Motorists are holding back from buying an EV as a result of views based on actually outdated facts, a survey has suggested.

Servicesure has named Harrogate-based Simon Graeme Auto Service Centre the Autocentre of the Year in its 2020 annual awards.

Garages have continued to be reassured about the ongoing status of the MOT, with a new exemption firmly off the table according to DVSA, as England slides back into lockdown from Thursday (5 November).

NGK has refreshed its online Part Finder facility, making it even more user-friendly for its customers.

Top Garage 2021 is open to enter from Sunday (1 November). If you want to see if you are the best garage, then you need to take part.

The furlough is set to end from tomorrow (Saturday 31 October), with the scheme being replaced by the Job Support Scheme from Sunday (1 November) for those businesses still seeking support.

UK car production fell by 5% in September, which was the worst performance for the month since 1995 according to the latest figures from the SMMT.

LKQ Euro Car Parts has extended its partnerships with Liftmaster and Milwaukee with a view to help the independent aftermarket recover from the coronavirus lockdown and prepare for the future.

NSK is fighting back against the manufacture of counterfeit bearings with a new app, which complements an existing app released by the company.

The IGA has been shortlisted for the new COVID Champion Award at the 2021 Learning Awards, for the support they have given to garages throughout the COVID-19 pandemic.

MAHLE and Daimler AG have agreed terms on access to the encoded OBD diagnostic ports of Mercedes-Benz vehicles.

63% of drivers aged 17-24 needed financial help from parents to keep their cars on the road in the last 12 months, up from 49% in the previous-pre-pandemic year, a survey from comparethemarket.com has found.

Two members of staff from ZF recently tackled 300 miles of cycling in September in aid of Cancer Research UK.

 The Job Support Scheme, which is set to succeed the furlough on 1 November, has been amended before it has been unrolled.

Cars in Scotland are the least likely in the UK to pass their MOT, with cars in Devon coming a close second, while cars in a number of London boroughs are achieving the highest pass rates,  new  research has revealed.

The prospect of an EV future for garages could be killed off by a no deal Brexit, as the resulting trade tariffs would all-but negate the UK’s plug-in car grant, the SMMT has warned.

 LIQUI MOLY has teamed up with Edd China for a series of  weekly YouTube videos that provide tips on extending the life of a vehicle.

 Garages will be able to continue to operate in Wales despite the new firebreak lockdown being enforced from Friday (23 October), although car use is likely to reduce significantly which could reduce levels of trade for workshops in the short-term.

The Motor Ombudsman’s Garage Finder recorded an 82% rise in searches in the third quarter of 2020 when compared to the preceding three-month period, with MOT demand being a major driver of interest.

The likelihood of a no-deal Brexit on 1 January 2021, which would have an impact on car parts imports from Europe, rose significantly today (Friday 16 October), following Prime Minister Boris Johnson’s statement on the outcome of trade talks with the EU.

The Garage Inspector Andy Savva and VARTA have teamed up for a new webinar, where the importance of the battery within the car is highlighted.

 The next Industry Briefing Bitesize session from the IAAF will take place virtually on Thursday 29 October, with Adrian Botham, founder and MD at Servispart Consulting, as guest speaker.

While garages continue to be busy as a result of the MOT backlog created by the exemption, they could see more and more customers forced to tighten their belts, as the UK unemployment rate rises to its highest level in three years, and redundancies rose to their highest level in more than a decade.

While many independent garages are still working on their EV capabilities, car dealers that are able to work on EVs are again receiving the Electric Vehicle Approved (EVA) accreditation.

Eurorepar is running a Halloween-themed offer of £99 service for customers of its network until the end of November. 

The British Motor Show is launching a series of portable ‘Pop-Up’ motor shows in the run-up to the big event in 2021, with the first launching next Friday in Hampshire.

Businesses that have been ordered to shut as part of Coronavirus-preventative measures will see two-thirds of their wages for staff paid by the government in a targeted successor to the Furlough, Chancellor of the Exchequer Rishi Sunak has announced.

The IAAF Annual Conference is taking place in a Coronavirus-compliant virtual fashion on Thursday 3 December, with Sunday Times Economics Editor David Smith as keynote speaker, and a new Pride of the Aftermarket’ awards.

The IMI is launching a series of online resources to help those in the industry facing unemployment to be in a good position to look for a new job, under the banner of IMI Employability Week.

Schaeffler is teaming up with Robert Bosch Automotive Steering to expand its intelligent rear wheel steering (iRWS) portfolio.

Banner Batteries is encouraging  customers to enjoy a well-deserved break with its 2020 ‘Snack Attack’ winter sales promotion, through which the company is serving up a Banner Batteries branded mug, coffee and snack in the form of the one of the nation’s favourites – a McVitie’s Club biscuit.

Some mechanics may find themselves working for a little longer before they can retire, as the UK state pension age rises to 66.

NGK employee Stuart Bayne has succesfully completed the Virgin Money London Marathon, finishing the 26-2-mile coure in just over five hours.

Brembo Days, a virtual window into the world of the brake parts maker, is open for three days from tomorrow (Tuesday 6 October).

Ongoing uncertainty resulting from the pandemic helped push the new car market down 4.4% last month, according to figures published today (Monday 5 October) by the SMMT, in what was the weakest September since the dual number plate system in 1999.

 Hundreds of prizes are up for grabs via a new ‘Peel and Win’ consumer promotion from OSRAM, with garage customers having the chance to win a luxury spa weekend for two and an iPad Pro.

 Fund-raising NGK employee Stuart Bayne is once again competing in the Virgin Money London Marathon to raise money for charity, although this time he will be running outside of the capital.

Price comparison site BookMyGarage and parking space finder JustPark have teamed up offer JustPark’s five million users access to BookMyGarage’s garage comparison data. The partnership is expected to yield an additional 1,900 extra garage bookings a month.

TMD Friction has launched GaraShield, a new software platform designed to help garages document their work.

 Total has bought London’s largest electric vehicle charge points network.

A radical shake-up of the adult education system in England being promised by the Prime Minister could result in a wider pool of talent being able to train as mechanics for the garage sector post-Coronavirus.

The SMMT has today (Tuesday 29 September) launched a new scheme that allows multiple parts companies to come together to support critical suppliers without falling foul of anti-competition rules, which is a first for the UK sector,

TMD Friction has developed new corrugated cardboard packaging for its Textar passenger car brake discs, which will save 40 tonnes of plastic each year. The cardboard will replace the plastic film to separate passenger car discs so it will not stick to the brake disc coating.

The SMMT Charitable Trust Fund (SCTF) has today (Monday 28 September) launched the SMMT Apprentice Support Programme, a £100,000 investment designed to help safeguard the jobs of apprentices currently employed by small and medium-sized businesses within the UK automotive industry, but whose positions are at risk of redundancy due to COVID-19 related business pressures.