Certification is the name of the game
Aftermarket got its hands dirty when eBay and one of its Certified Recycled programme partners opened the doors to the media
Published: 22 August, 2023
Parts availability has been a concern for garages over the last three years, with the effects of pandemic lockdowns and the war in Ukraine putting major strain on supply chains worldwide. At the same time, the cost-of-living crisis has meant consumers will now see a cost saving from a recycled part as a real bonus. The growing awareness of how recycling parts has a environmental benefit too means that eBay chose the perfect moment in May to relaunch its Certified Recycled programme, which sells recycled vehicle parts from 81 certified sellers.
One of these is Poole-based Charles Trent. The family-run business has been operating for almost 100 years, having been founded in 1926 by the great-grandfather of current CEO Marc Trent. While they might have a lot of history behind them, as eBay UK’s Category Lead - Vehicle Parts and Accessories Laura Richards pointed out, they are looking forwards: “For these guys it is all about process. This is leading the UK, technology-wise.” A lot of it comes down to data, as the company’s Chief Operating Officer Neil Joslin observed: “We have a ton of data analysis. A large chunk of it is led by demand from customers. What we are not doing is taking every part off the car, then putting it on the shelf and letting it gather dust.”
As he pointed out, they tend to see two types of car: “There are vehicles at their natural end of life, and then there are insurance write-offs.” The first stage after the vehicles are brought in sees them assessed. Some will be assigned to be stripped down, others will be crushed immediately. On the insurance write-off side, some will be able to be sold on as functioning cars, while others will be set for dismantling. Before that, they are cleaned, wheels and tyres are removed and all fluids are drained, including fuel, oils and all other liquids.
We then moved into the first workshop, where some of the more complex vehicles that could not be run down the de-production line are stripped down. A BMW X5 was beginning its treatment when we went in, and was still being worked on when we left a couple of hours later. This was in stark contrast to the 20 minutes it takes the guys to deconstruct the vast majority of vehicles. This area included an EV bay.
Every vehicle is electronically tagged, and each part harvested from it is also tagged, showing where it is from. “The reason for this is for provenance” said Neil. “The market for illegal parts is massive, and this is a way of dealing with it.” At this point, the technicians can also provide an additional level of assessment, in case a part that had been tapped for re-use turned out to be damaged. In total, the X5 had 74 parts assigned for re-use, including the seats.
Our next stop was the company’s recently installed de-production line. Like with a production line in a factory, cars roll down as technicians perform their various tasks as part of the larger process. The line has been running since August 2022, and is unique in the UK, with only a few equivalents overseas. “We looked at sited in France that did something similar,” noted Neil, “but they deal with far fewer cars. We have made a number of innovations, and this one is able to process more cars. At each stop, panels and doors are removed, along with seats and interior trim. Then mechanical elements come out, followed by electronics and electricals, the engine and more are removed. Different bins receive items to be retained for reuse, and elements that are going straight in the junk. Each stop is timed, although we may have mucked up some of this when we were given the opportunity to help tear apart some of the vehicles. When the engine is removed, the whole car can be lifted on its side.
“It has been set up with lean processes in mind,” observed Neil. “It can never be truly lean because every car is different, but we do aim to be efficient.
Once off the line, mechanical dismantling begins, with items cleaned in a washing machine. Parts are then prepared to go on the shelves and are quality-checked again too.
“By weight, 96.3% of the car will be re-used” pointed out Neil. “Across the UK, the target set by government is 95%, but generally we have been well below this nationally.”
Once they are cleaned, graded for quality and prepared, the parts are boxed up and placed on the storeys-high shelving units. A tracking system makes sure the company knows what it has, and knows what it can sell on. When shipping, all packaging is both made from recycled materials, and is itself recyclable.
Panel discussion
Following the tour, a panel discussion looked at the growing trend of green parts. On the panel were Head of Automotive at eBay UK Dr. Tony Tong and Laura Richards, Marc Trent, CEO at Charles Trent, ABP Club Chief Executive David Cresswell and VRA head Chas Ambrose, VRA, with YouTube car star Johnny Smith compering.
Starting with why certified recycled parts are so important, Chas Ambrose offered the following observation: “Certification brings recycled parts to a new audience. The working relationship we have with eBay is a natural fit.” David Cresswell commented: “The insurers are keen on green parts not just because it is the right thing to do. By having provenance, they are guaranteeing they are looking after the policy holder, and the bodyshop knows the quality of the part that was coming in.” Laura Richards observed: “From eBay’s perspective there are two opportunities. First the value; a 70% saving on the new part. Sustainability is also a big part of it as well. The biggest problem we had the was the perception challenge.”
