Mandatory MOT testing is to be reintroduced from 1 August 2020 as COVID-19 restrictions are slowly lifted, Roads Minister Baroness Vere has announced today (Monday 29 June).

Autotech Recruit is waiving its recruitment fees on permanent positions for the next three months with a view to helping the aftermarket return to full strength. 

LIQUI MOLY has partnered with the new MB Motorsport accelerated by Blue Square team ahead of their first season in the British Touring Car Championship.

The impact of the COVID-19 pandemic will be among the vital topics discussed via a series of live free-to-attend webinars being launched by Messe Frankfurt UK, organisers of Automechanika Birmingham.

 The cost of charging an electric vehicle in the UK at present puts the country just within the top 10 most expensive places worldwide, but is still cheaper than most European and other developed nations.

 While the likelihood of a scrappage scheme to help boost Britain’s COVID-19 impacted carmakers may be fading as government insiders believe it would mainly help overseas manufacturers, the aftermarket is still campaigning against the introduction of such a stimulus programme.

You would have to go back to 1946 to find a May where UK car production was as low as in 2020, according to the latest figures released today (Friday 26 June) by the SMMT.

 LKQ Corporation, parent company of LKQ Euro Car Parts, says it has come through the COVID-19 crisis ahead of its own expectations.

The IGA is urging the government to immediately end the six-month MOT extension, following the Prime Minister’s announcement this week that further social distancing measures will be relaxed from Saturday 4 July.
 
IGA Chief Executive Stuart James said: “Now is the time to end the extension. People are being encouraged to use their cars to go shopping and go on days out to boost the economy, rather than use public transport. However, the MOT extension has been in place since March and we now have a situation where there are approximately 1.6 million unroadworthy cars in use on our roads.
 
“The IGA has supported the government’s measures all the way through this pandemic and applauds the progress that has been made in controlling the spread of COVID-19. However, now that non-essential shops, leisure facilities and tourist destinations are reopening, it is not safe for cars to remain unchecked.
 
“Garages are not “close proximity” venues. They have been allowed to remain open throughout the whole pandemic and are following official safe working guidelines, so the MOT exemption should be removed as soon as feasibly possible.”
 
Stuart added: “Ending the MOT extension is another positive step forward in the UK’s economic revival and will deploy people back into the workplace whilst underpinning road safety as traffic levels increase.”

OSRAM has expanded its Trust Programme to aid in the fight against counterfeit parts in the aftermarket.

UFI Filters is using its new filter media for making masks and PPE to help in the fight against COVID-19 in the aftermarket and beyond.

Over 50% of garages in the UK are still running at half their usual capacity, a survey has revealed.

 One in six jobs in the overall UK automotive sector is at risk of redundancy, a new survey from the SMMT has revealed, and the organisation is calling for a dedicated restart support package to safeguard jobs when the Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme winds up at the end of October.

Is the six-month MOT extension about to be terminated? The decision by the DVSA to end a parallel arrangement for HGVs early next month has raised expectations for an imminent announcement, and statistics have shown over two million drivers have till sought MOTs despite the testing holiday.

 Garages should look for the number of vehicles coming through the door to increase over the coming weeks, as the government reduces the UK Coronavirus alert level from 4 to 3, denoting that transmission of the disease is no longer viewed as being high.

Following the announcement yesterday (Wednesday 17 June) of the full merger of Andrew Page into the newly branded LKQ Euro Car Parts chain, bringing the company’s 103-year story to a close, it has emerged that 27 Andrew Page branches will be closing their doors.

The IAAF is taking its Industry Briefing Sessions online and is inviting members to attend ‘Industry Briefing Bitesize’ via Zoom.
Topics covered will include how IAAF is building a consensus against an overall scrappage scheme, championing the aftermarket in a post-Brexit era and, working with FIGIEFA on the Block Exemption renewal.

Autoglass has opened a new centre located within Reading’s main industrial and retail area.

Yuasa are highlighting the risks of using general battery lookup systems to find replacement vehicle batteries. The battery brand, manufactured by GS Yuasa, are recommending workshops refer to their online trade lookup tool, fit.yuasa.com 

Andrew Page is no more. The Euro Car Parts and Andrew Page businesses are to rebrand as ‘LKQ Euro Car Parts’,  with recently-merged Andrew Page and ECP branches among the first to be getting new LKQ Euro Car Parts fascia.

 Top Garage 2020 is continuing  to roll, with those businesses still in the running now on for a photo finish at the finals, which are set to take place on Saturday 17 October.

 Future access to vehicle data via OBD is one of the  overall vehicle Type Approval rules from September up for discussion, following the release of a consultation document by the Department for Transport (DfT).

