Lucas Batteries.....Still A Powerful Name!

Although the brand may not be quite as prominent as it once was when it was the original equipment (OE) fitment choice for a host of vehicle manufacturers (VM’s), the name Lucas is still synonymous with the automotive industry not just in the UK, but in much of Europe and the Commonwealth as well.

Under the stewardship of Manbat - which it has been for the last two years - the Lucas automotive and commercial vehicle battery range has undergone something of a renaissance and CAAR members have no small part to play in this recent growth. The year-on-year sales of Lucas through the group have risen substantially in both 2010 and 2011, which is testament to the fact that members recognise the combination of quality and value that the brand provides them.

The fact that the brand is one of the few aftermarket brands that still resonates with the general public is a great selling point for the independent workshop and that provides a fantastic opportunity for members. It would cost literally millions to attempt to build a brand in the consciousness of the motorist, but the Lucas name is still widely recognised and this means that members can benefit, as they are able to supply a brand that commands the trust of the average motorist.

As members already supplying Lucas can endorse, the comprehensive range offers superb coverage for virtually every vehicle and there is a choice of three models, which ensures that they can provide the correct specification battery for the purpose.

The range starts with the ‘Classic’, which provides reliable starting performance with a two-year warranty and progresses to the ‘Premium’, which delivers enhanced starting power, calcium technology and a three-year warranty to the ‘Supreme’, which exceeds OE quality, provides 30% more starting power and has a four-year warranty.

Obviously there is much talk in the industry about the imminent increase in demand for AGM batteries as used in micro hybrid (Start-Stop) vehicles and although this demand is yet to fully develop, there is naturally a high quality AGM battery in the Lucas range.

The ‘Fusion’ is an OE quality AGM battery with a four-year warranty, which provides the perfect solution for a multitude of Start-Stop vehicles and remember; these batteries will generate twice the unit revenue and three times the margin of a conventional flooded lead-acid battery!

To ensure that members both support their customers and optimise the opportunities, Manbat encourages them to ensure that independent workshops have the knowledge and the skills to make the most of battery sales.

Battery testing is the key to exploit the opportunities and this relatively straightforward process will reveal whether their customer needs a new battery, or the existing battery can be recovered, but either outcome is providing a valuable service to their customer.

The only accurate way to test the condition of a battery - not just its state of charge - is with a specific test tool that carries out a conductivity test on the battery. This device, (Manbat stocks various examples of these tools and can advise members on the best model for the available budget) supplies a current of just over an amp across the battery and measures the return current over a set time period, to define the actual condition of the battery.

If, despite the fact that the battery is partially discharged, the test shows that the battery is in good physical condition, then by going through an anti-sulphation process, the battery can be charged and will perform perfectly well, but if the condition is poor, then a new battery is required.

However, whatever the result, workshops must check to find out whether there is an underlying cause that has led to the battery being in a discharged or semi-discharged state. This matter then obviously needs to be resolved.

By encouraging their customers to carry out these simple tests, members are helping workshops to provide a better service to the motorist while also maximising the revenue possibilities for their own businesses.

For further details of the Lucas range or the test tools it can supply, please call Manbat customer services on: 01743 218500 or visit: www.manbat.co.uk.

Lucas Combats Ethanol Damage

Manufacturers generate ethanol, which is short for ethyl alcohol, by fermenting and distilling crops like corn, wheat and barley. It’s the same stuff that is in alcoholic beverages. Alcohol is an amazing cleaner and solvent and its natural tendency is to bond with water. There is where the problems lie. What happens is a process called phase separation where the alcohol separates from the fuel and alcohol bonds to any water that is inherent in the system, corrupting all of the fuel in the process.

The other issue besides the water is that because alcohol is such a good solvent and cleaner it can dry out, damage and corrode plastics, rubbers and cause pieces to flake, break off and travel into the fuel system.

As seen in the photos here. You can see fuel lines that were cut open and inspected to find the inner walls were deteriorating and flaking off into the fuel. The fuel lines themselves became very hard and brittle. The fuel filters got gummed up with debris which also lead to fouling of spark plugs. The fuel filters swelled and broke into two pieces.

