Service Station & Garage Management October 2011

SSGM Service Station and Garage Management READ BY AUTOMOTIVE REPAIR SHOP OWNERS AND TECHNICIANS SINCE 1955

OCTOBER 2011

J.D. Power Customer Satisfaction Survey Hands-Free Tire Changing Selling on Brand

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what’s inside SSGM October 2011

Vol. 41 No. 8

Service Station and Garage Management

EDITOR Tom Venetis (416) 510-6790 tom@ssgm.com TECHNICAL EDITOR Jim Anderton jim@ssgm.com CONTRIBUTING WRITER Nestor Gula PUBLISHER Marc Gadbois (416) 510-6776 marc@ssgm.com SALES MANAGER Jay Armstrong (416) 510-6745 ACCOUNT MANAGER Jim Petsis (416) 510-6842

CIRCULATION MANAGER Selina Rahaman (416) 442-5600 ext 3528 srahaman@bizinfogroup.ca SUBSCRIPTION ENQUIRIES Roshni Thava (416) 442-5600 ext 3555 ART DIRECTOR Ron Taylor

See Page 12

PRODUCTION MANAGER Steve Hofmann (416) 510-6757

See Page 20

PRINT PRODUCTION MANAGER Phyllis Wright

Cover Story J.D. Power Customer Satisfaction Survey

VICE PRESIDENT CANADIAN PUBLISHING Alex Papanou

Economic woes keeping Canadians from spending on repairs, maintenance. . . . . . . . . . . . 12

PRESIDENT BUSINESS INFORMATION GROUP Bruce Creighton

Tire Changers, Aligners Advances have made changing, aligning tires a nearly ‘hands-free’ affair. . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16

Selling The Brand Established, quality brands in filter technologies help a shop’s reputation. . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20

TACT Team Management A story of three independent service shops and the lessons learned. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 28

Identifix Technical Tip Tackling a BMW air intake challenge . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 34

Departments Editorial. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6 News. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8 CARS OnDemand. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 27 Baywatch . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 32 Internet Directory. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 46 Advertiser Index. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 46

*For BlackBerrys: Go to your BlackBerry messenger and select Scan Barcode. *For iPhones: Use the App Store to download Beetagg Reader Pro.

4 SSGM October 2011

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“We acknowledge the financial support of the Government of Canada through the Canada Periodical Fund (CPF) for our publishing activities.”

In association with CANADIAN

AUTOMOTIVE Member of

Technician

Inc.

AWARD-WINNING MAGAZINE HEAD OFFICE Business Information Group 12 Concorde Place, Suite 800, Toronto, ON M3C 4J2 Contact us via one of the following methods: Telephone: 416-442-5600 Facsimile: 416-510-5169 Website: www.ssgm.com Service Station and Garage Management is published

by BIG Magazines LP, a div. of Glacier BIG Holdings Company Ltd., a leading Cana­dian information company with interests in daily and community news­papers and business-to-business information services.

Subscription rates: Canada $51.95 + HST + applicable taxes per year; $82.95 + HST + applicable taxes for 2 years; single copy price $7.00 + $0.42 HST + applicable taxes. USA $91.95US per year; single copy price $10.00US. All other foreign in US $93.95 per year. All rights reserved. Printed in Canada.

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Return undeliverable Canadian addresses to: Circulation Dept., Service Station and Garage Management, 12 Concorde Place, Suite 800, Toronto, ON Canada M3C 4J2.

Postmaster: please forward forms 29B and 67B to 12 Concorde Place, Suite 800, Toronto, ON Canada M3C 4J2.

Printed in Canada. All rights reserved. The contents of this publication may not be re­produced either in part or in full without the consent of the copyright owner.

From time to time we make our subscription list available to select companies and organizations whose product or service may interest you. If you do not wish your contact information to be made available, please contact us.

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|| Tom’s Editorial

Make vehicles valuable with maintenance E

By Tom Venetis, Editor

A well maintained, older vehicle costs less to operate and own than a new one. If an owner follows a prescribed maintenance schedule, an older vehicle will last for a very long time without placing a significant dent in an owner’s pocketbook.

ach year, J.D. Power publishes an annual report on Canadian’s automotive maintenance and repair spending. This issue of SSGM has a closer look at the J.D Power study and an interview with the study’s lead researcher, Ryan Robinson, as well as comments from Christopher Thorne at NAPA AUTOPRO. NAPA AUTOPRO was ranked this year by Canadians as having the highest overall service experience amongst the 28 rated service providers in the study.

