rong>As cars get bigger and heavier, wheel bearings find themselves subjected to bigger and bigger forces.

MOTOR Codes has revealed the 50 garages that have won through to the regional rounds of its national Golden Garages competition.

This manufacturer-led scheme offers technical support as an inducement to buying Valeo clutches. It's free to join and membership will continue provided your workshop buys a certain number of clutches.

FORMER RMI man Mike Owen has joined the recently-formed IAAF trade association to manage its ambitious membership drive.

However good your workshop is inside, it's no good if no-one can tell from the outside. Broadcasting your services and expertise to passers-by is a valuable promotional tool.

THE FINAL 12 candidates in the race to win Top Technician 2010 are battling it out at the Honda Institute in Slough.

This seven-drawer roller cabinet has a central locking system and is made from high-grade steel with a stainless steel worktop and leather-trimmed handle.

This kit offers everything you'll need for the removal and installation of flanges and wheel bearings, without the need for removal of suspension struts or wheel hubs.

SMMT chief executive Paul Everitt has spelled out the organisation's three-pronged strategy for helping the aftermarket - and claimed that mandatory garage licensing would cost 10 or even 100 times more than Motor Codes subscription.

This scheme offers workshops direct links to training, technical documentation and information from the one group of people who should know how a product works - the people who made it.

Backed up by a 150-page product catalogue, AC Delco's spark plug range contains 83 part numbers.

GARAGES buying Snap-on Tools kit can expect a different look from their local dealer after the company unveiled a new vehicle for its 430 UK franchisees.

MORE than five million motorists are driving unsafe vehicles, according to research by breakdown service Britannia Rescue.

rong>This robust unit is the latest addition to Bearmach’s product range and is aimed at entry and intermediate-repairers rather than full-on diagnostic Einsteins.

rong>Over to Terry Barcham, Snap-on Tool’s European managing director for the low-down on this 12V jump starter:

PARTS firm Blue Print is launching a technical tips service through its in-house BLUEi magazine - and it wants to hear from repairers with interesting hints to share.

Grease is a real nuisance. It clogs up your veins, clogs up shower-phobic people's hair and, according to ECP, it causes all sorts of bother with brake discs too (although it does make chips taste nice!)

TECHNOLOGY firm Warwick Control has announced new training dates for CAN Bus and other car networking systems.

rong>No prizes for imaginative names here! This tool is designed to let you test the Dual Mass Flywheel while it’s still fitted to the vehicle, with the gearbox removed.

THE DAYS of heat-shrinking for wire splicing could be over thanks to the latest electrical wiring device.

THE grand final of a national windscreen fitting contest has been confirmed for 16th September.

If you've got a problem with diesel, you could call Superman but this Preston-based company would prefer you gave them a ring.

JMC Motor Components recently became the first winner of parts company Denso's Millionaires Club sales promotion.

rong>This device replaces the existing fuel cap and stops unleaded fuel nozzles being shoved into diesel tanks. It was recently approved by testing research centre Thatcham and gained the Thatcham Quality Accreditation seal of approval.

If you were a magician, turning £5 into £20 would be a pretty impressive - and profitable - trick. Ring reckons getting customers to trade up from standard bulbs to performance bulbs when its time for replacements is the quickest and easiest way to do the same trick in the garage.

ELECTRONIC parts cataloguing firm TecDoc has linked with technical data publishers Vivid to give workshops a free 30-day software trial.

Keeping up with technical developments is a bit like a hamster running on a wheel; you've got to put in a lot of effort just to stay in the same place.

CAMBERLEY Auto Factors (CAF) has been given Approved Assessment Centre status by the Institute of the Motor Industry (IMI).

The company says it has a solution to anyone struggling to find spare parts for ageing split-bed brake testers made by other manufacturers.

CARSHALTON College in Surrey is offering weekend refrigerant handling courses to help techs meet the EU regulations coming into force later in the summer.

The company has ranges of specific like-for-like lambda sensor replacements and a universal range that uses a patented connector to offer a quality replacement option in a simple-to-fit system.

THERE are scores of bargains packed inside the latest edition of Unipart's Megawisebuys brochure which comes free with the forthcoming issue of Aftermarket.

MARTIN Pring has taken on the role of general manager at spark plug firm NGK.

rong>Units for the Citroen Nemo, Fiat Scudo, and Vauxhall Vivaro are out now from the Bromsgrove-based company.

As vehicles get more complex, those pesky VMs get more and more demanding about what you pour into cars if you want to keep the warranty in tact.

MOTOR CODES has launched a competition to search for the best service and repair garages in the UK.

rong>This new piece of kit is part of the Geogas 3000 range of VOSA-approved emissions testers.

THE FINAL 12 contenders for the title of UK's best car repairer have been revealed.

This latest range offers precise calibration of +/- 2% and is resistant to loads of nasty workshop chemicals to stop it rotting away in front of your eyes.

TECHNICAL expert Frank Massey has pioneered a new way to measure current flow through broadband lambda sensors.

Amid all the garage schemes and codes fighting to win consumer awareness, the trusty old three-triangles of the MOT remain one of the best known motoring symbols around. So you might as well shout about the fact you offer a testing service.

SHELL has been named a preferred supplier for all Kia dealerships in the UK.

HOWARD Price has been appointed to the new position of workshop concepts manager at Bosch.

No matter how many times you polish a lump of coal, it's always going to be a lump of coal. According to the team behind this brake lathe, the same is true for brake discs.

Hooray for AC Delco's general manager Lee Quinney who's one refreshingly honest industry figure when it comes to his business plans. He says he intends to promote his braking products "aggressively" during the first quarter of 2010.

Manbat says there are three criteria to judge battery suppliers by: Quality, performance and range.

rong>Parts distributor Universal has everything from pads, shoes and discs to drums, hoses and brake cylinders from manufacturer Veco.

Yes, it's more AGM batteries! This time, Unipart is the company promoting its stock of units for vehicles fitted with stop-start systems.