November 2020

www.aftermarketonline.net NOVEMBER 2020 AFTERMARKET 3 CONTENTS BUSINESS 8 Big issue: Going exponential with the IGA 12 Electric dreams 14 Andy Savva: Communicating essentials 18 TRICO: £20,000 Giveaway! 20 Culture in the garage 22 TMD Friction: GaraShield TECHNICAL 24 Frank Massey: Buffet of Errors 26 Gareth Banks: Daytrip to Camber 28 Kalimex: Popular with the pros 30 Top Garage 2020/2021 IN FOCUS 32 Filters 34 Clutch and transmission 36 Steering and suspension 38 Remanufactured components 40 Bodyshop 42 Trade clubs PLUS... 44 General Products 45 Competition: LIQUI MOLY 46 Day in the life: REPXPERT 48 Coronavirus round-up 52 Training update 56 Recruitment: New appointments 58 Teabreak LIVING IN HARMONY Editor | Alex Wells alex@aftermarket.co.uk | +44 (0) 1732 370 345 Contributors Gareth Banks | Tina Drayson | Alex Johns | Frank Massey | Andy Savva | Mike Schlup Commercial Director | Ryan Fuller ryan.fuller@dfamedia.co.uk | +44 (0) 1732 370 340 Area Sales Manager | Daniella Gavin Daniella@aftermarket.co.uk | +44 (0) 1732 370 349 Operations Manager | Ewa Hodden ewa.hodden@dfamedia.co.uk | +44 (0) 1732 370 340 Project Liaison Manager | 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 2018 to June 2019 20,019 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 2020. O n this very page in the previous issue, sharp-eyed readers may have noticed my not-so-subtle references to 1960s cult TV series The Prisoner, in relation to the government’s Rule of Six. Just a bit of “I’m not a number – I am a free man” fun, or so I thought. In a bizarre coincidence, just the day after I wrote that piece, it was announced that one of the automotive stars of that programme, the MOKE, was returning to production in the UK, 56 years after it was first manufactured as the Mini Moke. You couldn’t make it up. If I had a spare £20,000 and the space, I’d get one today, even if buying a car that doesn’t have a roof, let alone doors, doesn’t seem like the smartest move when winter is just weeks away. With rules designed to mitigate the spread of Coronavirus going in and out like the tide depending on where you live, we probably all feel a little like the programme’s protagonist, Number Six, at the moment; Subject to seemingly arbitrary restrictions to our freedom, all imposed from on high, with no end in sight. At least we can focus on our work though. People are going to need their cars, and so providing them with a good service is both good for keeping sane, and keeping customers safe. All we can do is try to learn to live with all of this, until a route out of this Coronavirus quagmire is found. Let’s hope the government can work out how their COVID-19 satnav works before it’s too late. Anyway, onto the rest of the issue. As we previously covered, Top Garage 2021 is running as usual this year, with the finalists being blended with the finalists for 2020 so we can reveal who are the greatest garages of all across both years. Entries for Top Garage 2021 open on Sunday 1 November 2021. If you turn to page 30, you can find out how to enter. A good garage will, generally, be a great communicator. With this in mind, Andy Savva is looking at the essentials for effective communication with customers. That is on pages 14-16. We stay on the business side when we turn to pages 20-21, as Tina Drayson from CCM joins us for the first time to discuss the concept of the culture of the garage. On the technical front, Frank Massey is dining out on what he calls his ‘Buffet of Errors’, a collection of challenging faults for you to consider. That is on page 24-25. Back from a period on the bench and ready for the game is Gareth Banks, who on pages 26 is looking how camber can affect a vehicle. Yes, I know he means wheel angle, not the little East Sussex beach town. If that’s not enough for you, there are features on filters, clutch and transmission, steering and suspension, remanufactured components, bodyshop equipment and trade clubs. We also see what a Day in the Life looks like for one of Schaeffler’s REPXPERTS. With everything that has been going on, we also go in-depth with the IGA on all the work they have been doing on behalf of the sector. That is in Big Issue on pages 8- 10. That about covers it... There’s only so much we can squeeze in to a single issue you know! Be seeing you!