Lucas Safeguard Ethanol Fuel Conditioner with Stabilizers will combat this problem and the message to the customer is “don’t wait until the damage is already done”!!!

For more information please contact Lucas Oil on 01248 726333 

TMD Friction : Fighting the Fakes

Having counterfeits made of your products and brands is a strange kind of compliment, the cost to set up manufacturing and engineering to make a fake product only makes sense when the product has both premium quality and value, and a market leading brand identity.

Historically the premium products and brands of TMD Friction have been clear targets of copy cat producers, but today dealing with counterfeit has become an infrequent activity, as a direct result of the effective measures and

controls placed on all TMD Friction manufacturing and product lines. Every friction product supplied by TMD Friction is manufactured inside the company, from one of the 10 state of the art factories spread across the globe. Having operations on this scale, with a million individual pieces of brake friction rolling off the production lines every day, does not deter TMD Friction from operating strict common control processes and unique anti-counterfeit measures in all plants.

All TMD Friction products have unique part and manufacturing batch information, the packaging specification is almost impossible to replicate and TMD Friction employs anti-counterfeit security seals that include holographic technology. At Automechanika 2010 TMD revealed a new security seal which incorporates 5 different anti-counterfeit technologies, some of which have never been previously used in the automotive sector.

In the past occasional counterfeit activity in the Aftermarket involving a product packaged under one of the flagship TMD Brands has been rapidly identified and immediate actions taken. With worldwide trademark protection on all brands TMD Friction has always made a strong retaliation to any fake products, tracing these inferior products back to source and working with local governments and legal teams to shut down the operations and prevent further distribution.

However despite all this built in protection, and an aggressive stance on fake products, counterfeits do still occur, both of aftermarket and original equipment products. TMD Friction works hand in hand with it’s customers to protect against counterfeiting, supplying technical information and product test results to clearly illustrate the dangers in using inferior brake parts and components. At Automechanika 2010 TMD Friction also launched a new web platform, providing clear advice on how to identify fake products, presenting samples of previous counterfeit products compared to the original product and an open forum inviting customers and consumers worldwide to register any concerns over fake brake components.

TMD has some simple rules for end-users (both trade & retail) that apply to all levels of the market and to all product groups:

• If a product carries a brand name spelled differently or has the wrong style or different logos don’t buy it, look at the website for the brands and consult an authorised distributor
• If a product is priced significantly lower than usual and is out of line with comparative brands
• If it’s too good to be true, it probably isn't, check the product in detail
• If a branded product is presented in plain packaging, or packaging with a different brand check the box contents and the product carefully, without a clear explanation from the parts distributor don’t buy the product and demand only official packaging
• As a general rule when purchasing such safety critical items as brake friction, if you have any doubt contact the manufacturer directly or your local authorised distributor / main dealer.

For more information on TMD products please call them on 01274 854000

Sovereign Rotating Machines Under The Spotlight

Rotating electrics (or rotating machines as they are now more commonly called) have always been an important sales area within the independent aftermarket, and, w

ith recent developments in start/stop technology they will only increase in importance in the future.

The ‘good old days’

However, like so many other product groups, this is no longer a simple market where a few part numbers fit a host of applications. Old hands such as myself look back to those halcyon days when a couple of Lucas ACR’s (left and right hand although you could always swivel the bracket if you were out of stock of one or the other) together with a few Bosch and Valeo references for imported vehicles would cover the majority of the vehicle parc’s alternator requirements. Where there were a couple

of references listed for a particular vehicle or model range it was usually just the output that varied so stocking the highest rated saved carrying three or four extra references.

Similarly starter motors were covered by a dozen or so popular references with the same starter being shared by several different models within a vehicle manufacturers range.

The market today

Step forward twenty years and the market has changed dramatically with the ‘part number explosion’ making this a complex and undoubtedly technical market sector.

There are now multiple units which can be fitted as original equipment to a single model, and they are very often non-interchangeable. On top of this the loads placed upon both starters and alternators, which are often a fraction of the size they used to be, have greatly increased with the universal use of electronic systems in vehicle technology.

In short, what was once a fairly simple, easy-to-service market is now full of complications and pitfalls. So what’s the answer?

