Suspension manufacturer Bilstein has released an extensive range of damper upgrades for the Honda NSX. Bilstein’s range of B6 Sport units are available to fit both 3.0 and 3.2 litre 24v variants in manual, automatic, coupe and convertible guises.
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.
Sumitomo Rubber Industries has published the English-language version of its "CSR Report 2013", which was originally released in Japanese in June. The report details the group’s corporate social responsibility activities during 2012.
Those who enjoy fine dining or just a good feed needn’t wait long for the Michelin Guide Great Britain & Ireland 2014. It will be released on 4 October, and Michelin has given a heads up on what’s to expect in the latest edition.
US-based wheel service equipment manufacturer Hennessy Industries has launched a new line of auto lifts under the BaseLine by Coats brand name. As is the case with the BaseLine by Coats tyre changer and wheel balancer ranges, the new lift line-up is designed specifically for workshops seeking quality at an affordable price.
Hosetechnik, the performance braking division of Forge Motorsport, has released a new range of stainless steel brake bleed nipples. The firm has engineered the product from aerospace grade material, after an overwhelming number of requests from its dealers and end-users to create a ‘fit and forget’ solution that could be used to replace the OEM parts on most modern brake calipers.
Upon reporting its first quarter 2013 financials on 19 August, China’s Keyuan Petrochemicals Inc. also shared that it intends to add to the company’s Solution Polymerised Styrene Butadiene Rubber. “The increasing market demand in tyre and auto parts has resulted in increasing market demand for styrene, ABS and SSBR,” The company added that “rather than focusing on optimising the current utilisation rates for its different facilities,” it has decided upon expanding capacity through a number of projects, including a new SSBR plant.
According to the weekly e-newsletter of the Independent Automotive Aftermarket Federation, Kwik Fit has introduced a new fleet pricing strategy, which sees all brake pads and discs for a manufacturer's individual car and light commercial vehicle model range priced identically irrespective of the derivative of the vehicle.
Moulded polyurethane and rubber wheels and tyre manufacturer Stellana US Inc. has appointed a new industrial sales manager. Jack Garcyznski joined the company on 1 July and is responsible for developing sales of custom poured polyurethane parts throughout the United States.
Delphi Product & Service Solutions (DPSS) has launched a redesigned online catalogue for 17 European countries. The site allows users to search by vehicle (make, model, etc.) as well as Delphi, OE and competitor part numbers. Users can also look for parts via the vehicle registration number.
Marking the anniversary of its two-year/24,000 mile guarantee, Apec Braking is giving away four iPad Minis. Each time a guarantee is registered at the company’s website for every axle set of matching Apec discs and pads before 31 August 2013, the technician will be entered into its prize draw, offering the chance to win an Apple iPad Mini.
The Parts Alliance has announced the appointment of David Bloxham as national key account manager. He joins the growing National Accounts team, based in Solihull, during what he describes as “an exciting time of growth for the [automotive] aftermarket.”
Kwik-Fit has once again found itself at the centre of unwanted attention after a BBC consumer programme accused it of recommending work that didn’t need to be done and of failing to properly carry out free tyre safety checks. On 10 July, the “Your Money, Their Tricks” programme mystery shopped 10 Kwik-Fit branches with 10 different cars. The cars, which were of various ages and models, had been pre-inspected by a forensic engineer and had been prepared in order to demonstrate whether checks had been carried out. Similar allegations were made by the BBC’s “Watchdog” programme in September 2010. But this time it was rather tackily presented, as the title of the programme and the in-show caricatures demonstrate.
Continental says it “recently received a whole raft of approvals” from Audi. The ContiSportContact 5 summer tyre has been approved for both the Audi A3 and A8, while in future the A6, A6 Allroad, A7 and RS 6 Quattro will be equipped with the sportier ContiSportContact 5 P. In all, five tyre sizes for 19 to 21-inch rims have been homologated. The Continental tyres fitted as original equipment on most of the above Audi models will bear the letters ‘AO’ (Audi Original parts) on the sidewall, and in future these tyres will also be available to order from Audi dealerships and specialist tyre dealers. Tyres for the Audi RS will bear the sidewall marking ‘R01’.
The Parts Alliance has announced its reappointment as prime supply partner to Micheldever for the next two years. The parts distributor will supply Micheldever’s national network of 61 fast fit centres with a full range of vehicle parts, covering braking, steering and suspension, emissions and general service and repair products. The Alliance estimates the deal is worth over £2 million per year.
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