On the heels of this study the online classified site Kijiji Canada released a study on people’s feelings about vehicle depreciation. Not surprisingly, we are not very happy with how quickly vehicles depreciate in value once they roll off the dealer’s lot. Scott Neill, head of Kijiji Autos, said pre-owned vehicles make more economic sense in terms of costs compared to new vehicles.

Now, it has to be admitted that Kijiji is touting it own horn in this study as it has become popular with folks looking to sell and buy pre-owned vehicles. The study does find one piece of information that independent service providers can use in today’s market: a well maintained, older vehicle costs less to operate and own than a new one. If an owner follows a prescribed maintenance schedule -- such as regular changes of fluids and oils, replacing worn parts, etc. – an older vehicle will last for a very long time without placing a significant dent in an owner’s pocketbook. When maintenance is postponed is where problems start.

Forgoing maintenance work that may be priced at a few hundred dollars has a way of coming back later with a price tag that can run well over one thousand.

This has to be made clear to vehicles owners right now as many are starting to postpone or ignore maintenance work in order to save money during this economic downturn. The result is greater competition between independent service providers and dealers service operations in a contracting service market.

Independents will have to make greater efforts at helping vehicle owners keep to scheduled maintenance. It may involve greater education on the importance of maintenance, using a system to better distinguish the difference between required and suggested service, or even taking the time to help an owner make a budget to tackle the maintenance work the vehicle needs. This last bit may seem one step too far: how do you approach a customer about the tricky, often emotionally fraught subject of their finances? You might as well ask them about their love life. Still, it has to be done and if you have a good relationship with a long-time customer, it is easier than it may first appear. Likely, that customer may appreciate the effort you are making to help them.

What do you think?

Have your say and speak your mind! letterstotheeditor@ssgm.com 6 SSGM October 2011

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|| News Briefs

Canadian Tire Dealers Choose Rotary Lift Y-Lift C

anadian Tire, Canada’s most-shopped general merchandise retailer, has selected Rotary Lift as a preferred vendor for alignment lifts in its automotive service centers. Rotary Lift provides the Y-Lift (model YA12) alignment lift for many Canadian Tire dealers across the country. Canadian Tire and its Associate Dealers have 485 stores from coast-to-coast.

The Rotary Lift Y-Lift is a unique drive-on hinged lift that uses a patented design and Y-shaped legs to provide faster rise/descent speeds and greater vehicle access than traditional scissor lifts. Its innovative weight-sensing control system maximizes rise speed based on the weight of the vehicle being lifted. For most vehicles, the rise time will be around 37 seconds, which is at least 33 per cent faster than comparable scissor lifts. The faster rise time means technicians using a Y-Lift can start servicing a vehicle sooner, and

when they’re done, the Y-Lift also offers speedier descent than many scissor lifts, so techs can move on to the next job more quickly.

The Y-Lift offers true vertical movement without the restrictive scissor arms that block the area under the runways on traditional scissor-style alignment racks. The Y-Lift’s design provides 20 per cent more overall workspace, including full vehicle access from side-to-side and front-to-rear.

“The Y-Lift improves technician productivity, allowing service departments to complete jobs more quickly for greater customer satisfaction and overall profitability,” says Jim Smith, Rotary Lift Canadian sales manager. “Canadian Tire store technicians using the Y-Lift have said that they like the speed of the Y-Lift and the fact that it goes straight up in the air, giving them more room to work.”

Statement by Honda Canada Regarding Pilot Driver’s Seat Belt Recall: 2009-2011 Honda Pilot

Honda Canada will voluntarily recall 9,954 Pilot vehicles from the 2009 through 2011 model years in Canada to inspect and potentially replace the driver’s and/or front passenger’s seat belt.

Due to a manufacturing error on a small number of front seat belts, the stitching connecting the lap section of the belt to the outboard anchor webbing may be insufficient. In a crash, affected seat belts may become disconnected from the anchor webbing, increasing the risk of injury. No injuries or deaths have been reported related to this condition.

