This is Mark’s story about his recovery from a sudden life-threatening illness. Watch how Ben supported him after he suffered life-changing injuries as a result of this serious illness.
With Blue Monday back in the news, Ben, has unveiled new online support through its website to support people with a focus on ‘New Year, new me’, and is encouraging those who feel they are struggling to get in touch with the organisation to access its life coaches.
I love competition. No really, I do. Competition abounds in a wide variety of aspects of everyday life. It helps to formulate innovation or is often the basis of experience, in both good and bad ways. Competition creates choices when you have money to spend or forms the basis of just about every sport, whether you are participating or watching. Competition is at its best when there is a level playing field, both metaphorically and literally.
There are many more examples of competition, but from the UK aftermarket’s position, it is the very foundation of its existence. The aftermarket only exists because it offers vehicle owners and operators a choice. If they choose to use the aftermarket, which they predominately do, then it remains the vibrant, innovative and service-centric sector that it is.
Evolution The aftermarket has evolved for well over more than a century, but in the 21st century the level playing field has become increasing distorted. This is due to the rapid rise in vehicle technology, particularly the vehicle’s electronically controlled systems and functions. In recognition of the corresponding reliance on the vehicle manufacturer being the sole source of the technical information needed to diagnose, service, repair or maintain the vehicle, aftermarket associations lobbied the legislator to act and create the level playing field. As I alluded to in an article earlier this year, this was done as part of the Vertical Block Exemption Regulation (V-BER) created in 2002 that exempted a variety of industry sector distribution models from the requirements of competition law that would otherwise have made these distribution models illegal. The specific needs of the automotive sector were then covered in a sub-regulation – the Motor Vehicle Block Exemption Regulation (MV-BER) that allowed main dealers to operate as a monopoly within a set geographical area. For the aftermarket, this also included the non-discrimination between workshops, so that independent operators were able to access the same repair and maintenance information (RMI), replacement parts, tools and training as the vehicle manufacturer’s main dealers. The MV-BER was updated in 2010, valid in both the EU and UK and importantly for the aftermarket, included some new hardcore restrictions concerning the access to captive parts and the ability of Tier 1 suppliers to sell their parts into the aftermarket. Also importantly, it included supplementary guidelines that help to define many detailed aspects of the original Regulation. However, the current MV-BER will expire on 31 May 2023.
More recently, many in-vehicle ‘software driven’ aspects have evolved and created an increasing number of ways that the vehicle manufacturers themselves can now directly provide aftermarket services to the driver, vehicle owner or vehicle operator in direct competition to the independent aftermarket.
This has led to new service centric business models, especially using the remote wireless access to the vehicle when it is being driven. Monitoring of the vehicle’s functions, as well as how the driver is using the vehicle, using embedded diagnostics and predictive analysis of the vehicle’s data, as well as bespoke service and maintenance offers directly to the driver via the in-dash display are now where it is happening. The basis of competing business models now starts in the car when it is being driven. By the time it gets to a workshop, half the work has been done (the identification of the problem, what work is required, and the parts needed have been identified) so that workshop costs can be reduced by up to 50%.
As only the vehicle manufacturers have remote access to the vehicle, their own embedded applications, and the ability to bi-directionally communicate with the driver, the aftermarket is at a severe disadvantage.
Principles So, where is the level playing field and non-discrimination unless independent operators can also have equal abilities? (I choose my words carefully).
The MV-BER is very important to retain the principles of effective competition for the aftermarket but needs to work in parallel with the vehicle type approval regulations, as these contain much more detail about both the technical and the access requirements that the vehicle manufacturers must support. Vehicle type approval legislation also allows non-compliance claims to be challenged through the type approval authority, as opposed to the more difficult and expensive route through the courts under the MV-BER.
Post-Brexit, the role of the UK legislator in the guise of the Competition and Mergers Authority (CMA) is most important. The CMA have consulted on the continued relevance of the MV-BER and plan to issue a two-stage consultation during the summer, so it seems that they plan to renew MV-BER, but it is not clear how new requirements needed to address “technical progress” would be included, if at all. This would require either change to the wording of the MV-BER itself, or an update to the wording of the supplementary guidelines, which although easier to do from the legislative viewpoint, has less direct legal basis in the event of a “non-compliance” by a vehicle manufacturer.
Aftermarket associations in the EU, but equally importantly in the UK, have submitted key proposals for updates to the MV-BER supplementary guidelines. The UK government has stated that they will also take into consideration what the European Commission propose to do. The European Commission issued its proposal in early July which explained their approach and their draft proposals.
These documents confirmed that MV-BER will be renewed until 31 May 2028, but their proposal also stated that there needed to be an update to “reflect the importance that access to vehicle-generated data was likely to have as a factor for competition.” However, although the European Commission felt that “some parts of the sector would evolve rapidly over the coming years and that this would have an impact (not yet quantifiable) on the conditions of competition,” they also stated that the extension of the MV-BER will “allow some of the currently emerging technologies to consolidate and will put the Commission in a better position to re-assess the situation under the new market reality.”