On what drives consumers towards certified green parts, Marc Trent said: “That used to be cost, but for consumers now it really is the environment, as well as the delivery and service. We welcome the regulations getting tougher. We also have to think about where car ownership sits. We worked with the VMs back in the 1990s, and I think they are re-looking at this industry now. France seems to be a big driver of this, and I think the rest of Europe will follow. Mobility is changing, and a lot of factors are affecting the vehicle.”
Laura concluded: “We’ve had serious supply chain issues in the last few years. The factories making pattern parts were shut down, then there were the Brexit problems. With the likes of Charles Trent, you have the parts you need on your doorstep. The more eBay can do to help, the better.”
- eBay relaunches Certified Recycled car parts portal
Motorists in the UK saved £99 million in 2022 by opting for used parts and according to new research by eBay, timed to coincide with the relaunch of its Certified Recycled portal, through which 81 certified sellers offer recycled vehicle parts.
- Prepare for A/C deluge says LKQ Euro Car Parts
A/C demand is set to spike in the weeks ahead, and following months of lockdown and under-use, LKQ Euro Car Parts says air conditioning is the next forgotten problem for garages to deal with, but is also an opportunity.
- Setting the bar high
Where were we? I’m wondering that myself, so I will begin with a recap of part one, along with an honest critique of what has gone up to this point. So far, the following parts have been replaced; Four spark plugs, four ignition coils, high pressure fuel pump, and #1 high-pressure injector.
The phrases ‘dirty washing’ and ‘public’ come to mind. Despite what I always tell you, these parts were replaced as a result of a reaction to the symptoms and not as a result of thorough data analysis.
We understand, with confidence, that the fault is due to a lean fuelling condition, but we do not understand the cause. I do, however, have a high degree of confidence it is not a hydraulic-mechanical injector fault, following the ASNU bench test.
David G and I took a step back to review our approach and plan a way forward. Using VCDS, we elected to monitor critical events from crank start through to hot idle. Referring to Fig.1, please note there were no initial issues during at first, then quite suddenly after 30-50 seconds, you will see what happened, coinciding with the onset of combustion error. High pressure is a touch low though.
Moving onto Fig.2, please note the drop in high fuel pressure. At this point it is sitting at 45bar. This is not correct, so why do request and actual match? Has the PCM in error calculated this as the correct value? Or is it an incorrect load value from a sensor, wiring or environment? Maybe it is a PCM internal fault? Experience generally convinces me it is not the PCM however.
Evidence
Let’s discuss the evidence, while also keeping an eye on the camshaft timing which I alluded to in part one last month.
From cold, the exhaust camshaft increases its lift by approx. 0.6mm and adopts an advance angle of 35°. The inlet remains at zero and does not have any lift function. As a point of interest, you should hear a distinct click from the cam housing when full exhaust lift ends together with a sudden reduction in open angle. Consult data frames to see what I mean. This occurs normally after approximately two minutes. Please also note the change in exhaust cam timing to 2.8° actual 4.0° specified. The inlet now adopts an angle of 15° actual and specified.
Moving onto Fig.3, the data displayed shows values from the engine mid-way through the warm-up cycle. The engine is still fuelling from the high-pressure system. The high pressure has now deteriorated to a mere 35bar, and 50% of the nominal expected value. The lean combustion problem is now extreme with misfire count increasing dramatically.
We now reach Fig.4. Finally, after approximately 10 minutes, the PCM reverts to port injection. This can vary dependant on environmental temperatures and engine speed and is accompanied by a more prominent click from the exposed port injectors. The engine now recovers its combustion composure, with the useful visual evidence, high pressure increases to 90bar. The reason for this is to prepare the high-pressure system in readiness for any instant high load demand. Keep this information in your pocket until later.
Assessment
With all this information available, what is my assessment? It is a fact that the only route for fuel to enter the engine combustion chamber is via the lateral feed injectors. The only explanation for incorrect fuelling quantity is a control deviation due to a circuit fault, physical hydraulic-mechanical injector fault, or a PCM calculation error.
Having previously expressed confidence in the hydraulic-mechanical injector function focus transfers towards the PCM fuelling feed back system, the Lambda sensors should theoretically provide all the critical answers we need.