The right supplier

Today, more than ever before, it’s essential to have the right supplier for your rotating electrics.

A supplier who supplies consistently high quality units with excellent availability, has a high technical knowledge, offers full technical support and can react quickly in supplying one-off specials for those ‘oddball’ units that are often needed.

CAAR members looking for all of these qualities are increasingly turning to Sovereign, the Bognor Regis based specialists who have been producing high quality rotating machines for the past 15 years.

Massive Expansion

Back in 2007, Sovereign took the decision to double their product range making it one of, if not the, most comprehensive range of rotating machines available within the independent aftermarket.

Today they have some 2,500 part numbers available, split roughly 50/50 between starters and alternators. Given that the top 150 units cover almost 75 per cent of sales, offering well over 2,000 other units is an incredible commitment to being a ‘one-stop’ , single choice supplier.

Quality, Quality, Quality!

Of course you can have the best range in the world but if the quality of that range is not 100 per cent right then customers will simply not buy.

This is where Sovereign really score. Our recent visit to their 30,000 sq. ft. manufacturing plant (now expanded with the acquisition of a large, neighbouring unit) showed us just how much emphasis is put on the quality of the products they supply.

Remanufacturing is a dirty and labour intensive business but Sovereign have developed systems which ensure that each and every unit supplied by the company meets exacting standards for both performance and appearance. From the moment the old-core arrives in stillages and is identified to the final testing procedures before the unit is packed in the new, high-quality Sovereign box, every unit has a computer and paper trail that ensures every single one is remanufactured to consistently high standards that meet the OE specification.

Every unit is fully stripped, cleaned and checked before the remanufacturing process can begin and the company is ruthless in scrapping any parts that don’t meet their exacting standards.

Wearing parts such as bushes, bearings and brushes are automatically replaced whilst items such as solenoids and starter drives are fully stripped and either replaced or rebuilt with OE quality components.

New or Remanufactured?

It may surprise members to find out that almost 50 per cent of all units supplied within a Sovereign box are brand new!

The company has built relationships with factories in the far east who produce units to their exacting specifications. Not only are the units batch tested when they arrive in Bognor, they also have an engineer on-site who ensures that these quality levels are maintained at all times.

One slight penalty of offering both new and remanufactured units in the same range is the appearance, as Sovereign MD Richard Welland explained.

“We have always produced top quality units but, since we began using new units as well, we have to ensure that they not only perform like new but they also look like new.”

In order to achieve this they have invested heavily in new cleaning and painting systems to enhance the appearance of the remanufactured units to the point where they are virtually indistinguishable from new. In addition to this all of the units are now shrink-wrapped before being boxed to ensure vulnerable parts are protected from damage and the appearance of the units remains immaculate whilst on the shelf.

Testing Times

Every new unit supplied by Sovereign comes with an individual, computerised test certificate and, with the investment of tens of thousands of pounds in new test equipment, so will all of the remanufactured units.

Every single unit that leaves the Sovereign factory has been individually tested but, previously, this testing has been carried out manually on an industry-standard test bench. Whilst this is effective it requires operator experience and a set routine. The new computerised test machines take away any chance of operator error and provide a totally automated test procedure which mirrors that applied to the brand-new units.

Summing Up

We could carry on by telling you about the excellent warranty system and the next-day delivery service as well as the three-day turnaround on special units ,the standard £15 surcharge on most fast-moving units and the stock cleanse facility that is available.

And we haven’t even touched on their other products such as ignition leads and coils and clutch pulleys!

However we just don’t have the space so why not give Sovereign a call on 01243 833420 to find out why they really do have ‘pride in everything they do’!

