Autotech Recruit is inviting budding artists to enter a design for its Christmas card competition, which is being run as part of the company’s 10th anniversary celebrations during December.

COVID-19 could be the cause of motorists opting for longer and more comprehensive levels of warranty cover for second-hand cars, a study has suggested.

Independent garages are offering motorists outstanding value for money, unrivalled by any other sector in the aftermarket, a new study by the IGA has found.

The first three days of last week (2-4 November) were record-breakers for MOT and service bookings, according BookMyGarage.com.

Garages are being reassured by NGK that it will continue to be ‘business as usual’ throughout the new month-long lockdown that started in England yesterday (Thursday 5 November ) and set to end on 2 December.

Portsmouth International Port now has the capability to fast-charge electric vehicles in the daytime using power supplied overnight, thanks to GS Yuasa.

Chancellor of the Exchequer Rishi Sunak has today (Thursday 5 November) announced that the Furlough is being extended until the end of March 2021, with support for the self-employed also beefed-up.

Castrol has launched National Mechanics’ Month, through which Castrol is inviting motorists to nominate their favourite local mechanic or garage.

New car sales were down again in October, with registrations falling 1.6% year-on-year according to the latest figures published today (Thursday 5 November) by the SMMT. There were 140,945 new registrations last month, making it the weakest October since 2011 and 10.1% lower than the average recorded over the last decade.

 The new Energy 4 Mobility expert talk series launched by the organisers of Automechanika Frankfurt is set to roll into the new year, with the next event in the series scheduled to take place in March.

Motorists in the second half of 2020 are seeking German cars online in increasing numbers, which is also being reflected in used car sales, new research suggests.

 The IGA has expressed approval over government’s choice in allowing garages to remain open during the England lockdown due to begin on Thursday (5 November), as well as backing the decision not to bring  in a further MOT exemption.

TRICO has an early Christmas present for some lucky people and businesses in the sector. Kicking off from next Monday (9 November) and running until Christmas Eve, the company is runninga giveaway through its distributors, with £20,000 worth of prizes up for grabs.   There are more than 1,000 prizes available, including gift vouchers, Christmas hampers, hotel breaks, football shirts and TRICO stock packs, with a top prize of a £2,000 technology bundle among the £20,000 worth of prizes to be given away this November and December.

Members of NGK’s BoxClever independent garage loyalty scheme will receive 50 prize points for each purchase instead of the normal 20 points when they stock up with glow plugs during November.

Motorists are holding back from buying an EV as a result of views based on actually outdated facts, a survey has suggested.

Servicesure has named Harrogate-based Simon Graeme Auto Service Centre the Autocentre of the Year in its 2020 annual awards.

Garages have continued to be reassured about the ongoing status of the MOT, with a new exemption firmly off the table according to DVSA, as England slides back into lockdown from Thursday (5 November).

NGK has refreshed its online Part Finder facility, making it even more user-friendly for its customers.

Top Garage 2021 is open to enter from Sunday (1 November). If you want to see if you are the best garage, then you need to take part.

The furlough is set to end from tomorrow (Saturday 31 October), with the scheme being replaced by the Job Support Scheme from Sunday (1 November) for those businesses still seeking support.

UK car production fell by 5% in September, which was the worst performance for the month since 1995 according to the latest figures from the SMMT.

LKQ Euro Car Parts has extended its partnerships with Liftmaster and Milwaukee with a view to help the independent aftermarket recover from the coronavirus lockdown and prepare for the future.

NSK is fighting back against the manufacture of counterfeit bearings with a new app, which complements an existing app released by the company.

The IGA has been shortlisted for the new COVID Champion Award at the 2021 Learning Awards, for the support they have given to garages throughout the COVID-19 pandemic.

MAHLE and Daimler AG have agreed terms on access to the encoded OBD diagnostic ports of Mercedes-Benz vehicles.

63% of drivers aged 17-24 needed financial help from parents to keep their cars on the road in the last 12 months, up from 49% in the previous-pre-pandemic year, a survey from comparethemarket.com has found.

Two members of staff from ZF recently tackled 300 miles of cycling in September in aid of Cancer Research UK.

 The Job Support Scheme, which is set to succeed the furlough on 1 November, has been amended before it has been unrolled.

Cars in Scotland are the least likely in the UK to pass their MOT, with cars in Devon coming a close second, while cars in a number of London boroughs are achieving the highest pass rates,  new  research has revealed.

The prospect of an EV future for garages could be killed off by a no deal Brexit, as the resulting trade tariffs would all-but negate the UK’s plug-in car grant, the SMMT has warned.

 LIQUI MOLY has teamed up with Edd China for a series of  weekly YouTube videos that provide tips on extending the life of a vehicle.

 Garages will be able to continue to operate in Wales despite the new firebreak lockdown being enforced from Friday (23 October), although car use is likely to reduce significantly which could reduce levels of trade for workshops in the short-term.

The Motor Ombudsman’s Garage Finder recorded an 82% rise in searches in the third quarter of 2020 when compared to the preceding three-month period, with MOT demand being a major driver of interest.

The likelihood of a no-deal Brexit on 1 January 2021, which would have an impact on car parts imports from Europe, rose significantly today (Friday 16 October), following Prime Minister Boris Johnson’s statement on the outcome of trade talks with the EU.

The Garage Inspector Andy Savva and VARTA have teamed up for a new webinar, where the importance of the battery within the car is highlighted.

 The next Industry Briefing Bitesize session from the IAAF will take place virtually on Thursday 29 October, with Adrian Botham, founder and MD at Servispart Consulting, as guest speaker.

While garages continue to be busy as a result of the MOT backlog created by the exemption, they could see more and more customers forced to tighten their belts, as the UK unemployment rate rises to its highest level in three years, and redundancies rose to their highest level in more than a decade.

While many independent garages are still working on their EV capabilities, car dealers that are able to work on EVs are again receiving the Electric Vehicle Approved (EVA) accreditation.

Eurorepar is running a Halloween-themed offer of £99 service for customers of its network until the end of November. 

The British Motor Show is launching a series of portable ‘Pop-Up’ motor shows in the run-up to the big event in 2021, with the first launching next Friday in Hampshire.

Businesses that have been ordered to shut as part of Coronavirus-preventative measures will see two-thirds of their wages for staff paid by the government in a targeted successor to the Furlough, Chancellor of the Exchequer Rishi Sunak has announced.

The IAAF Annual Conference is taking place in a Coronavirus-compliant virtual fashion on Thursday 3 December, with Sunday Times Economics Editor David Smith as keynote speaker, and a new Pride of the Aftermarket’ awards.

The IMI is launching a series of online resources to help those in the industry facing unemployment to be in a good position to look for a new job, under the banner of IMI Employability Week.