Snap-on has issued a new software release for its range of diagnostic platforms just in time for Spring. The release offers new coverage and features, as well as exclusive expert information enhancements.

New guidance on how to report a MOT tester or garage suspected of fraud has been published by DVSA.

A new e-commerce trade website for garages has launched. The initial focus for Garage Buying Group will be on selling Harp International’s range of refrigerants during summer, with what would usually be members-only lower prices until the end of June for all customers.

As the UK heads out of lockdown, WAI UK is looking to help businesses open safely through the use of its new Steri-7 Electric Atomiser. The tool can sanitise vehicles, and can also be used in offices, and atomises sanitising liquid into a fine spray to prevent the soaking of surfaces and provide even distribution.

1.86 million cars may be on the roads illegally as a result of owners ignoring the fact that the MOT Exemption relating to their car has expired, and that they need a test urgently.

A dedicated version of TechMan’s GMS system is being offered to members of the First Stop fast-fit network, and will be part of the network’s plan to grow to 220 UK centres by 2024.

With the DVSA’s MOT connectivity roll-out back on from 1 May as emissions analysers become the latest product group required to be connectable going forward, equipment providers will be keen to make sure garages have plenty of choice when they need to upgrade.

The MOT Annual Training deadline is just nine days away, and the IMI is warning that if more techs don’t get it done before 30 April, then garages that are already suffering because the Exemption shifted Spring tests into the Autumn could end up shut out of the system by DVSA, resulting in income dropping even further.

Motul has entered into a new multi-year partnership as Official Lubricant Partner with Silverstone Classic.

The roll-out of connected MOT equipment by DVSA is continuing, with emissions analysers the latest equipment type requiring connectivity going forward. From 1 May, anyone buying an exhaust gas analyser or diesel smoke meter will need to make sure it is a model that can connect to the MOT testing service. This applies to garages replacing equipment, Authorised Examiners taking over another site and any new garage receiving approval to carry out MOTs.

The roll-out of connected MOT equipment by DVSA is continuing, with emissions analysers the latest equipment type requiring connectivity going forward. From 1 May, anyone buying an exhaust gas analyser or diesel smoke meter will need to make sure it is a model that can connect to the MOT testing service. This applies to garages replacing equipment, Authorised Examiners taking over another site and any new garage receiving approval to carry out MOTs.

More than 3,000 vehicle technicians, service advisors and garage owners have now undertaken TechMan’s training and support programme, which is taken by businesses following the implementation of its garage management system.

Organisers of the British Motor Show say they have seen seen a massive increase in ticket sales as lockdown continues to ease and families start planning their summer activities

Autoinform Live 2021 is now on course to take place on Saturday 6 November and Sunday 7 November at the GTG Training Academy in Wolverhampton, OESAA has annnounced

FIL Filter has joined the Original Equipment Suppliers Aftermarket Association (OESAA).

With the reopening of non-essential retail permitted from today (Monday 12 April), the franchised dealer sector has swung its showroom doors back open across much of the UK. To help businesses welcome customers back new updated sector-specific guidance has been published by the NFDA and the SMMT.

Motul has been named as the official lubricants partner to the F4 British Championship certified by FIA – powered by Ford EcoBoost. The agreement, which sees Motul join the series’ technical team of Neil Brown Engineering and Ford Performance, will see the brand’s high-performance 300V oil used across all race engines during the 2021 season.

Research suggests that drivers will be looking for garages to offer greater flexibility in how they pay for servicing and repairs post-lockdown.

Today (Thursday 8 April) is Global Remanufacturing Day 2021, and ZF Aftermarket is celebrating by looking to highlights its reman output. Under its portfolio which includes Sachs and TRW, ZF Aftermarket remanufactures a wide range of components from transmissions and clutches, through to parts for braking, steering and axle systems, for cars, commercial vehicles and motorcycles.

LKQ Euro Car Parts has launched a new range of batteries, with a view to helping independent garages service vehicles with Stop/Start systems and high energy requirements.The ERA range features five enhanced flooded batteries (EFB) and five absorbed glass mat batteries (AGM), which, combined, cover 95% of the UK’s Stop/Start market.

Competition in the MOT market continues to ramp up, with GoCompare customers who purchase car insurance between now and 15 June being given the opportunity to book a MOT test for just £10 through WhoCanFixMyCar.com.

TPS and Yuasa have unveiled the new livery for British Rally Champion Matt Edwards’ 2021 title challenger via a first-of-its-kind motorsport launch inside a computer game and launched a corresponding E-Sports rally championship.

NGK Spark Plugs (UK) Sales Representative Steve Padbury is retiring after more than thirty years with the company.

Motul has become the Official Lubricant Brand of both the Castle Combe Race Circuit and the Castle Combe Racing Club. Meanwhile, the deal also sees Motul takes over title sponsorship of one of Castle Combe’s most popular race series - the Hot Hatch Challenge - which kicks off today (Monday 5 April).

New car sales were up 11.5% in March with 283,964 units registered, the first increase since August, but the wider picture shows that registrations are still 36.9% below March average of 450,189 seen between 2010 and 2019 according to the latest figures from the SMMT.

Growth came almost entirely via fleets, where there was a 28.7% increase in registrations. Retail consumer demand remained low, falling by 4.1% compared to March 2020.

Battery electric vehicles (BEVs) and plug-in hybrid vehicles (PHEVs) took a combined market share of 13.9%, up from 7.3% last year, with available models increasing from 72 to 116. Registrations of BEVs increased by 88.2% to 22,003 units, while PHEVs rose by 152.2% to 17,330. Hybrid electric vehicles (HEVs) also rose 42% to reach 21,599 registrations.

