May 2021

46 AFTERMARKET MAY 2021 BUSINESS www.aftermarketonline.net W hile lockdown restrictions saw a degree of easing at the end of March, the full long-term effect of the pandemic on UK automotive was still being assessed. As Aftermarket’s May issue went to press in mid-April, more freedoms were due to return, but as experience has taught us, you never know what is around the corner with COVID-19. 10 March: DVSA urges motorists to make it S.A.F.E With schools open again as lockdown was gradually eased, the DVSA launched a campaign to urge motorists to make sure they are S.A.F.E in their vehicle by doing four basic pre-drive checks: Service or health check if needed Air in tyres Fill up screenwash Examine lights and tyre tread The campaign was created as result of a lack of vehicle maintenance taking place over the last 12 months. DVSA MOT data showed that between April and December 2020, over 650,000 defects related to windscreen washers/screenwash and nearly 1.3m defects related to tyre tread. For some defects, DVSA also saw increases in the number recorded compared to the same period in 2019. These were: Tyres which were obviously under- inflated:102% increase Seriously defective or missing headlamps: 5% increase Slightly defective headlamp reflectors or lenses: 3% increase Tyres with deep cuts: 8.2% increase DVSA Head of MOT Policy Chris Price said: “As schools return, some motorists will need to use their cars more often than they have been recently. With more traffic on the road, we want to help everyone to keep their vehicle safe to drive. That’s CORONAVIRUS ROUND-UP Spring seemed to see the UK turn a corner, with the vaccine roll-out seemingly a major success and lockdown being eased back why we’re urging all motorists to carry out some simple, visual checks before they get on the road again. And for those who are unsure about any issues, we recommend a professional check at a local garage for peace of mind.” He added: “Checking items like tyres, lights and screenwash could also help to avoid some of the common issues reported at MOT. When driving, people should follow safer travel guidance, including not sharing a car with anyone outside of their household or support bubble.” 11 March: Brexit/COVID-19 issues fade as “clear signs of confidence” grow says AS-PL Import snarl-ups caused by a combination of cross-border COVID-19 restrictions and the end of the Brexit transition period had eased as far as AS-PL was concerned, and the company was looking forward to normalised trading further into 2021 and beyond. The UK officially exited the Brexit transition period on 31 December, which coincided with extra restrictions being imposed by French authorities to prevent the spread of the Kent variant of COVID-19. This caused import delays at ports. However, according to AS-PL Regional Sales Director (UK, Ireland, Australia and Oceania) Kevin Sharp, the situation has improved: “AS-PL continues to go from strength to strength and despite the challenges of a turbulent 2020. The company once again grew its sales revenue and at the same time extended its global reach into 20 new countries around the world. “Those challenges were made even harder in the UK due to the Brexit factor, the late trade agreement and the confusion within the market as to what exactly was required to trade seamlessly between the EU and the UK. With the new way of trading creating issues, well documented problems in the logistics supply chain and the continued knock-on effect of the pandemic, together with the shortage of capacity in the freight market, all added up to very tough trading conditions for the UK in the early weeks of 2021.” Kevin concluded: “There are now clear signs that confidence is returning to the market, the logistics supply chain is starting to get back to