Valeo: New references for Volvo car applications

Published: 11 October, 2017

Since February 2017, 24 new references for the most popular Volvo applications have been launched by Valeo Service. References cover the Volvo S60 and XC60 ranges, the Volvo V70 and XC70 ranges, as well as the Volvo XC90. 30% of these offer the Dynamic Bending Lighting (DBL) feature. In comparison with Fixed Beam Lighting (FBL), DBL provides better visibility and security by increasing the range of light when travelling round bends. These references enlarge Volvo coverage from Valeo Lighting Systems, meaning it now reaches 40% of the Volvo car parc
in Europe.
www.valeo-techassist.com

Comline: New braking references
Comline has strengthened its portfolio by adding a number of new references to its braking line-up. The latest list of newcomers includes twenty-four brake pad references. Catering for a variety of makes and models, the list includes notable introductions serving some of the aftermarket’s most popular vehicles. CBP02361 is a set of front brake pads servicing the Ford KA (2016 onwards), while CBP02368 are front and CBP02369 rear brake pads for the Ford Fiesta (2017 onwards). Meanwhile, CBP02367 front and CPB02380 brake pads cater for the Vauxhall Crossland (2017-onwards).
www.comline.uk.com
Feeling the pressure
Issues with tyre pressure monitoring systems will become much more prominent and regular in the majority of workshops all over the UK. Since 2014, every car sold new in the European Union was required has to have a form of TPMS. There is no way of escaping it. As a technician you can try and hide from it if you like, but it will find you and it will make your brain engage when that little warning light ‘pings' on the dashboard.

The thing that a lot of techs don't know is that the first form of TPMS was first put into practice in the late 1980s, so it is not as if it’s a new idea. Back then, it was mainly for high-end luxury cars. Now a very high percentage of low-priced to mid-range priced vehicles are fitted with a TPMS system. You can even buy a retro-fit system and put it onto your motorcycle if you wanted to!

Types
There are two different types of monitoring systems. The first is a direct system in which the sensors are held within the wheels. These send a radio signal to the car and this is converted into a real-time display on the dashboard for the driver to keep a close eye on all of the pressures individually. The second is the indirect system. This one cannot show you a real-time value as there aren’t any TPMS sensors to send a radio signal back to the car. Instead this works via the cars wheel speed sensors/ABS sensors, to put it simply- it counts the rotations of each wheel and recognizes a fault if one wheel turns quicker than the other three. Clever or what? Well, not really, if all four tyres lose pressure.

Prod and cons
When it comes to TPMS pros and cons, my personal thoughts are that these systems, particularly the direct system will make for safer roads and therefore save lives. Not only that, the fact is that it is going to save your tyres, and by keeping the optimum pressure in them, saving your tyres will save you money, and if you save your money you will then be able to afford to buy new sensors if (when) they break... and they do break, whether it’s the core (due to bad practice when fitting tyres and not replacing something as simple as the core and the valve cap) ,a leak from the base of the stem or simply the battery going flat inside a sensor... (majority not interchangeable).

The simple fact is they do go wrong sometimes. Besides the main disadvantage of the indirect system that I mentioned earlier, if they do go wrong and it is obvious that the TPMS system isn’t working correctly, come MOT time the car will get a major fail. However, if the car is registered before January 2012, this doesn’t matter, which probably wasn’t the best decision ever made. I think any car equipped with a TPMS system from the factory should have it working. Simple as that, but that’s just my opinion.

Optimum
If one or more pressures are low and the tyres look ‘obviously Under Inflated’ then that induces a pass with a minor defect. The facts is that thousands of accidents and hundreds of deaths occur every year due to under inflated tyres resulting in tread separation and ultimately failure of the tyre.

In short, tell your customers if they want better fuel efficiency, better handling and optimum braking, they might want to check their pressures, even when the MOT is not looming.
New car sales crash by 97.3% in April as Coronavirus shuts showrooms
UK new car registrations fell by a whopping 97.3% in April, the lowest point since 1946, according to figures published today (Tuesday 5 May) by the SMMT. Just 4,321 new cars were registered in the month, some 156,743 fewer than in April 2019. The last time sales were so low was in February 1946, when 4,044 new cars were sold.
The Motor Ombudsman plugs in new EV Garage Finder feature
The Motor Ombudsman has launched a new search facility on its Garage Finder to allow drivers to easily find and identify accredited businesses that service and repair electric vehicles.
Euro Car Parts: Launch Euro Tab II
Euro Car Parts is now offering the Launch X431 Euro Tab II diagnostics tool. The platform was developed around Android 7.1, and inherits all the functions of the previous model, while also adding a number of new features. These include DoIP, J2534 pass-through online programming, DTC-based database, intelligent diagnosis and more. It also boasts a 10-inch touch screen, dual 5 GHz WiFi and Bluetooth, and is supplied with a complimentary 12-month subscription to Haynes Pro Technical Data. To protect it in the workshop environment, the device is built and certified to IP65 standards. With a lithium-ion battery, the Euro Tab II can be used wirelessly for extended periods and comes with a dock for easy recharging. It supports ADAS functions, DPF replacement coding and service regenerations as well as local and online module programming, recoding and configurations. Users can also purchase OE diagnostic software and use their online subscription through the X431 Euro Tab II Interface. The Euro Tab II has been released alongside the new generation Connector Smartbox v3. This has been independently developed by Launch and can be connected over WiFi, Bluetooth and USB.

www.eurocarparts.com