider info that’s sure to be of use. Turn to p28 to read all the details. There’s loads more we could mention, including the usual suspects such as ‘How I Made It’ (this month featuring the award-winning Crescent Motors), the product tests where Andrew has been putting angle grinders and multitools through their paces and, of course, the popular columnist Our Kev. I hope this year has kicked off with a bang (not because of any accelerants lying around your workshop!) and continues to only get better. Enjoy the issue.

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

| 03

NEWS.

CLEARING THE AIR OVER A LEGAL FOG

INVESTIGATION A garage has been taken to task by the Advertising Standards Authority over wording about the removal of diesel particulate filters, but REBECCA CHAPLIN finds there are worse offenders out there as the winds of change start to blow.

t’s a quirk of our legal system that removing a diesel particulate filter isn’t against the law but driving a vehicle on a public road after it’s had one removed is an offence. This means that all the blame is currently placed on the consumer – even if a garage advertises a filter removal service. It’s well known that removing a filter is an appealing prospect to motorists, who face a hefty cost for their replacement or regeneration. However, anyone found to have had their DPF removed is liable to be hit with a £1,000 fine. Last year it was revealed that the Department for Transport hadn’t spot-checked vehicle exhaust fumes for five years because of a lack of funding and results. This meant the industry effectively became self-regulating when it came to removed diesel particulate filters and garages haven’t had any comeback so far, but now it seems the wheels of change are in motion. December 2016 saw the first case of a garage being taken to task for advertising a diesel particulate filter (DPF) removal service. Avon Tuning, based in Bristol, was told by the Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) that the wording must not appear again in the complained-about form, which had under the

04 | WorkShopMagazine.co.uk

heading Will removing the DPF result in an was material information that the advertised MOT failure? text stating ‘... the only MOT procedure would make a vehicle illegal to use on regulation regarding the DPF is a simple visual public roads and therefore the ad needed to make inspection, as long as the DPF still appears to that information immediately clear to consumers. be fitted – the vehicle will pass the MOT visual As such, because that information was omitted inspection. Therefore we only remove the internal from the ad and it instead suggested that core, leaving the outer casing in place. The vehicle vehicles which had their DPF removed could be will appear to have a DPF fitted and will appear used on public roads, we concluded that the ad unmodified’. The ASA acknowledged that the was misleading.’ bottom of the ad included a qualification stating That ruling was made on December 14, 2016, ‘Our DPF removal service is sold for offand the offending text has been removed, with road use only.’ the footnote expanded so that it now also reads: In its assessment, though, ‘Removal of a DPF will almost invariably it explained: ‘While we make your vehicle illegal for use on a public acknowledged that the ad road. This is not legal advice and if you featured a qualification at the are unsure if this applies to your vehicle, bottom of the ad which stated please seek further advice.’ And from our “Our DPF removal service is research, Avon Tuning is now one of the sold for off-road use only”, better businesses when it comes to we considered that it was not offering customers guidance on the sufficiently prominent to legality of DPF removal. Research counter the overall impression by Workshop Magazine found that vehicles which had their it wasn’t difficult to find a DPF removed could be used garage willing to remove on public roads.’ a DPF and reprogram It continued: ‘We the engine control unit Robert Goodwill considered that it so that no further error

NAMED AND SHAMED

messages showed. Of the 11 garages that we checked, only five of them fully explained that cars that had had their DPF removed would be illegal to use on the road. Even more worryingly, three made no mention of an issue with removing the DPF, while the other three not only advertised that they could remove the DPF, they also highlighted that they could do it in a way that the modification would not be picked up during an MOT. It is very difficult to tell whether a DPF has been removed but in 2013 it was announced by then Transport Minister Robert Goodwill that it would become a requirement for garages to check that the filter was present during an MOT test. According to a government report: ‘It is an offence under the Road Vehicles (Construction and Use) Regulations (Regulation 61a(3)) to use a vehicle which has been modified in such a way that it no longer complies with the air pollutant emissions standards it was designed to meet.’ Removal of a DPF will almost invariably contravene these requirements, making the vehicle illegal for public road use. The potential penalties for failing to comply with Regulation 61a are fines of up to £1,000 for a car or £2,500 for a light goods vehicle. Simon

Birkett, founder and director of campaign group Clean Air In London, told Workshop Magazine that garages could be committing an ‘inchoate offence’, meaning that they intentionally encourage or assist in an offence. With the ASA’s ruling over Avon Tuning’s website plus changes to the MOT and the way DPFs are checked coming into force later this year, should garages now be taking precautions to check that their ducks are all in a row?

THE Smart ForTwo Cabrio’s particulate emissions have been slammed as ‘unacceptable’ by the German equivalent of the AA. Even fully fitted with the correct, standard equipment, modern cars still aren’t all hitting targets set by the EU. The All-Germany Automobile Club (ADAC) tested many of the most popular cars in Europe to measure their particulate emissions, and found the Smart produced more than eight trillion potentially harmful particles per kilometre – around three times as many as the Ford Focus RS hyper-hatch. Researchers claimed that poor packaging was to blame for the two-seat city car’s high emissions. The report said that too little cooling air was getting to the rear-mounted engine and excessive temperatures were causing the engine to run too hot, reducing economy. It said: ‘As a result of the increased thermal load due to poor cooling, the emission of particulates in the Smart is extremely high and is more than twice as high as in the worst petrol direct-injection engines.’ The ADAC test also investigated nitrogen oxide emissions for diesel vehicles, and found that 16 of the 27 diesel cars tested were emitting more than the Euro 6 limit of 80mg/km. The worst offender was the Renault Captur, which produced more than 450mg/km – more than five times the Euro 6 limit. In total, three of the vehicles tested were emitting more than 400mg/km, including the Dacia Sandero, which used the same 89bhp engine as the Captur, and the 1.1-litre Hyundai i20. Other cars to exceed the limit included the Peugeot 208 BlueHDi 100 and the Ford Focus 2.0 TDCi Titanium. On the right side of the Euro 6 limit, however, were cars including the 3.0-litre Audi A4, the 2.0-litre fourwheel-drive Jaguar F-Pace and the Mercedes E220d. The car producing the fewest harmful nitrogen oxide emissions was the BMW 118d. The report said: ‘Many vehicles are no longer respecting the European emissions limits. Particularly conspicuous are Renault models, but vehicles from the Kia/Hyundai and Ford brands also performed badly.’

The Smart ForTwo has come under fire WorkShopMagazine.co.uk

| 05

NEWS. | PRIZE |

Loyal employee is given Peugeot prize HAVING invited thousands of independent garages to take part in its biggest-ever customer incentive giveaway, GSF Car Parts has announced that ASG Garages of Bedfordshire is its final ‘Cars and Stars’ winner, scooping a new Peugeot 108. The national promotion, which aims to support GSF’s thriving independent garage customer base, has seen 1,240 garages from across the country win up to £500 per month in Love2Shop vouchers, as well as being entered into the main prize draw, having achieved an agreed monthly spend target with the motor factor. Stewart Chalkley, managing director at ASG Garages, said of his initial reaction upon hearing the news: ‘I was totally shocked. Honestly, I thought it might be a scam!’ Chalkley has gifted the vehicle to Aaron Hilditch, manager at ASG’s Arlesey site in Bedfordshire, who has worked for the company for 13 years. ‘Aaron has been with me a long time and he’s been a very loyal employee, so I wanted him to have the car to use as a runabout,’ he said. Andreas Yiasouma, GSF area manager for Letchworth, said: ‘This competition has been a great way to raise our profile. ‘It’s something that most people think will never happen to them, so it’s just fantastic that a customer in my region actually won the vehicle. ‘And what a great gesture from a boss to let a loyal member of the team keep such an incredible prize.’

| NATIONAL WINDSCREENS |

Alistair is named technical manager NATIONAL Windscreens has appointed Alistair Carlton as technical manager in a move that will further strengthen the company’s proactive role in meeting the needs of new technologies. With more than 23 years’ experience within the auto glazing sector, Carlton’s appointment forms part of the company’s long-term investment strategy to maintain a technological advantage as the automotive glazing sector sees some rapid changes. Pete Marsden, managing director at National Windscreens, said: ‘Alistair will take responsibility for maintaining our technical leadership in all aspects of automotive glazing.’

06 | WorkShopMagazine.co.uk

| RESTORATION |

Triumphant Paris-Dakar rally car is brought back to life A 1987 PARIS-DAKAR rally car has been restored to its former glory after being discovered as a heavily corroded wreck. The Nissan Patrol Fanta Limon Paris-Dakar took victory in the diesel category when it raced in 1987, as well as becoming the first diesel car to finish in the rally’s overall top 10 after enduring the gruelling 13,000km race. Car 211 then entered a private collection and remained there for almost three decades. It was spotted on an internet forum in 2014 by technicians at Nissan Technical

Centre Europe. After requesting its return, the technicians found it was a shadow of the rally car they had known. Juan Villegas, NTCE technician and part of the restoration team, said: ‘The engine was in a terrible condition. ‘It was impossible to start and many parts were heavily corroded. ‘The front axle was quite damaged, but the worst thing was the electrics, which had been badly attacked by rats.’ The restoration team worked tirelessly

to return the car back to racing strength, completing the work in November. It returned to the Sahara Desert to celebrate its off-road prowess, and Pedro Diaz, manager of the electrical and electronics engineering team at NTCE and the only member of the original 1987 team still at Nissan, said: ‘That was a proud moment. Our brains, hearts and souls have gone into this project and it has not been easy. ‘But to see the car in the desert again was just fantastic.‘

Halfords MOT tester admits fraudulent certificate issue Employee is dismissed and must pay more than £2,700 as well as carry out community work.

n MOT tester at a Halfords branch in Cornwall has been given a 12-month community order and told to pay more than £2,700 after admitting fraudulently issuing a certificate. Steven McDermott was among staff at the St Austell branch, including management, interviewed by DVSA investigators after the agency received a tip-off. He admitted issuing an MOT test certificate without the physical test taking place and was given a testing

cessation letter and prosecuted. Appearing before Bodmin magistrates, McDermott, of Indian Queens, St Columb, was also ordered to carry out 200 hours’ unpaid work, as well as pay £2,627 costs and an £85 victim surcharge. After the court hearing, a spokesman for the Pentewan Road branch told Workshop Magazine that McDermott was dismissed on the spot as soon as he had been identified as the rogue tester. Stuart Carter, DVSA south-west & south central enforcement manager,

said: ‘The annual MOT is an important aspect of road safety and the DVSA will pursue and prosecute those who defraud the system by issuing pass certificates without carrying out the test. ‘This sentence sends out a clear message that those who put public safety at risk will be dealt with accordingly. ‘I would like to thank the area team for this particularly good job as it was conducted in a very timely manner so as to protect the integrity of the MOT scheme.’

Aston Martin gets the green light to build new plant at St Athan Construction will form part of a £200m investment by the British car maker and follows meeting with first minister

ston Martin has been given the green light to build the first phase of its multi-million-pound manufacturing facility in the Vale of Glamorgan, Wales. The decision came after Aston Martin CEO and president Andy Palmer met Welsh first minister Carwyn Jones to complete the sale of the site in St Athan. The luxury manufacturer announced in February that it had selected the site from 20 options around the world to build its first SUV. It forms part of a £200 million investment in new products and facilities, and a recruitment drive in the summer kick-started the search

by SIMON DAVIS @SimonDavisNZ for 750 new employees. Palmer said: ‘The exchanging of this contract, giving us first access to the St Athan facility, is a milestone in our 103year history. ‘Work now starts in earnest to turn our plans into reality. ‘We have been impressed with the commitment and approach from both the MoD and the Welsh government in making this project work. We continue to work with the Welsh government in areas like recruitment to ensure we are able to meet our project timescales.’ Phase one will see work start

St Athan is to be the home of Aston Martin SUV manufacturing on the customer and staff reception areas, administration and management offices and the employee restaurant, with Welsh firm TRJ Contracting awarded the contract. April 2017 will see the start of Phase two, once Aston Martin gains access to the three Ministry of Defence ‘super-hangars’

where the new manufacturing facility will be housed. Jones said: ‘We are delighted that Aston Martin has chosen to locate its new manufacturing facility here in Wales. The move is fantastic news for the Vale of Glamorgan and surrounding areas, and will provide a real boost to the local economy.’

Short-staﬀed? Drive your business forward by using highly qualiﬁed and vetted contractors. SPECIALIST PROVIDER OF CONTRACTOR MOT TESTERS, VEHICLE TECHNICIANS AND BODYSHOP PERSONNEL

We provide a realistic solution to the frustration and expense associated with skills shortage. Our network of contractors are here to: • cover for absent staﬀ • handle particular projects your staﬀ don’t have time for • handle peaks in business • provide short term cover between appointments

We are here to help your business. Call us on 01234 432982 autotechrecruit.co.uk WorkShopMagazine.co.uk

| 07

NEWS. | JAGUAR LAND ROVER |

Female students get insight into engineering and manufacturing careers JAGUAR Land Rover opened its doors to female students to give them an insight into engineering and manufacturing careers. The 15-to-18-year-olds applied to join its advanced and degree apprenticeship programmes and secured their places after passing initial human resources screening and psychometric tests. During the four-day Young Women In The Know programme, the students toured design and manufacturing facilities, networked with female employees, spent a day on work placement with female mentors and brushed up their workability skills, including CV writing and interview practice. The scheme involved five Jaguar Land Rover Education Business Partnership Centres in the Midlands and Merseyside. Nick Rogers, executive director for product engineering at Jaguar Land Rover, said: ‘Jaguar Land Rover has grown tremendously, and to continue to pioneer new products and focus on engineering excellence we are passionate about welcoming diverse talent from across the globe. ‘The whole automotive industry is facing a shortfall of engineers, and for Jaguar Land

| MOBIL 1 |

Programme’s 1,000th site opens in Europe THE Mobil 1 Workshop Programme has opened its 1,000th European site. Since its launch in April 2015, ExxonMobil’s initiative, which is designed to support independent workshop owners, has experienced an influx of site operators signing up across Europe, the Middle East and Africa, with 1,000 sites in 29 countries taking part. The milestone demonstrates the success of the Mobil 1 Workshop Programme and the benefits it provides site owners. Offering a set of tools, training, promotions and expertise from Mobil 1, the programme helps site operators meet the challenges of the demanding and ever-changing lubricants market. Luis Antonio Ruiz, site owner of Tool Box in Segovia, Spain, said: ‘Our clients are looking for quality. With available assets such as the technical team, sales training and marketing resources, we have been able to provide quality and build relationships with our clients. ‘The Mobil 1 Workshop programme is an incredible service. Since our first day with the programme we have grown in quality and confidence.’

