ABP Motorsport in Crewe is celebrating more of its technicians gaining the prestigious ATA qualification.

The CAT Garage of the Year Award winner previously had just one technician accredited with the ATA. Owner Chris Meredith says it was only a matter of time before he wanted all his technicians to be certified: “Training is expensive for a small business when you consider the cost involved per person. It comes to over £1,000 per technician but I believe the benefits far outweigh the costs.

“From a customer perspective what better way to show them that your technicians are not only fully qualified and able to carry out work on their cars but that they have also been independently assessed and accredited as able to work on the latest vehicles.

“It also shows as a business that we only employ technicians who are able to demonstrate that they are fully able to comply with modern vehicle technology and aren’t just people that passed exams 25 years ago!”

Meredith says more garage owners should consider sending their technicians on the qualification scheme: “Rather that give your men 3 percent at review time send them on an ATA course as it’s a WIN-WIN scenario – they get the accreditation and you get to market it!”

Dayco's new inspection tool

Dayco has released its latest set of technical updates for independent garages.

This time Dayco is focusing on how to detect a worn multi-rib belt. The supplier says that generally the obvious signs of wear include cracking, chunking, glazing or splitting on neoprene compound belts.

However the company says that in more modern cars extended-life rubber compound (EPDM) belts can have a service life of around 100,000 miles, and thus any signs of wear are harder to detect.

Dayco says that EPDM belts tend to wear in much the same way as tyres, with material loss being the main cause for a replacement.

Dayco said: “The ‘V’ profiles of the ribs on the belt begin to wear down and start to resemble a ‘U’ and not a ‘V’. As the profile changes, the contact area of the belt on the pulley is reduced and the efficiency of the belt drops, which can lead to slippage and affect the performance of the belt, as well making it very noisy.”

Naturally, Dayco has a tool to sort the problem – its ‘a-WEAR-ness’ gauge is able to perform visual checks that helps the technician assess the condition of the belt.

ABP's impressive surroundings

A visit to ABP Motorsport in Crewe has a lot to live up to. After all, the business has been named CAT Magazine’s Garage of the Year for the past three years running, as well as being frequently named as either a winner or a runner up in numerous other competitions.

Owner Chris Meredith explained how it all began: “The business started in 1964, it was then called just ABP which were the initials of the father of the owner of the time. The previous owner was very much a petrol head, he did a lot of rallying and such for many years and that’s where the motorsport element came into the business.

“I joined the business when I was 17, back in 1990. One way or another I’ve been working here for the past 20 years, and I was made Director in 2003. When I first started I was packing mail order parcels and packaging goods, at some time I’ve done every job here.”

Meredith was presented with the opportunity to take over ABP Motorsport in 2009, it was one he found too good to pass up: “That was a crazy year. Not only did I take over the business from the previous owner, but I also got married and moved house. If you have a crazy year you might as well have one like that!

“The decision to buy the business was tough – if it all went pear-shaped I’d be out of work. When you’re in control of a business and the bank has got your name on the dotted line it makes things tough – but if you’re passionate about something you can always make it work. The business isn’t going to grow all by itself, you have to view failure as not being an option.”

ABP Owner Chris Meredith

Since taking over ABP Motorsport has gone from strength to strength, Meredith reports that 2010/11 was the best ever year for the business, with 2012 already raising the bar even higher.

While ABP has enjoyed a seemingly unending spree of success, Meredith knows all too well that it isn’t the case for everyone: “Doom and gloom is something that people tend to turn to too easily. I do think a lot of garages are run very well – but are the technicians businessmen? I couldn’t do all of what our technicians do in the workshop, but that’s why I work more on the marketing side of the business.

“There are so many guys locally who’ve set up by themselves and they don’t have that business acumen – unfortunately they get so involved on the technical side that often they go under.”

For ABP, a lot of success comes from clever marketing – Meredith says at least a third of his business growth has come from marketing power: “Just this week I’ve had four customers book their cars into the workshop just off the back of the press attention we’ve had from winning the CAT Award.”

Meredith also sees a new problem emerging – a lack of properly trained technicians: “I think a lot of youngsters now don’t want to learn the skills. A few years ago Bentley Motors went on a massive recruitment drive in our area to recruit new technicians, we lost two guys to that business. The pool was empty at that point and we needed to replace those staff members – we ended up recruiting in Poland.”

ABP’s roots lie in performance tuning, and a look around the workshop reveals this is still at the core of the business. Upgraded springs, suspension units, exhausts and performance paraphernalia litter the upstairs stock room, with orders ready to be fitted to waiting customer’s cars.

ABP has a large workshop

That isn’t to say that ABP turns away the regular garage work though – MOTs and servicing is still important to the business. Local customers come to ABP for the service they should be getting at the main dealer: “We get a massive number of letters and emails from female customers saying thanks for the service, we treat them professionally and we don’t speak down to them.

