December/January 2019

www.aftermarketonline.net DECEMBER/JANUARY 2019 AFTERMARKET 3 CONTENTS BUSINESS 08 Big issue: Ghost in the machine 12 Neil Pattemore: Aftermarket after Brexit? 14 Adam Bernstein: Staff contracts 16 Andy Savva: Why is there a tech shortage? 18 Rob Creedon: Cost, cost and more cost TECHNICAL 20 Hannah Gordon: Working with filters 21 Barry Babister: Time to stand up 22 Technical update 24 John Batten: Would you like to know a secret? 26 Frank Massey: Good vibrations 28 Andrew Marsh: Is the knowledge gap closing? 30 Ian Gillgrass: High voltage – Big opportunity IN FOCUS 32 Top Technician/Top Garage 2019 35 Cover story: TPS – Quantum of solace 36 Training and apprenticeships 40 Wheel and body alignment 45 Fuel systems and cleaners 48 Diagnostics 50 Winter checks PLUS... 53 Competition: Win with MEYLE 56 Top Technician flashback: Coasting Corolla 58 Declan McCormack Vehicle Repairs 60 On the road: Hella Gutmann Solutions 62 Training update 64 Recruitment – New appointments 66 Teabreak TRICKY AT CHRISTMAS Editor | Alex Wells alex@aftermarket.co.uk | +44 (0) 1732 370 345 Sales Manager | Claire Hodder claire@aftermarket.co.uk | +44 (0) 1732 370 349 Contributors Adam Bernstein | Barry Babister | John Batten | Hannah Gordon | Frank Massey | Neil Pattemore | Andy Savva Commercial Director | Ryan Fuller ryan.fuller@dfamedia.co.uk | +44 (0) 1732 370 340 Operations Manager | Ewa Hodden ewa.hodden@dfamedia.co.uk | +44 (0) 1732 370 340 Operations Administrator | Emma Floyd emma.floyd@dfamedia.co.uk | +44 (0) 1732 370 340 Finance Manager | Clare Jackson clare.jackson@dfamedia.co.uk | +44 (0) 1732 370 340 Publishing Director | Ian Atkinson ian.atkinson@dfamedia.co.uk | +44 (0) 1732 370 340 Published by | DFA Media Ltd 192 High Street, Tonbridge, Kent, TN9 1BE Alex Wells, Editor Average net circulation July 2017 to June 2018 21,503 aftermarketmagazine @aftermarket01 ISSN 2516-9149 Aftermarket is published 10 times a year and is sent free of charge to applicants meeting the publisher’s criteria. All others may subscribe at £60 per anum, £120 Europe and £150 rest of the world. While every care is taken to provide accurate information, the publisher cannot accept responsibility for any errors or ommisions, no matter how caused. All rights reserved. No part of the publication may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means without prior consent of the publisher. The views of contributors do not necessarily represent the views of the publisher. Copyright: DFA MEDIA LTD 2018. W elcome to the December/January bumper double issue of Aftermarket. As a monthly magazine, and in this month’s case bi-monthly, having up-to-the minute news can be a bit tricky. What is hot news in mid-November, when we write it, can be history by the time you see it in early December. This makes covering fast-moving stories somewhat challenging. Take Brexit. As we went to press, the Prime Minister was about to head over to Brussels for a summit with the other European leaders to finalise her plan for Britain’s EU exit. We say plan, as it was still a goer when we wrote this. We say her, as at the time, the Prime Minister was still Teresa May, despite the efforts of (as far as we know) slightly less than 48 letter-happy Conservative MPs. See what we mean? Tricky. While Brexit could have major repercussions for the automotive aftermarket, it is obviously has a much broader national and international importance. Luckily for us, many of the major issues that are significant for the automotive aftermarket move at a more sedate pace, which means with our frequency we can cover them properly. Brexit will have an impact on some of these issues, like Type Approval, and ‘Our Man In Brussels’ Neil Pattemore has been looking at this. You can find this on pages 12-13. In Big Issue, we are taking a technological overview. That is on pages 8-10. Speaking of Europe, Hella Gutmann Solutions threw open their doors to give us the inside track on ADAS, and we were very interested by what we found. That’s on pages 60-61. There’s a lot more to this issue than Europe though. John Batten is asking if you want to know a secret on pages 24-25. We do, so we are turning there now. If checking out the vibrations is more your thing, go to pages 26-27 to see what Frank Massey has to say. Filters are the topic of the month for Hannah Gordon, who is on page 20 wondering why some garages don’t fit these vital items. Speaking of vital, Barry Babister is on page 21, talking about staying on top of the MOT rules. If you want to stay on top of EVs and hybrids you need to check out the latest instalment of Ian Gillgrass’ series on pages 30-31. If overall technology is worrying you, Andrew Marsh from Auto Industry Consulting is on pages 28-29 to provide a wake-up call. Speaking of wake up calls, Adam Bernstein has returned on page 14 for the first instalment in a new two-part piece looking at employee contracts. If you are having trouble finding employees to give contracts, The Garage Inspector himself, Andy Savva, is looking at why it is so hard to find technicians these days. That is on pages 16-17. On the product side, we have features on wheel and body alignment, fuel systems and cleaners, diagnostics and winter checks. Lastly, we would like to wish all our readers a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year. Aftermarket will be back in 2019 with the February issue. We will continue to keep you up to date via the website, the newsletter, on Twitter, Facebook, and over Christmas, for the more miserable and miserly members of our readership, via the night-time positive intervention of seasonal spirits. Admittedly we are still working on that last one, so you might want to stick to social media for now… See you in 2019!