Garage Support 2023 Issue 2

A message from our CEO

MOT – Be prepared for the rush

Get ready for the MOT season this September MOT patterns have changed over the last couple of years, predominantly due to the pandemic that swept the world in 2020. Vehicle owners in the UK were given a six month extension meaning that the traditional MOT peak in March has shifted and moved into September.

The sun is shining and it’s officially time to think about what summer means for you, your garage and your customers. It won’t be long before the phone lines are flooded with requests for air con servicing and repairs – and the last thing you want is to wait until then to get your equipment in shape and team members trained up and ready to go! You can find out more about the air conditioning opportunity on pages 4, 5 and 6 – including specific considerations for the hybrids and EVs becoming increasingly common in the independent aftermarket. Air con servicing can form part of a wider summer health check – a good idea for motorists before they hit the roads for their summer getaways. There’s a handy checklist on page 9, and a link to resources you can download and display in your garage, to help with upselling. Whether your customers are travelling by car, campervan or with a caravan this summer, we’ve got everything you need to send them on their way. On page 7, we look at how to keep your workforce happy and motivated, and a lot of this advice is based on our own experience. At LKQ Euro Car Parts we’ve invested heavily in becoming an employer of choice and making sure we offer what our colleagues need – and want – from us every day. We’re hope we can help others by sharing our journey, as together we work to improve diversity and attract talent into our sector. Automechanika Birmingham is just around the corner, and it will be great to get together with customers and suppliers alike. Events are such an important opportunity to learn from each other. We have a lot going on at the event – including the launch of our new workshop concept, 1TEC Auto Hub – and there are opportunities to get stuck in and win some great prizes, so do stop by our stands and say hello! Until next time! Community means many things to us at LKQ Euro Car Parts, from our colleagues and customers – and the causes they care about – to the people local to our sites and branches. We’ve achieved a lot over the last year and thought we’d share of the highlights we’re proud of: Doing good in the community

How have MOTs been affected?

5,000,000

4,000,000

3,000,000

2,000,000

1,000,000

JAN FEB MAR APR MAY JUN JUL AUG SEP OCT NOV DEC

2019

2020 2021

2022

2023

Source: DVSA/ SMMT/ LKQ-ECP.

What does this mean?

Is it a return to the norm?

Is your workshop prepared?

In the second half of 2023, MOT volumes are predicted to increase with September, October and November being the busiest periods.

Over the past couple of years the peaks and troughs have started to shorten and started to realign back to normal seasonality prior to 2020. Looking at the graph above we can still see that familiar dip in April whereas September is starting to take a familiar curve.

With the expected increase in MOTs, a planned workload and well-prepared workforce have never been more important. Don’t wait for customers to call you; now is the time to pick up the phone, use your GMS if you have one and get those jobs booked in. You could also do this by text or email.

Andy Hamilton, CEO, LKQ Euro Car Parts

As part of our ongoing support for Ukraine, this Easter we delivered 700 chocolate eggs, hundreds of preloved teddy bears and lots of hand drawn pictures from our colleagues children. Thank you to all of our customers and colleagues for your continued support – watch this space for

Contact your customers before they contact you!

Are you missing out on MOT advisory work?

Colleagues across our network have been busy raising money for Ukraine. The £63,000 we raised meant we could buy two ambulances for hospitals in the west of the country. And we’ve helped Ukrainian children to go on summer camps, provided toys to help them continue enjoying life, and collected so many Christmas presents a HGV was needed to take them over there!

According to DVSA data around 35% (2022 data) of these vehicles will fail the MOT at the first attempt. 1 in 4 vehicles will pass with advisories, meaning, at some point they will have to return for further work depending on the severity of the advisory. With the cost of living now shadowing our every purchase, many customers may not have the disposable income to fix advisories at the initial MOT stage as it isn’t mandatory. But this is where the power of your customer service or Garage Management System (GMS) can make a difference for your business.

Contact customers early, remind them of advisories that came up last time. Depending on the severity of the advisory there is a good chance that they will need replacing this time. You may also uncover something fundamentally wrong with the vehicle which is causing the initial problem. Good customer service means you can have proactive discussions with a customer and get them in early to free up your workshop for the MOT season.

other ways to get involved with our fundraising efforts.

As always, our teams have been busy with sponsored challenges, fundraising events, bake sales and more. Shout out to branch managers Brad Shuttleworth and Mark Birkhead, for cycling from Manchester to Blackpool to fundraise for Sarcoma UK.

Look out for our MOT special in the next edition

Page 2 | Garage Support | 2023 Issue 2

Garage Support | 2023 Issue 2 | Page 3