“I think there’s a huge problem with garages not treating female customers right. Some technicians just have a difficulty relating to females; it has to come down to the training. I’d like to think that by now that sort of problem would have gone but it’s something that customers keep complaining about.”

For Meredith the biggest problem facing the market is discounted MOT rates. While he says the move to keep the 3-1-1 schedule is undoubtedly a good thing, VOSA needs to do more to stop discounted MOTs: “Unfortunately I don’t think that VOSA will ever take the move to enforce the price of the MOT.

“If I asked customers whether they just wanted an MOT certificate or if they wanted their cars to be safe, I’d send the ones who just wanted the certificate down the road, because anyone can do that. If they want their car to be safe we’ll do it properly and we’ll charge £45.”

ABP Motorsport – vital stats

ESTABLISHED                        1964

HQ                                              Crewe

BAYS                                          5

STAFF                                       9

FLEET                                       0

WEB                                          Abpmotorsport.co.uk

Want to see your business featured here and in CAT Magazine? Email darren.moss@haymarket.com or call 020 8267 5927

Tesco Cars has closed its doors to new orders just one year after its launch.

The supermarket chain’s operation had hoped to provide consumers with quality used cars and connect them with a network of more than 1000 independent garages for more affordable servicing and repair work than is available at franchises.

Tesco planned on buying cars from rental companies and other fleets, but difficulties in securing supply of stock is blamed for the closure which was announced through the consumer-facing website today.

“With effect from 3rd April 2012 we have decided to close the Tesco Cars business and are no longer accepting orders from customers.

“For customers with outstanding orders please contact the customer services team on 0800 072 3627. If we are unable to fulfil your order we will refund your deposit in full.

“We are very sorry indeed for any inconvenience caused.”

More to follow…

A key figure in the fight to guarantee access to technical information has committed to action after a demonstration of the difficulties garages can face getting data.

Philippe Jean, Head of the Automotive Industry Unit of the Enterprise and Industry Directorate General of the European Commission, visited a garage in Holland for the demonstration along with Colin Parlett from the Independent Garage Association.

Jean was shown the hurdles which garages face when connecting with vehicle manufacturers’ websites.

In an interview you can see below, Jean said: “You know the problems. Now I am looking at he difficulties which could be faced by independent operators in order to access the data. It makes the problem more real for me.”

Jean said there was an obligation for the European Commission to monitor the access which independents are entitled to, and ensure action taken was effective in improving the situation.

Colin Parlett of the IGA said: “The Commission has seen the difficulty that my colleagues are having in obtaining information. We need the Commission to look at the situation to make sure manufacturers comply with the regulation, both in spirit and in practice.”

Delphi is recommending garages replace entire ball joints when MOT inspections reveal damaged dust covers.

Although a car could pass the new MOT test if cracked dust covers are replaced with new boots, this doesn’t address the potential for damage to the ball joint.

Delphi says the joint could have been exposed to 51 weeks of dirt, debris and grease loss if a boot was damaged shortly after the previous MOT.

It says replacing the entire joint is the best approach to take as a result, and also suggests universal fitment boots designed to get cars through the new MOT might not be suitable in all applications.

Blue Peter Garage, Basingstoke

Blue Peter Garage in Basingstoke has been through a lot of change in recent years. Current owner Cliff Poulter has spent upwards of £60k renovating and restoring the business, and working to gain the trust of the local motoring population. If the queue of cars in his car park is anything to go by, he’s got it.

Poulter explained how he got into the business: “We were looking for a garage to buy in Basingstoke, having just sold our courier business. As a former mechanic myself I wanted to get back into the motor trade because I have a lot of passion for it. I knew the guy who owned this garage, and he told me he was looking to retire. So we bought this business.

“We totally rewired the building and had to bring in new lighting and customer facilities.“

Poulter says one of his biggest renovations has been to give the garage a friendlier atmosphere: “It’s the little things, like making sure your waiting area is warm in the winter, and making sure it’s a pleasant place to be. All those things add up to the customer thinking they’ll use your workshop. If they find somewhere they like they will come back. It takes so much time, effort and expense to get a new customer, and it takes less than five minutes to loose them. It’s as simple as that.

“If a customer can see inside the workshop and they see it’s covered in tools and grease they might not want to come inside.”

Garage owner Cliff Poulter

With the pre-Christmas cold snap not bringing in enough of the usual winter repair work, Poulter is relying on his staple business of MOT tests. He says workshops which offer reduced-rate MOT tests are devaluing the trade: “I read an article in the latest MOT magazine where someone was moaning that we have to pay for the paper and ink to print MOT certificates. I agree those are more expenditures, but then don’t forget that if you’re offering ridiculous prices for MOT’s then of course it’s going to be an extra cost.