08 | WorkShopMagazine.co.uk

Rover, encouraging more girls and women to consider a career in engineering is a vital part of addressing this shortage. We’ve seen our female engineering workforce grow from nine per cent to 11 per cent over the past four years due to our initiatives like Young Women In The Know and our Women In Engineering undergraduate sponsorship scheme, and it’s

great to see these programmes are helping us attract more female talent to our business.’ Jaguar Land Rover has been running the Young Women In The Know programme at its Solihull manufacturing plant since 2012 and 42 participants have secured apprenticeships at the company. Chloe McNally, a Jaguar Land Rover advanced apprentice based in

Special Vehicle Operations, said: ‘I took part in the Young Women In The Know course in 2013. The course persuaded me to change my career plan from civil engineering to manufacturing. I joined the company on my apprenticeship four years ago and would thoroughly recommend it. Every day brings a different challenge.’

VW apprentice reaches master status in one year Bosses delighted and proud of technician who is group’s youngest ever to gain qualification

20-year old Volkswagen Commercial Vehicles technician has topped off an incredible 2016 by not only winning a gold medal at the Skills Show but also becoming the youngest qualified master technician the Volkswagen Group has ever had. Harry Garraway has made a huge impression since joining Heritage Volkswagen Van Centre Bristol threeand-a-half years ago. He completed his apprentice programme at the end of 2015, went on to become a qualified technician in March this year, and has now passed all the assessments required to achieve the highest technical level in the Van Centre network – master technician. His successful pathway to Master Technician was not a surprise: on the way he has been named Volkswagen

by REBECCA CHAPLIN @BelieveBecca Commercial Vehicles’ Apprentice of the Year as well as Volkswagen Group Apprentice of the Year – having scored a perfect 100 per cent against the set criteria. In addition Garraway was one of just five apprentices shortlisted for the IMI Outstanding Achievers award 2016. Garraway was also one of just six UK technicians selected to take part in the Skills Show last month at the NEC in Birmingham, where he went on to take the gold medal in the final. Carl zu Dohna, director of Volkswagen Commercial Vehicles, said: ‘We were delighted when Harry was selected to represent the brand

at the Skills Show, so to have come away with the top award is fantastic. ‘We couldn’t be more proud of his achievements and to become a qualified Master Technician so young and in such a short space of time is outstanding. He is an inspiration to all aspiring technicians and proof that developing skills in an apprenticeship position really can be the springboard for a great career. We look forward to watching his development and seeing his talent nurtured further.’ Garraway added: ‘2016 has been the most amazing year for me. I’ve learnt so much and come so far! I’m really looking forward now to consolidating my skills and encouraging other young people to find and develop their passions in a job they love.’

NEWS ROUND-UP

| FORD |

First GT supercar rolls off production line

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

STAFFS:

Euro Car Parts has quelled fears that employees at its distribution centre in Tamworth will face compulsory redundancy when they move to a new state-of-the-art facility on the same site, stating ‘there are roles for all our current colleagues’. The £100m development will see the centre move to a different site within the business park where it is based, but the current site will still be operational.

NOTTINGHAM:

Vehicle technician Jonathan Barlow has been praised by bosses at Volkswagen Van Centre Nottingham after graduating from a fast-track training programme in just six months. The programme challenges technicians on everything from complex diagnostic and engineering analysis of the entire VW commercial vehicles range to completing warranties.

THE FIRST example of Ford’s GT supercar has rolled off the production line. The GT, which is designed to be Ford’s latest ‘halo’, is being built at Multimatic – a low-volume assembly facility in Markham, Ontario. Raj Nair, Ford executive vicepresident of global product development and chief technical officer, said: ‘When we kicked off 2016, we had two primary objectives for our GT supercar – to excel at Le Mans and to start deliveries before year-end. We’ve achieved both. ‘For everyone involved in designing and developing this car, including all of our employees and suppliers, this is a moment to celebrate.’

| CHAMPIONSHIP |

Exol to continue Rooster support EXOL Lubricants will once again be sponsoring Rooster Truck Racing and driver Luke Taylor in the British Truck Racing Championship. Leading Renault driver Taylor took his first win in the championship at Silverstone in 2016, and Exol will continue to support Rooster Truck Racing as he looks to stake a claim on the overall title. Steve Dunn, Exol Lubricants sales director, said: ‘We’re delighted to continue our sponsorship and will be on hand to offer our full support.’

OXFORD:

Mini Plant Oxford has celebrated a significant milestone with three million examples of the popular car now having rolled off the production line. The plant has manufactured Mini cars since 2001, with 80 per cent of Oxford Minis built for export. The three-millionth Mini to come off the production line was a John Cooper Works Clubman – the most powerful Mini Clubman ever made.

| DONATION |

Parts supplier gives £2,000 to auto charity COLCHESTER:

MICHELDEVER:

Independent tyre dealers are benefiting from almost a millennium of experience at Micheldever Tyre Services. Its frontline sales department has a combined 945 years of industry experience. Sales director Alan Baldwin said: ‘We always knew the team had many years of experience, but when we sat down and totted up the number, even I was surprised with the final figure.’

Europit Tyres is looking to expand its MOT operations. The family-run independent firm, which has 10 workshops and showrooms in Essex, Suffolk and east London, is looking to convert a tyre and exhaust fitting bay at its Magdalen Street site in Colchester into an MOT testing station. Local councillors should reach a decision on the plan by January 31.

PARTS supplier Ferdinand Bilstein has given automotive charity Ben £2,000. Bilstein managing director Mark Northeast said: ‘We hope this donation will help provide some relief to people across the automotive industry who are struggling and in need of extra support.’ Handing a cheque to Alistair Brumage from Ben, he said it was a small start that represented a strengthening of his firm’s relationship with Ben. ‘The company is passionate and committed to helping people from all areas of the automotive industry. ‘We’re starting with this donation, and continuing with several events next year to help raise more money for Ben,’ he said. WorkShopMagazine.co.uk

| 09

SUPPLIERS GUIDE.

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

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

This invaluable directory provides you with information and contact details of some of the key suppliers of products and services to the automotive repair industry – from components and parts to garage equipment, web design, online solutions and even legal advice for when a transaction goes sour. Our guide to the industry’s must-have partners follows on from the success of a similar resource in our sister publication, Car Dealer Magazine, and the automotive repair, service and maintenance industry version will become just as indispensable. This month we add to our list of key suppliers with Nebula Systems, Pro-Align, the IGA and the RAC. Keep an eye on this space each month as we include more and more of the industry’s leading suppliers.

Aftersales Software

Approved Schemes

eDynamix

RAC Approved Dealer Network

Garage Equipment

ADVERTISE HERE

Garage Equipment

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

GEMCO

Diagnostic Equipment Approved Dealer

W: rac.co.uk/getapproved T: 0330 159 1111 E: dealernetwork@rac.co.uk Info: Being authorised to use the RAC name as a badge of quality creates strong consumer confidence and increases profitability. As an RAC Approved Dealer, you have access to one of the UK’s most respected motoring brands. There’s a range of RAC-backed products and services at your disposal, as well as a customer reach of more than 8 million RAC members to promote your dealership.

Nebula Systems

W: nebulasystems.com T: 01280 816333 E: sales@nebulasystems.com Info: Nebula Systems specialises in the development of advanced technologies for the automotive and future mobility industries. We make vehicle data and systems more accessible so that a vehicle’s health, status and utilisation can be monitored, analysed, diagnosed and maintained, faster and more effectively, anytime and anywhere.

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

W: workshopmagazine.co.uk T: 023 9252 2434 (that’s us!) E: tom.adams@blackballmedia.co.uk Info: To widen your reach to more garages and decision-makers, contact us above. A slot like this costs less than £25 per month if booked for a year.

Your Company Name

Pro-Align

Garage Equipment

Legal & Compliance

Parts Suppliers

Straightset

Lawgistics

Blue Print

Parts Suppliers

Trade Bodies

Febi Bilstein

IGA

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

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

W: lawgistics.co.uk T: 01480 445500 E: sales@lawgistics.co.uk Info: The motor trade’s leading legal firm, giving help and advice to our members and the industry in general. Passionate about fairness under the law. Our legal team are there to protect your interests. Not anti consumer, just pro trader. Don't miss our advice, which is published every month in Workshop Magazine. See pages 34 and 35 of this issue for The Judge's verdict on two problems.

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

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

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

See suppliers like these and more at CDX17, which is being held at Silverstone on May 23, 2017. More details online at bit.ly/CDXnews

TO HAVE YOUR DETAILS INCLUDED HERE CALL 023 9252 2434 AND ASK FOR WORKSHOP SUPPLIERS GUIDE LISTINGS 10 | WorkShopMagazine.co.uk

NEWS. | PERFORMANCE GOLF |

Oettinger reveals new VW body kits GERMAN Volkswagen tuning company Oettinger has released a series of body kits for VW’s Performance Golf line-up. The new kits are available on the Golf GTI, GTD and R models, and add an extra dash of sporting prowess to the hot hatchbacks’ appearances. The new body kits also include a revised silencer. The stainless steel exhaust system features a quad layout, meaning the GTD gains exhaust tailpipes on the right-hand side of the car, while the GTI doubles its number of tailpipes from two to four. The Golf R, on the other hand, receives new honed quad tailpipes. The new Oettinger muffler also means the Golfs will produce a sportier-sounding exhaust note, while the R gains valve control. A staunch-looking rear diffuser, which is flush with the Oettinger side skirts, complements the new exhausts and improves the Golfs’ aerodynamics. All of the Golfs gain a new spoiler on the roof, as well as a new front splitter and spoiler.

Short commutes causing battery blues for drivers Nearly a quarter of British motorists surveyed for Kwik Fit have suffered charge problems over the past two years.

hort journeys could have caused almost a quarter of British drivers to have battery problems over the past two years, according to research from Kwik Fit. The vehicle servicing company surveyed a representative sample of more than 2,000 British adults and found that 23 per cent had been affected with battery problems since November 2014, with 57 per cent of those needing replacement batteries. Kwik Fit says the problem could be caused by many motorists’ short journeys, which don’t provide time for the battery to be fully

by JACK EVANS @jackrober recharged. This is based on findings from the survey where 41 per cent of those questioned said their daily journeys took less than 15 minutes. A further 20 per cent of respondents had an average daily journey time of 16 to 20 minutes. Kwik Fit says the biggest single drain on a car’s battery is starting the engine from cold, meaning cold weather will exacerbate any issues. As a result, the peak time for battery problems is 7am to 9am, when drivers are setting out for

work. More than one in five drivers (21 per cent) have experienced problems between those hours, with 22 per cent of those saying it made them late for work and nine per cent claiming to have missed an important appointment. Roger Griggs, communications director at Kwik Fit, said: ‘Although battery technology has improved dramatically, the demands placed on them by in-car technology has also increased. If drivers experience

any sort of issue with their battery, such as it taking longer than normal to start their engine, then we would advise that they get the health of the battery checked as soon as possible. Kwik Fit can carry out a free battery check to assess its condition and whether it’s holding its charge effectively. This will give drivers advance warning of any problems, rather than finding out on a cold morning when they need to get somewhere urgently.’ WorkShopMagazine.co.uk

| 11

NEWS. | CRUSHWATCH |

Cars reunited with legitimate owners FIGURES for November released by automotive expert HPI reveal its CrushWatch scheme helped finance and leasing firms recover uninsured vehicles to the tune of more than £7.75m, saving the vehicles from disposal. HPI’s CrushWatch is a UK-wide scheme that helps lenders to minimise their losses. Uninsured vehicles that otherwise would be put up for sale at auctions or sent to the scrapyard are reunited with the companies, which are their legitimate owners. Last year, vehicles worth £65m that were seized for being driven without valid insurance were identified to the finance and leasing firms.

| STORBORD |

New range of wall panels launched WALL storage specialist Storbord is launching a new range of wall storage panels that offer users an affordable, flexible alternative to the traditional pegboard system. Featuring a series of strong yet pliable pre-formed hooks, Storbord’s unique design enables users to create versatile storage for automotive tools and accessories. Manufactured using powdercoated steel, hooks can be easily pulled out when needed and pushed back in if an alternative arrangement is required. When the hooks are in use, a simple plastic cover is slipped over the top, providing durable wall storage.

| REGULATION |

AA in partnership with ombudsman AA GARAGE Guide has confirmed that the recently launched Motor Ombudsman will be advocating its platform to all of its accredited garages. The Motor Ombudsman – formerly known as Motor Codes – is the first ombudsman to focus solely on the automotive sector and self-regulates the UK’s motor industry through its Chartered Trading Standards Instituteapproved codes of practice. Thousands of franchised dealers and independent garages are accredited to its service and repair code. AA Garage Guide is an online search and booking platform for MOTs, servicing and repairs.

12 | WorkShopMagazine.co.uk

| COURT |

Garage boss is sent to prison for tax fraud A MANCHESTER garage boss has been jailed for fraud after he hid his business activities from the taxman and stole £118,000 from UK taxpayers. Carl Hutchinson, 61, of Manor Road, Denton, traded for five years between 2009 and 2014 as DPC, Fine Motors and Fine Garages but failed to submit any tax or VAT returns. HMRC discovered that he had faked invoices and hijacked the VAT numbers of other legitimate companies and used them on customer invoices. He charged VAT on his

services and then kept the cash rather than paying what was owed to HMRC. Despite being registered with HMRC, Hutchinson failed to declare any of his income or pay the VAT due. He traded with several companies during the fraud and HMRC collected statements from his customers and suppliers that provided further evidence of his fake invoices and the hijacked VAT numbers. Hutchinson was sentenced to 27 months in jail at Manchester Crown Court on November 25 after earlier pleading guilty to VAT evasion,

Carl Hutchinson possessing and creating falsified invoices, cheating the public revenue, and money laundering. HMRC is now in the process of recovering the stolen tax.

Autodata reveals the most serviced vehicles of 2016 Blue Oval’s second-generation Focus heads list in garages sector for second year in row

he Ford Focus has once again topped the list of the most common vehicles serviced in garages, according to figures from Autodata. The second generation of Ford’s popular compact car leads the way for 2016, just as it did in 2015. First introduced in 2004, the Mk2 Focus was the best-selling car in the United Kingdom for five consecutive years, following on from the five-year spell its predecessor had spent at the top of the sales charts. Across all variants of the Focus, there are around 1.5 million examples on the UK’s roads, of around 32 million registered vehicles. The other models featuring in

TOP 10 Ford Focus (2004-2011) Vauxhall Astra (2004-2013) Peugeot 206 (1998-2009) Ford Transit (2006-present) Vauxhall Corsa (2006-2014) Volkswagen Transporter T5 (2003-2015) Volkswagen Golf V (2003-2008) Peugeot 307 (2001-2008) BMW 3 Series (2005-2014) Renault Clio II (1998-2013) the 2016 top five are the Vauxhall Astra, Peugeot 206, Ford Transit, and Vauxhall Corsa. This year’s top 20 also includes other highly popular vehicles such as the Nissan Qashqai, Ford Fiesta,

Volkswagen Passat, Renault Megane, Volkswagen Polo and the Audi A3, which debuted 20 years ago. Autodata compiled the list based on the number of service schedules accessed by its UK and European subscribers, with more than 67 per cent of workshops in the UK having used Autodata’s latest online platform in the past 12 months. Rod Williams, CEO of Autodata, said: ‘One of the many benefits of Autodata’s continuous evolution is the increasingly high levels of industry intelligence it provides. It allows us to see where the demand for content exists so that we can provide the most in-demand and upto-date information to workshops.’

