February 2021

NEWS Top Technician competition returns for 2021 MONTH 2017 AFTERMARKET 5 www.aftermarketonline.net Top Technician is back for 2021 and looking to enable five more techs to join those already set for September’s semi-finals. 10 semi-finalists are already in position from the 2020 competition that was paused due to COVID-19, but if you are not one of them, there is still a chance to get yourselves in the running. From Saturday 30 January, go to www.aftermarketonline.net and click on the ‘take the quiz’ button. Then follow the instructions, using the Top Technician 2021 voucher code: tt!21!rd1 Top Technician and Top Garage are sponsored by Snap-on, Varta, TechMan and LKQ Euro Car Parts, and come to you in association with ABC Awards, ADS, the Garage Equipment Association (GEA), the Independent Automotive Aftermarket Federation (IAAF) and the Independent Garage Association (IGA). To find out more, turn to page 18. FEBRUARY 20 1 AFTERMARKET 7 Follow us on Facebook @aftermarketmagazine Nissens buys into AVA Cooling Nissens has bought a portion of AVA Cooling from Enterex International Limited Group as part of a strategy to increase its engine cooling, A/C and emissions product coverage. The deal includes AVA companies in Belgium, Holland, central and eastern Europe and Denmark, as well as the UK. The two companies are also discussing a potential future sale of AVA Cooling in France. Commenting on the deal, Executive Vice President of Nissens Automotive, Klavs T. Pedersen said: “We will actively maintain two separate brand lines in the market and build on both the AVA brand and the Nissens brand. AVA Cooling provides a highly suitable response to a growing demand for a reliable and competitive product range for EC and AC applications, not least for the growing demand for ageing car park applications.” For more on Nissens, turn to page 38. with TeamVie Improve work See utilisation, product Reporting suite identifie Workshop manager scr eus orfdrca obile job M Accurately track technic w shop efficienc ivity and efficiency at a glance s areas for improvement een for office use C et or P lbta,ehon paon ecnmarofr pe ians’ y Online Autowork htiwskroW 209 226 352 10 .online krowot .auwww Sponsored by: VLS sends engine oil case to Trading Standards The Verification of Lubricant Specifications (VLS) has sent a case relating to a Longlife 5w30 oil to Trading Standards, following an investigation. VLS received a complaint regarding Mannol Longlife 5w30 504/507 Engine Oil in September 2020. The complaint alleged no current additive pack existed in the marketplace that could meet all the OEM claims made on the product, which included claims against VW 507 00, VW 505 01, among other. Although the local UK distributor recalled and relabelled all stock, VLS escalated the case to Trading Standards due to the lack of available evidence that the product could meet any claim apart from VW 504/507, for which it did receive official approval. Andrew Goddard, Chairman of VLS said: “We continue to see complaints against 5w30 engine oil that makeup such a large part of the lubricants market for motor oils. To keep SKU counts down, manufacturers are keen to make products that meet as many OEM specifications as possible. However, they must ensure that they have evidence available that the product really can meet all of the claims being made so that technicians and motorists can have confidence that products are genuinely fit for purpose.” For more details on this case and other cases under investigation please visit www.ukla-vls.org.uk