“I think people are now getting wise to the fact that the cheaper an MOT is, the higher the chance of it failing.”

Poulter cites a case and point of a customer who visited a garage offering cheap MOT tests. His vehicle failed because the headlights were out of alignment, and the customer was charged £12.99 per light to put it right. Blue Peter Garage charges £44 for an MOT test – and consequently doesn’t charge customers to put small faults right.

Poulter is an active member of the Bosch Autocrew network, the supplied branding on the outside of his workshop is a welcome sight for customers: “We were approached by Autocrew through our relationship with Euro Car Parts. I looked at the proposal and there seemed to be a lot of advantages. The Bosch technical backup and the diagnostic equipment is brilliant.

We also get preferential rates with ECP, which considering they have a big branch just down the road is another advantage. I can usually have a part here within ten or fifteen minutes.”

The garage has an impressive interior

Poulter laments at some of the aspects of the modern motor trade. He thinks the ‘neighbourhood mechanic’ has all but disappeared: “These days there aren’t any more neighbourhood mechanics. When you book your car in these days you talk to a receptionist rather than a technician, and that’s a shame. We have people popping in all the time and we don’t charge for having a look. We always give customers a chance to shop around if they want to.”

“There are too many garages in the UK and there are certainly too many garages in Basingstoke. On this one industrial estate for example there are three other garages. There are four MOT testing stations on this one site. We’re probably the dearest out of all of them.”

There’s something to be said for Blue Peter Garage’s continuing success then – because despite Poulter admitting being one of the dearest workshops in the area, it’s also one of the busiest.

Blue Peter Garage – vital stats

ESTABLISHED          1992

LOCATION                Basingstoke

BAYS                          5

STAFF                        6

TEL                            01256 810707

WEB                          http://www.bluepetergarage.com/

Want to see your business featured here and in CAT Magazine? Email darren.moss@haymarket.com or call 020 8267 5927

You should be investing in training, and your staff should be excited about it

Spend your money wisely and the returns from training can be great, says John Genge

I talk to a lot of people about training, technical training, instructive training, management and other training. Opinion is divided with many seeing tangible and permanent benefits whilst others see it as a complete waste of time and money.

The span of opinions correlates strongly with their own personal attitudes to training, so it is worth looking closely at what factors appear to make training beneficial and what do not.

If you are not doing the following as part of your training programme, forget it, save your money and put up with average players.

1. What are you trying to achieve?

You should be doing staff appraisals. As part of that you can spot performance shortfalls, either in skills or knowledge. Many of these can be overcome with training, so a simple Training Needs Analysis summary, agreed and signed by all involved, will set out a plan and objectives.

2. Decide the best training route

You don’t necessarily have to send someone on a course. The internet may provide a solution, or a colleague may be able to help, but sometimes external training is the best approach. Be open to all, but agree the format with your staff.

3. Pre-training brief

This is crucial. As a manager you should formalise the T.N.A. to re-commit the need for the training, agree the outcomes and performance objectives and ask the team member if they have any worries or concerns. They should be excited about their training opportunity and you should give them encouragement by being equally enthusiastic.

4. Post training de-brief

Your interviewing skills, as well as your positive attitude, are needed here. Ask open-ended questions such as “What were the key points that you learned from this course?”. “What are you going to do differently as a result of your training?” “What was the best thing/ worst thing about this course?” If the course was poor, or the objectives weren’t reached, contact the training provider straight away and raise your concerns. There is more likely to be a solution at an early stage and we all know that delegates can be frightened to ask questions in case they look ‘daft’.

5. Teach others

This is something you can try yourself. Learn a foreign word or an interesting fact. Tell this to 18 people and I guarantee you will remember it for good. The very best way to internalise knowledge is to share it with others. Get your trained people to prepare a short presentation to share with their peers. Just the key points are needed – the learning outcomes, why it is better that way and how they will implement their new skills into the job. This may sound terrifying to some, but with a little support from it’s easy and they actually get a buzz from the kudos they generate.

6. Practice

This is particularly relevant for technical training but applies to all skills. As soon as the person returns, get them to practice their skills quickly. There is nothing worse that trying to use a skill or process that you learned six months ago and are struggling to remember.

Even if this results in a little loss of efficiency it will pay dividends later on.

7. Review

The next appraisal can be used to once again review the effectiveness of the training. Did it achieve what you both wanted? Are the skills complete? What revision is required? And, of course, you start the T.N.A. all over again.

Some reading this will remain cynical, unconvinced or of the opinion that in “the real world” this is not relevant. For those of that point of view I can assure you of two things:

• I have never been one to waste my money on anything
• I do not tolerate mediocrity

Training is an investment every bit as much as a new vehicle or piece of equipment. Fail to treat it properly and it will be as useless as any dead expense.