The Ford Focus was the most commonly serviced vehicle in 2016

Vehicle Specific Information to be reintroduced to MOT testing service Feedback after review revealed a number of problems and agency admits that all changes might not happen at once.

he Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency is to reintroduce the Vehicle Specific Information system to the MOT after a review. Before the move to the new MOT testing service, VSI was provided to testers that included information such as VIN location, brake testing weight, ABS presence and lighting test sequence, and the type of roller brake test required. The DVSA’s management and technical standards teams reviewed VSI and discovered that while there was lots of positive feedback on VSI, several problems were also identified with it, including

data being incorrect because of the difficulty of selecting the right vehicle. The review and user feedback revealed that brake testing weight information was essential, and DVSA introduced this function as one of the first updates to the new MOT testing service. More information will be added over time, following more user feedback, with data such as whether a vehicle can be roller brake tested, how to test electromechanical parking brake systems, anti-lock braking system lamp operation, adaptive air suspension, tyre pressure monitoring systems and original fitment of CATs and

More information will be added to the VSI system DPFs all under consideration. In a statement, the DVSA said: ‘We always intended to make more technical information about specific vehicles available on the MOT

testing service. Unfortunately, this has taken us a little longer than we originally planned. ‘It might be that we don’t introduce all the changes at once.’

Make sure you comply with the Environment Agency!

DRINKS EVERY LAST DROP

With inspections on the increase, have you got these three products to comply with the EA?

Tuesday, May 23, 2017 The Wing, Silverstone

Aircon Unit

Air Bag Tool

Budget Shocker

Our fuel retrieval system drinks Removes Safely deploy everything, even the vapour... Fast removal refrigerant gas airbags and Part of our wide range of fluid handling of shock from allandtypes seat belt depollution equipment, the AutoDrain Scavenger 90 offers safe removal of petrol in absorber oil. tensions. CDX17 will be bigger than ever, with a of vehicles. a robust and long lasting design proven over

many years. larger expo, plus more workshops and a leading specialist this area AutoDrain + VAT + delivery breakout sessions Buy allAs three for injust £1995 offer fully compliant solutions to handling fuel

STAND BOOKINGS BEING TAKEN NOW!

Normal price to buy all three is £2,116 + VAT + delivery in retail workshop environments. Talk to our specialist team for expert advice on this and our other products.

Call us today on 0113 205 9332 Tel: 0113 2059332 W: www.autodrain.net

To register your interest please call 023 9252 2434 E: info@autodrain.net www.autodrain.net or email events@blackballmedia.co.uk

Experts in vehicle depollution

WorkShopMagazine.co.uk

| 13

2017 Weâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re ready for another 350,000 successful fixes over the year ahead. DIAGNOSTIC SYSTEM

EXTRA MILE AWARD

Are You? Get from Fault 2 Fix, Fast to enjoy a prosperous New Year

autologic.com 14 | WorkShopMagazine.co.uk

01865 870060

FAULT FINDER.

CHRIS ROUTLEDGE OF AUTOLOGIC DISCUSSES DIAGNOSTICS

Forced regeneration might be needed for diesel particulate filters Vehicle use or driving style could have a detrimental effect on engine oil – and ultimately the engine itself.

n order to meet strict Euro 4/5 emission limits, modern diesels have to reduce gaseous and particulate emissions. To do this, they use a particulate filter. Jaguar, Land Rover, Audi, BMW and Mercedes use the cDPF type. The ‘c’ stands for coated catalyst, which means it lasts around 150k miles longer, as there is no additive to help regeneration. The disadvantage of it, however, is that it runs at a hotter temperature. So what is happening inside the filter? The exhaust gases pass through the filter, leaving any particulates behind that are too big to pass through the filter’s pores. As the filter fills with particulates, the engine management will access this and carry out a regeneration of the particulate filter to stop it blocking. The engine management monitors the volume of particulates in the filter by measuring the pressure in the pipeline before and after the particulate filter. As the exhaust gas flows through the filter and the amount of particulates increases, the pressure difference will increase. This will lead to a change in signal voltage from the pressure sensor. This signal is one of the parameters required before regeneration can take place. The particulate filter has two types of regeneration: passive and active. Passive regeneration requires no special intervention from the engine management

and occurs during normal engine operation. It happens when the DPF temperature reaches 250°C and a continuous vehicle speed of above 40mph is maintained. Active regeneration generally occurs every 450 miles (725km), although this is dependent on how the vehicle is driven. The DPF control software incorporates a mileage trigger, used as a back-up for active regeneration should it not start because of filter pressure. Active regeneration of the filter starts when the temperature is high enough to burn the particles. The filter temperature is increased by introducing a post-injection of fuel after normal operations have occurred. Depending on the filter temperature, the DPF software requests either one or two post-injections of fuel. The first post-injection of fuel retards the combustion inside the cylinder, which increases the temperature of the exhaust gas. The second post-injection of fuel is injected late in the power stroke cycle. The fuel partly combusts in the cylinder but some unburnt fuel also passes into the exhaust, where it creates an exothermic event

in the filter, further raising the diesel particulate filter temperature. The active regeneration process takes around 20 minutes to complete. The first phase increases the filter temperature to 500°C, the second one to 600°C. This temperature is maintained for 15 to 20 minutes to ensure complete incineration of the particles within the filter. The regeneration temperature of the filter is monitored by the DPF software to maintain the optimum temperature. If the regeneration process can’t take place because of vehicle usage or driving style, Autologic’s AssistPlus can force a regeneration to take place. To force a regeneration to take place, select ‘DPF FUNCTIONS’ on the AssistPlus and then select ‘DIESEL PARTICULATE FILTER REGENERATION’. After selecting this option, onscreen instructions are displayed for you to follow. The procedure usually takes around 30 minutes. The AssistPlus screen shows the forced regeneration in progress and completed. It’s worth noting that if the owner only drives for short journeys and the vehicle never completes the regeneration cycle, it could cause the condition of the oil to become very poor because of the fuel passing into the oil. If this continues, it could cause the car to run away or start to run on its own oil. This usually results in the destruction of the engine. The first check on any DPF car arriving in your garage should therefore be the oil level and its condition.

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

| 15

NEWS.

Making light work of what the future holds for autonomous cars Drastic changes lie ahead for workshops when latest Nissan technology arrives.

issan has emphasised that important revamps to the standard signalling on cars will be one of the next major steps to making fully autonomous cars a reality on roads. At the latest in a series of ‘Nissan Futures’ events that showcase the work the manufacturer is undertaking, Workshop Magazine was able to learn about how these cars will react to the world around them – and how they will let the outside world know what they are about to do. It’s easy enough to say that the car will know what is going on around it, but how will other road users know what it is about to do? Nissan’s suggestion is to use a combination of coloured lights to show that the car knows where you are and to show others just what it will be doing next. This was demonstrated on the Nissan IDS concept earlier in the year. There is a band of blue lights around the car, and these will change colour as a cyclist passes or a pedestrian walks in front of the car. Also in the concept is an LED display that can show phrases such as ‘After You’ or ‘Me Next’ in a situation where normally a human interaction would take place. Finally, the main key piece of design that Nissan has suggested implementing is a light that will change colour on the front of the car. The manufacturer has said this would change to green when the car has come to a stop, to signal to pedestrians that it is safe to cross. It’s this kind of clever kit, as well as ‘LoB’ technology (which stands for ‘life on board’), which were key points of discussion at the event. These are what will shape the future of car design and drastically alter what the future of workshops will look like. It’s also something that research has shown weighs heavy on consumers’ minds. A study by Nissan has shown that 48 per cent of people are worried that autonomous cars won’t work. However, these cars are already in the pipeline, as Nissan has said there will be six cars in its range featuring autonomous drive by the end of 2017, plus a plan to get 10 on the road by 2020. Stewart Callegari, general manager for cross car line, vehicle IT and advanced planning at Nissan Europe, is in charge of leading a team of

16 | WorkShopMagazine.co.uk

by REBECCA CHAPLIN @BelieveBecca 12 people to define Nissan’s European strategy for future vehicles and technology. He said: ‘They will be between Renault and Nissan, so the 10 cars are not all Nissans, although I’m sure they’ll be branded something else by Renault.’ He added that there were some key aims with this new technology. ‘The principal or the intention that we have in terms of production of autonomous drive is that we believe that customers still love driving. I love driving, I lived in Scotland for a long time and I lived in Switzerland – in those situations, where there’s not much traffic around, I love going for a drive. Many customers are like that. ‘There are two main factors, though, when it comes to autonomous driving. One is the safety which is very important to many customers, this is fundamental with our aim of reaching zero fatalities. ‘You also get the benefit of removing a lot of the pain points of driving.’

PROCESSES FOR AN AUTONOMOUS CAR Nothing about the vehicle’s decision-making process should surprise you – it’s what we as human beings go through every day! But here are the stages that an autonomous car will work through during its travels.

Sense

The car is covered in sensors and cameras that are able to tell it where obstacles are. It will also be programmed with the highway code for its region, so that it knows how to act in any given situation.

Perceive

This is, in fact, part of the first stage. Just as the autonomous car will observe its surroundings, other road users will be perceiving it. They could be pedestrians, cyclists or other car drivers. That’s when the car will use lights and signals to communicate what it will do next.

Decide

If an autonomous car is approaching a junction, it will first sense what’s around and then make a decision based on that. If there is nothing around, it will continue its journey, but if there is something in the vicinity it will have to make a decision about whether it has right of way.

Act

The vehicle will then act on this decision and will continue to work through these processes to keep itself and other road users safe.

| BRAND IMAGE |

BMW bides its time over technology to get it right rather than rush to market

It’s the thought that counts... A Nissan IDS concept politely makes way for a pedestrian

BMW says it won’t rush autonomous cars to market and will only implement the technology when it’s confident it’s ready, regardless of pressure from other manufacturers. The new BMW 5 Series, which will hit dealer forecourts in February, features semi-autonomous driving aids that allow the driver to take their hands off the wheel for short periods of time. But speaking at the launch of the new 5 Series, Albert Maier, project manager of driving dynamics for the premium saloon, told us: ‘There’s no incentive for us to rush autonomous technology to market. ‘It’s better for our brand image if we take our time and make sure that when we do bring fully autonomous cars to the market they work to the kind of standards people have come to expect from BMW. ‘If you look at our testing regime for our current cars, they undergo millions of miles of testing. So just imagine how much more we need to do for cars that drive themselves. So you can understand why this takes time.’ With the Model S, Silicon Valley-based electric car maker Tesla has proved that there is an appetite for electric vehicles and advanced technology in the premium executive car segment. The company has pushed forward with testing its ‘Autopilot’ feature in customer cars – a practice that has drawn criticism from some. When questioned on Tesla’s aggressive strategy for bringing semi-autonomous technology to market, Maier said: ‘I guess it’s just a different outlook with different goals. ‘For Tesla, it comes from a technology background where this kind of testing happens, and it wants to show the world it is capable. We won’t react to that, we’ll do things our way, the way we want to do it, and then we’ll see.’ Earlier this year, Harald Krüger, chairman of the board at BMW, said that the company wanted to have a fully autonomous vehicle ready for production by 2021.

BMW’s all-electric i3 car WorkShopMagazine.co.uk

| 17

FEATURES. HOW I MADE IT

A STEEP LEARNING CURVE BUT THE GAMBLE PAID OFF Steve Tallett’s MOT-based flash of inspiration when he was scouting around for new business ideas saw him buy a garage that has gone from strength to strength, as REBECCA CHAPLIN found when she visited the thriving company.

rescent Motors was awarded the highest accolade for service and repair at our sister publication Car Dealer Magazine’s Used Car Awards at the end of November. The team were nominated by their peers, and the mystery shopping stages revealed that the Burton-on-Trent company’s attention to detail set it apart from the other nominees. Owner Steve Tallettt bought the business in 2002 and has built it into a pillar of the local community. Tallett’s background wasn’t working in a workshop, but he had come from owning a different business and had the know-how to make the garage reach its full potential. ‘I’m not a mechanic and I really think that is why we’ve done so well. I’m more businessorientated than cars-orientated,’ Tallett said. ‘What I did was buy the business. It was a gamble because it was mainly the MOT side I wanted. But, prior to that, I’d owned a business manufacturing garden buildings. ‘Sheds, summerhouses, greenhouses, that sort of thing, which got very, very expensive due to the very weak pound and most of the timbers being imported. ‘You couldn’t really compete with the foreign imports that the supermarkets were selling.’ It was at this point that Tallett decided a change was in order. ‘I thought, “What can I do now?” So, I opened a little breaker’s yard. It’s quite strange really, where the idea came about from. I used to do grass-track banger racing as a youngster, so I spent a lot of time in breakers’ yards. ‘What happened was there were no good breakers’ yards in our area so I thought, “I’ll do that.” But that was pretty much a white elephant, as it were. It sort of developed into a situation where I was selling the parts and fitting them, so

18 | WorkShopMagazine.co.uk

The award-winning Crescent Motors is looking to add more strings to its bow I started to make something of an income.’ did. But once I’d paid my money I then had to The decision to become a fully-fledged garage become a tester, which meant taking an exam, was a tough one because the risks were huge, but and I had to take an MOT manager’s course. when the opportunity to buy Crescent Motors ‘So, no pressure! I had to pass because came up it seemed too good to be true. otherwise I couldn’t run the operation. But I ‘I decided to move out of that and go into the did study very hard and I passed both of them garage trade, earning very little. And now I think first time. I set about building the MOT side up about it, it was “Well, should you do it?” I knew quickly because I knew that was where the initial my way round a car, don’t get me wrong, revenue was going to come from. So, we I’d been building them for racing for quickly built the MOT side up. The many years, but I soon realised I spin-off from that obviously was was out of my depth with modern work for the workshop side, and diagnostics and such like. I we progressed from there.’ I’ve only had one year hadn’t got a clue,’ he said. As the business grew, we lost money and ‘So, if I had a car with an Crescent Motors had to expand that was the year of the issue, I was taking it somewhere its facilities to accommodate the scrappage scheme. else, using a third party. There extra work. ‘Twelve months after was no money in it. I was enjoying that, we moved to larger premises it, but I thought that if I wanted and heavily invested in equipment, to stay in the industry I needed to do because the equipment in the original something. MOTs sprang to mind. I thought, place that I’d bought was all very old, dated stuff “There’s always going to be a need for an MOT.” ’ that was forever breaking down,’ he said. He continued: ‘Crescent Motors came up for ‘So I put a new class seven bay in and took sale and it was already an MOT station, and I on two more staff. Then, 18 months after that, I thought having explored it that’s my best route opened a second garage, which was just an MOT in, buy an existing station, which is what I station, not a workshop.’

