The e-bulletin of the Independent Automotive Aftermarket Federation quotes a story in the Oxford Mail, where Prime Minister and Witney MP David Cameron has been told of the need for regulation in the independent motoring trade by a businessman from his constituency.
The annual Labour Rates Survey carried out by Warranty Direct, suggests that garages are charging an average of £8.16 an hour less than last year to carry out service or repair work. The average hourly labour rate in 2013 of both franchised and non-franchised workshops is £74.70, down 9.84 per cent from £82.86 in 2012. Data from more than 12,000 cases were analysed in the study.
The Vehicle Operator Services Agency’s (VOSA) revelation that the number of MOT tests peak in March and September should be no surprise to many Tyrepress readers. These months coincide with the introduction of new vehicle registration letters. The agency has also taken the opportunity to note the parts of a car most likely to attract MOT failures, while advising on how the new 2013 regulations, introduced on 20 March, are affecting test results six months on.
Autoparts has announced two new appointments: Paul Rooney is its new product manager and Graham Montgomerie will take charge of the Kilmarnock branch. The former was promoted from roles within the company, while Montgomerie takes up his new role having moved from Arnold Clark.
It gets underway tomorrow, and UK motorists will be put under pressure to ensure their tyres are properly inflated. The Tyre Safety Month campaign, organised by no-profit road safety group TyreSafe and supported by thousands of garages and other organisations across the UK, will be encouraging drivers to make monthly checks on their tyre pressures to ensure they remain safe on the road.
The 2012 annual report on road casualties in Great Britain was released by the Department for Transport this morning, and these show that the number of drivers killed or seriously injured on the UK's roads as a result of a dangerous, illegal or underinflated tyres, fell by five per cent to 194 casualties.
Bridgestone has announced the winner of what it describes as the brand’s biggest UK competition. Warwick motorist Tony Hamilton beat 1,218 other entrants to win an £8,000 Volkswagen Up! hatchback. He was automatically entered into the draw when he purchased a set of Bridgestone tyres from his local Britannia Tyres centre in Nuneaton. Bridgestone’s sales development executive Phil Berry said: “The competition exceeded all of our expectations, so much so that we extended it for a third month over the summer to cater for demand.
TyreSafe is calling for automotive and road safety professionals (including tyre manufacturers, retailers, emergency services, councils and others) to submit nominations for the inaugural TyreSafe Awards.
The awards, which will be presented at a lunch on Wednesday 20 November at St Johns hotel in Solihull, will recognise the best contributions from a range of organisations around the UK in helping raise awareness about tyre safety issues during 2012 and 2013.
MAM Software has announced that Bosch UK is recommending MAM CarSide to its network of Bosch Car Service Centres. The new vehicle health check (eVHC) mobile app will sync with BCS Online, the Bosch recommended garage management system powered by MAM Software. Hosted in the cloud, BCS Online is a feature-rich browser-based garage management system that manages and optimises every-day workshop tasks.
MAM Software will be showcasing some of its latest products and software updates at the forthcoming MechanEx Trade show in Donington, Derby. The company will be demonstrating its CarSide mobile and tablet app and highlighting the latest updates to its Autowork Online cloud-based garage management software.
Kwik Fit is showing signs that at least part of the vast independent fast fit network is evolving in the direction of autocentre style garages. According to online news sources this is part of a bid to increasingly target fleet business – an area the business is historically strong in – with the offer of servicing and mechanical work.
The Bosch Car Service network is celebrating a decade of existing and scoring 99.5 per cent customer satisfaction for its car servicing and repairs. Originally launched in 2003, the network of independent garages has gone from strength to strength. The latest independent customer satisfaction survey results show that an amazing 99.5 per cent of Bosch Car Service customers would use the network again, based on their overall experience. The scheme was also the first car repair code to achieve key accreditation, helping ensure that customers get a fair deal – first with the Office of Fair Trading and more recently with the Trading Standards Institute.
Trust My Garage (TMG) has experienced a boom in membership since the announcement that the scheme has applied to become a Government backed TSI code.
Following the announcement at the Trading Standards conference in June the number of independent garages wishing to become a TMG member has increased by an unprecedented 20 per cent.
MAHLE Aftermarket is planning a UK roadshow this month to support the recent launch of a range of Behr air conditioning service units.
Hofmann Power Weight has released a new black coloured knock-on weight 161. The company says the weight is a tried and tested top-seller, but the new addition of black powder coating means the zinc weight appears almost invisible when fitted. It adds that the weight’s “premium coating” gives the weight “optimum corrosion resistance”.
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