February 2022

FEBRUARY 2022 AFTERMARKET 43 back to the DVSA, saving time and effort for the MOT Tester. This is the principle of connected MOT equipment; Common sense and logic.” He continued: “The first equipment that went connected was the roller brake tester, as the data required back by the DVSA is relatively simple; Brake force per wheel/ brake type and whether the wheel locked out or not. With this, together with the vehicle weight directly measured from the roller chassis or manually entered via the roller brake tester, MTS can then calculate the braking efficiency and determine the pass-fail status of the vehicle for the braking systems performance. Following the successful trial and introduction of connected roller brake testers, the connected equipment programme has been expanded to include brake decelerometers results and more recently emissions results for petrol and diesel, with further equipment to go online soon.” On concerns over the possibility of greater oversight from DVSA, Julian observed: “We have seen comments on social media from some within the MOT industry, asking if with connected equipment the DVSA can watch or check what you are doing. Nothing could be further from the truth. The MOT test is performed in the normal way. If you need to repeat a brake test or any other test several time to get the results, there’s no problem. Only the final result is ever submitted, and data can only be transferred back and forth to MTS when a vehicle is active in test on MTS, even then the MOT tester has the ability to review the data submitted before accepting it as the final results for the vehicle.” Julian added: “The whole concept of connected equipment is designed to help make the job easier for the MOT Tester, and prevent errors in the data from being transferred back to MTS. We strongly support the DVSA connected equipment programme as moving with The Q2 dip in MOT demand should level itself out over the next couple of years, along with the increased demand in Q4 ” technology and recommend all MOT sites consider voluntarily upgrading to connected status to help maintain their quality status rating with the DVSA. MOT Testing Stations can contact their specific equipment supplier directly for more details. Alternatively, a list of equipment that can be connected to the DVSA is available on the GEA website: https://gea.co.uk/dvsa-acceptable-equipment/ Proactive What should you look out for to help customers though? According to the Matters of Testing blog on GOV.UK, the top three MOT failures are headlamp aim, or headlamp aim incorrectly set, tyre tread depth and, windscreen wipers. It’s not always an open goal though, as TRICO Group Brand & Marketing Manager (Europe) Sam Robinson observed: “Drivers do not rush to a workshop for new wiper blades at the best of times, so, during an MOT, technicians need to be proactive. They are not expensive items and once highlighted of the facts, we’ve found that drivers are usually willing to have them replaced, which is where we step in to provide the premium quality products required.” www.aftermarketonline.net Right: Wipers are one of the top three MOT failure items ssociation ent A quipm ge E a e Gar Th 5 e 194 c ds sin dar y stan dustr s of In older e Uph d ! r ation c edit r or his ac f gin our en y Ask eer c a IS Y . Y ent A For peace of mind always use a Garage Equipm ssociation member. GEA accredited engineers work to an industry code of conduct our assurance their skills and knowledge have been independently assessed. OUR EQUIPMENT ENGINEER GEA ACCREDITED? Th www.gea.co.uk GEA ACCREDITED ENGINEER Name Company Discipline ExpDate IDNumber XX123456 XX123456 XX123456 XX123456 XX123456