Garage Support Newsletter 8 UK 2021

GARAGE SUPPORT Supporting you and your business

2021 Edition 8

Getting ready for winter? We’ve got you covered! ⊲ Offer a FREE winter health check ⊲ Stock up on your winter essentials ⊲ Make sure you are fully staffed over Christmas ⊲ And more...

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Are you offering your customers a FREE Winter Health Check?

As we slip into the winter months your customers will want to know their vehicle is safe for any journey. The evenings are getting darker earlier, it is colder with the frosty mornings, the roads become hazardous and accidents happen. The effects of wear and tear aren’t always obvious, so regardless of when your customers have had their vehicle serviced, offering a winter health check will give your customers peace of mind.

Why offer a winter health check service? Offering a winter health check helps customers make sure their vehicle is safe whilst also providing potential revenue from any urgent repairs or maintenance that you identify during your checks. The health check takes approximately 30mins to complete, so doesn’t eat too much into your working day, and can be easily added to jobs you already have booked in.

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h a free winter health check

Why should your customer have a vehicle health check ready for winter?

Wiper blades, screen wash and the cooling system Over the next few months the rain and icy weather will set in meaning customers will need their wipers and screen wash more often. Plus, the colder weather can have a detrimental effect on a vehicles cooling system. Checking wipers are free from splits and damage, making sure screenwash is topped up and antifreeze has been added to the cooling system will ensure the vehicle is in tip top condition and ready for winter.

Battery Battery failure is possible at any time of year if its charging power is drained but it happens more frequently throughout the colder months. Batteries naturally lose their charging capability over time so it’s in your customers best interest to have their batteries checked. 42% of all car breakdowns are caused by a failing battery. Light Bulbs With the darker nights and mornings drawing in, ensuring your customers vehicle’s lights are working correctly is critical for their safety and other road users as it allows you to be able to see and help others to see you. Having a faulty or damaged bulb is illegal so check to ensure all of these are functioning correctly.

How can I promote this service to my customers? We’ve created a handy business toolkit to help you promote a FREE Winter Vehicle Health Check to your customers in your waiting rooms, on your website and across your social media platforms.

Order your free marketing pack at www.omnipart.eurocarparts.com/omnihub/ garage-support/winter-health-check

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Stay safe and warm this winter

Customer vehicle winter check list

☑ Jump leads Keep a set of jump leads in your car in the event of engine failure. ☑ Battery Perform regular checks on your battery during winter months when it is more susceptible to issues. ☑ Lights Check interior and exterior lights are fully functioning, headlights are aligned correctly. ☑ Brakes Check your brakes regularly to ensure your utmost safety in your vehicle this winter. ☑ Exhaust Make sure your exhaust is healthy and has no leaks. ☑ Heaters Make sure your heaters and defrosters are all in good working order to keep your car warm this winter.

You and your staff Its not only your customers we need to think about this winter, we also need to think about you and your staff. Keep out the cold with one of our Milwaukee heated jackets and portable heaters. Always carry an ice scraper for those frosty days & shovel in case your vehicle should get stuck in a snow drift or ice. ☑ Air pressure & tread depth (winter tyres if needed) Keep your tyres safe for winter driving. ☑ Emergency kit Store an emergency kit in your car for use in the event of any difficulties. ☑ Petrol/diesel Keep your fuel topped up before long journeys to avoid being caught out. ☑ Anti-freeze levels Keep your vehicle’s antifreeze and water mix to a 50/50 ratio. ☑ De-icer to windscreen solution Remember to top your windscreen solution up with de-icer. ☑ Ice scraper & shovel

Download this checklist from Omnihub.

Hand these out to your customers when they come in to your garage.

Stock your staff up with some winter essentials of their own.

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Winter Essentials

The unpredictability of our weather can catch us out, heavy showers followed by brilliant sunshine and at this time of year a cold snap or worse.