Garages looking for some good news might find solace in the fact that the UK unemployment rate remained unchanged through the few months of lockdown, which would hopefully mean the mass of the overall customer base will on average still be able to spend money on necessary servicing and repairs.

The car most likely to fail its first MOT is the Dacia Sandero, according to statistics.

 Traffic levels are expected to rise significantly from today (Monday 15 June), as the opening of non-essential shops heralds a further unlocking of COVID-19 restrictions, and garages could see demand increase as a result.

Garages can now see the scale of the economic challenge ahead, with figures being released today (Friday 12 June) that show the UK economy shrank by 20.4% in April, which was the first full month of lockdown following the imposition of COVID-19 measures.

Comline has today (Friday 12 June) kicked off a social media competition designed to fill the void left by the postponement of EURO 2020 over the next four weeks.

 The potential dangers inherent in some DIY car repairs were laid bare recently at an inquest into the death of an aspiring amateur mechanic who died of carbon monoxide poisoning in his own car.

While the current MOT extension means many vehicles are on the road having not had a test for more than a year, and it’s totally legal, back in 2019 this was still a big no-no. It was particularly embarrassing for one MOT testing station then when Lancashire Police stopped its van last May, being driven by one of its MOT testers, only to find it didn’t have a current MOT.

Absolute Alignment has today (Tuesday 9 June) reported sales for the month of May that match pre-lockdown figures in March, in the same week as the business celebrated its 10th anniversary.

 Garages could see apprenticeship funding increase as the government looks to offset the risk of high youth unemployment resulting from the impact of COVID-19, but the IMI says that an apprentice guarantee will only work if employers get the funding now.

The monitoring of lubricant standards is stepping up a gear in the UK, as the Verification of Lubricant Specifications (VLS) shifts from testing reactively following a complaint, to actively seeking out new products hitting the market.

Schaeffler has updated its telecoms system, and as a result of thee change there is a new REPEXPERT Hotline number.

Yuasa has announced a new partnership with the Longbow Jet Hydroplane project. Yuasa batteries, which are manufactured by GS Yuasa, will also be used to power up the jet’s engines as it attempts to break the Outright Water Speed Record.

 Ring Automotive has fully opened its warehouse, with greater capacity than before.

Garages may be able to pinpoint the kind of post-lockdown work coming through the door, with new research showing that online searches for how to tackle issues with car brakes, batteries and tyres have grown substantially over the last few months

Independent garages expecting a surge in customer demand resulting from motorists being unwilling or unable to buy a new car in the wake of COVID-19 and post-lockdown uncertainty could soon have to contend with a scrappage scheme.

COVID-19 continued to bite into new car sales in May, with registrations 89% down, according to the latest figures released today (Thursday 4 June) by the SMMT, making it the lowest May for car sales since 1952.

Euro Car Parts has created a new product bundle to help garages access essential cleaning equipment and PPE, and is also offering free subscriptions to Haynes Pro and ViewMech. For £29.99, garages can buy a ‘Back to Work Pack’ complete with a 500ml antibacterial hand sanitising gel, a 500ml surface disinfectant spray, 25 pairs of gloves, 25 large, heavy duty refuse bags and six 2-ply blue rolls. 

Garages with an eye on the electric vehicle future may want to consider if the local infrastructure could support major motorist take-up, and new research shows that Bristol, Milton Keynes, Dundee, Oxford and Brighton & Hove are the UK towns and cities with the highest current ratio of EVs to charging points.

The Parts Alliance is running a June promotion on Petronas oil that will see two popular Petronas Syntium grades supplied in limited edition Formula One 200 litre barrels.

While garages were able to remain open through COVID-19 lockdown, new car showrooms were required to shut, but from today (Monday 1 June), franchised dealers in England are able to fully reopen.

 The furlough scheme is shifting from August. Chancellor of the Exchequer Rishi Sunak has confirmed tonight (Friday 29 May) that businesses, including garages using the scheme, will be taking on an increasing share of the pay for workers, but also see them return to work part-time.

Just 830 engines were produced in the UK in April, down from 178,022 in 2019, representing a precipitous 99.5% output decline, according to the latest figures from the SMMT, as the COVID-19 lockdown’s impact on car production continues to be felt.
 
A small number was produced at the end of the month, ahead of some automotive plants restarting in May.
 
SMMT Chief Executive Mike Hawes commented: “The nationwide lockdown and closure of vehicle manufacturing plants across Europe and beyond has had an expected but devastating effect on engine production, with output all but wiped out in April. With markets and key factories starting to reopen, it’s crucial to encourage demand for new cars worldwide, which will in turn drive manufacturing and help reboot the UK economy.”

 A nationwide radio campaign advising motorists coming out of lockdown that their car may need a MOT and service before going back into daily use is to be rolled out by the IMI next month.