With decidedly chilly weather on offer throughout parts of the country, a great many motorists have been pondering the ability of their car battery to last them through a trouble-free winter. Johnson Controls says there are a number of measures drivers can take to check that the battery is up to the job of getting the car started in the sub-zero temperatures we can expect to avoid what has become known as winter battery strain:
The Philippine government’s Presidential Anti-Smuggling Group (PASG) has raided a warehouse on the northern island of Luzon, seizing some 10 million peso (£133,500) of counterfeit tyres and motorcycle spare parts. According to a PASG statement, the agencies raided the warehouse after receiving surveillance reports indicating the illegal nature of the activities within. The tyres confiscated from the warehouse are said to have been counterfeit Dunlop tyres.
Unipart Automotive has invested £1 million in a new branch and Area Distribution Centre (ADC) in Solihull, creating 20 new jobs. Allan McNish, 2008 Le Mans 24hr race winner, officially opened the new 14,000 sq ft Birmingham South branch on Wednesday 19 November 2008.
This major investment by the motor parts distributor will enable it to better service the needs of motor trade customers, with access to over 25,000 product lines giving excellent off-the-shelf availability. A delivery service from the largest fleet in Birmingham, comprising 27 Unipart vans, will provide fast local delivery.
Removing rusted, broken or corroded studs is a problem at the best of times and then there is the added frustration when access to them is restricted. To combat this, Laser Tools has put together a set of short series stud removers and a lock on go through ratchet to make sure even the most inaccessible stud can be located. The concentric rollers grip onto the stud as the ratchet mechanism is applied and will continue to grip until the stud eventually twists off. The double ended ratchet has 14mm drive for the 6/8mm stud removers and 17mm for the 10/12mm.
The Stud Remover Set – 5piece (Part number 4462), typically retails at around £28. Repairs and spares for all parts are available.
Emission control systems manufacturer Tenneco says it will continue its ‘aggressive investment’ in new emissions control application coverage in 2009. The company plans to add more than 300 SKUs to its Walker line of replacement exhaust parts in the coming year. This planned expansion continues a strategy begun more than five years ago, when Tenneco began to significantly increase the Walker brand’s coverage in support of aftermarket businesses. More than 600 new exhaust part numbers were introduced to the Walker line in 2008 alone, and more than 1,600 parts have been added since 2004.
Cooper has announced that its new Zeon RS3 tyre will be fitted for the ROUSH Stage 3 and P51B Mustangs. The company claims that the tyre is a must “for the Ford Mustang enthusiast with an uncompromising need for maximum dry grip traction.” Based in Livonia, Michigan, ROUSH Performance provides an array of Ford Mustang and F-150 styling, handling and performance upgrades, in addition to a complete line of performance parts and crate engines. Cooper is its official tyre brand.
Chuck Yurkovich, vice president of Global Technology for Cooper Tire, stated that, “The Cooper Zeon RS3 is the latest innovation to develop from Cooper Tire’s exclusive relationship with ROUSH Performance. The RS3 is the perfect compliment to the performance characteristics valued by true ROUSH Performance enthusiasts.” The RS3 comes in a 275/40ZR18 with a UTQG tread wear/traction/temperature rating of 220-AA-A, and is available through ROUSH Performance or through Cooper Tire dealers.
Producers of styrene-butadiene rubber (SBR) and polybutadiene rubber (BR) in parts of China are reporting weakening downstream demand due to cutbacks in the tyre industry. One unnamed large tyre manufacturer in Guangdong province has recently shut down operations at its factory, and several other manufacturers in Zhejiang and Anhui provinces have cut operating rates by 50 to 60 per cent due to a lack of cash and poor sales, trade and produce sources claim.
The ContiTech Power Transmission Group has issued a new catalogue specifically for Asian vehicles. The range covers over 96 per cent of the Asian vehicle parc in Europe. The compilation helps workshops and dealers quickly locate the right belts as well as the range of deflection and tensioning pulleys and kits for Asian passenger cars.
Bankrupt former General Motor parts business Delphi Corporation is seeking an extension of up to six months for about US$4.35 billion in borrowed funds. The company reported in a regulatory filing that is meeting with investors to discuss a proposal to extend the timeframe within which the company can repay the loans, and is hoping for an extension through to June 30, 2009 or the company’s exit from court protection, whichever comes first.
You would be forgiven for thinking the ride qualities on the Hummer H3 were a little wooden….One particular specimen, parked in London during October, is equipped with wheels and ‘tyres’ not commonly seen in these parts for the best part of a century. But this vehicle doesn’t represent a backwards step from the manufacturer of plus-sized 4x4s – the wooden wagon wheels fitted to the Hummer parked in the Old Burlington road are there for art’s sake.
Shares in Continental AG went up 2.2 per cent today (15 October) after majority shareholder, Schaeffler Group said it had purchased 834,000 shares in the German tyre and auto parts specialist as part of its takeover easing worries the deal could run into financing difficulties. “Both Schaefler’s announcement yesterday that it is not having trouble financing the Continental deal and news today that it has purchased some 830,000 odd shares in Continental is helping the stock. Schaeffler is going ahead with the deal and it is creating support for Continental stock in the market.” a Frankfurt-based trader told Interactive Investor.
As the FIA World Touring Car Championship (WTCC) heads to Monza, Italy, for its last European rounds, official sole tyre supplier Yokohama is prepared for its Advan tyres to face a tough challenge due to the circuit’s long straights and slow corners. The Autodromo Nazionale di Monza’s design is such, says Yokohama, that both WTCC cars and single-seaters from the championship’s Formula Master partner series will rely heavily on their Advans for grip and traction.
“In order to be competitive on the long straights, single-seaters rely on a low downforce set-up,” explains Yokohama tyre engineer, Mr. S. Watanabe. “This means that in slow corners the tyres have to work harder than usual to generate grip as they are receiving less help from the car’s aerodynamics.
According to Euro Car Parts, Britain’s largest independent distributor of car parts and accessories, the company stocks the most comprehensive range of exhaust and catalytic converters available in the UK. A range of more than 6,000 exhaust references and 2,000 catalytic converter references are kept at their Central Distribution Centre at Wembley. Furthermore, more than 2,000 exhaust references and 400 cat references are kept at selected branches around the UK.
Euro Car Parts (ECP), the UK’s leading aftermarket parts supplier, has opened a new branch in Hoddesdon, Stockport and extended the Sheffield branch to 5,000sqft from 2,000sqft in line with their future plans. The 8,000sqft Hoddesdon branch has 15,000 parts, tools and accessories in stock and receives six deliveries from the HQ in Wembley daily with access to over 100,000 parts. The branch has 18 members of staff with over 70 years experience in the automotive aftermarket. The 11,500sqft Stockport branch has a large number of parts, tools and accessories in stock and receives daily deliveries from the Manchester Euro Car Parts branch. The branch has 19 members of staff.
Pirelli Tire has unveiled its new road racing technician: Chris Jensen of Denmark is set to join road racing manager Christoph Knoche in providing Pirelli rubber for North American road racing.
Jensen joins the Italian giant from Parts Unlimited, where he was for various lines a brand manager. He has also spent time as a mechanic in World Superbike and World Speedway. He describes joining Pirelli’s team as “like joining a rock band nearing the height of its career” in a Pirelli press release.
Knoche, Jensen’s new manager, added that, “We’re looking forward to Chris contributing greatly to the Pirelli experience. After two record-setting seasons of podium finishes in the AMA Superbike series we have high expectations for next year… Next year we plan on doing even better at every racetrack.”
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