When your customers book their vehicles for the ready for winter service, you’ll are checking their bulbs, wipers, batteries screen wash and more. To keep you topped up with the items that you frequently order throughout the season, look out for our Winter Essentials publication. Winter Essentials is packed with over 250 key products to keep you and your customers moving.

The catalogue features consumables and workshop essentials such as: ■ Bulbs ■ Wipers ■ Antifreeze ■ Winter clothing ■ Heaters ■ Lighting ■ Batteries ■ And more

All from well renowned brand names.

Keep and eye out for your copy of the Winter Essentials coming this month. Can’t wait? Download your copy now from Omnihub.

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Are you prepared to cover staff holidays over Christmas?

The first choice for staff recruitment We know that Autotech recruit can help provide the best solution for staff recruitment, but don’t just take our word for it. Read below what some of our customers had to say about the excellent service they received.

Autotech Recruit has more than met my expectations and I would have no hesitation in recommending them to anyone who is in need of supply of either permanent or temporary technicians or testers. Tony Allfrey, Nev'll Fix It Ltd

The whole process from requesting support from Autotech Recruit to the arrival on site of the technicians was seamless. Both technicians were not only a pleasure to have as part of the team, but worked extremely hard and helped immensely during a busy period. Working with Autotech Recruit was very easy, they were

flexible in meeting our exact needs, and provided reliable personnel quickly. I will certainly be working with them again should the need for cover arise. There is no need to turn customers away due to an unmanned bay and having the resource of a trustworthy agency takes the sting out of the recruitment process. Krunel Patel, Managing Director, Cambridge Coachworks

Autotech Recruit have a database of over 600 technicians with a minimum of 5 years experience. Most have been main dealer trained or have specialist training in specific brands.

Autotech Recruit has been established with the aim of a one stop recruitment solution to the automotive industry, which in turn, aids the efficiency and profits of your garage.

Autotech Recruit enables you to be able to fill those shortages with temporary technicians.

Contact Autotech Recruit today ■ Telephone: 01234 603 119 ■ Email: hello@autotechrecruit.co.uk ■ Log into

to find out more – omnipart.eurocarparts.com/omnihub

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Test to earn this winter The changing MOT pattern presents a huge opportunity for your workshop this winter Test every vehicle that comes into the workshop September onwards will see a shift in the traditional MOT season due to the 6 month extension imposed by the government last year. This means the traditional curve has changed shape and you should see more MOTs booked between now and the end of the year. Because of this, your workshop will see more vehicles during this period than ever before. With cars on your ramps, use this as an opportunity to test every battery that enters your workshop. Not every car will need a battery replaced, but the statistics show though that it could be as high as 1 in 3 vehicles. By testing, you’ve created another benefit for the customer and your workshop. Present your findings good or bad, if it’s good news, it’s a customer service win. If it’s not, it means that the customer has the choice to replace or decline, with 3 out of 4 customers usually taking up the offer of replacement. Checking should take no more than 10 minutes with a standard lead acid battery.

3 out of 4 customers will purchase and replace a battery the same day if the test accurately shows a weak or bad battery

Checking a standard Lead Acid battery in the workshop should take no more than 10 minutes

40% of national breakdowns occur from a direct result of battery failure

Every 1/3 vehicle entering the workshop

could require a new battery

Talk to your Account Manager to find out how to get your hands on this DHC tester FREE!

LKQ Euro car Parts is here to help you set up this service.

We have marketing material available on Omnihub which enables you to advertise this service to your customers. Plus, we’ve got Varta battery fitting instructions available for nearly every make and model of car to help your staff when testing and changing batteries.

Results printout

Includes voltage output and charging rate

Visual inspection

DOWNLOAD OUR LATEST DIGITAL MARKETING MATERIALS TO USE IN YOUR BUSINESS

DHC 6v/12v Battery Tester Built In Printer

FIND OUT MORE ON OMNIHUB

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UK’s largest LCV parts range

LCV is the lifeblood of our country, from trades people to delivery services, all of these business rely on their vehicles performing. Time spent off the road is not an option, and is costly. That’s why we have the parts ready and waiting for you to fix your customers vehicles when you need them. Not only that we have the specialist parts that make a difference to keeping these vehicles on the road and performing, meaning, they keep our economy moving. If you want to find out more about how we can keep your customers on the move, then get in touch with your local Branch or Account Manager and see how we can help your business grow. Our comprehensive range of mechanical and collision parts means that we’ve got the range for you, more importantly your customer.