”

Crescent Motors currently has two sites: one in Burton-on-Trent and one in Woodville, six miles away. However, the business is currently consolidating to one site. Tallett explained: ‘Both have been very good to me, to be fair. It’s not always been plain sailing, it never is in business. We’ve had our ups and downs, we’ve had our difficult times. In all the time I’ve had the business I’ve only had one year we lost money and that was the year of the scrappage scheme. What a horrendous, stupid idea that was.’ The business is going through a transitional period and Tallett explained that he was looking to make some changes to expand in 2017. ‘We are in the throes of selling the Woodville operation. We’re selling that because, logistically, it’s getting more and more difficult to manage. ‘So, sell it, nice cash injection into the business, which will secure the future of the business for some years, and we’ve got a few other ideas for the Burton branch, like we’re going into recovery and vehicle transport. Another string to our bow. ‘And car sales. It’s not something that we’ve ever done in a big way. ‘If our customers are selling cars and we know

Crescent Motors was successful at the 2016 Used Car Awards. From left: Stuart James, director of award sponsor the IGA, Steve and Zandra Tallett of Crescent Motors, and awards host Mike Brewer them to be good cars, we’ll buy them because there’s less chance of them going back and biting you on the backside. ‘So we always make sure that any cars we’ve had have always had a good history. That’s what we want to do next year.’ However, Tallett is also looking to hand over the reins soon. ‘Later on next year I’m going to step away from the business as the full-time MD. It’ll still be my business but I’ve got a good team,

including two family members, and they will carry on running it. ‘They know the ethos of the business, they’ve all been very involved in what we’ve done in the past, and it’ll continue in the same manner. ‘That’ll be my legacy: leave them to it.’ Why not tell us your story in How I Made It? Call the Workshop team on 023 9252 2434 WorkShopMagazine.co.uk

| 19

FEATURES.

WRC 2017 SEASON

READY AND RARING TO GO – THE NEW CARS AIMING FOR THE TOP Our resident motorsport buff JACK HEALY takes a look at what the lucky mechanics will be working on in the season ahead and the rule changes that have led to some substantial redesigns.

s the highest level of off-road racing, the World Rally Championship has been going through a redesign for the upcoming 2017 season. After periods of dominance from both Citroën and Volkswagen since the turn of the millennium, the regulations are being changed following years of making the cars simpler and cheaper to build, yet much safer. For the new season, Hyundai, M-Sport, which runs the new Ford Fiesta, and the returning Toyota and Citroën teams are looking to assert their dominance on the rally stage, and with defending champions Volkswagen leaving at the end of last season, it is truly wide open before the first rally in Monte Carlo. We examine the changes for the new season and the return of Group B rallying, as well as taking a close look at the Hyundai i20 Coupe, Toyota Yaris, Ford Fiesta and Citroën C3 WRC models.

20 | WorkShopMagazine.co.uk

â&#x20AC;&#x153;

We are heading into a new era for the sport with the biggest change to the regulations for some time. MICHEL NANDAN, HYUNDAI MOTORSPORT TEAM PRINCIPAL

WorkShopMagazine.co.uk

| 21

FEATURES.

HYUNDAI i20 COUPE WRC

or this coming season, Hyundai could almost be seen as favourites, as they are running a car that’s structurally similar to last season’s successful model. Having used the five-door version of the i20 for the 2016 season, the more compact package of the coupe returns for 2017 after the Hyundai Motorsport team used the three-door in 2015. Having finished second in the constructors’ standings behind Volkswagen Motorsport, who have since left the sport, Hyundai were showing signs of pushing the dominant Polo R WRC to the limit by winning two rallies in Argentina and Sardinia. With the best team and car leaving the

line-up from last year, this could open the door for Hyundai to dominate in 2017. Despite the new regulations, though, team principal Michel Nandan said the new i20 Coupe WRC is using ‘95 per cent of the concepts from last year’s car’. Sticking with the same crews as last season, the stability of the car and team could give Hyundai Motorsport a significant advantage going into the new season. Nandan added: ‘We are heading into a new era for the sport with the biggest change to the regulations for some time. It’s a great new technical challenge and one that we have tackled with enthusiasm. It’s an opportunity to

“

It’s an opportunity to put into practice everything we have learnt and experienced in the past three seasons. MICHEL NANDAN, HYUNDAI MOTORSPORT TEAM PRINCIPAL

22 | WorkShopMagazine.co.uk

put into practice everything we have learnt and experienced in the past three seasons. ‘All the teams are starting from scratch, so we are on equal footing.’ As the chassis for 2016 and ’17 are so similar, the Hyundai Motorsport models are the best examples to use to compare between the old and new regulations. Despite there being few structural alterations, there is clearly a design change. The extended aerodynamic aids, such as the rear wing and flared wheel arches, are the obvious changes, but overall the car looks more aggressive and harks back to the iconic Group B models of the mid-80s.

Red Bull TV to broadcast WRC 2017 season FREE online streaming service Red Bull TV has announced that it will be hosting coverage of the World Rally Championship in 2017. Starting at the Rallye Monte-Carlo in January, the programmes will be streamed on the channel’s website and the Red Bull TV app, before being made available on demand. Beginning on Friday, January 20 at 9pm, the show will summarise the first day’s action, and it will bring more than an hour of live action the next day, followed by a highlights package in the evening. Sunday nights will offer a comprehensive round-up of the weekend’s racing. Each rally will have a different co-presenter, all of whom are big names in the motorsport industry. Ex-F1 and endurance racing driver Mark Webber will be the first guest host.

TOYOTA YARIS WRC

or the first time in 17 years, Toyota will be entering the World Rally Championship. After withdrawing at the end of the 1999 season to focus on their Formula One and Le Mans programmes, the Finnish-based Toyota Gazoo Racing team will be bringing the Toyota name back to the rallying stage, with four-time world champion Tommi Mäkinen leading the outfit. This season, Gazoo Racing will have the Yaris WRC at their disposal, with the prospect of a road-going version

likely towards the end of 2017. Jari-Matti Latvala and Juho Hänninen will be driving the opening round in Monte Carlo, with WRC 2 champion for 2016 Esapekka Lappi being the team’s test driver. At the launch, team chairman Akio Toyoda said: ‘Because they involve competition on all types of roads, rallies are the optimal stage on which to hone the capabilities of both people and cars. ‘Toyota has not been seen on that stage for a long time, but I’m truly happy we’re back.’

WorkShopMagazine.co.uk

| 23

“

FEATURES.

No expense has been spared, and we start the 2017 season with one goal in mind – returning to the top step of the podium. MALCOLM WILSON, M-SPORT’S MANAGING DIRECTOR

WORLD RALLY CHAMPIONSHIP TIMELINE

Pre-Championship Rallying

One thing that can be noted about rallying is how much the cars have changed throughout the sport’s history. Before the World Rally Championship for Constructors was introduced in 1973, the Monte Carlo Rally was the main event and all the cars that took part were slightly modified versions of the road-going models to improve performance. The most famous of the preWRC cars was the Mini Cooper S, which won the 1964, ’65 and ’67 Monte Carlo Rally, with Northern Ireland’s Paddy Hopkirk winning the race in ’64.

24 | WorkShopMagazine.co.uk

Group 4

In 1973, the World Rally Championship was introduced but only as a Constructors series, meaning it was more car performance than driver-based like many championships nowadays. Using the Group 4 homologation, which required at least 400 road-legal versions of the entries to be built before they could be raced, many iconic cars were used. The first championshipwinning car was the Alpine A110, before Italian manufacturers Lancia and Fiat both won three championships each with the Stratos HF and 131 Abarth respectively.

Group B

Seen as the golden era of rallying, the five years of Group B began in 1983,with four-wheel-drive cars introduced for the first time. With limited restrictions in the regulations, the power output of the cars increased dramatically thanks to larger turbochargers, but this led to more dangerous racing. After the deaths of Henri Toivonen and Sergio Cresto in 1986 at the Tour de Corse in their Lancia Delta B4, then-FIA president Jean-Marie Balestre cancelled the development of Group B cars. The most famous cars of the time were the Audi Quattro and Ford RS200.

M-SPORT RACING

ased on the 2017 Ford Fiesta, the Cumbrian-based M-Sport team have developed their challenger for the upcoming season; the Fiesta WRC. After using the updated sixth-generation model for the past two seasons, the new racer is built on the top-specification chassis of the latest edition of the Fiesta, with more than 95 per cent of the car being designed from scratch to deliver more power and more mechanical grip. Under the bonnet, a turbocharged version of the 1.6-litre EcoBoost engine is producing at least 380bhp, and with the help of the six-speed sequential gearbox and four-wheel drive, the WRC will reach speeds in excess of 140mph on any terrain. To comply with the regulations on enlarged bodywork, the M-Sport team have used upwards of 95 litres of energyabsorbing foam, which will help protect the drivers and also keep the car as light as possible. With the T45 steel roll cage

Group A

These cars looked back to the earlier days of rallying, as they were much closer to the road-going versions than Group B’s. That didn’t mean they lacked modification, however, as despite being less powerful than the previous era of car, they were much lighter and had better handling and traction. Used as the base regulations for modern rallying, Group A cars were used in the WRC until 2001. Famous models included the Lancia Delta Integrale, the Toyota Celica and the Subaru Impreza, which took Colin McCrae to the drivers’ title in 1995.

welded to the shell and chassis, the Fiesta WRC is safer and more rigid than last year’s model. Following more than 6,000km of testing for the new Fiesta WRC, M-Sport managing director Malcolm Wilson said: ‘Having driven the car myself, I can honestly say that it is one of the most impressive cars we have ever produced. ‘It’s exciting to drive, it sounds fantastic and it looks absorbingly sensational. No expense has been spared, and we start the 2017 season with one goal in mind – returning to the top step of the podium.’ Following Volkswagen’s decision to leave the sport at the end of last season, defending world champion Sébastien Ogier joined M-Sport for the 2017 season, alongside Estonian driver and returnee Ott Tanak. Ogier said: ‘There will be a lot of new things this season, but I am definitely looking forward to it. ‘We have a new generation of world rally cars and a new team – it’s definitely an exciting time.’

WRC Spec

These are the current base regulations, and until 2010 the power came from a two-litre turbocharged engine. Looking much like the road-going versions, the cars were stiffened, lightened and given four-wheel drive. The ‘homologation special’ rule, which meant road-going versions of the rally car had to be built, was also retracted. In 2011, the engine size was downgraded to a 1.6-litre turbo and there was much more restriction on building materials and parts. This era saw Sébastien Loeb win nine world championships in a row.

CITROËN C3 WRC

he eight-time constructors’ champions Citroën make their return to the WRC with the C3 WRC. Despite using 2016 to focus on developing the 2017 car, the team won two rounds of last year’s championship in Portugal and Finland, thanks to Northern Irish driver Kris Meeke in the DS3 WRC. The C3 WRC bears only a passing resemblance to the new road car owing to its bloated bodywork and the rather gargantuan rear wing. With aerodynamic fins on the front bumper to improve air flow over the extended wheel arches, the model has air boxes in front of the rear wheels that surprisingly fit in with Citroën’s distinctive ‘air bump’ design ethos. With Citroën winning three consecutive drivers’ and constructors’ titles over the past three World Touring Car Championship seasons, the team claim the new engine is the best they’ve ever fitted to a rally car. As the engine regulations in the WTCC are almost identical to the new WRC rules, Patrice Davesne and the engine department have been able to use this knowhow for the 2017 WRC season. Davesne said: ‘While competing in the WTCC, we were able to take a step back from our experience in rallying and that enabled us to tackle this challenge with a new outlook. ‘The framework of the Global Racing Engine regulations is strict, but it provides sufficient freedom for new solutions to be devised. We have very boldly opted for some very radical technological solutions, and we’re very proud with the work we have done, especially in reducing friction.’ For 2017, the team will be entering up to four crews per round, with Kris Meeke, Craig Breen, Stéphane Lefebvre and Sheikh Khalid Al Qassimi trying to put the C3 WRC on the top step of the rostrum. Following their extensive period of success between 2004 and 2012, in which Sébastien Loeb won nine drivers’ titles, the French team will be hoping to start another era of dominance in the WRC.

Regulation changes in detail WorkShopMagazine.co.uk

| 25

FEATURES. WRC 2017 CHANGES IN DETAIL

NEW REGULATIONS

Like its fellow high-profile racing series Formula One, the World Rally Championship has been suffering something of an image crisis over recent years, as the cars look more like the road-going models, are quieter and don’t excite the baying crowds as much as they used to. But with the 2017 regulations, the Federation Internationale de L’Automobile and the WRC are looking to change all that by harking back to the golden years of the Group B rally cars of the mid-1980s. With lighter models, more freedom with bodywork design and more power at their disposal, the 2017 fleet of cars is looking to reinvigorate rallying and bring back the glory days of the WRC.

Turbo

For added power, the turbo restrictor diameter has increased in size from 33mm to 36mm, meaning more air can be forced into the engine, increasing the power output by at least 50bhp.

Engine

The 1.6-litre turbocharged engine is the same as last year’s car, but with the larger turbo and other minor tweaks it is now producing upwards of 380bhp.

Gearbox

The six-speed sequential gearbox helps achieve the fastest possible gear changes and is paired with a cerametallic twin-disc clutch system.

26 | WorkShopMagazine.co.uk

Brakes

Ventilated disc brakes will stop these off-road monsters, with 370mm discs fitted for tarmac stages and 300mm sets for off-road surfaces. The callipers are air-cooled, with some of the teams also using liquid coolant.

Steel body

Because of the need to resemble the road-going models to a certain extent, WRC cars have a steel body with minor single-layer-composite material additions. The roll cage is multi-point-welded to the body for extra rigidity.

Aerodynamics

With more freedom over the design of aerodynamic bodywork, the cars for 2017 have more vanes and air boxes, with the huge rear wing the most noticeable cosmetic change. This means more downforce, especially on tarmac, and that helps keep the car stable at high speeds.

Weight

Despite being slightly larger than last year, the overall weight of the car is down by 10 kilograms, and when paired with more power, that means the 2017 cars will be quicker than last yearâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s models.

Tyres

As surfaces offer different levels of traction difficulties, each team will use differing tyre treads and compounds for the different stages. For example, on the i20 Coupe WRC, Hyundai is using a range of Michelin tyres: Pilot Sport for tarmac, A41 for snow/ice-covered tarmac, X-ice North for ice/snow-covered gravel and Latitude Cross for gravel.

