Textar has expanded its distribution network across South Wales with the addition of new stockist Spartan Motor Factors.

Comline will be flying the flag in Moscow in later this month, when they appeared at MIMS Automechanika Russia, the country’s largest automotive expo.

MOT connectivity continues to roll out, with more equipment needing to be able of linking to the MOT testing service going forward, the DVSA is reminding garages.

TRICO has joined forces with MAFCO Autobar in a summer giveaway for buyers of TRICO wiper blades.

TRICO has unveiled its new planogram design with signage, which allows retailers to display its entire Exact Fit range to customers – using just a single two-metre bay.   The Exact Fit programme is a comprehensive range of direct fit, OE replacement blades, with almost 150 references giving 99% front and rear wiper coverage.

The JLM Academy officially opened its doors on Saturday (20 July). The brainchild of Darren Darling, founder of The DPF Doctor Network, the new Academy is fielding a top-drawer roster of industry trainers, including Darren and Andy Savva, a.k.a The Garage Inspector.

A Bristol MOT tester has been prosecuted after he carried out illegitimate MOTs in a Somerset layby.

Autoglass has launched the Over The Air calibration solution which adds to its existing ADAS proposition. The combination makes what the company calls the Total Calibration Solution for ADAS diagnostics, coding and calibration.

Industry charity Ben saw a 29% year-on-year increase in the number of cases managed by its support services team, according to the organisation’s annual Impact Report for 2018-19, which was published this week.

The DVSA has published new, clearer guidance on how they want to see MOT stations run that puts all relevant information in one place.

The Parts Alliance concluded their latest promotion by revealing the winner of an incredible prize - A brand new Porsche 911 Carrera worth almost £100,000.

A Leeds-based garage has seen an advert it placed in a magazine banned by the Advertising Standards Agency (ASA) due to its perceived sexist content.

Sales of TRICO wiper blades have surged year-on-year at Autoparts UK, with the brand’s Exact Fit and Flex range going up 65% during the period.

he unprecedented rain and flooding that lashed much of Britain recently did not deter keen garage owners in the midlands from attending an open evening at The Parts Alliance’s new Midpoint Distribution Centre in mid-June, during the worst of the weather. A total of 250 attendees including 25 key suppliers made it for the event

A favourable Brexit deal is absolutely vital for the UK automotive sector, and securing one should be the top priority for the UK’s next Prime Minister, the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT) said today (Tuesday 25 June) at the industry’s annual International Automotive Summit.

The following businesses have been named as the winners of Top Garage 2019.  

The winner and runner up for Top Technician 2019 have been announced. Neil Currie from Robertson Gemini in Dumfries & Galloway is 2019’s champion Meanwhile, Declan Robinson, who works at Philips Volkswagen in Lisburn, Northern Ireland was runner up.  

Hickleys are running a series of key programming presentations that will show the opportunities available in key programming. The evening sessions are being held around the country in June.

Draper Tools will be bringing in a special guest at their stand at Automechanika Birmingham 2019, as the company be joined by British Touring Car Championship race team Excelr8 Motorsport

The finalists for Top Garage have been named. The following businesses will compete to become winner within their own group, as well as for the overall championship for the year.  

The IAAF’s Your Car - Your Choice pilot project in Chesterfield has taken another step forward following the first ever garage awareness day.More than 100 people attended the event, held at Bilstein Group, Markham Vale as garages were able to find out more about their rights under Block Exemption Regulations (BER) and hear presentations from automotive aftermarket suppliers supporting their right to service and repair vehicles within the warranty period.

Morris Lubricants brand ambassador, television personality and mechanic Guy Martin will open the Automechanika Birmingham Big UK Garage Event on Tuesday 4 June.