Honda Canada is announcing this recall to encourage all owners of affected vehicles to take their vehicles to an authorized dealer as soon as they receive notification of this recall from Honda. Notification to customers will begin in late September 2011.

When Honda identifies concerns of this nature, nothing is more important to the company than fulfilling our obligation and responsibility to alert our customers. To this end, in addition to contacting customers by mail, owners of these vehicles will be able to determine if their vehicles require repair by going on-line to www.honda.ca/recalls or by calling Honda Canada Customer Relations at 1 (888) 9HONDA9.

Automotive Excellence Gates Launches Continuously Variable Transmission (CVT) Belt for Power Sports Vehicles

Gates Corporation is introducing its next generation of Continuously Variable Transmission (CVT) belts for AllTerrain Vehicles (ATV), Utility –Terrain Vehicles (UTV) and snowmobiles. This all new belt named G-Force will have an initial product offering of 13 sizes covering over 540 ATV and UTV’s applications. Additional sizes will be released in the coming months with full line 8 SSGM October 2011

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snowmobile coverage available in the fall of 2011. Gates G-Force belts feature the latest construction including a doublecog design on applications to match the Original Equipment Manufacturer belt.

This double-cog utilizes a trapezoidal top-notch and rounded cog profile for superior flexibility and heat dissipation.

Using the latest technology, G-Force drive belts are designed for superior fit, performance and durability for today’s recreational and utility all-terrain vehicles.

G-Force belts are engineered with an aramid reinforced fiber rubber and

advanced aramid tensile cords. The cords are surrounded by a specially formulated adhesion gum to reduce edge cord pullout, a known problem in CVT belt systems, and increase belt life. The result is an OE equivalent or better belt design that delivers comparable performance and durability at a competitive price. be accessed via their new Web site www. apdparts.ca.

New MOOG Steering and Suspension Parts Introduced for Nearly 16 Million Vehicles

The MOOG steering and suspension product line from Federal-Mogul now includes 21 new parts for nearly 16 million popular late-model foreign nameplate and domestic passenger vehicles.

Among the new parts now available through MOOG distributors are front sway bar link kits for 2009-2011 Hyundai Genesis sedans; inner tie rod end for 2009-2011 Honda Fit models; rear upper control arm with integral MOOG ball joint for 1998-2002 Honda Accord coupes and sedans; and front upper control arms with MOOG ball joint and offset shaft for Chevrolet Blazer, Chevrolet S10 and GMC Jimmy and Sonoma models ranging from the 1997 through 2005 model years.

Other new MOOG parts for highvolume applications include a right and left front tie rod for more than 450,000 Ford F-250 and F-350 four-wheel-drive vehicles, model years 2008-2010; and a www.ssgm.com

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No purchase necessary. Contest Period begins October 1, 2011 at 9:00PM Mountain Time (“MT”) and closes on November 30, 2011 at 11:59PM MT. Maximum approximate retail value of the trip to a NASCAR race is $10,000. Total of 243 weekly prizes to be won (27 to be awarded each week, each consisting of a $50 Tim Hortons gift card). Skill-testing question required. For complete contest rules, privacy policy and entry details, visit retailers.winwithmobil.ca. Mobil and Mobil 1 are trademarks of Exxon Mobil Corporation or one of its subsidiaries. Imperial Oil, licensee. The Tony Stewart®, Stewart-Haas Racing™ and #14™ are trademarks of Stewart-Haas Racing and are used under licence.

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|| News Briefs rear adjustable round tube trailing arm for nearly 6.2 million Buick Century, LaCrosse and Regal; Chevrolet Impala and Monte Carlo; Oldsmobile Intrigue; and Pontiac Grand Prix models manufactured between 1997 and 2010.

Beck/Arnley Expands Social Media Campaign

Beck/Arnley announced it has expanded its social media campaign by enhancing its Facebook page, creating a Twitter account and adding several new informational product videos to its YouTube channel. Together, these components create cohesiveness that emphasizes the fact that Beck/Arnley is always looking for new ways to communicate directly with professional import technicians.