Active centre differential Wider track

Outlawed since 2011, the hydraulic centre differential has been reintroduced to improve handling and will work in tandem with the front and rear mechanical differentials.

The wider track means more stability on loose surfaces, while also adding extra bodywork around the occupants for increased safety.

WorkShopMagazine.co.uk

| 27

FEATURES.

OPPORTUNITY KNOCKS AS LIFE GETS MORE COMPLEX The increasing use of driver aids is making vehicle diagnostics ever more central to the repair process. ALEX WELLS plugs in to find out more.

o you ever have the feeling that technology is getting cleverer than you? That’s probably still a bit of a stretch, but thanks to the use of driver aids, many cars will have a clearer idea of what’s going on around them than the human behind the wheel will. One upside is better driving, hopefully. Another benefit is that more tech on cars provides more work opportunities for garages. Diagnosing faults in these areas requires the right kit and knowledge. Are you up to the challenge?

Absolute necessity According to Auto Industry Insider’s Andrew Marsh, it’s a new world. ‘Twenty years ago, you could get away with not using diagnostics. Now you must use it for almost every scenario. Advanced driver assistance systems (ADAS) have made the use of electronic diagnostic equipment an absolute necessity to calibrate the many onboard networks and systems. That even includes the glass which until very recently in most cases was almost technology-free. Now there’s rain sensors and light sensors, etc.’

Business opportunity So there’s the problem – where’s the opportunity? ‘Traditionally, deep diving in electronic systems has been seen as a time-wasting sub-optimal activity, not as the major business opportunity it really is,’ says Marsh. ‘A few people know what they are doing. They are not simply reading fault codes – they are trying to figure out what’s wrong. It’s a much deeper thought process. Meanwhile, the dealers have a punt, guess what’s going on, swap a few things and quite a lot of times the problem is either solved or goes away. ‘Unfortunately, the sophistication and the interdependence of systems means the ‘‘have-a-punt’’ approach is fast running out of road. It requires the kind of approach that specialists are doing. There’s the opportunity. ‘Twenty years ago, you had to really

An OE diagnostic kit from VW – equipment like this could be essential for your workshop go out of your way to find people that had four-wheel alignment gear. Now it’s normal. It’s understood, there’s less hassle, it’s, ‘‘Why wouldn’t you?’’ We now have the same situation and a much, much bigger profit potential with diagnostics and software.’

Bigger issues There are bigger issues at play here, too. ‘Vehicle manufacturers so far support their product for around the production life of the vehicle plus 10 years,’ says Marsh. ‘We already see some products supported for less than 10 years after the final version of the model is built, and I think that pressure is going to increase. ‘When we consider that in a given model generation it might well have what amounts to two or maybe three or more electrical system architectures – not just modifications – then when you add the software modifications on top it gets quite tricky. ‘It takes true expertise to unravel this sort of overlapping system to identify the true cause of a problem.’

Understanding Andrew Marsh

28 | WorkShopMagazine.co.uk

The key is understanding: ‘The profit is in the

remanufacturing and reconditioning of control modules, understanding software and electronics and putting that right. ‘An older vehicle can be almost valueless because very little of it has to go wrong before it is uneconomic to repair, and yet the vehicle is around 90 per cent functional. ‘Perfectly good vehicles become unserviceable because the franchised dealer says, ‘‘We want more for the particular control module than the retail value of the vehicle.’’ ’ Then there are the statistics. ‘We have 33 million vehicles or so in the UK parc, of which 27 to 28 million are cars. Between two million and 2.5 million new cars are sold in a year. There’s a lot of cars out there older than three or four years old and that part of the parc is more or less stable. ‘If the aftermarket can deliver that expertise for less than the franchised dealer price, then there are an awful lot of people out there who have older vehicles who will think, ‘‘Actually, that makes sense.’’ ’

Time Marsh believes that this could change the way independents operate. ‘Most of the trade is about selling hours – the time it takes to fit components – and making a profit margin on the components.

Frank Massey demonstrating diagnostics ‘This is not a means of ripping people off but actually an return on your investment.’

Professional service

Frank Massey:‘Garages who have invested over the years can strengthen their position’ ‘Time is not a prescribed ‘‘X minutes to undo Y thing and then to fit Y thing back on’’. This is about selling expertise and the time associated with solving problems. So it is a slightly different approach. It requires knowledge, software and tools to investigate. ‘And then we say OK and now we fixed the problem because we found that everything that ordinarily looked like a faulty engine control module was actually a combination of sensor failures, and fixing it costs a fraction of the price of a replacement control module. That’s where the garage trade needs to really rip in.’

Electronic interface ‘Virtually all repairs today require electronic interface,’ says diagnostics expert Frank Massey

of Autoinform. ‘Any car with smart cruise control or lane monitoring will require camera alignment resetting as well as geometry resetting when a suspension repair takes place. ‘Bleeding coolant from the system often requires serial interface too. You’ve even got to reset adaption when you do a timing chain assembly repair on the latest VAG EA888 engine. ‘It’s got to the point that if you can’t communicate bumper-to-bumper with the vehicle you’re restricting repairs you could carry out, forcing you to subcontract. ‘These tend to be repairs which carry a very good profit content in them, though. Companies doing camera alignment are charging £400-plus for 40 minutes’ work. That may sound excessive, but look at the investment and skill sets required.

It’s also about positioning. ‘Just going out and buying a tool is easy,’ says Massey. ‘The trick is marketing your business to attract customers seeking a professional service. ‘You really need to specialise in a brand or group identity where you can actually deliver those skills. We are VAG specialists. We don’t turn other work down if we know we are capable of doing it, but we don’t market it. ‘We get people with new cars on the first service who would much rather come to us as independents because they can speak to the technicians directly. They know they are going to get a professional service, they know we are going to use the same parts, the same warranty, and they just feel comfortable dealing with people and not organisations. ‘I think that’s also an important part of what the independents can offer.’ It’s still not a cheap option. ‘Even though we are specialists, there are still tools that we don’t have. The vast array of tools now for all types of repairs, even for a one-marque specialist, is very big for them to justify financially. ‘You might use a tool once or something like that. It can be tough. We are currently doing a clutch and gearbox on a car. The gearbox is just shy of £4,000 and the clutch is £1,000. You’ve got to make sure you know what you are doing before you start spending that kind of money.’

Opportunity Massey says forward-looking independents have the opportunity to carve themselves a new niche. ‘Garages who have invested over the years now have a great opportunity to actually strengthen their position. ‘There are lots of garages but not many skilled craftsmen out there. Garages offering those skills have a fabulous opportunity to be both respected and see a decent return. ‘It’s not just about training, investment and tools but also marketing. I think it’s a fallacy that people look round for the cheapest job – they don’t. The right WorkShopMagazine.co.uk

| 29

FEATURES. DIAGNOSTIC SILVER LINING

A VW high-voltage tester – diagnostics can be lucrative but must be approached properly customers don’t look for the cheapest job. They want value for money.’ Realistic pricing is vital. ‘You are providing this service, equal to or perhaps better than a dealership, so don’t worry about your labour charges. You should charge the same as dealerships do because you need that kind of income to pay for it.’

The human factor For garages that are already specialists, there is an increasing need to promote the human factor. ‘I often chuckle when people say the ‘‘connected car’’ can identify faults. I find it amusing but also insulting that the industry really believes that these cars will self-diagnose. ‘It’s a tragedy that the skill of the technician is valued so little they will trust software alone – which is impossible. ‘Software has no idea about how the car is being operated, whether it is a mechanical issue influencing sensors or sensors influencing the mechanical operation, cross-fuelling contamination etc. ‘When you rely on data, you are relying on discrepancies, changes in value, and quite often these changes are subtle. They come up with a potential DTT, which is actually a symptom and not the cause.’

Effective Aftermarket consultant Andy Savva believes the sector is still finding its feet with diagnostics. ‘The majority of garage owners – perhaps 80 per cent – really don’t have an in-depth knowledge about diagnostics, they don’t know how to capitalise on it and they don’t know how to segregate it from their main business and use it as a niche product or service.’

30 | WorkShopMagazine.co.uk

‘The situation is going to get worse before it gets better, too, because technology is moving too fast for all of us, and over the years there has been a lack of focus on development and training.’

Specialisation Specialisation is the name of the game. ‘Diagnostics can be very lucrative, but it must be approached in the right manner. I don’t believe you can be working on all makes and repairs and have all the adequate equipment to actually access and carry out repairs in an efficient and effective manner and leave yourself a profit. ‘For me it’s about focusing on a particular area and becoming a true champion. A lot of garages have a mixture of different pieces of equipment. ‘They have been promised it can do everything, but they can only make it do half of what it could do at best. It actually also boils down to knowledge – the ability to interpret the data from this equipment that you have. Knowledge can never be substituted by any pieces of equipment, regardless of the cost or who makes it.’

Value The first step in making money from diagnostics is recognising the value of what you are providing. ‘Garages often don’t know how to charge for it, and they are afraid of actually justifying a fiveminute or ten-minute scan,’ says Savva. ‘In the consumer’s eyes it’s, ‘‘Oh, you are charging me £60-£70 for five minutes. Just tell me what the fault code is – I’ll get it repaired somewhere else.’’ You really have to explain and justify what you are doing and why you are doing it. We got away with it because we invested heavily in training. Obviously, we used OE diagnostic equipment, which makes a huge difference. But then we also employed people

Sometimes a little context is useful. ‘In 2002, BMW launched the E65 7 Series with the strapline, “This is the car that contains more computing power than it took to send a man to the moon,” ’ remembers Tony Gill, group operations manager at Autologic. ‘Cars then only contained a handful of ECUs. Now a new car has more than 40 on average, potentially containing up to 100 million lines of software codes – more than a Boeing 787 and the Hubble Space Telescope put together. ‘In addition, manufacturers are embracing the latest technologies to update module codes more frequently. Many are related to security aspects of the car, which require the latest reprogramming codes, but also the latest repair and maintenance information.’ Commenting on Autologic’s offering, Gill says: ‘Autologic promotes Pass-Thru as the only safe, accurate and secure method of programming. We are increasingly aware of warranties on replacement parts not being honoured by the manufacturer because they have not been coded or programmed using the latest OE platform which can only be accessed via Pass-Thru. ‘During programming, the vehicle must maintain a certain charge level, normally 14.5 volts, and have a stable internet connection, increasingly requiring a fixed Ethernet connection. Unsurprisingly, confusion abounds within the independent repair sector. This is why Autologic’s awardwinning Fault 2 Fix team is on hand to provide Pass-Thru Support in addition to its vehicle diagnostic support, which provides over 340,000 successful fixes each year.’

Silver bullet?

Garage expenses can rise as car complexity increases. In the end, will the consumer be willing to foot the bill for additional expenditure on diagnostic guidance? ‘This is probably why there’s a proliferation of clone products in the aftermarket,’ says Gill. ‘While they may be cheaper, the risk of using them is simply not worth the cost savings – we’re talking about the safety and lives of road users here. This is something that workshop owners need to consider if they have been conned into investing in ‘‘knocked-off’’ cloned products. ‘The influx of clones has created a misplaced confidence within workshops when it comes to diagnostics. ‘How accurate is the data? Is it up to date? Where did the information come from? What is the cycle of updates? ‘Unfortunately, though, there’s no silver bullet solution providing accurate and secure diagnostic assessment for every vehicle. ‘So, think hard before investing in that unbelievable deal. Imagine how your insurer would react,’ says Gill. who understood that terminology and that data that they were receiving back. ‘I think generally people are just miffed that they think they can buy a generic piece of equipment that covers 80-85 per cent of the market in terms of vehicle parc but then really doesn’t go in-depth. ‘You really need to buy OE diagnostic equipment, which very, very few people have. ‘Then you get people running around trying

Above: Under the bonnet Below: Support from the Fault 2 Fix team at Autologic

New platform

Autologic chief technology officer Mark Stamp says there is another way. ‘Autologic is the first cloud-connected diagnostic support solution, and it continues to develop cloud technology. The newly-released ADX platform will revolutionise the use of diagnostics, ensuring technicians can access genuine real-time OE data and repair information. Technicians will be able to do more for less, but more importantly have the confidence that data provided by our ADX platform is accurate, secure and safe.’ Stamp adds: ‘The new centralised Autologic knowledge database – a key attribute within ADX – has been developed to provide instantaneous, real-time, multi-user access to genuine manufacturer data, commencing with licensed Volvo data and repair information. ‘Perhaps there isn’t a silver bullet, but through the cloud and Autologic there may be a silver lining.’ to interpret information and codes. They change things that don’t need to be changed, and that expands because you are working on so many vehicle manufacturers that you can’t have the knowledge of all of them.’

these resources,’ says Savva. ‘There’s never been a better time to have support from equipment manufacturers, be they OE or aftermarket. The training events now that are available to us have never been so good either.’

Support and understanding

Justified

Support from suppliers is as important as the kit itself. ‘There’s a lot of support available, and I still find it baffling that people don’t tap into

Savva adds: ‘Garages might find it a slow slog at the beginning and end up thinking, ‘‘Oh, but I may lose some customers.’’ You can charge more

though and justify your cost because you have become a true champion in that area. ‘You need to do the groundwork. It’s no good saying, ‘‘Oh, I can do diagnostics – I’m a specialist.’’ You need to have the foundations and the infrastructure in place to be able to do that. And that’s where many people fail. ‘They say they are a specialist and it takes five minutes to go in there and I have to tell them they’re not.’ WorkShopMagazine.co.uk

| 31

MY PROJECT BIKE.

