• “New Mot Test Checks Required For Number Plates”
• Launch X-431 Update
• MOT reminder on key tag
• Performance Floors for the Motorsport Industry
• Pico Technology launch two new kits
• Snap-On Announces Introduction Of Innovative New Dual 80 Series Of Ratchets
• Accurate Headlamp Alignment from Actia Muller (UK) Ltd
“New Mot Test Checks Required For Number Plates”
According to VOSA:
“The registration plate check is being added to ensure that plates are easily identifiable both to other drivers and enforcement agencies. These tests will ensure that registration plates:
• do not have a background overprinted or shadowed with text e.g. vehicle manufacturer name
• do not have a non-reflective border wider than permitted or positioned too close to the characters;
• have the correct background and character i.e. white on the front and yellow on the rear, both with black characters for vehicles first used on or after 1 January 1973;
• on vehicles first used on or after 1 September 2001 do not display plates with a honeycomb or similar effect background”
The Opportunity
A recent prediction by the DFT has suggested that up to 40,000 vehicles could potentially fail these new checks. MOT Test stations can provide a vital service to their customers by ensuring that they can produce and fit legal numberplates in minutes. Jepson says you will save the customer time and money compared to sourcing their plates elsewhere and add true value to the overall Test/service.
Established since 1894, Jepson’s claim to be one of the UK’s largest and oldest numberplate manufacturers and suppliers of number plate printing equipment and say they are therefore perfectly positioned to help you make the most of this significant opportunity.
They can provide you with “an affordable number plate printing package which includes:
• High quality and reliable Merlin Thermal Printer
• Quick and simple to use Smart + Keyboard
• All in one Integra assembly Board
This is all backed up by their “industry leading” levels of service and support through a nationwide network of account managers and in-house IT department.
For further details Call 0114 273 1151 for your nearest account manager or log onto www.jepsonandco.com.
MOT Workshop Magazine
Launch X-431 Update
Launch X-431 Ltd are keen to introduce a complete diagnostic package for technicians, offering training courses suited to all skill levels and experience, and support with both online and telephone help to assist them with repairs.
The purchase of a Diagnostic tool is seen as just the first step; modern vehicles can now carry up to 100 on-board computers giving a technician access to an enormous amount of data. Being able to understand and interpret this data will enable the user to quickly and accurately identify faults in the relevant system.
The system can read and clear DTC’s (data trouble codes) on different systems, it reads live data, carries out actuation tests, resets service lights, codes keys, adjusts electronic and air suspension systems. ABS and SRS are also standard features, as are codes control units and many, many more operations. This is why they claim Launch X-431 is now the “clear market leader” in diagnostics and that “more X-431’s are sold than all the other diagnostic scanners put together”.
Included in the X431 Scan Tool Kit is a licence for 3 years of software updates, downloaded from the X431 website www.x431.com, and as a special offer Launch X-431 Ltd are offering 3 extra manufacturers: Jaguar, Daihatsu and Isuzu and also a super 16 connector free of charge (pictured right) making a saving of £600.00, including two years warranty as standard.
More information on Launch products including Training courses and technical information can be found at the LAUNCH X-431 LTD website, www.x431ltd.co.uk
MOT Workshop Magazine
MOT reminder on key tag
Introducing the all-new Remotag MOT reminder. This simple yet innovative idea will provide all year round advertising for your business while serving as a useful reminder to your customers of their MOT expiry date.
Motorists are regularly caught out by a lapsed MOT, which may render insurance policies invalid. Currently there is no standardised system for prompting MOT renewal.
How does Remotag work? An eye-catching key tag is attached to your customer’s keys following a visit to your garage. This durable laser engraved item is double sided. One side displays your garage details and the reverse is for you to complete the MOT expiry date. This is the business card that your customers are unlikely to discard. Remotag is available in a variety of colours and can incorporate any logo or design in line with your own branding. The key tag has been used as a successful marketing tool by a number of leading brands. Director Mark Gynn claims “Remotag is a cost effective method of ensuring repeat business and initial feedback from the market place is excellent”.
MOT Workshop Magazine
Performance Floors for the Motorsport Industry
John Lord introduces their range of specialist resin flooring systems into the automobile industry.
John L. Lord & Son Ltd is the UK’s leading supplier and installer of specialist resin flooring systems. Their range of high-performance floors includes everything from heavy-duty non-slip screeds, to glossy floor coatings and decorative finishes.
They have recently introduced their products into the automobile industry, completing installations for a number of private car collections and commercial garages and dealerships.
The Epigard SL smooth, glossy flooring system provides “the perfect solution for showrooms, private garages and assembly areas, with its easy to clean, attractive finish”.
John Lord claims “Ideal for manufacturing, workshop and bodyshop environments, the Uragard HT Range of heavy-duty resin screeds offers superior durability, chemical resistance and slip resistance. This fast curing system was recently chosen by the Austin Healey specialist, Denis Welch Motorsport at Yoxall, Staffordshire, as part of a complete refurbishment to the premises”.
The work was completed during weekends, over two phases in order to minimise downtime for the business. Preparation of the old, worn and damaged concrete floor was completed by John Lord, prior to the installation of the new Uragard HT resin screed.