Service and Maintenance Parts

Bodywork and Panels

Clutch Kits, Belts, Pumps, Electrical

Bumpers, Grilles, Bonnets and Lights

Braking

Rear Bumpers and Lights

Steering and Suspension

Our brochure only showcases a cross section of high demand, fast moving parts. If you need parts that aren’t shown, then give your local branch a call or go online at omniparts.com to find what you need and get it FAST !

DOWNLOAD YOUR “PARTS TO POWER YOUR LCV BUSINESS” CATALOGUE FROM OMNIHUB NOW

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Welcome to LKQ Academy

YOUR TRAINING PLATFORM IS NOW LIVE

BOOST YOUR BUSINESS with Learning and Development

Connected to the Future ■ A simple solution to building your skillset ■ An easy to use system to help develop your employees ■ Free skills tests to understand where your current knowledge sits and recommended courses ■ All your results in one place LKQ Academy is the perfect solution in providing automotive and aftermarket training, to help you and your team keep up to date with technical changes, and keep ahead of the competition.

We provide: ■ Online and face to face training on the latest technology. ■ All your technical and business needs in one place. ■ 24/7 access to a learning and development management system.

All courses are designed to support you to increase profitability and drive customer loyalty, helping you become a first fix solution.

We are committed to providing you with the highest quality training that helps you with your everyday demands and supports you through upcoming industry changes. Getting Started

Contact our training department and they will help and guide you step by step on how to set up an account info@lkqacademy.co.uk

9 START YOUR JOURNEY TODAY

Why is training your employees important?

Training your employees is important to provide the opportunity for employees to grow their knowledge base and improve their job skills to become more effective in your business. Despite the cost of training for employees, the return on investment outweighs the costs in the long run.

There are several reasons it is important, here are a few:

It improves skills and knowledge Training helps to improve the knowledge and skills of your employees in keeping up to date with changes in the industry. These improvements will positively affect the productivity of employees, in turn increase the profits and efficiency.

It shows employees they are valued. Training will help employees feel like the company is invested in them. By continuing to teach your employees new skills and abilities, they will not just become better workers, they will feel like more productive members of your business This will improve their morale, loyalty to you and the business.

Reduction in employee costs In addition to increased productivity training can also help you to reduce the overall employee salary costs through a more refined workforce. It stands to reason that if you have 10 highly well-trained and efficient employees, they can often do the same as 15 untrained, unmotivated, and uninspired employees.

Not all training is face to face and means an employee needs to leave the workplace, why not invest in E-Learning courses. At LKQ Academy we have 100s of courses available from air con to customer service, braking, electric vehicles to diagnostics.

Visit our website for more information and courses available lkqacademy.co.uk

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Online Training

BOOST YOUR BUSINESS with Learning and Development E-LEARNING COURSES

With online learning, you can access content anytime and anywhere. You don’t need to be out of the business to attend our training course providing you a cost-effective way to learn. Online learning provides consistent and standardised training, allowing you to go at your own pace. We have 100s of courses available from air con to customer service and electric vehicles to diagnostics. Start your learning and development journey with us, today.

Why choose online learning? ■ Your employees do not need to leave the business, log on and simply follow the steps ■ Zero travel costs of a full day out of the business ■ Provides a cost-effective way to learn ■ Provides consistent and standardised training, allowing you to go at your own pace.

100s of courses to choose from including:

Steering and Suspension

Air Conditioning

Braking

Petrol and Diesel Engines

Light Vehicle Inspections

Diagnostics

And more!

