Aftermarket March 2023

www.aftermarketonline.net MARCH 2023 AFTERMARKET 3 CONTENTS BUSINESS 8 Big issue: MOT Consultation 16 Juice Technology: Charging into work 18 MAM Software: Top 10 tips 20 Kalimex: Six key marketing tips TOP TECHNICIAN/TOP GARAGE 22 Singular and team achievement 24 TechMan: Being up-to-date TECHNICAL 26 Aftermarket of the future 28 Frank Massey 30 Ryan Colley 32 Andrew Marsh: Tale of the UK aftermarket 34 Repairify: You shall not pass? IN FOCUS 36 Vehicle electronics and engine management 40 Bearings 42 Turbos 46 Ignition 48 Electric and hybrid vehicles PLUS... 52 Competition/General products 54 On the road: Premier MOT Training 56 Garage visit: Robert Cockings Motor Repairs 58 EVs and hybrids 60 Training update 64 Recruitment 66 Teabreak LET’S-A GO ULTRA LOW! Editor | Alex Wells alex@aftermarket.co.uk | +44 (0) 1732 370 345 Managing Director | Ryan Fuller ryan.fuller@dfamedia.co.uk | +44 (0) 1732 370 340 Contributors Dee Blick | Ryan Colley | Christoph Erni | Leo Freebairn | Neil Kennett | Andrew Marsh | Frank Massey | Ben Nicholls | Martin Pinnell-Brown Operations Manager | Emma Floyd emma.floyd@dfamedia.co.uk | +44 (0) 1732 370 340 Marketing Executive | Hope Jepson hope.jepson@dfamedia.co.uk | +44 (0) 1732 371081 Finance Department accounts@dfamedia.co.uk | +44 (0) 1732 370 340 Chief Executive | Ian Atkinson ian.atkinson@dfamedia.co.uk | +44 (0) 1732 370 340 Published by | DFA Aftermarket Media Ltd 192 High Street, Tonbridge, Kent, TN9 1BE Alex Wells, Editor Average net circulation July 2021 to June 2022 19,073 @aftermarketmagazine @aftermarket01 @aftermarketmagazine 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 Group 2023. I imagine you are expecting me to sound off about the MOT consultation issued by the Department for Transport (DfT). Don’t worry, we’ll get there, but there is something else on my mind I want to deal with first. Those of you with small children, as well as those with an interest in computer games, are probably already aware that a new animated Super Mario Bros. film is coming out in cinemas during March. My children certainly know. Because they were talking about it, I foolishly mentioned that there had been an earlier, live- action Super Mario Bros. movie, that came out in 1993 starring Bob Hoskins, and that I had bought it on VHS at the time, and that I still have the tape. Why I told them this I don’t know, and why I’m admitting this to all of you I really fail to understand. Anyway, so me and the children end up watching it. You know how some films and TV shows end up predicting the future? This famously troubled production never gets mentioned as being any kind of prescient window into tomorrow, but you know what? It should. I had completely forgotten the fact that the entire car parc of Dinotopia, the alternative dimension city where much of the action takes place, is electric. What struck me was the infrastructure issues they were having. The cars in this city may run off of an overhead system, like bumper cars, with a degree of battery storage for when they are off-grid, but there is never enough power, so the vehicles don’t run right. Does any of this sound familiar? Will this be post ULEZ expansion London in a few years? If EV infrastructure investment does not pick up, and fast, come 2030, increasing numbers of us could end up like 1993-era Luigi and Mario. It was surprising to find this level of vision in a film that is so derided, although this was the extent of the wisdom it offered. If you want cinematic future insight from 1993, it’s best to stick to Demolition Man. As for EVs and hybrids, we have a full feature across pages 48-51, as well as our round-up of news in this area on pages 58-59. So, the MOT consultation. Can anyone tell me why the DfT is running yet another consultation on the future of the MOT? Is it really just that time again? I can tell you one thing, conditions and test failure rates have not magically improved since the last three times we went through this. Now, as an industry we must prepare to defend the test, and overall UK road safety, from the government’s seeming obsession with trying to fix what isn’t broken. If you are asked to provide views by one of the representative organisations for their response, please make sure you do. I can’t quite believe I am covering this story…again. One last thought to end on. Am I the only one to think there is some serious cognitive dissonance going on in the fact they want to have the MOT keep a lid on emissions, but wait longer to test a car for the first time, and then have cars tested less often? Don’t listen to me though, see what the entire industry had to say about it across pages 8-15. As you might imagine, no one is all that keen. Enjoy!