Will you be using the long Easter weekend to enter Top Technician and Top Garage? You should, as by waiting a bit longer for that chocolate egg, you could end up winning £30,000 in prizes!

While average mileage for most drivers has been down by 42% over the last year, according to new research the cost from pothole damage actually rose over the same period, reaching £1.267 billion compared to £1.249bn for the year to March 2020.

Lockdown restrictions have prompted 63% of car owners to delay servicing and repair work over the last few months, even though 86% admitted they know dealer workshops and garages are open for business, according to research by Bumper.

With the vaccine roll-out progressing, more industry events are coming back on-stream, with the 2021 Tyre Industry Awards now open for entry to all NTDA and TRA members.

Despite 9.58 million MOTs being time-shifted from Spring to Autumn last year, an unexpected positive result of the Exemption has been that 89% of drivers surveyed in a YouGov poll commissioned by The Motor Ombudsman said that they actually knew the expiry date of their vehicle’s annual certificate.

Philips has been confirmed as the sixth and final main sponsor for Top Technician and Top Garage 2021.

With MOT numbers down as a result of 2020’s Exemption shifting tests into the Autumn and Winter, the MOT market is about to become much more competitive with Kwik-Fit offering tests right through April at the knock-down price of £19.71.

Rob Collison has been named as the new IGA Chairman, succeeding Colin Parlett, who recently stepped down after many years in the role.

Cats & Pipes has hit back at DVSA, following the conclusion of a case that saw the North Wales-based company slapped with a £6,000 fine, plus £4,000 costs and a statutory surcharge of £170 over a single DPF which failed to meet labelling standards.

If you want to be in with a chance of winning up to £30,000 in prizes via Top Technician and Top Garage, then you need to enter now, as the clock is ticking.

Lucas Oil has warned that many cars will require some extra protection following confirmation of government plans to make E10 petrol the standard 95-octane grade by September 2021.

Cats & Pipes has been slapped with a £6,000 fine after DVSA’s Market Surveillance Unit found it had supplied a single DPF that did not bear the correct Type Approval markings.

Later this month, ESAB is holding a virtual event that will showcase a broad line-up of the industry’s new welding and cutting systems, filler metals and related technologies.

Older cars have been leaving the road at an alarming rate last year, with new figures suggesting that a third more cars were scrapped in 2020 compared with the year before. 

TechMan has entered into a new partnership with E3 Technical. Through the new collaboration, from 1 April, existing and new TechMan users will gain access to E3’s database of service schedules, repair times, drawings, procedures, capacities, wiring diagrams fault code diagnosis, and more.

The British Motor Show has launched The Car Robot Competition. Through the contest, show attendees will create their own battle-bots using old car parts, ahead of the show. They will then bring them to the show in August to fight head-to-head in a dedicated arena, which will form a central part of the Show’s Crazee Car Corner.

The Plug-in Car, Van and Truck Grant, which incentives buyers to opt for EVs, has been cut by a sixth, a move which has been characterized as counter-productive by the automotive sector given the 2030 goal to end the sale of new petrol and diesel cars government has set itself.

Very few MOTs are expected to be taking place in April and May this year as a result of 2020’s MOT Exemption, but the situation is expected to normalise by the summer, new figures suggest.

A Freedom of Information (FOI) request to the DVSA by BookMyGarage.com, show MOT test numbers dropped by 79% last April and 61% in May. Although the MOT Exemption was in place until the end of July, test numbers were down by just 16% in June, 4% in July, and by August had surpassed 2019 by 9%.

MOTs tend to lead to service bookings for workshops according to BookMyGarage, where its booking data suggests 70% of motorists book both together. Karen Rotberg, Co-Founder of BookMyGarage.com commented: “Overall, the news is more positive than originally feared. We recognise that April and May will be difficult months for the industry but importantly we know MOT numbers will have recovered by the summer. “It’s also worth remembering that 2021 will not be an exact reflection of 2020. MOT due dates are determined by factors beyond when the last MOT took place, such as when used cars get sold with a fresh MOT and by three-year-old cars which will be having their first MOT this year and were therefore immune to last year’s extension.”

Garages should be offering safety checks for customers to make sure vehicles are safe as lockdown eases, a move that will also bridge the gap created by the MOT Exemption LKQ Euro Car Parts has suggested.

Brembo is the latest automotive parts-maker to become a member of the Original Equipment Suppliers Aftermarket Association (OESAA).

A changing of the guard is taking place at Schaeffler, as Nigel Morgan, Managing Director of Schaeffler’s Automotive Aftermarket division in the UK, retires after more than 40 years with the company. In his wake, stepping up to the newly created position of Country Manager UK & Ireland will be Mark Dolloway, who joined Schaeffler from SKF in 2012. Mark will, in turn, be replaced as Sales Director by Matt Selby who originally joined Schaeffler in 2007.

TPS has signed up to sponsor current British Rally Champion Matt Edwards as he bids for a hat-trick of titles in a new Volkswagen rally car.

The mandatory introduction of connected emissions testing equipment for some MOT stations is being delayed by DVSA as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Motul is broadening its product portfolio in the UK automotive sector with the launch of its new Car Care series of products.

The care range features eleven cleaning products, including a glass cleaner, tyre puncture spray, scratch remover, car shampoo, express shine, insect remover, wheel rim cleaner, plastics cleaner, leather cleaner, upholstery cleaner, odour neutraliser, jumbo sponge wash mitt and rim brush, as well as microfibre cloths for the bodywork, glass, and plastic components.

Banner has produced 20 retro 1950s promotional plaques that will be made available to customers of the battery company.