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52 AFTERMARKET SEPTEMBER 2020 BUSINESS www.aftermarketonline.net 29 June: Mandatory MOT testing return date named It was announced that mandatory MOT testing would be reintroduced from Saturday 1 August 2020 as COVID-19 restrictions are slowly lifted. Drivers with a MOT due date before 1 August still received a six-month exemption from testing. However, people are able to voluntarily get their MOT sooner should they wish, even if they are exempt from the legal requirement. Announcing the return of the test, Roads Minister Baroness Vere said: “As people return to our roads, it is vital that motorists are able to keep their vehicles safe. That’s why as restrictions are eased, from 1 August MOT testing will again become mandatory.” 3 July: New anti- Coronavirus disinfectant from LKQ Euro Car Parts LKQ Euro Car Parts began offering a new disinfectant, designed to eliminate Coronavirus both in vehicles and around the workshop. The CV1 Shot was added to the LKQ ECP range of PPE and hygiene products, and was developed in line with the latest guidelines from the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control. The product is an aerosol and can be distributed throughout a vehicle via its ventilation system, without leaving any residue behind. The canister takes two minutes to discharge and then as little as five minutes to circulate, when the vents are open on full, and the vehicle in re-circulating mode. Benzalkonium chloride is the active ingredient that breaks down and kills coronavirus, recommended by the EU and tested to EN1276 and EN13697 standards. A multi-pack of six canisters is available. For more information visit: https://omnipart.eurocarparts.com/ 4 July: ‘Independence Day’ In a day variously described as ‘Independence Day’ and ‘Super Saturday’, many lockdown restrictions were eased, meaning restaurants, pubs hotels, B&Bs, cottages, campsites and caravan parks could open, so long as they followed safety guidelines. Also able to reopen from 4 July were children’s playgrounds, outdoor gyms, amusement arcades, funfairs and theme parks, outdoor skating rinks, cinemas, museums, libraries, community centres, bingo halls, and galleries, indoor leisure centres, social clubs and model villages. Many of these places are accessed by car, and garages in England expected a surge in demand from motorists as a result. 6 July: Gates donates £424,000 to COVID-19 response Health and welfare organisations across the UK and beyond received charitable support from Gates to help fight COVID-19 to the tune of more than £424,000. Directed by the company’s global headquarters in Denver, the Gates Industrial Corporation Foundation is worked with nearly 100 Gates facilities around the world to identify and help fund local nonprofits that are making a difference. 19 charities across the EMEA region received a total of £63,400. Recipients of Foundation donations in the UK include, Dumfries and Galloway Health Board Endowment Fund, Cramlington Hospital in Northumberland, and the St John Ambulance. 8 July: Subs holiday for RAC/Autofirst member garages All garages in the RAC Approved Garages network, powered by Autofirst, have been granted a membership subscription payment holiday and are also being provided with a new COVID-19 code of conduct that provides guidelines on safe working. Garages were granted the payment holiday regardless of whether they closed or chose to remain open during lockdown. Adam O’Neill, Head of Motoring Services at the RAC, said: “First and foremost, we are here to support all the garages that are members of our nationwide network through this difficult time.” 17 July: OESAA offering 3,000 free garage packs The Original Equipment Suppliers Aftermarket Association (OESAA) was offering garages the chance to get one of 3,000 free ‘Back on Track’ packs of workshop essentials to UK independent garages, on a first-come, first-served basis. The packs include a floor sticker and marking tape for maintaining social