John Lord offer a free floor design service and site survey – to arrange an appointment contact their Sales Office on 0161 764 4617. www.john-lord.co.uk
MOT Workshop Magazine
Pico Technology launch two new kits
The PicoScope Diagnostics Kit, already well-known to automotive professionals, has just been updated with the addition of two new kits. These use the latest scopes, just launched in 2009, to increase your repair rate and keep your customers happy.
The new PicoScopes are equipped for the future, with twice the bandwidth of their predecessors and four times faster sampling. This means that they can clearly display the high-speed signals used on the latest vehicles, including the highly complex waveforms found on the new FlexRay bus. The new “always on memory”, now 64 times larger, ensures that you can concentrate on the job, not on the scope, and so never miss a detail. The new scopes also have twice the input range (now +/‑100 V) so that you can test a wider range of signals.
The patterns that you get from a PicoScope Diagnostics Kit show you what is really going on inside the vehicle. A scan tool can alert you to the most likely cause of a problem, but only a scope can prove whether a component is faulty or not and save you the cost of unnecessary replacement. The PicoScope display is highly detailed and accurate, and can be as big as the screen of your PC or laptop. If that’s not enough, you can zoom in to see even more detail, save the results on disk for future analysis, or save pictures to share with colleagues. You don’t have to pay extra for vehicle-specific tests, because PicoScope works with any make of engine. There is a 2-channel and a 4-channel version so you can choose the kit that suits your budget.
The PicoScope kits can test just about any electrical component on a vehicle, including airflow, MAF and MAP sensors; lambda and knock sensors; ABS, crank and cam sensors; injectors and fuel pumps; primary and secondary ignition; CAN bus integrity; batteries, starting and charging circuits; glow plugs and timer relays; and relative compression.
“PicoScope Diagnostics is used by more vehicle manufacturers than any other kit, as well as by many independent garages”, explained Alan Tong, Managing Director of Pico Technology. “We can supply standard kits or customise them for your fleet of vehicles.”
Full details of the PicoScope Diagnostics kits are available on the Pico Technology website at www.picoauto.com. Free technical support and software updates are available to all Pico customers.
MOT Workshop Magazine
Snap-On Announces Introduction Of Innovative New Dual 80 Series Of Ratchets
Snap-on Tools, brand leader in tools, tool storage and diagnostic equipment for the automotive market, has announced the recent introduction of its latest range of 80-Tooth Ratchets, the Dual 80 Series.
The new ratchet range has been created to utilise an eighty tooth gear together with dual pawls, thus the name Dual 80. In total, there are 23 new ratchets in the range – seven standard” ratchets, seven ” with soft-grip and nine ½” drive ratchets. In these categories products are available with different lengths, finishes, handles and heads to ensure maximum flexibility of use.
In terms of strength, the new Dual 80 range offers up to 250 ft lbs – 3,000 inch lbs – of ultimate torque. With seven teeth in contact with the gear this ensures not only strength but also durability. In terms of accessibility, the Dual 80 has 25% less ratcheting arc than our closest competitor, which means that it requires the least amount of arc to engage the next gear tooth. The Dual 80’s ratchet and socket together have the lowest height of any product on the market which means that it is able to slip easily into those very tight spots which other ratchets just will not reach.
“At Snap-on Tools we pride ourselves on not simply providing the highest quality tools available but also our ability to predict future market needs and then create the required product in advance of customer demand,” says Terry Barcham, European Managing Director of Snap-on Tools. “We listen closely to our customers and what we have established that they want from a ratchet is strength, accessibility, durability, low-ratcheting torque, together with a mechanism to keep out dirt.
“We are very proud, we think justifiably, of our new Dual 80 ratchets range. This extensive and flexible new range is, we believe, a perfect example of Snap-on’s quest for innovation and all our research indicates that this product will be extremely well received by the UK market.”
Technicians can find out more about the new Snap-on Dual 80 Series of Ratchets by contacting their local Snap-on Franchisee or by visiting www.snapon.com/dual80
MOT Workshop Magazine
Accurate Headlamp Alignment from Actia Muller (UK) Ltd
With headlamp alignment hot on VOSA’s agenda, Actia Muller introduces the innovative 664-4 double laser headlamp beam setter for ultimate precision and reliability. The latest unit to be homologated for MOT testing (Class IV / VII), and also suitable for commercial vehicle pre-testing, Actia Muller’s 664-4 double laser aligner is a quality tool which offers faster operation and increased accuracy. Coupled with electronic LUX measurement, alignment of the gauge to the centre of the light unit and parallel to the vehicle is rapid, simple and accurate.
The unit utilises a laser to easily adjust the height of the unit whilst also pin pointing the exact centre of the beam, rather than the traditional and some times vague sight lines and tape measure methods of the past. It also replaces the conventional mirror or box sights, widely recognised as a simple means of squaring the headlamp unit to the vehicle, yet not necessarily accurate. With Actia Muller’s Laser Head unit, a second laser beam, split through a prism to give a straight line makes squaring of the unit to the vehicle not only faster than conventional single laser and mirror systems, but also considerably more precise.
This is just one more innovative solution in Actia Muller’s “The Complete Workshop” vision of high quality, high tech, affordably priced ATL, garage and diagnostic equipment.
Tel: 01686 611177
Email: mail@actiamuller.co.uk
Web: www.actiamuller.co.ukContact: Carole Eaton
MOT Workshop Magazine
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