“With the popularity of social networking, it was the right time for us to re-evaluate our social media campaign to look for new opportunities and innovative ways to not only help grow our audience base, but to communicate interactively with them in a meaningful way, by providing vital information to help make life easier and repair jobs more efficient for technicians,” said Sandy Norris, senior marketing manager for Beck/Arnley. “We spent time researching our competitors’ Facebook pages and we weren’t able to find anyone who comes close to providing the vast array of helpful information that we now offer on our Beck/Arnley Facebook page. We’re proud to be leading the industry into the next generation of customer communication.”

Visitors to the new Facebook page will notice that it closely resembles Beck/ Arnley’s Web site, www.beckarnley. com, with the amount of comprehensive information that it contains – making the site even more beneficial for import technicians to learn about the company and its line of Beck/Arnley brand foreign nameplate parts for European and Asian cars, light trucks and SUVs. Fans of the Beck/Arnley Facebook page have access to breaking news, short videos, a rotating employee spotlight and new product features. Beck/ Arnley encourages its fans to leave posts, provide feedback and be on the lookout for new product releases and 10 SSGM October 2011

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special Facebook promotions.

One of the major highlights of the Facebook page is the addition of the new OE fluids line that is specially designed for Asian vehicles and sourced directly from OEM suppliers. Visitors can learn about the OE antifreeze/ coolants, OE automatic transmission fluids, the OE power steering fluid and the OE synthetic motor oil, in addition to looking up application data and Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs).

The page also provides detailed information about Beck/Arnley’s product modules, which include Engine Parts & Filtration, Clutch & Driveline, Brake & Chassis, Cooling, Engine Management and Electrical. The “New Numbers & Products” section helps technicians stay up-to-date on the latest Beck/Arnley product additions as well as new number announcements by month and year-to-date.

Aisin World Corp. of America to Transfer Aftermarket Brake Product Sales to ADVICS Group

Aisin World Corp. of America (AWA), a global, Tier One automotive supplier of Original Equipment and Aftermarket components, announced that it will transfer the sales and marketing of its Aftermarket brake products business to ADVICS North America, Inc. (ADVICS).

In North America, ADVICS’ brake products have been marketed by AWA through its established and proven sales network. As a result, ADVICS brake products (pads, calipers, brake hydraulics, and boosters) are well received in the Aftermarket, and are known for quality and reliability.

The new arrangement means ADVICS will now independently embark on sales, service and distribution of its aftermarket brake products effective January 1, 2012.

“This transition has been part of the overall, combined strategy of Aisin and ADVICS since the beginning,” says AWA’s director of aftermarket sales, Bob Clark. “We are taking the next, logical step in the development of a relatively young, but healthy company which enjoys a solid foothold in the North American Aftermarket business.”

The ADVICS Group was estab-

lished globally in July, 2001, when Aisin, Denso Corporation, Sumitomo Electric Industries, and Toyota Motor Corporation joined together to create a company to develop and sell automotive brake systems.

Mitchell 1 Adds Repair Estimator to Online Program

Mitchell 1 announced it has enhanced its popular DIY online program (aka eAutoRepair.net) for automotive doit-yourselfers and car enthusiasts by adding a repair estimator feature, which is accessible through a subscription to Mitchell 1 DIY. “Anyone who uses the new Mitchell 1 DIY repair estimator will find it a very helpful tool as it allows them to easily look-up factory parts, pricing information and labor times,” said Altan Alsanjak, Mitchell1 DIY program coordinator. “DIY’ers can now estimate the cost of a repair. They can also access exploded view illustrations to help with the repair procedure, as well as determine the skill levels required to perform each task. ” The Mitchell 1 DIY online database delivers comprehensive information on automotive repair and preventative maintenance that is easy-to-understand, simple-to-navigate and visually appealing. With repair information on over 20,000 vehicles, Mitchell 1’s DIY online program features over 200,000 repair articles, thousands of technical service bulletins, including recalls, and millions of supporting graphics.

Mitchell 1 DIY provides professional instructions and illustrations that guide subscriber users through stepby-step mechanical repair procedures, complete maintenance information and service schedules, and the latest factory service tips.

“With thousands of articles and technical service bulletins, we are so sure that subscribers will find everything they need for successful vehicle repair and maintenance that we offer a 100 per cent customer satisfaction guarantee,” Alsanjak concluded.