THERE’S AN INNOVATIVE NEW HOME-GROWN MANUFACTURER IN TOWN, DISCOVERS REBECCA CHAPLIN

Redefining British motorcycle performance with real Spirit

hat do you do when you want more than your conventional bike offered by a traditional manufacturer? There are two options: either start from scratch yourself or buy from a trusted brand that knows what it’s doing. And that’s the area of the market that Spirit Motorcycles is looking to corner with two new and exciting options. We’re taking our projects section to the absolute limits now – but when it came to showing our first project motorcycle, we wanted it to be something impressive. The pair are the brainchild of motorcycle engineering firm and race specialists T3 Racing and custom bike builders Spirit of the Seventies. Both companies are passionate about getting the most from British manufacturer Triumph’s machines, and now have created an innovative new British motorcycle manufacturer, Spirit Motorcycles. In November they unveiled the first models at an exclusive launch event at The Bike Shed in London. The two bike businesses have previously worked on other collaborations under their joint names. These bikes were called the ST3, based on a Triumph Speed Triple and given a modernday café racer twist, and the R3 Dark, a cut-down Rocket III transformed into a bobber. There are currently two race-inspired, high-end bikes available from Spirit Motorcycles: the GP-Sport, shown right, and GP-Street, which are both available with even more performance in ‘R’ guise. The company explained that the idea behind the new brand was to ‘lead the way in bringing a new pedigree of motorcycle to the market’. The two innovative new models – the fully faired GP-Sport and the naked GP-Street roadster – feature a first from a British motorcycle manufacturer: a Grand Prix-inspired fully adjustable chassis, from headstock to swingarm. With a 750cc three-cylinder engine, the very highest quality components, cutting-edge F1-style electronics and lightweight carbon monocoque bodywork, the bikes redefine the world of British motorcycle performance. The 180bhp, liquid-cooled machines feature a hand-built, braze-welded steel alloy tubular frame, a GP-spec aluminium swingarm and K-Tech suspension front and rear. With weight

32 | WorkShopMagazine.co.uk

saving a key factor, the machines weigh just 140kg (without fuel) and feature state-of-the-art electronics and dash. Both machines can be customised, with Spirit Motorcycles offering bespoke paintwork, carbon wheels and exhausts among other options. The machines also feature switchable riding modes for road and track. In

fact, the advanced electronics package mirrors the finest components that money can buy and sourced to ensure that Spirit Motorcycles leads the way in all technological specifications. The aforementioned ‘R’ machines will be even more exclusive. They will have considerable weight savings and performance

“

We’re very excited to be launching our first two new models to the market.

upgrades. Created with an even higher level of personalisation, the ‘R’ model will be limited to just 50 machines. Tony Scott, the owner of T3 Racing and

managing director of Spirit Motorcycles, has been working with motorcycles, particularly focused on the racing scene, for decades and has built an extremely strong brand around it.

He explained: ‘We’re very excited to be launching our first two new models to the market. Both the GP-Street and GP-Sport have been built using our unrivalled technical know-how and engineered to the very highest standards, while maintaining an exquisite and luxurious design. ‘Our limited production run also means Spirit Motorcycles guarantees exclusivity, making the machines the perfect choice for any discerning motorcycle fan. ‘We’ve been able to use the unrivalled knowledge of both founding parties, which bridges the gap between the fashion styling of the custom world, the real-world functionality of large-scale production bikes and the outright performance of true racing machines.’ T3 Racing is more than your average bike tuner and parts supplier – the ‘T3’ in its name comes from the fact that it is the official parts supplier for those in Triumph’s race programme as well as being the official Triumph race support centre. Each motorcycle to be made by the new brand will be bespoke in final specification to its owner’s preference, as the engineers utilise their experience of creating championshipwinning race bikes. As well as their stunning looks, the new range of Spirit Motorcycles will also offer an unsurpassed level of handling that will be the envy of any superbike owners on the road or in the race paddock. WorkShopMagazine.co.uk

| 33

CLUB.

IS CUSTOMER TRYING IT ON WITH COMPLAINT ABOUT WHEEL NUTS?

ASK THE JUDGE: Ian Gardner, sales manager at automotive legal experts Lawgistics, delivers his verdicts on problems that affect you.

We have had a customer complain that one of my mechanics failed to tighten the wheel nuts on a nearside front, which led to the wheel coming loose and causing an accident. She says she wants to claim against me for negligence, including a huge sum for ‘stress and anxiety’ caused by the fact her young children were in the car and could have been killed. Where do I stand? Firstly, if no one was actually hurt, she will be very hard pushed to be entitled to any money for stress and anxiety for what might have happened. We see quite a few of these stress-type claims and they nearly all claim to have either a young child or an elderly or disabled relative in the car, sometimes all of the above. Your first task is to ask for evidence, ie, did this actually happen?

If it genuinely took place, she is likely to have a roadside recovery report, so you should ask for a copy and question why she ignored any knocking or steering issues prior to the wheel coming off. If she has no evidence, then you need to decide if you believe her or not. Assuming it to be true, then you need to consider if it was likely to be down to your mechanic. Did it happen within a few miles of her driving out of your garage or was it weeks later? If it was weeks later, then who else has looked at the car since? Has she changed a wheel herself at some point? Is her husband a bit of a part-time mechanic who likes to tinker? In the event you are satisfied that it did happen and it was your fault, then she is probably entitled to claim damages for any actual loss she has incurred, such as the cost of a new/breakers hub and wheel, as opposed to any ‘what could

have happened’-type costs. In terms of dealing with your mechanic’s potential negligence, if you know which mechanic worked on the car and are satisfied he was negligent then if you have a clause in the contract specifically allowing you to do so, you have an option to deduct a reasonable sum from his wages towards your loss. If you do not have such a clause, you may wish to review the contracts and add one for next time and/or address his negligence through the disciplinary route, which could mean issuing a warning or dismissing him. Dismissal is obviously a serious step, especially if the mechanic has worked for you for more than two years, so please call us for specific advice so we can help you avoid an employment tribunal claim. We can obviously also write to the customer on your behalf and review your employment contracts.

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 see your problem dealt with in these pages. And in the meantime, join Workshop Club!

JOIN TODAY AND GET THESE SUPERB BENEFITS FOR JUST £39.99

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 braking knowledge or that of your team’s 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.

TO JOIN GO TO WORKSHOPCLUB.CO.UK OR CALL 023 9252 2434 AND 34 | WorkShopMagazine.co.uk

Employee’s beer belly is bad for our business’s image

We have a delicate situation with an employee who is a bit of a beer aficionado. He is always sober on site but there is a rather obvious consequence, which is his overhanging stomach. Most of the time his stomach is clearly visible. I have sensitively asked him to consider wearing dungarees but he refused. How else can I suggest to him to make his appearance better without overstepping the mark? We do have a clause in our contracts about looking presentable, especially as all technicians may deal with customers directly. As an employer you are entitled to require a presentable appearance of your staff. The factors you would have to consider are the reasons for your requirements, whether they are spelled out in a contract, how you enforce them and reasons for any objection. Protection of your business image, dress which is not offensive to others and safety are all valid reasons in relation to your dress standards. In one case, love bites prominently visible were sufficient

COIL SPRING COMPRESSOR KIT STOCK No. 60981 reason for a dismissal. In your example, the sight of the overhanging stomach is likely to impair your business image, may offend colleagues and your customers and could be a safety issue as well. It is always helpful to specify the required standard of dress in your employment contracts or a policy. If you need to take action, start with an informal conversation making clear what improvement in appearance is needed. Failure to meet the required standard of dress is a conduct issue that is dealt with under disciplinary procedure, with the possible sanctions of warnings and ultimately dismissal.

Discount on software & free health check app

Free legal advice plus discounted membership

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.

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.

Dragon2000

SPEAK TO ONE OF OUR TEAM

MAX. LOAD 1,250KG SUITABLE FOR BOTH MACPHERSON STRUT COIL SPRINGS AND CONICAL SPRINGS 3 SETS OF INTERCHANGEABLE JAWS SAFETY OVERLOAD SYSTEM ENSURES PROTECTION FOR USER CLIP-ON YOKE PROTECTORS FOR SPRING PROTECTION

Strength in Quality WorkShopMagazine.co.uk

| 35

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 @_WorkshopMag straight out of @BlackballMedia

facebook.com/superunleaded

twitter.com/SprUnld 36 | WorkShopMagazine.co.uk

Can You Work Out These 10 Car Names In Emoji Form?

Driver Leaves Sweary Note Behind After Car Park Prang

Emojis are a form of pictographic communication between young people (so our apprentices tell us), so we’ve translated 10 cars into emoji symbols. Can you work out what they are? superunleaded.com/?p=20416

A motorist in Sydney was surprised to return to their pride and joy to find it damaged – and an expletive-laden note on the windscreen. It read: ‘Your car’s sh** anyway’. Nice. http://superunleaded.com/?p=20626

Jeep Defies The Force Of Gravity To Climb Rock Wall

Cops Try To Save Old Woman – But She’s A Mannequin

Jeeps are famed for their off-road abilities – but this is something else! In a clip we recently added to the site, a heavily modded Wrangler scrambles up an almost-vertical rock face. superunleaded.com/?p=20602

Cops raced to the aid of an elderly woman in America after witnesses called 911. They banged on the window and got no response – but there was no need for any concern. superunleaded.com/?p=20610

Lamborghini Unveils ‘Aventador S’ Monster

Gymkhana Videos Just Got A Whole Lot Cooler

With the gigantic Aventador we got a modern Lambo classic, thanks to its distinctive design and insane power. Now an even MORE powerful model has arrived. superunleaded.com/?p=20614

Maybe it’s only us who think a gymkhana video with Matchbox toys, Lego and Playmobil is cool, but if you agree, you’ll love this video from Ford. superunleaded.com/?p=20625

Grand Tour Hosts Smash Tank Into Dubai Shopping Mall

Elon Musk Wants To End Congestion With Tunnels

The Grand Tour is always in the news, it seems. And with the team filming in Dubai, they decided to crash a tank through a shopping centre, ensuring more headlines and publicity. superunleaded.com/?p=20666

Traffic jams drive us all crazy. And if you’re Tesla boss Elon Musk, it’s enough to make you start a tunnel-building company to save millions of motorists from constant road rage. superunleaded.com/?p=20651

PRODUCTS.

Six Degrees Of Separation

This new digital inclinometer from Laser Tools is a digital angle gauge – or digital protractor – and offers exceptional accuracy of as little as ±0.2º. Equipped with a built-in magnet in the base, it’s designed for measuring angles on metal and other surfaces, and is ideal for engine calibration or for use as a digital camber/caster gauge. The device is supplied with a useful storage pouch, is powered by a 1.5V AAA battery, and shuts off automatically after five minutes of no movement.

AdBlue Monday

New for you

For refuelling AdBlue-equipped vehicles, the new range of AdBlue tanks from SykesPickavant is ideal for car, van and light commercial workshops. Featuring an impactresistant polyethylene tank and having wheels suitable for easy transportation, the tanks include a filling plug with an integrated air vent device and lower safety tap, and have 68or 110-litre capacities.

Open Your Window

WAI’s range of window regulators looks to capitalise on the time when vehicles are out of their manufacturer’s warranty and owners look to independent garages for cost-effective vehicle maintenance and repair instead. In total, the WAI window regulator range offers 1,800 parts, which covers 73,000 vehicle applications across all types of window regulators for the majority of the UK’s best-selling vehicle brands.

Monkey Wrench

Jenny From The Block

The new Sealey generators feature a heavy-duty frame design with two wheels and a large handle to provide full protection and portability. Suitable for power tools and lighting units, the generators can run for up to 12 hours on a full tank and are fitted with one 230V 16A and one 110V 16A socket. As well as having anti-vibration engine mounts, the generators also feature a low-oil warning light, overload protection and fuel gauge.

PRODUCT TESTS ANGLE GRINDERS: P38

MULTI TOOLS: P39

The Clarke CIWLi300 is a neat and compact 12V impact wrench powered by 2Ah lithium-ion batteries. It’s ideal for light trade, DIY enthusiasts and for keeping in your vehicle for emergency tyre changes. The lightweight, 2.3kg wrench features a halfinch square drive and can provide up to 300Nm of torque, with 1,100 impacts per minute. It’s supplied with two 2Ah lithium batteries, a charger, four chrome vanadium impact sockets and a moulded carry case.

OUR PROS TEST COMPRESSORS: P40 WorkShopMagazine.co.uk

| 37

PRODUCTS. TEST 23

Clarke CAG800B How much: £29.99 (inc VAT) Where from: machinemart.co.uk By far the cheapest option here, we weren’t expecting the Clarke to put up much of a fight, but it’s rather a stroll. Although it seems inconsequential given the price of consumables, it comes with a grinding disc included – which puts it ahead of either of the other grinders – and it has an additional, pre-packed guard that allows you to switch between grinding and cutting application with a single screw. But it’s the operation of the Clarke that impresses the most, with an amazingly easy-to-operate safety switch at the rear that allows you to keep both hands on the tool at all times.

HHHHH

Angle grinders ANDREW EVANS disc-usses the pros and cons of a selection of offerings when it comes to this all-important, all-purpose piece of kit.

Sealey SG115 How much: £57.54 (inc VAT) Where from: sealey.co.uk

he humble angle grinder is one of the more important tools in the mechanic’s arsenal. Aside from being the weapon of choice for getting rid of stubborn rust on any one of the hundreds of exposed fixings underneath a car – and there’s always one that will defy penetrating fluid and heat – they can be used to grind, clean, sand or cut just about anything with the appropriate disc. An angle grinder can be used in so many different ways that it’s almost a must to have one to hand, whether in a busy commercial workshop or your own garage at home. With an eye on the DIY mechanic, occasional user or your own personal project car, we’ve picked a small selection of the most popular mains-powered angle grinders to find out which is the one we’d use.

HOW WE TESTED THEM We’re not looking at how they perform in cutting and grinding tests – that would be more of a test of the disc compounds – but rather how easy they are to operate, how comfortable they are to use over a long period and what they’re like to live with when set different tasks.

38 | WorkShopMagazine.co.uk

Draper Expert AG1190 How much: £71.94 (inc VAT) Where from: drapertools.com The Draper is the heaviest of the three tools, which comes with both positive and negative aspects here. It’s easier to really put some elbow grease into it and it’ll resist a torque reaction, but it’s probably the most cumbersome to use over a time. We’re not hugely convinced by the ‘marquadt’ switch either, which is part slider, part rocker and difficult to guide into the on position with one hand – but certainly flicks into the off position with vigour. Ultimately, it’s not as easy to operate as our winner, but we have no doubt that it’ll be the most durable of the three and the best suited to more industrial and intensive tasks.

HHHHH

The Sealey and Draper tools are on fairly level pegging, but ultimately the operating minutiae of the Sealey puts it in third place. Both the lock switch for changing the discs and the actual power button are not of the same quality as the other two and we found that the power switch particularly was uncomfortable to use and a little bit hit-and-miss when it came to turning the grinder on. Like the others, it has a three-position handle, so it’s no worse to use for left-handers and otherwise appears to be a solid piece of kit.

HHHHH

PRODUCTS. TEST 24

Multitools

Draper Stormforce PT141K What’s best for reaching those parts that other tools just can’t seem to touch? ANDREW EVANS gets the bit between his teeth – metaphorically speaking – in order to find out.

How much: £34.74 (inc VAT) Where from: drapertools.com

The lightest of the tools here, the Draper is probably the nicest to use over a long period of time. It has the longest flex – if only by a couple of inches – and soft grip pads that give it a boost over the other two. It also has the

widest array of different bits, but unlike the other options the storage case doesn’t allow for presentation and easy location – they’re just jumbled together in a covered bit box. There’s also no remote head bit, which means that unless you buy one separately, the Draper can’t be used in the very tightest of spots.