MOT centres are less likely to need to provide replacement copies of lost MOT certificates for customers going forward, thanks to a new online service that has been launched. It is estimated that businesses made £6 million per year as a result of providing MOT certificate replacement copies

Wendy Williamson, Chief Executive of the Independent Automotive Aftermarket Federation (IAAF) will be taking to the stage of the Aftermarket Seminar Theatre at Automechanika Birmingham next month in order to discuss the challenges faced by the aftermarket in the digital era.

A second-hand car dealer based in West Yorkshire has been ordered to pay £53,567 for misleading consumers. The fines were handed down at Leeds Magistrates Court after the company entered guilty pleas relating to six breaches of the Consumer Protection from Unfair Trading Regulations. 

Automechanika Birmingham has announced that Lord Sebastian Coe will be addressing the Aftermarket Power Network, premiering at Automechanika Birmingham on Tuesday 4th June, in Hall 20, NEC.

The Independent Garage Association (IGA) has published its latest report into consumer facing websites that provide work to independent garages.

Following approval being granted by the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) in the UK for the takeover of Ring Automotive by Osram, a partnership between the two companies has officially started.

The Parts Alliance’s Spring Garage Essentials catalogue has been released, and features a huge number of new suppliers and exclusive products.

Morris Lubricants has launched a new corporate website. This new online presence has been designed to give a cleaner view, and knits together information that visitors want and need in an easy to read layout that incorporates both text and video content.

Snap-on has been awarded two Queen’s Awards, in the Innovation and International Trade categories respectively. Snap-on is one of a small number of companies to be awarded in multiple categories.

The finalists for Top Technician 2019 have been announced: 

The IAAF has welcomed the news that FIGIEFA, together with other stakeholders, is conducting ‘Proof of Concept’ testing of a ‘Remote Diagnostic’ use case as part of the investigation of the Extended Vehicle (ExVe) concept.

Primalec has established a strategic partnership with the Holland-based Unicorn Tools.

The Parts Alliance’s hosted its first major trade show of 2019 in Leeds recently.

Older cars are set to be pushed off the capital’s  roads thanks to  the Central London  Ultra Low Emission Zone (ULEZ), which came into force today (Monday 8 April 2019).

The semi finalists for Top Technician 2019 are as follows: Paul Adams; Dean Andrew; Gary Brillus; Adam Critchley; Neil Currie; Craig Hewison; Murdo Macleod; Declan Robinson; Andrew Ruellan; Dave Weston.

Trust My Garage hits TV A TV campaign promoting the Trust My Garage (TMG) Code of Practice is now running.

Ring customers are in with a chance of winning £3,000 worth of prizes, including TVs, iPads, Xboxes and Amazon Echo devices through the company’s Spring Spectacular promotion.

The Institute of the Motor Industry (IMI) has welcomed news that apprenticeship starts have started to grow for the first time since the government introduced the Apprenticeship Levy.

The Original Equipment Suppliers Aftermarket Association (OESAA) plans to make this year’s Autoinform LIVE training event its most comprehensive to date, with industry experts such as Frank Massey leading informative seminars covering a wide range of topics.

Technicians could soon be able to concentrate on the more complex diagnostic-related jobs the workshop, if a prototype drone technician proves to be as effective as its developers claim.

The Parts Alliance held its first ever National Conference in Manchester last week.

DENSO hosted a trip to Indonesia last month, giving 19 distributors the opportunity to see its production processes up close.

Ben has launched new online support to help automotive industry people who are struggling with depression.

The impact of technology on the garage sector and the changing face of training were just some of the topics covered at the first Independent Automotive Aftermarket Federation (IAAF) Industry Briefing of 2019.

East Sussex garage Carcraft MOT and Service Centre Ltd has become a major prize winner in the ongoing ‘Original Experience’ promotion being run by The Parts Alliance.

Nearly half of UK garages have sourced alternative, UK based suppliers ahead of Brexit on Friday 29March, according to new research.

Visitor registration for Automechanika Birmingham is open. The event will see leading suppliers returning to Birmingham to launch new products and technology for the last time until 2021 as the event will take a biennial frequency after 2019.