Ring Celebrate 36 Years

In 1974 Ring Automotive was established. 36 years on and after a successful management buyout Ring Automotive now stands the market leader in the supply of vehicle lighting and auto electrical car accessories.
In this time Ring Automotive has developed a good relationship with CAAR and its members. This is in part due to unique products such as the XenonMax, Air Compressors and SmartChargers, but it is also down to individual personnel. While many aftermarket companies have cut back their sales force, Ring Automotive provide each CAAR member with its own dedicated Areas Sales Manager and Internal Sales Partner from the Customer Service Team. CAAR members have a name they know when they call and the one point of contact creates a mutually beneficial relationship. CAAR members can be informed of availability, pricing, delivery times and whether or not there is a promotion. CAAR members also have the option of placing orders by fax, email and edi. With 96% availability and 98% first pick time accuracy CAAR members can rely on the service from Ring Automotive.
From its early beginnings as a supplier of vehicle bulbs, Ring Automotive was able to provide an alternative offering to the market in product, price, service and supply.
Leaders In Lighting
To many motorists the name Ring Automotive is synonymous with bulbs, but there is a lot more to vehicle lighting than a standard replacement bulb. Today Ring Automotive leads the aftermarket with the innovation of the XenonMax, the first street legal bulb to put up to 100% more light on the road.
Last year demand for the XenonMax range of bulbs out stripped supply. The success was a combination of an innovative product that Ring Automotive knew the market wanted, supported with above the line advertising and marketing, giving retailers the maximum opportunity to trade up.
Understanding that the competition would respond, Ring Automotive has worked hard to provide even more support to CAAR members. Caroline Harding Ring Automotive’s Associate Marketing Director, says “this Autumn sees the launch of a new lighting profitability centre (LPC). The LPC is a 1m wide x 2m high stand, with clear trade up routes for performance halogen bulbs, long life halogen bulbs and premium halogen bulbs. The key difference is that the LPC also comes with an interactive display that informs and demonstrates the benefits of the XenonMax bulb.” Caroline States “We worked really hard to provide a clear, concise easy to understand message as to why motorists should upgrade to XenonMax. The film on the display shows the contrast in light out put from a standard bulb and equivalent XenonMax bulb. This will appeal to the executive long distance driver or a mother driving her family, looking to make driving easier and safer after dark.
Focus has not just been given to the XenonMax bulbs. Ring Automotive has also redesigned its standard blister bulb packaging. The packaging has been designed to ensure Long life, Premium and Rapid Response bulbs all fit into a consistent look, presenting customers with clear options. Caroline Harding says “to aid self selection, we have simplified the information presented so that motorists who are unfamiliar with bulbs can understand what bulb they require. This should remove confusion and doubt in the mind of motorists, but at the same time make retailers such as CAAR members seem more accessible.
New SmartCharge+ Range
New product development is not exclusive to lighting. Powering is Ring Automotive’s range of products designed to provide portable power for all travel requirements, within and around vehicles. Powering has expanded to include SmartChargers, inverters, powerpacks and multi-sockets.
This autumn sees Ring Automotive’s launch its new range of SmartCharge+ battery charges. These have been designed to prolong the life of a battery, but also prevent unnecessary maintenance or breakdown costs.
SmartCharge+ is the Ultimate Health Care for Batteries.
The SmartCharge+ range of battery chargers with their 7 stage charging cycle is a hassle free, comprehensive tool designed to diagnose, recondition and service vehicle batteries.
The Ring Automotive SmartCharge+ range is easy and intuitive to use, simply plug into the mains and connect to the battery. The SmartCharge+ will do the rest. It will test a battery and establish what action is needed.
Before charging, the SmartCharge+ range will automatically, if needed, go into a desulphation mode. If further charging is required the chargers will automatically go into a recondition stage to recover deeply discharged batteries.
For motorists the SmartCharge+ reduces the cost of battery replacement and the claims for the battery warranty.
Motorists will also see an improvement in battery performance to deal with the constant drain from the ever increasing on board electronic equipment and in-car gadgets.
With winter just around the corner, the cold temperatures often make motorists notice the state of their battery as more energy is needed to start a vehicle. The SmartCharge+ range of battery chargers is the ideal tool to keep motorist battery fully charged and you on the road this winter season.
Committed To Quality
In 1974, when Ring entered the market, it set out to differentiate itself from the competition, through a commitment to quality.
Today Ring Automotive has a dedicated Quality Assurance testing laboratory where it puts all new products and potential rival products through gruelling test programmes. This commitment to quality continues with the recent installation of a purpose built lighting laboratory. The new £100,000 facility is equipped with the latest light imaging photometer.
Where a traditional goniophotometer can only measure the light intensity and colour from the lamp one direction at a time, the new ProMetric photometer can measure millions of angles simultaneously. Localised light and colour difference can easily be detected. “From this incredible tool and the powerful supporting software not only can we analyse the results to ensure strict compliance to legal regulations, but also when developing new products, we have accurate information to make improvements,” explains Nick Cameron, Marketing and Technical Director at Ring Automotive.
“The software also provides a ‘birds eye’ view of the on road beam pattern, which makes it easy to visualise the performance difference between lamps, to both the engineer and user alike.”
Nick Cameron explains “the technology was developed in partnership with our supplier putting Ring Automotive at the forefront of automotive lighting technology.”
The light tunnel laboratory continues to move the company forward. It allows Ring Automotive to give aftermarket customers, access to the innovative technologies of tomorrow, way ahead of the competition.
“We are obviously proud of our new laboratory that we have been inviting customers to visit and see the new facility first hand. We welcome CAAR members to visit, so we can explain the work we are doing and what benefits they can expect to see themselves.” says Cameron.
Award Winning Products
This commitment to quality has resulted in Ring Automotive winning numerous products awards across its wide product range. Already in 2010, Ring Automotive has won 13 product awards out of a total 53 product awards.
It can be a challenge persuading consumers to buy a more sophisticated, well engineered product when cheaper alternatives do a seemingly similar job. This is where Ring Automotive’s complete product offering of excellent packaging, cataloguing, field training, and product awards comes into play. It helps retailers demonstrate the benefits of the more advanced Ring Automotive products and increase profits. It also give consumers confidence in the Ring Automotive product range and brand.