HHHHH

ultitools are among the most insanely useful tools you can have to hand. They don’t necessarily generate a huge amount of power, but it’s more about the precision and versatility with these pocket-sized power grinders. Essentially a miniature cutting, grinding and polishing tool, the multitool is designed to get into the parts that traditionally-sized options just can’t reach. Perfect for grinding a chamfer on a bolt in situ, boring out a slightly-too-tight aperture or getting at a rusted-on recessed nut, multitools give you fine control on small and delicate friction tasks. We’ve been trying out some of the common options for the rotary multitool and putting them through their paces to find which one we’d want to keep to hand in times of need.

Sealey E540 Clarke CRT40

How much: £44.94 (inc VAT) Where from: sealey.co.uk

It’s a difficult choice to put the Clarke third, but ultimately it comes down to just two things: it’s not as easy to live with as the Draper option on a daily basis, and it has no low speed setting – while the other two start at 10,000rpm, the Clarke’s slowest is 17,500rpm, and that deals a blow to the precision of the tool. That aside, it has a nicer storage box, which allows you to present the bits without having to hunt for them, and a very useful remote head attachment.

It’s the priciest option here and that very nearly swayed us into placing it second, but ultimately the Sealey product combines the better parts of the other two. It has the same, stepless variable motor speeds as the Draper and the useful presentation box (which seems to be of a higher quality than the others) for easy location of the various bits you can fit. There’s quite a selection of shaped grinding bits too, along with the remote head bit – although we’d like to see a wire wheel as included with the others – and ultimately this versatility wins out.

How much: £35.98 (inc VAT) Where from: machinemart.co.uk

HOW WE TESTED THEM Before even starting the multitool up, we looked at what bits and accessories you get with each tool to see how versatile and functional each item is. We also assessed how easy they are to operate, and looked at torque and speed to see how they behave in action.

HHHHH

WorkShopMagazine.co.uk

| 39

PRODUCTS. TEST DRIVE

Garage test: Compressors Our expert professional testers – Sean, Harry and John – give us their verdicts on three of the best-selling examples of these vital pieces of equipment for all workshops.

Sealey SAC05030 Price: £432.54 (inc VAT) From: sealey.co.uk

John It doesn’t feel as well made as the other two – the casting on the pump doesn’t look as good, and the wheels seem a little cheaper. It has good flow and pressure though, so it’ll run any of my kit, but I’d rather rely on either of the other two. Sean It’s the loudest unit here at 97dB, but then it does go up to 9 bar, which is the best here. However, the whole thing seems a bit cheaper than the others. It’s lighter than the others and has no cover for the compressor, so it’s not going to be great for paint spraying. The wheels feel flimsy, and on our unit the brackets were already a little bent. The gauges don’t face upwards either, so you have to bend down to read them. Harry There’s not a lot to this one and it seems a bit cheaper than the others. I don’t know why they’ve turned it round either – the compressor unit’s hanging off when it’s usually the electrical unit. There’s no heat shield either. It’s the lightest, so it’d be good for a call-out. We might prefer to use a petrol one but we could run one of these off our van, no problem.

HHHHH

Clarke Raider 15/500 Price: £263.98 (inc VAT) From: machinemart.co.uk

John This seems to be absolutely identical other than the colour to the Draper –

same motor, same unit, same pump, same everything – but it feels like the most expensive unit. Hopefully it’s the same price though! It’s just as noisy, but with 8 bar it’s going to run any piece of kit I have here. Sean It’s easy and straightforward to assemble but has its foibles. There’s a regulator that’s really close to the taps so you run the risk of skinning your knuckles! It’s not a bad size, and has a nice, high rubber grip handle with the gauges facing upwards. The guard over the compressor will prevent dust building up and it comes with spare oil. Like the Draper, you can run two things off it at once, and although it’s a bit noisy when in use, it’s not the worst here. Harry It’s really hard to tell the Draper and the Clarke apart – other than the fact one of them’s blue – and to be honest we’d just go for whichever one was cheaper! Even the compressor dials are the same. There’s a nice heat shield on top of the cylinders and they’d be good to run just about any tool we have for a short period – it’d be good for a mobile mechanic.

HHHHH

40 | WorkShopMagazine.co.uk

Sean Tubby Southampton City College

The college trains apprentice mechanics and fulltime learners to industry standards across light and heavy goods, and inspection.

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 customers’ cars running day to day.

John Race Marske Car Body Repairs, Redcar

How Sean rated them: 1 Clarke; 2 Draper; 3 Sealey

How Harry rated them: 1 Clarke; 2 Draper; 3 Sealey

How John rated them: 1 Clarke; 2 Draper; 3 Sealey

A one-man show, Marske Car Body Repairs does everything from full resprays to minor damage work.

Draper DA50

Price: £264.00 (inc VAT) From: drapertools.com

John It’s dead easy to set up. There wasn’t enough oil in it out of the box, but it’s easy to get started. Fires up great, works great, runs everything you need it to run. It keeps up with my paint gun and belt file – it’s a really good unit, but it’s a little bit noisy. Sean This is basically the same unit as the Clarke. It’s easy to put together, with air filters and unions already fitted – though they’re not a standard fit, there are two of them just like on the Clarke unit. Oddly, there’s no spare oil supplied. Once in use it behaves just like the Clarke compressor, running to about 8 bar of pressure. Harry Well... it’s blue! That’s about the only difference between this and the Clarke. We like the fact you can run two tools off it at once (like the Clarke) and it’s easy to set up. Like the others, the pressure and flow mean it’s good to run just about anything, but the 50-litre tank means it’s best for short spells – good for a home mechanic, DIY or a van.

HHHHH

WorkShopMagazine.co.uk

| 41

SEEING IS BELIEVING • 69% of web traffic will be video based by 2017 • 78% of consumers are now using video as part of their on-line research • 64% of them are more likely to buy a product after watching a video • 87% of viewers said that video had a positive impact on their perception of a brand • A combined total of 18 billion videos are watched on Facebook, YouTube and Snapchat every day

£45

PER DEPARTMENT, PER MONTH

(unlimited devices, unlimited users) 0845 413 0000 enquiries@edynamix.com | www.edynamix.com

42 | WorkShopMagazine.co.uk

FOCUS ON

ONES TO WATCH IN 2017

HIGH-QUALITY VIDEO GIVES YOUR CUSTOMERS MORE CONFIDENCE EDYNAMIX

T: 0845 413 0000 W: EDYNAMIX.COM

VIDEO is in the embryonic stage of becoming an automotive phenomenon. It is one of those developments that will make you wonder how products were ever sold pre-video times. From selling cars to identifying and highlighting safetyrelated concerns to ensure a duty of care, video is quickly becoming an expected standard by the retail consumer. Automotive retailers who aren’t using video will suffer consumer deflection when compared with those that are. Interestingly, those who are unwittingly distributing low-value video will also suffer the same fate, because the modern-day consumer has an appetite for high-quality, informative video that enables them to effortlessly progress their buying cycle. This is true through the sales process or as part of a vehicle health check, because video provides the retail consumer with the confidence and evidence required to make an informed buying decision in a non-pressurised environment. VIDEO1st, from eDynamix, allows the retailer to sell more vehicles, improve parts sales, build relationships and increase customer satisfaction easily, efficiently and effectively by engaging customers through the use of video technology. Nick Horton, the managing director of ProfitBox, which is eDynamix’s business training partner, said: ‘VIDEO1st provides the consumer with the confidence that concerns identified as part of an electronic vehicle health check are real. Not only does the consumer respond positively, the average transaction value increases. It’s quite simply a game-changer.’

“

Why your business needs VIDEO1st • Utilise the latest interactive technology to walk the customer around the vehicle during a health check or as a result of a sales inquiry • Instant communication with your customer through email, SMS and interactive comments • Engage, motivate and convert customers by giving them the wow factor • Track data on views and time spent watching content • Create dealership and brand awareness

Not only does the consumer respond positively, the average transaction value increases. It’s quite simply a game-changer.

How VIDEO1st works • The application allows the retailer to add multiple videos and photographs, documents and links to online information that the customer may find useful when making their purchasing decision • A branded gallery template is utilised to ensure a high degree of professionalism • The customer can comment or send queries via an interactive comments section, allowing staff to respond quickly and efficiently • VIDEO1st can be viewed on any internet-enabled mobile device • VIDEO1st can be uploaded via a device with a built-in video camera so there may be no need to purchase additional devices

LISTEN TO THE JUDGE The Judge from motor trade law firm Lawgistics says: ‘The 30-day Right to Reject (RTR) was introduced with the Consumer Rights Act in October 2015 and gave buyers what seemed like an easy way to return a car for a refund in the first month. However, for it to apply, the consumer has to prove the alleged fault was apparent at the point of sale, and with a new, independent MOT and a comprehensive pre-delivery inspection being documented, evidencing that such a

fault was apparent has proved very difficult for consumers, meaning they get close but no cigar. ‘Dealers and service and repair outfits are increasingly videoing the vehicle to give a customer extra confidence that the garage is being upfront and honest about any issues. ‘Furthermore, customers – and ultimately the court in a legal dispute – can hear the noise of the engine, see if any warning lights were on the dash and get a good idea of the bodywork, engine

and underneath of a vehicle. This video evidence is therefore helping to stop those customers who complain that an issue has not been repaired properly when the actual truth is that there is a new and unrelated issue. ‘Similarly, it can stop the garage taking a hit for work undertaken elsewhere pre- or post-repair. ‘As with all disputes, evidence is vital, so garages should definitely consider making video software their new BFF.’

The Judge

WorkShopMagazine.co.uk

| 43

FOCUS ON

ONES TO WATCH IN 2017

YOU’RE SURE OF AN UPLIFTING EXPERIENCE PLUS MUCH MORE GEMCO

T: 01604 828 600 W: GEMCO.CO.UK

THE workshop world is fast moving and technologies quickly develop, but none so much as the workshop set-up itself. As cars move on and the requirements of a garage become more demanding, having the right facilities can make all the difference. That’s where GEMCO Equipment Ltd comes in. The business specialises in creating the right space for your business to work at its peak and can future-proof it with the latest technologies. The business is at the forefront of its field, and works closely with manufacturers and their franchisees to ensure that the equipment fitted fits the bill. By offering a turn-key solution to project management, all of which comes as standard with GEMCO, plus the fact that there’s just one single point of contact to make customers’ lives easier, the business has built an extremely large customer base that spans the UK. Product and marketing divisional manager James Furk explained: ‘With vehicle lifts alone, we have over 100 different options for customers both in-ground and above ground. ‘More and more customers nowadays are focusing on the in-ground lifts because of space, as they take up a lot less room and they can fit more lifts in the workshop as a result of going in-ground. ‘Investment is quite a lot more but the way they’re working out in terms of space it actually does pay itself off.’ GEMCO is constantly responding to what its customers want, which forces it to come up with new and ingenious ways to improve the workshop space. ‘As well as the clever solutions such as integrating the controls into the workbench at the end of the bay,’ says Furk, ‘we can incorporate special colours to match a company’s corporate image. ‘Then there are all the associated services that go with this. Workshop flooring is a big one, where you go to a main dealer and it’s kind of like a kitchen. You’ve got all the really fancy furniture and then the tiled floors and the lifts. Floors are almost clean enough to eat off these days.’ He continued: ‘We offer all of the service integration, so that could be oil, air, water, anti-freeze, waste oil collection points and everything like that. It’s as little or as much really. We sell to the independents, we sell lifts for their service business, so one-off lifts for a couple of thousand, right up to big projects, which are several million pounds.’ As vehicles change and improve, so must lifts. For that

“

reason, the research and development team at GEMCO’s parent company Stenhøj are continually improving products and verifying that they are fit for purpose. As Furk says: ‘We know that if we put a product in, it’s going to be suitable for lifting the entire range of cars that visit their workshop.’ He said: ‘We’re owned by a Danish group called Stenhøj,

We’re the largest stockists in the UK for both lifting equipment and spare parts, and those spare parts are not only for our own brands but for all makes.

44 | WorkShopMagazine.co.uk

who are a lift manufacturer. We work with them in terms of our UK projects, but on a sort of worldwide basis they have an R&D department and a lot of what we sell is driven by the vehicle manufacturers, particularly the German ones because they obviously have the biggest market share. A lot of what we do is based on their requirements for the approval process, which depends on the manufacturer but can be quite tedious. If it’s good enough for them, it’s definitely good enough for the sort of aftersales servicing people we sell to.’ Top of the line at GEMCO is the Autopstenhøj range, which is its premium brand for independent and franchise dealers alike. ‘We’re always changing the arms slightly, although the actual post design hasn’t really changed. We’re always looking at it and adding to it, as well as all the accessories, which go

on the end of the arms, so that you can lift in the correct way or by using the manufacturer’s specified lifting points, which some people tend to ignore but if you want to lift properly that’s what you should do,’ Furk explained. Of those on the market, GEMCO is the only one providing the complete sort of service using its own in-house team made up of 250 employees in the UK. On top of that, it has more than 100 engineers in vans servicing customers through its locations in the UK. As an aftersales business, it attends about 12,000 different customer locations every year to provide both maintenance and aftersales services. Furk added: ‘From the workshop and then the aftersales, associated works, everything, we do the whole lot, as well as services in-house like the CAD design team – we have five

people upstairs just doing CAD design for workshops. We have a dedicated export team. ‘We’re the largest stockists in the UK for both lifting equipment and spare parts, and those spare parts are not only for our own brands but for all makes. ‘That’s because a lot of the customers we have in terms of our aftersales offering don’t necessarily have our products in but we still have to look after and provide aftersales services to those customers, particularly the national-type customers, such as British Telecom and Royal Mail.’ It’s unsurprising that the business has such a loyal and recognisable customer base, though, as it’s now been around for more than 30 years in the UK. It sells a whole host of brands, said Furk. ‘For example, Bradbury is very well known, particularly in the independent

motor trade, and that’s over 100 years old as a brand name and again is owned by GEMCO. ‘Most of the brands we sell are exclusive to us in the United Kingdom and are part of the group of companies that are within the Stenhøj group.’ by Rebecca Chaplin (@BelieveBecca)

