CES (UK) Ltd recently launched Autosessive.com, a retail website which sells consumables, tools and gifts as well as ebeepbeep.com, a customer referral platform (designed in conjunction with The Parts Alliance) for garages to capture a share of the growing online market for car servicing and repairs. SecureTrading provided the online payment processing system.
According to the Castrol Professional Car Service and Repair Trend Tracker, franchised workshops are losing servicing business to independent and fast-fit outlets. The independent sector now accounts for 45.7 per cent of servicing work, up from 42.1 per cent last year. A decade ago, the independents' share was just 30.2 per cent.
Nationwide Accident Repair Services has opened a new Nationwide Fast Fit Plus centre in Redruth, Cornwall. It follows the company’s two Fast Fit Plus pilot centres in Kettering and Leicester. Fast Fit Plus centres offer tyres, MOTs, servicing and all other traditional fast fit options alongside the automotive body and glass repairs for which Nationwide says it is the UK’s market leader.
Tyresure has passenger car and trailer TPMS systems on the market already; now the system manufacturer is introducing its new unit for use on trucks and buses. The system can handle up to four tyres per axle and up to six axles, allowing 24 separate pressures and temperatures to be monitored and relayed back to the driver with fully automatic alerts. Tyresure UK managing director Ian Smith commented: “In the current financial climate, this is something all operators can opt for, with minimal outlay, to significantly reduce their costs and improved their HSE procedures.
ATS Euromaster has announced that it has won the majority of the service, maintenance and repair (SMR) work across Forward Vehicle Rental’s 1800-strong car and van fleet after being put to the test in a mystery shopping exercise which reportedly saw it perform “flawlessly”. According to the company, Chris Driscoll, managing director of the Shropshire-based leasing company, took direct action after being repeatedly quoted for maintenance work which wasn’t required by previous suppliers.
As a result Forward Vehicle Rental is now using ATS Euromaster for 70 per cent of its tyre service work and expects this to rise to 97 per cent by the end of 2011. In addition to routine tyre repair and replacement, ATS Euromaster is carrying out scheduled car park tyre safety inspections within customer fleets, on occasions when groups of vehicles are parked together in the same location.
TRW Automotive Holdings has launched what it calls a next generation tyre pressure monitoring system (TPMS). This system uses sensors that are fixed on the tyres for measuring the temperature and pressure inside the tyre.
The technology is based on a hybrid direct system which uses a combination of sensing technologies to provide automatic location of an under-inflated tyre. This data is then combined with the data from the vehicle’s ABS wheel speed sensors and the driver is notified about the location and about the tyres that may have low pressure.
HiQ branch Raw Tyres in Pontefract has won a Hunter HawkEye ‘Special’ imaging aligner worth £8,995 in a competition organised by wheel alignment specialists Pro-Align. The winning workshop was one of 251 from across the UK that entered Pro-Align’s online competition as part of its 20th anniversary celebrations.
LKQ Corporation, purportedly the largest provider of aftermarket and recycled collision replacement parts in the US and Canada, has acquired Euro Car Parts. The initial purchase price was £225 million, however in addition the purchase agreement provides for the price to increase by a further £55 million if Euro Car Parts meets certain growth targets.
Bridgestone Corporation has developed a new technology designed to provide real time road surface condition information to the driver by way of the tyres. The new technology is based on a concept called Contact Area Information Sensing (CAIS) and it was launched at the Frankfurt Motor Show.
Techking has launched what it calls a new economic entry level TPMS for truck tyres. Compared with the previous version, the new TPMS, TBR‐03, reportedly has the following advantages: 20 per cent cost saving over previous version (for 10 tyre trucks); upgraded monitor kit, holder for easier installation and “much better” data collecting capacity. According to the company, the platform of Techking TPMS is OE approved, having passed the SAE test in US.
"It is vital that motorists MOT their vehicle to ensure it is safe to drive" commented RMI director, Stuart James responding to recent findings published by The Kwik Fit Group. The findings indicated that a staggering "1million motorists are deliberately driving without an MOT."
Euro Car Parts has put together a range of products to enable independent garages to service tyre pressure monitoring systems. Euro Car Parts’ director of communications, Donna West, explains: “TPMS is going to be massive. The technology features on many models already on our roads but, thanks to European Regulation 6612209, it will be mandatory on all new models from 1 November 2011 and on all new cars from 2014.
The MOT review has still not been formally announced and no decisions have been made, confirmed the Department for Transport (DfT) in a letter to the motor industry. In the wake of recent press coverage on the impending MOT review and the possible changes to its frequency, the DfT wanted to clarify to the industry where the review stood. In a letter addressed to the RMI, along with other key players in the trade, the DfT stated that although test frequency was under the review it was only a small part of a much broader review. Any reference in the press stating that the first MOT test will take place when a car is four years old, rather than the current three, is purely speculation on behalf of the journalist, the letter says.
ARC Fleet Solutions has switched its tyre-servicing relationship from a large national provider and appointed ATS Euromaster to supply, fit and service tyres across its 300-strong business rental fleet. The executive car and van hire specialist reportedly chose ATS Euromaster for the wide range of tyres it stocks in each of its 370 centres.
Halfords has appointed Bill Duffy as CEO of Halfords Autocentres effective 12 September 2011. Duffy has been chief operating officer at Halfords Autocentres (previously Nationwide Autocentres) since February 2006. According to the company, he has huge experience of the automotive market and garage-servicing sector from his 30 years in the industry and is well qualified to lead the operation through the next phase of its growth.
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