Contact your local branch or visit lkqacademy.co.uk/e-learning/

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Payment Options

“My vision was to build a team of Sales Solutions Experts who deliver the feel of an ‘in house’ Sales Solutions team, ready to support our partners with their sales objectives, both volume and margin. We’ve achieved what we set out to, now it’s time to for us to help you do more of what you do best – sell. You think what you’re getting now is good. Switch to PMD and by the time we’re done understanding your business, we’ll be an essential part of your team.” Lee Schofield, Director

PMD will truly understand your business, people, products, and services and build a service that suits you best. 98.4% of our customers would recommend PMD to a friend or colleague*.

What we offer

FCA accredited, PMD is authorised by the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) to carry out regulated financial service activities and offer credit to consumers. National Association of Commercial Finance Brokers (NACFB), PMD is proud to belong to a growing community of finance professionals who are bound by a common duty to help fund UK business.

HIRE PURCHASE (HP) With HP, you pay an initial deposit, which will normally include the VAT. The balance and interest is paid off over the agreed period of time. You own the asset at the end of the agreement (on payment of option fee), capital allowances can be paid by you and you get tax relief on the interest accrued.

FINANCE LEASE Fixed term: With fixed term finance leasing, the leasing company will own the goods you have. These rentals are paid for over the agreed fixed term and VAT is spread across each payment at no interest cost, meaning up front deposit is much lower than HP. The leasing company will then normally claim the capital allowances and you will usually get tax relief on the rentals (if leased over its estimated useful life). Minimum term: Like fixed term, with minimum term the leasing company owns the goods you have. Rentals are paid for the minimum term but can be continued beyond, and VAT is spread across each payment at no interest cost meaning up front deposit is much lower than HP. The leasing company normally claims the capital allowances and you normally get tax relief on the rentals.

FAQ’s

Who do I contact if I have an enquiry? PMD has a dedicated team who understand the priority of the relationship with ECP. Their aim is make contact with the customer quickly and deliver solution to close a sale. What can be financed? We can fund all garage equipment which is no surprise but we can also include installation, training and groundworks.

What’s the minimum amount we can finance and over how long?

The minimum deal size we can look at is £1,000 and the longest term is 5 years. What information do I need to provide PMD? Simple… business name, contact name, phone number and full equipment spec and let us do the rest!

Contact your local branch for more information

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*Based on 126 surveys during a 12-month period between 2019-2020

ADAS

Over 4-million Vehicles are now commonly fitted with a wide variety of Advanced Driver Assistance Systems (ADAS)*. To function, ADAS features rely on sensors that continuously and accurately monitor the environment around the vehicle, making these sensors an important part of any repair process.

The range of ADAS systems include:

AUTONOMOUS EMERGENCY BRAKING

TRAFFIC SIGN RECOGNITION

ADAPTIVE CRUISE CONTROL

BLIND SPOT DETECTION

CROSS TRAFFIC DETECTION

REMOTE ACTIVE PARK ASSIST

ADAPTIVE HEADLAMPS

LANE KEEP ASSISTANCE

What does this mean to your business? Quite simply, if you have undertaken a repair to a vehicle that has ADAS installed due to a ‘bump’, no matter how small, the system must be recalibrated. This also applies to any key replaced parts such as steering, suspension, braking and even windscreens. If your business carries out any insurance repair work, it’s important to review the UK Insurance Industry Requirements (IIR) for the safe repair of ADAS equipped vehicles, which Thatcham Research is a good source of information. WE’VE GOT YOU COVERED – HOW WE CAN SUPPORT AND PROVIDE BUSINESS OPPORTUNITIES

We have the widest range of equipment from: • Autel • Bosch • HELLA • Hofmann • TEXA

We have the technical back up providing all the ADAS proficiency training you need

Our specialist training providers can help you to Understand ADAS and ADAS Sensors: ■ Relationship to vehicle alignment and ADAS

■ How to perform a dynamic calibrations ■ How to perform a static calibration ■ Post calibration

■ Effects of incorrect calibration ■ Effects on other related systems ■ When a calibration should take place

Contact your Account Manager or local branch for more information.

