Editor’s comment 3 www.aftermarketonline.net SEPTEMBER 2025 Editor Chris Callander chris@aftermarket.co.uk +44 (0) 1732 671123 Head of Sales Angela Lyus angela@aftermarket.co.uk +44 (0) 7823 736 629 Managing Director Ryan Fuller ryan.fuller@dfamedia.co.uk Marketing Manager Hope Jepson hope.jepson@dfamedia.co.uk Production Design Anthony Wiffen production@aftermarket.co.uk +44 (0) 7851 612799 Finance Department accounts@dfamedia.co.uk +44 (0) 1732 370 340 Published by DFA Media Group 192 High Street Tonbridge Kent TN9 1BE +44 (0)1732 370340 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 Aftermarket Media Ltd 2026. Average net circulation July 2024 to June 2025 22,797 Tales from my travels Last week, I was invited to the impressive setting of the RAC club in London, which is awash with motoring history. I was there to hear from the Verification of Lubricant Specifications, or VLS, a subsidiary of the United Kingdom Lubricants Association, about some of the work it has been doing to ensure that the oils you are putting into your customers’ engines actually meet the specifications they claim to be compliant with. It was encouraging to hear that the number of cases where an oil falls outside of its specification is relatively low, and that when one does, it is often rectified quickly. But it is reassuring to know that, if necessary, there is an organisation that will hold those manufacturing and selling oils to account. What stood out was how the days of one-size-fits-all are long past us. Oils are, in essence, a precision component and selecting the correct oil for its application is incredibly important. This is something we will expand on in a future issue of Aftermarket, so keep an eye out for it. I also had the pleasure of meeting the German and English teams, representing Frankfurt Messe, the organisers of Automachanika, taking place in Frankfurt later this year, and then here in the UK next year. And of course, the UK Garage & Bodyshop Event, which, as I type, is just two weeks away. The plans for Automechanika Frankfurt, taking place between 8 and 12 September, look very impressive. The event will focus heavily on future trends and how tech is driving the future of mobility, plus, there is a wide range of new features to support networking, including a pit-lane-themed area to attract motorsport interest, an offroad area, and areas for e-vehicles and other alternative-drive vehicles. We will be sharing more in-depth details of what you will find at the event in our next issue, so that is something else to look out for. Bringing things back to this issue, we have a great range of features, our usual spread of industry and product news, plus tips to support you in the day-to-day running of your business. And we introduce the Diagnostic Doctor on page 16, which is set to be a new regular feature that looks at a wide range of diagnostic challenges. And if you follow the link in the article, you can submit your own diagnostic dilemmas to the doctor, and he may pick them up in a future issue. I hope you enjoy the issue. Chris Callander Editor
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