Growing turbo hose opportunity for independents – GSF

Vehicle manufacturers chasing higher fuel efficiency, combined with UK road tax incentives to reduce CO2 emissions, have seen turbo charged diesel engines rise rapidly in popularity. While only 11 per cent of UK cars were diesel in 1998, the proportion has risen every year since to nearly 37 per cent today, with a million new diesel registrations each year since 2012, slightly exceeding new petrol vehicles. According to GSF Car Parts, the aftermarket is yet to realise the full potential of the increased demand for turbo hose replacements.

GSF states that it is developing a new turbo hose range to meet the rising aftermarket demand.

“We know a lot of garages replacing turbo hoses are still just sourcing straight from the VM dealer networks,” said Jonny West, managing director of GSF Car Parts. “When customers realise we’ve got a range for the aftermarket, there’s a lot of interest as there are significant cost savings available.”

GSF’s growing range relies heavily on a number of German brands with OE matching quality pedigree, including VAICO, Bugiad, Metzger, MEYLE and Topran.

Turbo hoses can perish, block or burst, either simply due to age, or because of demanding engine bay conditions where they may be subjected to extreme temperature variation, moisture, vibration and even chaffing.

Problems with turbo hoses can cause a range of general symptoms including loss of power, more noise, as well as excess smoke or increased oil consumption. These aren’t immediately easy to reference back to a faulty hose.

But with turbo replacements being so expensive, the stakes are high when it comes to getting the diagnosis right; leaking or split air intake hoses can lead to turbo failure by causing the turbo to over-rev and over-boost.