sponsored by: TeaBreak: Memoirs of a Motor Mechanic 66 www.aftermarketonline.net JUNE 2024 Limbering up to put my best foot forward It’s that time of the year again. Everybody is booking their car in for a service ahead of the summer break. While I have no complaints about the business, the problem — (oh sorry, according to my ‘Complete Guide to Top Management’ I should say ‘challenge’) — is juggling the diary around to keep customers happy while also planning to attend some trade shows. Naturally, I don’t want to shut up shop even for a couple of days, but it seems a bit unfair to leave the new chap dealing with everything alone. I only took him on recently to replace the lad who went to Australia, but Mrs P reckons the responsibility will do him good. I’m determined to get up to the UK Garage and Bodyshop Event in Birmingham. It will be good to get there for sure and hear about the latest products and tech, but I’m another year older and I know it will be a real workout for my poor old feet. I sometimes wish I could find an imaginative tyre company that would offer me some new-fangled shoes or trainers with super-comfy tread built into the soles. Then I could whizz around without dealing with the aches and pains of sore feet afterwards. The idea came up when I popped over to meet the new editor the other day. I thought I might get a little bit of sympathy when I explained my dilemma, but not a bit of it. Instead, all he wanted to talk about was ‘range anxiety’ — and it was nothing to do with how far he might be able to get around the stands before being forced to put his feet up. In fact, he’s been offered the chance to drive to Brum in a shiny EV all the way from where he lives in Brighton and back. All he kept asking me was whether I was confident he could make it on a single charge. I didn’t have the heart to say I’m still wedded to ICE vehicles although I am chatting to a couple of firms about getting an EV charging point at the garage to show I’m starting to embrace the e-mobility revolution. Back at the garage, where the real work happens, the new lad is now keen to come along to UKGBS too. I’m sure we can work something out and I’m all for giving him every chance to get upto-speed on the industry, not least to find out about all the training support and programmes that are on offer. He’s also been talking about us going further still… and having a crack at this year’s industry leader challenge being organised to support the automotive industry charity, Ben. Never one to shirk support for a charitable cause I said ‘of course’ — before I learned that the challenge involves spending five days trekking across the Sahara. Suddenly, limbering up for UKGBS, a few other trade shows here and there and then Frankfurt Automechanika really doesn’t sound so bad!
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