For more information or to subscribe, visit http://www.mitchell1diy. com or www.eAutoRepair.net. ... continued on page 44 www.ssgm.com

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|| JD Power Report

Economic Woes Taking Its Toll

J.D. Power and Associates finds people holding off on vehicle maintenance, repair

By Tom Venetis, Editor

G

lobal economic uncertainty and sluggish economic growth in Canada have taken their toll on Canadian’s spending habits. Studies are showing that Canadian consumers are curtailing their previous debt-driven buying sprees, pruning impulse buying on everything from electronics to eating out.

One area which has taken a hit this year is spending on automotive maintenance. According to the J.D. Power and Associates’ 2011 Canadian Customer Commitment Index Survey, annual spending on vehicle maintenance has declined from 2010. The survey is based on responses from more than 19,500 vehicle owners across Canada, with vehicles ranging in age from four years to 12 years old. They study was conducted between January and February 2011 and June and July 2011.

What this year’s study found was the annual service market for four- to 12-year old vehicles contracted to $8.4 billion in 2011 from $9 billion in 2010. According to the study’s authors, this decline came about both from a drop in the average amount spent per service visit and the number of service visits.

“Overall, the number of service visits has decreased by nine per cent (2.9 visits per vehicle in 2011, on average, vs.

3.2 visits per vehicle in 2010). In addition, annual spending across all vehicle ages has declined by an average of $23, with the largest changes seen among eight- to 12-year-old vehicles. Average annual expenditures among this vehicle group declines to $736 in 2011 from $821 in 2010.”

Ryan Robinson, director of the Canadian automotive practice at J.D. Power and Associates in Toronto said this decline reflects a trend of owners with older vehicles deprioritizing vehicle maintenance and repair, a casualty of the economic uncertainty gripping the country and the world at large.

“What we are seeing today are people with limited funds and vehicle maintenance is bumping into other spending priorities competing for those limited funds,” he added.

The result is a growing competition for those shrinking 12 SSGM October 2011

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|| JD Power Report vehicle when it is in the shop,” said Robinson. “It includes being prompt in answering questions and getting the vehicle back at the time you promised. All of those things build that feeling of trust and lead to customer retention.”

“We have a responsibility as a consumer brand to listen, ask and retain our customer by delivering exactly what they need and want,” said Christopher Thorne, national sales and marketing manager with NAPA AUTOPRO. NAPA AUTOPRO was ranked the highest in the survey’s overall service experience and satisfaction index. It was followed by Great Canadian Oil Change, Pennzoil, Goodyear Auto Service Centre and Midas.

“We have a responsibility as a consumer brand to listen, ask and retain our customers by delivering exactly what they need and want. This takes a willingness to change and evolve and work continually on getting better,” added Thorne.

Thorne believes this commitment to the customer involves an ongoing commitment on the part of NAPA to training, for technicians and front-line service writers.

“Our NAPA AUTOPRO membership are very proud of the investment they have made in training and equipment and they are very dedicated to fixing it right the first time,” Thorne said. He agreed with Robinson that today’s vehicle owner is looking for assurance from their service provider and to get information about their vehicle that is easily understood. “Most consumers are looking for guidance on service dollars amongst Canadian service providers, with a how to properly take care of their vehicle, so when expertise greater focus being placed -- both by independents and deal- is backed-up with clear communication and consistency, ership-based service providers -- on customer service and people tend to trust that.” education of customers in order to attract and keep customJ.D. Power’s Robinson said the greatest challenge that ers for the long-term. The J.D. Power study found several will be facing service providers in the next few years is the key factors play into long-term customer lengthening out of the service window retention rates amongst service providers. on vehicles. Vehicles being manufactured These include being attended to prompttoday are of a higher quality than years ly by a service provider, having that same before and the times between mandaservice provider put the customer at ease tory services are getting longer. It is not during the whole of the service operation uncommon for some new vehicles to and providing helpful service advice. The have service windows of some 35,000 km study found independent service providbetween visits. This translates into fewer ers scored highly in these areas: service visits over the year, impacting • Fifty-eight per cent of vehicle owners shop revenues. visiting an aftermarket facility reported These extended service intervals are receiving immediate attention. also changing the nature of the service • Eighty-five per cent of vehicle owner to be done, with more work added onto reported being put at ease by the serthe times the vehicle comes into the bay. vice advisor in an aftermarket facility, Where once an oil change and quick compared to 80 per cent in a dealership tire rotation would have been standard, operation. that same visit may now include a full • Seventy-three per cent of vehicle owne­r tune-up, fluid flush and a recommended to aftermarket facilities reported that replacement of a part. All this adds to they received helpful advice from the the cost of a service visit that may be service provider on hand as compared to Ryan Robinson off-putting to some vehicle owners. As 66 per cent at the dealership operation. well, because these service intervals will All of this comes down to building trust amongst con- require more work to be done, there will be growing compesumers, “such as providing helpful advice, being respectful tition from dealer-based service providers who will push to of the customer’s time, keeping in constant communication have that service done in their bays as competition heats up with the customer and letting them know the status of their for those service dollars.