Testing Procedures For Lead Acid Batteries

Battery Testing Procedures From Manbat

Preparation
Remember the phrase ‘safety first’ so always wear goggles, rubber gloves, and a rubber apron and ensure that the maintenance carried out in a well-ventilated area. Always follow the correct handling protocols when lifting or moving batteries. So keep a straight back and if in any doubt seek assistance from a colleague. Never smoke or use a naked flame when around batteries.
Inspection
Examine the outside of the battery, looking for cracks in the case and ensure that the posts and connections are free of dirt, fluids and corrosion. Any fluids on or near to the battery could indicate that the electrolyte is spilling or leaking out of the battery. Spilt electrolyte can cause serious damage.
Open Circuit Voltage Testing
For accurate voltage readings batteries must have been idle for at least 6 hours prior to testing.
Disconnect all loads from the battery and measure the voltage with a DC voltmeter. Consult the table below for the state of charge and charge the battery if it is 80% or less of full capacity.

STATE OF CHARGE % ...............SPECIFIC GRAVITY............... 12v BATTERY
........100...................................................1280 .....................................12.73
..........90 ..................................................1258 .....................................12.62
..........80 ..................................................1238......................................12.50
..........70...................................................1217.......................................12.37
..........60...................................................1195.......................................12.24
..........50...................................................1172.......................................12.10
..........40...................................................1150......................................11.96
..........30..................................................1124.......................................11.81
.........20...................................................1100.......................................11.66
.........10...................................................1073........................................11.51

Specific Gravity Testing
Do not add water to the cells prior to testing.
Fill and drain the hydrometer three or four times prior to testing and then ensure that you have enough sample electrolyte in the hydrometer to completely support the float, keep the pipe submerged in the electrolyte.
Take a reading, and return the electrolyte to each cell after testing. The readings should be between 1270 to 1280. If any of the cells read below 1240, then put the battery on a complete charge, and retake the specific gravity readings again afterwards. Should the cells still read low then perform an equalising charge (detailed below).
If any of the cells still read low after performing the complete charge and a subsequent equalising charge, then the battery is likely be reaching the end of its life and should be replaced.
Watering
Prior to charging, there should be enough electrolyte to cover the plates. If the battery has been discharged (partly or fully), the liquid level should also be above the plates. If necessary, top up the cells before charging with distilled or deionised water to cover the plates. A thorough charge will ensure the water is fully absorbed into the electrolyte.
Charging
The key to charging batteries requires administering the correct amount of current at the right voltage. The vast majority of charging equipment automatically regulates these values, however some chargers do allow the user to set these values. A non-automatic charger should be set at 10% of the Ah (Amp/Hour) capacity of the battery. E.G. 10amps for a 100 Amp/Hour battery.
For further information concerning any area of battery care visit: www.manbat.co.uk