Just to fill in a few gaps before you all go dashing to the internet blog sites, we did conduct exactly accurate injector current profile analysis. The ultimate PCM injector control is fuel pulse time and current path. Using Pico scope and a Hall Effect current clamp, we monitored the injector function together with high rail pressure. We noted no discernible change in injector control when witnessing a rail pressure drop.
Please refer to Fig.5 for this. Blue/black trace represents the injector current path across two injector circuits, with both homogenous and stratified events visible. Green trace represents the PWM control for the high-pressure actuator. We continued monitoring current and rail pressure until the moment port injection took over. Looking to Fig.6, blue/ black trace in this instance represents the current path to the direct injectors, while the red trace shows the seamless transition to the port injectors.
Coming up
Keeping up so far? Well, it’s not over yet. Part three will discuss the response of Bank1 Sensor1 function and response. This will be conducted through direct current measurement, with Pico and serial data via VCDS, paying particular attention to fuelling correction.
Now things are going to get very interesting. What you are expecting is not going to happen. Exciting isn’t it? Good enough for a direct-to-Netflix action movie, or even a mini-series? See you next month.
- MAM solutions "pivotal part" of Northumberland factor success
The owners at Northumberland-based Cramlington Car Parts say they have been really impressed by the way Autopart Online and Autocat have helped the business keep expanding.
- EU Emissions tighten on UK market
With or without Brexit, EU regulations surrounding emissions are playing an important part in pushing aftermarket requirements for
the correct emissions parts being fitted.
Mark Blinston, Commercial Director at BM Catalysts commented: “Emissions are a hot topic for discussion at the moment for many media outlets and manufacturers. All efforts are geared towards reducing emissions, as well as preventing the sale and fitting of catalytic converters and DPFs to vehicles that haven’t been approved to meet the relevant Euro Levels.
“Vehicles and replacement emission control devices must meet specific standards for exhaust emissions before they can be offered for sale in the European Union. Vehicle emissions are one of a series of performance standards that must be met to achieve Whole Vehicle Type Approval in accordance with EC Directives. In order to achieve type approval on the emissions levels for replacement emission control devices, such as catalytic converters and diesel particulate filters (DPFs), performance and noise levels must be within calculated limits as prescribed by legislation. Replacement catalytic converters and DPFs cannot be approved to a lower Euro level than that of the original vehicle. If the vehicle is Euro 5 then the replacement must be approved to Euro 5 levels. Testing and approving this part to Euro 4 would mean that it cannot be proven to meet emission standards and therefore cannot legally be fitted to any Euro 5 vehicle.”
Mark continued: “Helping to identify the correct products for stockists and garage professionals, the MAM software solution program is set to revolutionise the aftermarket. Used by the majority of distributors, the supply chain software is due to receive a V9 update, which will map the Euro level that a supplier’s part is approved for sale on against a vehicle registration number. Once the change is in place, we’ll start to see the correct catalytic converters and DPFs available matched against the correct vehicles for the first time. Additionally, the Department for Transport (DfT) is also helping to clarify the rules for the UK market, with recent guidelines reiterating the strict requirements for selling catalytic converters and DPFs to the UK market.”
But while the correct cataloguing of aftermarket parts is complex and challenging, perhaps the biggest shake up to the emissions market is the recent MOT changes. Mark continued: “The result of an EU directive, new regulations were introduced to the MOT test in May 2018, placing further emphasis on diesel emissions. The regulations require checks to the exhaust for visible smoke production and tampering or removal of the DPF. Any visible sign of alteration to the DPF or smoke of any colour will result in a fail for the vehicle. Prior to these tighter regulations, experts warned that the true figure of vehicles driving without DPFs were in the thousands, leaving many car owners at risk of hefty fines and penalty points.
“BM Catalysts acknowledges the need for up to date information on EU levels. As a leading manufacturer in Europe, we recognise we are a big part in meeting these standards, producing superior aftermarket products with the least harm to the environment. Additionally, we have recently produced free educational material on DPFs and the MOT changes to help our customers make informed motoring decisions.”
Mark added: “BM Catalysts produce catalytic converters and DPFs to high standards, yet to create a lasting change to the market, it is important that all hands along the supply chain, even the consumer, does their part to make sure they’re complying to regulations. If one link is in this chain proves weak, we all fail.”