“

From the workshop and then the aftersales, associated works, everything, we do the whole lot. WorkShopMagazine.co.uk

| 45

46 | WorkShopMagazine.co.uk

FOCUS ON

DIAGNOSTICS

NEW LEVELS OF FREEDOM AND CAPABILITY WITH LOWER COSTS NEBULA SYSTEMS

T: 01280 816333 W: NEBULASYSTEMS.COM

NEBULA Systems’ new cloud diagnostic platform, called MECH5, is making diagnosing vehicle faults simpler and easier than ever – and more accessible to all. In December, Nebula launched this new product to the world. As a fully cloud-based system, a technician only has to log in to a website on any internet browser to be able to run professional-level diagnostics on a car, which takes away the requirement for expensive laptops and PCs. Luke Fryer, marketing manager at Nebula Systems, explained: ‘MECH5 will revolutionise the way technicians perform diagnostics in the future – being able to run diagnostics through a web browser gives huge potential for remote fixes and other capabilities. It’s unheard of actually, no-one else is doing it to this level, so it’s something that we think will get everyone’s attention very quickly. ‘The hardware is so low-cost that you can imagine that garages which might have four or five technicians but which have currently only got one scan tool might end up with each technician having one these devices. ‘With multiple devices all being associated to one master MECH5 account, a technician could be in a situation working remotely where he was not sure how to fix something. They could connect their VCI to the MECH5 cloud via their

smartphone and someone back at the workshop could take over the diagnosis and fix the problem or advise from there. And this could be done for garage customers as well, potentially.’ Fryer added: ‘MECH5 is a pure subscription pay-as-you-use model, so users can choose to pay monthly or yearly, which again is not something that has been done previously. Even if you don’t continue your paid subscription, you can still access a free MECH5 version. It doesn’t matter if you have not paid for six months or a year, you’ll always be able to access the FREEMIUM version, which gives a user access to reading fault codes on any vehicle ECU that we cover, now or in the future.’ He continued: ‘The brains behind MECH5 is Roman Di Lullo. Roman has been developing diagnostic tools, like the DEC SuperScan, for 25 years. ‘He’s an incredible software developer and very driven. He knew three or four years ago, with the advent of cheap Chinese tools, that if we didn’t do something radically different, we would begin to struggle in the ultra-competitive world of scantools. ‘MECH5 offers something unique. The only piece of hardware you’ll need, if you’re not a legacy customer with a SuperScan already, is the MECH5 VCI. This is a small Bluetooth

OBD device that is compatible with either Windows or Android devices. It only costs £150 and includes one month’s access to the MECH5 web service. So, when you receive it and start to use it for diagnostics, your 30-day subscription starts and, at the end of that period, if you don’t continue your online payment instruction, you revert to the free account.’ It sounds simple, and it is. There’s no heavy equipment or specialist tools to lug around, it’s incredibly affordable – not just for every garage, but every technician – and best of all, it’s always up to date. No downloads, no installs, and that’s because the MECH5 database is in the cloud, so it’s constantly being updated. The features of MECH5 are everything you would expect in a professional scantool. It will allow you to complete a vehicle health check, read all OEM fault codes, offer dynamic live data with live data snapshots, activate components, and use advanced functions such as service interval reset, immobiliser and key programming functions, ECU replacement, injector coding, tyre pressure monitoring adjustments, brake bleeding and all other service functions. Nebula Systems was acquired by the RAC in 2016, and MECH5 will be included in its new RAC Approved Garage Scheme as it is rolled out in 2017. WorkShopMagazine.co.uk

| 47

OUR FLEET.

VW Type 3 Fastback Rebecca has to gather winter fuel after finding that ‘empty’ means what it says.

very time I cure one problem I only seem to create more for myself. This month, the Type 3 has got back on the road thanks to some fuel. As you may remember, I had an issue with my fuel sender, but fortunately it just took a clean-up to get it working as it should again. This resulted in a lack of fuel entirely, though. The dial reported to me that this was the case, but as I’d got used to being in the red actually meaning there was about a quarter of a tank left, I decided to try to drive home anyway. Bad mistake. The only blessing was that I didn’t make it out of the car park. It started after a few attempts, but it had been sitting in the car park for about a month. I let it warm up and it was sounding sweet. I proceeded to the end of the car park, paused at the junction, attempted to pull away – and it all went ominously quiet. At first, I assumed it was a battery issue, but the car was happy to turn over and all of the electrics worked. Fortunately, a kindly colleague left the

Model: Volkswagen Type 3 Fastback 1600E Owned by: Rebecca Chaplin Engine: 1.6-litre Bought for: £3,500 Mileage: 92,500 Spent this month: £35 Highlight this month: Hearing that classic VW chug again. office at that moment and pushed me (and my reasonably heavy car!) across two parking spaces. It’s nice when it’s an easy fix, though. Although I did have to buy myself a container, the problem

was soon sorted and I was back on the road. However, in the meantime I seem to have caused myself more problems by adding a new project into the mix – or an old one for that matter. My Mini, which was the reason that I purchased the Type 3, has come back into play, as I’ve decided to get it back on the road rather than sell it on. Yes, I made the error of driving it and remembering just how fantastic it is. Unfortunately, there’s an unknown issue with the electrics yet to be found…

Subaru Impreza The Scooby doesn’t know it yet but there’s a sinister reason for some sudden TLC. EVER put something off to the point where it starts to feel too awkward to actually do it? In a nutshell, that’s where I’ve been with getting the Impreza serviced. It had to be done – I knew it did – but as the old saying goes, why do something today when you can put it off for eight weeks and faff about trying to sell it on PistonHeads instead? After a month online, I figured a missed

service interval probably wouldn’t improve my chances of shifting it either, so bit the bullet this month by closing my eyes and chucking the keys at the local dealer. A rather painful £270 later and the STI now has its 70,000-mile Subaru rubber stamp – which, to be honest, is probably worth the extra few quid if it persuades a buyer that it’s had a cushy life. I’ve already plotted its replacement, though,

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

FORD FIESTA XR2

VW TYPE 3 FASTBACK

NISSAN LEAF

HONDA CBR600RR

SUBARU IMPREZA STI

by James Baggott Chief executive, @CarDealerEd

by Rebecca Chaplin Head of content, @BelieveBecca

by Tom Barnard OnCue MD, @TomBarnardPR

by Laura Thomson Staff writer, @lauramayrafiki

by Jon Reay Multimedia manager, @JonReay

That out-of-the-blue text from my mechanic I reported on last month? Yeah, never followed it up. New year resolution: Sort the Ford.

The Type 3 is firing on most cylinders just in time for the long Christmas trip home, where he’ll be getting some much-needed gifts.

Winterproofing the Leaf has begun with a set of Michelin CrossClimate winter tyres. Next job is to upgrade the pathetic headlamp bulbs.

R600 TJH is feeling unloved after being left untouched for a while. However, I have big plans for the small sports bike in 2017.

Impreza serviced and back up for sale. Watch this space. Literally. There might be something new here next month...

48 | WorkShopMagazine.co.uk

MG Metro Turbo

Honda CBR600RR

Hibernation process should see a healthy start in 2017 when cover comes off.

At nearly £90 per ride, this two-wheeler isn’t exactly earning its keep...

MOJO, enthusiasm, passion, interest – call it what you want, but right now I haven’t got any for D821 ACJ. The Metro’s done nothing wrong, either. Okay, the battery’s flat, again, and its regular oil drip looks a bit too watery for my liking, but it’s nothing I’m not surprised by. Nope, it’s just ‘that time of year’ when I really can’t be bothered with it. Having owned the Metro for ages, though, I’m also prepared for the annual lack of fettling and motivation. Unlike much newer machinery in the Tilbury household, the Metro always lives in a well-ventilated garage, and for those times that it’s even more inactive than usual, it’s tucked away under a breathable cover with the handbrake off, tyres pumped up a little higher than usual and the battery disconnected. Granted, there’s more that you can do, but when it comes to the Metro seeing daylight again, it still stands a reasonable chance

of being coaxed back into life. To be fair, it probably deserves better, but in my defence it’s for its own preservation, and I wouldn’t want winter to undo the progress that’s been made this year as – believe it or not – the Metro’s now the most usable in the near-12 years I’ve had my name on the V5. As for whether I take full advantage of the Metro now being a ‘sort of’ driver remains to be seen, but it would be nice to start improving it rather than merely keeping it going. There’s just the little matter of the upcoming MOT first, though…

which has been slowly bobbing along on a boat from Japan for the last month and a half. By the next issue of Workshop, I’ll either be shouting about how brilliant my bought-unseen $350 JDM bargain is, or pretending this whole thing never happened. Import? What import? Don’t know what you’re talking about…

Model: 1986 MG Metro Turbo Owned by: Christian Tilbury Engine: 1.3-litre Bought for: £680 Mileage: 67,984 Money spent this month: £0 Highlight: Resisting the ever-increasing urge to put it up for sale.

THE CBR600RR’s stock exhaust has been noticeably quiet over the past few months because of a plethora of press bikes I’ve had the pleasure of riding. Its inactivity has made me acutely aware of just how much it costs every month and left me wondering whether SORNing or even selling R600 TJH might be the best idea. While tax is a meagre £5.25, insurance costs an eye-watering £130.66 per month, thanks to my low age and the Honda’s high power. And while I would like to lie and say it’s totally worth it, it just isn’t. Having ridden the bike three times in the past two months, that works out at almost £90 per ride. However, my insurance woes pale in comparison to my boyfriend’s recent costly entry into the world of motorcycling. It’s an expensive hobby at the best of times, and after kitting himself out with a BMW F800GS plus head-to-toe gear, he was already feeling slightly bankrupt. And that was before an illadvised attempt at adjusting the rear brake, which resulted in a ruined caliper, warped disc and more than £700-worth of repairs. Ouch! A couple of other issues were also flagged up, so a week and a comprehensive service later, he found himself handing over a further £950. With a long-distance ride ahead of us, here’s hoping the BMW behaves itself from now on.

Model: Subaru Impreza WRX STI Owned by: Jon Reay Engine: 2.5-litre turbocharged petrol Bought for: £9,000 Mileage: 70,300 Money spent this month: £270 Highlight this month: Finally driving my car guilt-free and with a clean bill of health.

Model: Honda CBR600RR Owned by: Laura Thomson Engine: 600cc inline four Bought for: £4,100 Mileage: 5,993 Money spent this month: £135.91 This month’s highlight: Hopping back on the sports bike after weeks in other saddles.

AND EVERYTHING...

JAGUAR X-TYPE ESTATE

BMW 330D TOURING

MG METRO TURBO

MAZDA MX-5

PEUGEOT 205 GTI 1.9

by James Fossdyke Staff writer, @JFossdyke

by Jack Evans News editor, @jackrober

by Christian Tilbury Staff writer, @Christilbury1

by Andrew Evans Senior staff writer, @snavEwerdnA

by James Baggott Chief executive, @CarDealerEd

Leather seats are often cold on wintry mornings, but the seat heaters have proved to be worth their weight in gold.

Belfort has been up and running again this month. All it took was a zap of electricity – or rather, quite a few zaps...

The Metro’s wrapped up for winter but it’s still out in the cold when it comes to having a share of Christian’s time.

As it’s Christmas, Andrew has decided to buy Pato some presents. Or rather, the bits that he needs to work again.

The problem with the 205 is not that it doesn’t work very well at the moment, more its incredible gains in value make me scared to use it. WorkShopMagazine.co.uk

| 49

OUR KEV.

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

‘Miracle’ of the Megane that did 9,000 miles in two days W e all have them… Customers. Yes, them. The lovely people without whom we wouldn’t have jobs, and whose lack of mechanical knowledge or, more often than not, mechanical sympathy is the reason our services are so much in demand. Sadly, though, their lack of car knowledge can sometimes make our jobs more difficult than they should be – for example, when a customer drops their car off and demands to know how long you’ll need it for when you haven’t even diagnosed the problem yet. I’m not normally sarcastic, but I do keep a ball of string under the reception counter for such occasions to demonstrate how long a piece can be. Or there are other customers who think they know more than you do, because YouTube told them they could have the clutch in and out in less than two hours. It’s only when you quiz them about it and they’re asking you to do the clutch in a Renault Laguna when the video they watched was of a Ford Ka that you have to explain the difference between a two-hour and a nine-hour book time. We had a guy the other week who threatened to badmouth us all around town because we’d been using his car without his permission, having stuck eight miles on the clock after changing the discs and pads. I had to very politely explain to him that we, as a garage, had a duty of care to our customers to ensure that we’d done the job properly, and that also if he’d never driven a car with virgin pads in it before, he’d have actually appreciated our efforts to take the edge off the friction linings ever so slightly with a test drive. But nothing beats the lady who once came charging into our workshop saying that she was going to take us to court for ritually abusing her car and racking up a massive mileage in the two days it was in our custody. The car was a Renault Megane, and the job was to change some of the rear suspension bushes. It turned out that the bushes didn’t all arrive on the van, so we’d been good enough to lend the lady one of our sales vehicles to keep her mobile while we waited an extra 24 hours for the parts to turn up. Unfortunately, she was one of these people that, by nature, was very untrusting. Not only that, but her

boyfriend (it’s always the bloody boyfriend) had told her not to trust mechanics, and to write down the exact mileage of her car when she dropped it in to us. That she did. Or at least thought she had. However, somewhere along the way she’d got her maths a bit wrong. The day after she’d collected the repaired Renault, she came storming on to our forecourt with a face that could curdle milk while it was still in the cow. She would, she said, see us in court, where she wanted full compensation for the loss in value of her car. She’d picked it up with 98,000 miles on the clock after having dropped it off the day before with 89,000 on it. I politely but firmly explained to her, once she’d calmed down, that this wouldn’t have been possible, because we’d had the Megane in our custody for two nine-hour business days, during which we’d have had to drive it consistently at 500mph in order to rack up that mileage. Not only was this a bit quicker than her car was capable of, but it would also have been somewhat inadvisable to attempt it with suspension bushes as worn as hers were, I added, admittedly a tad sarcastically. ‘And where was it overnight?’ she asked. ‘Well, Jupiter, clearly,’ I said. I confess, my attitude (which, I hasten to add, I only ever really reserve for the truly ‘special’ customers) probably didn’t help, and when she realised that what she was suggesting was mathematically impossible – but only after double-checking loudly on her mobile phone with the clearly injudicious boyfriend – she did pay her bill. But not without mumbling stuff about ‘bloody garages’ under her breath. Meantime, if you need to get anywhere quickly, might I recommend the fastest car on earth – the Renault Megane 1.6 Dynamique...

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

50 | WorkShopMagazine.co.uk

”

I’m not normally sarcastic, but I do keep a ball of string under the reception counter to demonstrate how long a piece can be.

Premium Glow Plugs ALFA ROMEO, AUDI, BMW, CITROEN, CHRYSLER, DACIA, FIAT, FORD, HONDA, IVECO, JEEP, LANCIA, MG, MERCEDES-BENZ, MITSUBISHI, NISSAN, OPEL, PEUGEOT, RENAULT, ROVER, SAAB, SEAT, SKODA, SSANGYONG, SUZUKI, TOYOTA, VAUXHALL, VOLKSWAGEN, VOLVO

CLEPA

OEM CUSTOMERS TRUST US. AND YOU?

www.hidria.com New e-Catalogue Part Finder http://glowplugs.hidria.com/

WorkShopMagazine.co.uk

| 51

Dealer Managment System of the Year

FREE VHC APP FOR ALL DRAGON2000 CUSTOMERS SEND PERSONALISED IMAGES AND VIDEOS TO CUSTOMERS' PHONES

 sales@dragon2000.co.uk  dragon2000.co.uk  01327 222 333