You will be able to: ■ Understand features of Dynamic and Static calibration ■ Accurately calibrate camera-based driver assist systems

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Work more efficiently, save time and money in the process. Vehicle technology is advancing at a rapid pace, avoid spending non-chargeable hours assessingwhen HaynesPro can do the hard work for you.

You can quote and repair the vehicle to meet the customers’ demands further increasing your garages’ status. HaynesPro will transform your workshop, saving time spent by increasing mechanics knowledge and expertise, delivering a seamless and efficient service to customers. Whether on reception, in a service bay or out on break-down, the WorkShopData can be accessed with no interruptions, increasing your revenue on jobs.

How can i get HaynesPro for FREE? It’s simple, subscribe or renew for HaynesPro technical data, at £495.00 (Plus VAT) Complete our sign-up information and you’re ready order a minimum of 15% of your regular parts order at your local LKQ Euro Car Parts branch via any of these platforms:

The bonus is that you skip the telephone queue when you place your orders online.

Contact your Account Manager or local branch for more information.

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E10 explained

What is E10 Fuel? E10 is a biofuel made up of regular unleaded fuel mixed with ethanol. The letter E stands for ethanol, and the number 10 indicates the maximum percentage of ethanol added to the fuel. Ethanol is an alcohol-based fuel produced from the fermentation of plants, such as sugarcane and grains. Blending petrol with ethanol means fewer fossil fuels are required. This, of course, is a hot topic in the fight against climate change and the reducing the demand on fossil fuels. Earlier this month the new standard of unleaded petrol hit forecourts across the UK, and whilst the green pump may look familiar, what’s inside has changed.

The introduction of E10 petrol could cut transport CO 2 emissions by 750,000 tonnes a year – the equivalent of taking 350,000 cars off the road.

Get the right product Wynn’s Specialist E10 Protector is specially developed to prevent problems of corrosion in the fuel system when using E10 fuel. It offers motorists an economical solution to eliminate the risk of engine damage caused by E10 fuel. ■ Makes E10 safe for petrol engines E10 is not compatible with all vehicles It is estimated that around 600,000 cars on the road are not compatible with E10 fuel. Drivers should check if their vehicle manufacturer recommends it. Even if a car is suitable for using E10, we call for caution, as ethanol is hygroscopic, which absorbs moisture from the air. Moisture increases engine deposits and affects driveability, which leads to corrosion and, eventually, component failure. Using E10 petrol can also affect fuel economy, and it is reported drivers may experience around a 1-3% reduction.

■ Protects the fuel system against the harmful effects of E10 ■ Reduces the risk of expensive engine damage caused by E10 ■ Protects fuel system components against corrosion ■ Lubricates the entire fuel system, including seals and gaskets ■ Reduces friction and wear of fuel system components

■ Harmless for catalytic converters ■ Stabilises fuel preventing oxidation ■ Restores engine performance and fuel economy

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Introducing Optimal

For 30 years the Optimal brand has gained a reputation for quality German engineering. The parts are manufactured in line with OE specifications using quality materials and equipment. The Optimal Steering and Suspension range, which covers ball joints, tie rods, track control arms, stabiliser links, bushes and mountings is accredited to ISO/TS 16949. Most of the references also carry the highly sought after TÜV SÜD certification. TÜV SÜD is an internationally renowned independent organisation for undertaking safety, testing, certification, auditing and advisory services. Introducing Optimal Steering and Suspension Range

Product Quality ■ Tested to withstand temperatures of 120°C to -40°C ■ Salt spray testing for 1,000 hours ■ Over 1,000 steering and suspension products certified by TUV SUD.

With a 3-year warranty, you can trust Optimal.

Contact your Account Manager or local branch for more information.

We reserve the right to amend/withdraw any offer in any way and at any time without compensation. E & O prices exclude VAT. Trade only. Not to be used in conjunction with any other offers. Copyright © 2021 Euro Car Parts.

Call your local branch now!