Mont Blanc Under the Spotlight

Think of roof systems and the name Mont Blanc inevitably comes to mind.
Since its foundation in 1947 the Swedish company has developed into a leading player in the roof system and leisure market and has grown alongside the expanding market.
Within the UK, Mont Blanc came to the fore back in 1995 when they acquired the Paddy Hopkirk company which was already an established roof bar and rack supplier. A rebranding exercise began in 1998 replacing the Hopkirk name with that of Mont Blanc and the company became Mont Blanc Industri UK in 2004.
Over the last 15 years the company has gone from strength to strength. They are now one of the top two players in Europe and the UK, Much of the UK growth has come from the independent retail sector in which it is the acknowledged brand-leader
Man At The Top
Overseeing the British operation is UK Managing Director Ian Graham who is also Chief Commercial Officer for Mont Blanc Industri AB. Many members will have met Ian at CAAR shows as well as other trade shows over the years. Ian joined Mont Blanc as Commercial Director in 1998, becoming UK managing Director two months later. With a background in accessories that includes spells at MA Brands, Mason Accessories and Summit, Ian already had plenty of experience within the aftermarket and, under his guidance, Mont Blanc has become a dominant force.
So what changes has Ian noticed in the market over his 12 year tenure?
“Well probably the greatest change has been the explosion in fittings required to cover the market”, says Ian. “Back in 1998 we had 4 bars and 20 kits giving excellent coverage. Today we still have four basic bars but now it takes over 300 kits to maintain 93% vehicle coverage.”
Continuing the theme, Ian tells us that back in 1995 guttered roof bars covered 80 per cent of the market whilst today it’s less than two per cent!
Made In The UK
You may think that, like so many products in the market, much of the range would be manufactured in the far east and shipped into the UK. Well if you do, then you’re wrong because adjoining the companies offices in Leighton Buzzard is a massive production facility which carries out, in Ian’s words, “good old-fashioned metal bashing”!
The company either produces or assembles all of its products in-house with components being made here for other plants within the group and vice versa.
Over 50 per cent of the workforce has been with the company for over 10 years and the operation is a hive of activity as components are produced and then assembled into the finished article. Investment in machinery includes a state-of-the-art paint plant that allows a colour change within 20 minutes and fits in with the company’s ‘just in time’ manufacturing policy. Instead of making thousands of one item at a time, Mont Blanc operate a system which analyses forthcoming orders and ensures that the right product is available at the right time.
All Mont Blanc items carry a 3 year guarantee which emphasises the quality of the product
Market Trends
Whilst roof bars have always been popular and staple products for retailers, the explosion in the items fitted to them has produced many more profitable sales opportunities than the old roof rack deck ever did. Mont Blanc were pioneers in roof boxes, producing fibreglass models in Sweden back in the 1970’s for the ski market. Today there is a vast range of boxes available from the company in all shapes, sizes and price points. Now made of hi-grade ABS with a UV stable cap to prevent fading, the boxes incorporate features such as dual-side opening, quick-fit systems and multipoint locking systems that don’t allow key removal unless all the points are firmly locked down.
Ian points out that the market in boxes in the UK is still well behind that on the continent but it is growing steadily, “We’ve also seen the roof box become a fashion accessory on top-end models such as the BMW X5 and so we now produce some beautiful high-gloss finishes on some of the boxes”, he says.
Of course many CAAR members stock a wide range of roof boxes and Mont Blanc offer seasonal pricing that ensures continuity of price throughout the year.
And There’s More
Ski-holders, bike carriers (roof and rear mount), surf board holders and a whole host of other accessories are available to offer even more sales opportunities There is also a fantastic range of commercial vehicle racks and fittings as well as internal van racking which we will feature in a future issue.
The popular Mont Blanc Vista Roof Boxes are available from www.caarbitz.co.uk