Veco Brand Sales “Growing Steadily” for Universal Automotive

Sales of the Veco brand, available from automotive parts distributor Universal Automotive, are reportedly “growing steadily”, with year-on-year sales predicted to increase by 10 per cent in 2010. According to the distributor, this growth is to come from garages looking to their suppliers to provide “reliable products with matching OE quality, but at competitive prices” – the company says that the Veco range “ticks all of these boxes”.

Veco comments that the aftermarket is generally performing well in comparison to the performance of the wider economy. However, one area of concern in an otherwise buoyant friction market is the dip in sales of brake discs. This trend, the company believes, is a reflection of consumer confidence as some motorists are only willing to let garages carry out work that is absolutely necessary, while delaying what is not deemed vital. Replacing brake discs is a graphic example of this underlying caution.

The Veco friction range includes pads, shoes, discs and drums, and the extensive pads range will grow further in March with the introduced of seven new Veco pad references. These references will cover an additional ten applications, which include Fiat 500, Mercedes E Class, C Class and S Class, Lexus RX, Mitsubishi Space Wagon and VW Touareg.

The Veco brake hydraulics range includes brake hoses, seamless copper and copper/nickel tubing, connectors, bleed screws, brake cylinders and cylinder repair kits. Each kit contains hardened metal slides, centre seal and bellows seal and is supplied with a pack of grease to aid assembly and resist seizure. The full braking range incorporates more than 3,700 part references and covers 95 per cent of UK applications.

The range is supported by a comprehensive braking catalogue, which lists the vehicle make, model and application as well as various cross-references. Each reference also features a diagram to further aid identification.

Corteco hydraulic hoses

Leading aftermarket distributor Universal Automotive supplies the highly regarded Corteco brand of aftermarket products and one of the product groups represented in the range is OE quality hydraulic brake hoses. Although they are sometimes overlooked, brake hoses are used in every vehicle and are one of the most important components in the braking systems. Therefore, they should be checked at every service interval.

Corteco’s expertise in leading-edge technology ensures that its extensive hydraulic range is engineered to the highest standards. All Corteco brake hoses, which include more than 1,500 different references, are high pressure tested and certified.

Brembo Max Performance discs also available

Universal Automotive is also the UK logistics partner of Brembo Aftermarket UK, delivering the braking brand throughout the aftermarket. Universal Automotive also stock the complete programme of aftermarket discs and drums at the upper end of the manufacturer’s range, including the Brembo Max performance discs.

Brembo Max discs adopt a special sculptured groove pattern that incorporates a useful wear indicator, as well as a specially developed black coating that prevents unsightly and compromising rust build-up on the non-friction area. The Brembo Max range caters for numerous performance-orientated models from manufacturers such as Alfa Romeo, BMW, Renault and Volkswagen.