The Commission also explained that access to vehicle-generated data would be included in the revised wording of the Supplementary Guidelines, but although this seeks to establish that “withholding the item in question will have an appreciable impact on the ability of independent operators to carry out their tasks and exercise a competitive constraint on the market” as the basis, this does not clarify many other important related aspects, for example how vehicle generated data would be accessed, what can be accessed, at what cost and what registration/declaration conditions would be imposed by the vehicle manufacturers.
The UK government will need to consider what the European Commission has proposed, but for truly effective competition in the UK aftermarket where the vehicle manufacturers are now increasingly and directly competing with independent operators and where the basis of vehicle-related service offers starts remotely when the vehicle is being driven, the UK government will have to do much more. Given the time frame before the current MV-BER is set to expire, the reality is that the ‘rules of the game’ are likely to be insufficient to ensure that the playing field remains level, meaning that the next few years are likely to be increasingly challenging for the UK aftermarket to have the equal abilities needed to compete.
Legislating for the Installation EV charge-points on all new homes and other buildings is only half-a-step, EV battery warranty provider Altelium has warned, as drivers need to be taught how to charge them properly to avoid damaging the batteries too.
TAn oxygen sensor’s life expectancy can vary greatly depending on the condition of the vehicle and whether it is properly maintained. Generally, based on typical maintenance routines, an oxygen sensor’s effective life span is between 30,000 and 50,000 miles.
After that, performance begins to degrade, which will in turn affect the vehicle’s overall fuel economy and performance. That can arrive quickly in the eyes of today’s drivers, many of whom won’t have their vehicle paid off by the time it needs to be replaced. However, if the engine is properly maintained in all aspects, the oxygen sensors could last much longer, up to 100,000 miles in some cases. The truth is, many vehicles on the road today would not meet the maintenance requirements to achieve that level of sensor life.
It’s no surprise that oxygen sensors need to be checked regularly and replaced as needed. They per¬form under fierce conditions, battling harmful exhaust gases, extreme heat and high velocity particulates. And the harder someone drives his or her vehicle, the more punishment the sensors take.
The oxygen sensor’s impact It is a key component, as faulty oxygen sensors cause a very large amount of emission inspection failures. Why? Because not all oxygen sensors are created equal. The oxygen sensor reports to the engine management computer the air/fuel ratio in the exhaust system. While it no longer is a one-wire unheated sensor like it was in the 1970s, but rather a four-wire or five-wire air/fuel ratio sensor, that means it can report information more accurately, but can be damaged more easily. These sensors include heated, fast light off, ultra-fast light off, Titania, zirconia, thimble, planar and wideband sensors. Staying up-to-date with these technologies is critical in diagnosing the oxygen sensor and this technology will only continue to grow as emission controls become stricter every year.
Two scenarios What goes wrong? A few things, actually. There are two scenarios technicians need to look for when inspecting an oxygen sensor to determine the cause of failure, and thus find the root cause of the problem. First, it can happen instantaneously when a contaminant comes into contact with the oxygen sensor’s ceramic element. Technicians who suspect this type of failure should look for evidence of certain types of silicone compounds or of an engine that is burning oil. Small amounts of tetraethyl lead in gasoline as well as over-the-counter fuel additives that are not oxygen-sensor-safe can kill an oxygen sensor. The second scenario is the gradual deterioration, resulting in a slow sensor that reacts so slowly that it causes a catalytic converter to perform less efficiently. This can lead to premature failure of the catalytic converter.
In this case, technicians will hear complaints of decreased fuel economy, approximately 10%-15% in most cases, excessive exhaust emissions and overall poor drivability. Now, while a customer might notice they are covering fewer miles per fill-up, they might not be aware of other problems as they adjust to vehicle driving conditions and, in the case of emissions, simply cannot observe this. That’s where technicians who perform emissions tests can assist customers by detecting these issues. Technicians can be the hero of this story though, when using the proper equipment. Using a digital volt-ohmmeter (DVO), a technician can detect a dead oxygen sensor. Two other tools – a digital storage oscilloscope (DSO) or scope meter – will be able to diagnose a slow oxygen sensor.
Not all sensors are alike How do you know that you’re getting a quality sensor? Walker Products’ robust oxygen sensor programme features the highest quality components to ensure OE fit, form, and function guaranteed. Designed, engineered, and 100% tested in house to ensure unsurpassed quality and sensor longevity for the greatest customer satisfaction.
Walker oxygen sensors feature a ceramic body made of stabilised zirconium dioxide and contained in a housing that protects it against mechanical effects and facilitates mounting. A gas-permeable platinum layer comprises the electrodes that coat the surface, and a porous ceramic coating applied to the side exposed to the exhaust gas prevents contamination and erosion of the electrode surfaces by combustion residue and particulates in the exhaust gases.
That means when you install Walker oxygen sensors, your customers get improved engine response and performance, lower emissions, better fuel economy and longer sensor life.
Selling to customers How do you explain that to your customers? It starts with the basics: an oxygen sensor monitors the oxygen content of the exhaust gas, which is processed by the vehicle’s ECU to evaluate engine efficiency. For quick explanations, service advisors can share four simple benefits customers can receive by replacing their O2 sensors:
Parking up an EV that is on a 70%-80% state of charge, (SoC) causes the greatest damage to the Lithium-ion (Li-ion) and temperature plays a vital role as well, according to new research.