More than 140 aftermarket heavyweights converged on Twickenham Rugby Stadium recently for the 2012 CAT Awards.

The great and the good applauded our eight award winners, including retail magnate Joe Elliot for his lifetime achievement award.

In a new departure for the awards, four guests were invited onto the stage to give their thoughts on the state of the aftermarket and its opportunities going forward.

Thanks to Peter Cox, Andy Savva Richard Shortis and Bill Stimson for taking part in the debate which touched on some interesting issues and hit a nerve or two.

Read more about that, and our winners in more detail, in the Awards issue of the CAT coming to you soon.

2012 CAT Award Winners

Supplier of the Year, sponsored by Phocas – NGK

Factor of the Year, sponsored by Motaquip – GMF Motor Factors

Retailer of the Year, sponsored by Haynes – Motabitz

Garage of the year, sponsored by Euro Car Parts – ABP Motorsport

Person of the Year sponsored by Trico – Brian Childs, NGK

Aftermarket Worker of the Year sponsored by Denso – Steve Leys, TRW

Technical & Safety Innovation of the Year sponsored by TRW – Thule easy-fit snow chains

Lifetime Achievement Award, sponsored by NGK – Joe Elliott

Brian Spratt, chief executive of the IAAF, said: “This is a victory for common sense. I am sure the efforts put in by IAAF members who have been contacting their MPs, arranging site visits, and signing up on the IAAF’s ePetition on the government’s website, have all helped carry the argument to this successful conclusion. I thank all of them for their support.

“We have always held the view that none of the current codes directly regulate the quality of the repair made by a garage, they are primarily ‘customer friendly’ codes.  All welcome in their way, but the ATA accreditation of technicians who are working on the vehicles has a more direct affect on the effectiveness of the garage in servicing cars.”

Alec Murray, RMI chairman, said: “It is positive that after much speculation that MoT frequency will not feature in the review. The RMI have always been against any change to MoT frequency on the grounds that it is unnecessary and poses considerable safety issues.

“By retaining the current system the Government has cut the risk of the additional road deaths and injuries that would have potentially occurred with a move to less frequent testing.

“The RMI along with other trade bodies have been engaged with the DfT for some time on the wider issues around the current test and continue to view the review as a positive step. There are many areas of the MoT that could be improved and we have been in discussions with the DfT to air our views on what positive changes could be made.

“We will continue to work with Government throughout the review to ensure the interests of our members and consumers are best represented.”

Bill Duffy, co-ordinator of the Pro-MOTe campaign and CEO of Halford Autocentres said:

“Reducing the frequency of MOTs would have been dangerous, expensive and unwanted, and we welcome the Government’s sensible decision today to drop the idea. Ministers

“The proposal to reduce MOT frequency was opposed by organisations across the board, from industry to road safety campaigners to insurance companies and others.  Their support for Pro-MOTe and its objective was a major factor in persuading Ministers that the maintenance of annual MOTs was the right way forward.

“We look forward to working with Government on how to make the MOT test better and to ensure consumers receive the best customer service.”

Steve Fulford, chairman of The Parts Alliance said: “We would like to thank everyone involved in the campaign and especially Bill Duffy for his tireless commitment .”

Paul Everitt, chief executive of the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders said: “Industry welcomes the decision by government to retain the existing MOT test regime, supporting the need to keep road safety a top priority.

“Government will encourage garages to take up industry codes of practice to ensure a consistent and high quality approach to testing, thereby building consumer confidence and satisfaction.

“Industry will continue to work with the OFT-backed consumer protection scheme, Motor Codes, to play its part in improving standards across the service and repair sector.”

Bob Sockl, chief executive of FIMI, said: “Didn’t we do well? Six months ago, I would have put money on a silly result, but Justine Greening seems to have come to a sensible conclusion, no doubt influenced by Mike Penning.

“Now we can get on with having a good year for your business. Congratulations all round.”

Julie Townsend, deputy chief executive of road safety charity Brake, said: “This is very welcome news from the Transport Secretary. The annual MOT is vital to road safety, and the government has recognised that; reducing its frequency would have inevitably meant more lives needlessly lost and more terrible injuries. As a charity that supports people who have been bereaved or injured on roads, we know only too well the appalling devastation that results from poor vehicle maintenance.”

Edmund King, president of the AA, said: “The AA is delighted that the Transport Secretary has listened to the views of AA members who support the annual frequency of the MOT test.  We also welcome the decision to include mileage information on MOT certificates, which will help people buying used cars understand their history.

“There are other ways the MOT can be improved and we will be polling our members to seek their views on making the test more relevant to today’s motoring.”