Aftermarket May 2022

MAY 2022 AFTERMARKET 63 www.aftermarketonline.net TRAINING The RMI Academy of Automotive Skills provides training for all aspects of running a garage business, delivering courses at sites in Southam, Runcorn, Winchester and Lincoln. This issue highlights their Air Conditioning; Refrigerant Handler (F-Gas) Accreditation. This half-day course with pre-learning is intended for technicians whose job role involves the maintenance and repair (MET roles or similar) of light vehicles and will have contact with vehicle air conditioning systems during their work activities. Candidates must be able to work unsupervised and ideally be in full time employment with at least three months’ experience working on vehicle Air Conditioning systems, and be familiar with F-gas legislation. The course ensures that candidates can safely connect vehicle air conditioning equipment to recover the refrigerant from A/C systems, evacuate and recharge the A/C system with the correct refrigerant and oil (quantity and grade) without knowingly releasing refrigerant to the atmosphere, and handle refrigerant cylinders using appropriate methods. Candidates will complete Refrigerant Handling and Refrigerant Cylinder Handling modules, which include the following topics: Health & Safety, regulations, correct use of PPE and guidelines Procedures for handling A/C refrigerant Recovery from a MVAC Recycling of refrigerant Recharging of an A/C system Leak detection (at least two methods) Store and transfer waste material following current legal requirements RMI members receive preferential pricing as a benefit of membership. Enquire or book a course by visiting: RMItrainingAcademy .co.uk The RMI Academy of Automotive Skills Course Spotlight Get FGAS qualified, LKQ Euro Car Parts urges techs LKQ Euro Car Parts is reminding mechanics to make sure they are FGAS- qualified in order to avoid being restricted from handling R134A Refrigerant, and is pointing those who need to get qualified towards the FGAS training being offered through its LKQ Academy. Since the beginning of March, LKQ Euro Car Parts has only sold R134A Refrigerant, known as old gas, to customers who can prove they are trained to work with it. All LKQ Euro Car Parts customers who bought R134A before also need to provide their FGAS qualification details via an online form. This will show R134A is permitted on their accounts. R134A refrigerant is not present in any vehicles registered from 2017 onwards. It was replaced by HFO-1234yf, known as new gas. Both gases were used in the period 2013- 2017. Before that, R134A was the only air con refrigerant in the market. Colin Cottrell, Marketing Director at LKQ Euro Car Parts, commented: “At this time of year, we always urge our workshop customers to start preparing for air con season, by buying in consumables and ensuring their machines are in good shape. We support any legislation that has technician safety at its heart – and in this instance, the legislation serves as a timely reminder for garages to get air con ready before the warm weather arrives. “Air con servicing is a big seasonal revenue opportunity for independent workshops – and one we’re here to help them unlock, by providing products, training and equipment, while helping them stay on the right side of the law.” He added: “We’ve got the best availability in the market when it comes to consumables, a team of experts ready to facilitate ‘old gas’ sales to those who are qualified, and an unrivalled logistics network making rapid deliveries every hour.” https://lkqacademy.co.uk Repairify UK has provided IMI ADAS and EV training programmes for all its staff. All technical members of the team gained IMI ADAS AOM230 certification. Meanwhile, asTech’s Master Technicians are taking the IMI Level 3 Hybrid and Electric Vehicle (EV) training programme. Commenting on the training provision, Paul Cunningham, Head of Operations for the UK, observed: “Our strategic commitment is to ensure our staff benefit from continuous professional development. As a result, our employees and technicians are keen to learn new technologies and keep certification up to date, ensuring they are aware of safe working practices. “The qualifications enable our Master Technicians to speak with confidence and authority and lead with relevant EV questions and safe handling practices when dealing with remote sessions on applicable vehicles.” He added: “This opens up new opportunities and revenue streams for our customers, as our staff have a thorough understanding of EV and can offer them comprehensive support and guidance to repairing EV and hybrid vehicles.” IMI ADAS and EV training for all Repairify staff