SSGM 14 SSGM October 2011

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|| Tire Changers

Automatic for the wheel Tire service is becoming a hands-off affair

By Nestor Gula

N

ot to get too sentimental about the mythological “good old days,” (Were they really that good?) but I do miss whitewall tires. My dad’s car had a set.

It wasn’t the whitewall of the 20s, but it was a rather thick band, about one-third of the tire, that was white. The next car we got came with whitewalls as well, but this was just a very narrow pinstripe. We paid quite a bit extra for this luxury option. The family was disappointed.

Although you still can get nice whitewalls from specialty retailers for your vintage American iron sled, the whitewall bling has been replaced with rim bling, and this has contributed to a flurry of development work in the tire changing business.

The greatest advance in tire changers is they have actually become what their name suggests. “Everything before was a tire holder because the technician would have to literally change the tire with some bars. Tire changers are going to a more leverless design,” said Darcy Tallon, director of Canadian Operations for Hunter Engineering. “Today, our GPA Auto 28 & GPA Auto34 (technologies) are true leverless tire changers. The technician presses some buttons and off come the tires, and on go the new ones. There is no lever.”

“When it comes to training — it should take about 30 minutes,” said Maitland H. Gillespie, technical manager at John Bean Canada of their company’s Quadriga TC1000.

“It is very, very user friendly. You could actually bring the wife to use it if you wish. At some of the shows we do we 16 SSGM October 2011

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take someone from the audience, anybody with energy, and quickly teach them how to use the machine. It is that simple.

There are just a few steps that we have to do to position the tire; the machine helps you to do this.”

He said that Quadriga ATC 1000 has a lifter that lifts the tire to the machine. “For a heavier wheel and tire application this will be a saving grace because there is less worker strain and less potential worker compensation claims,” said Maitland. “It will speed up the work flow when you get up to many tire and wheel assemblies. In the past, the technician had to be more articulate with regards to procedure, whereas, with the new touchless system, it is more forgiving.

It is going to be guiding them in the right direction; and, of course, the tools that it uses do not actually touch the wheel assembly at all. So the only instrumentation that is going to remove the tire is the couple of tools that only touch the tire.

Nothing on the machine actually touches the wheel.”

This will reduce damage to some of today’s very expensive rims that people like to use to dress up their vehicles.

“This has become more problematic in the last couple of years because different configurations of wheels, spokes, raised spokes, V-mount heads — these can rub against the machines and can put very fine scratches on the wheels and can be detrimental to the customer. In regards to dismounting a tire off a wheel and mounting it back again we try to make the procedure very simple and ensure that there is no damage to the wheel itself,” said Maitland. www.ssgm.com

11/10/11 2:27 PM

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|| Tire Changers

The John Bean BFH 1000 wheel balancer uses Virtual Plane Imaging (VPI) measurements and laser imaging to capture the profile of the wheel and compares the information to specifications. In six seconds, the color display shows the location of any imbalances and identifies the optimal tape or clip-on weight location.

Dealing with much more common low-profile tires these automatic machines don’t break a sweat. “Our THP models can apply three points of pressure to a tire for maximum control and less damage for stress free mounting,” said Frank Nowaczyk, product manager, Wheel Service for Bosch Diagnostics Business Unit.

More and more cars are coming with Tire Pressure Moni­toring Systems as standard. “Even our lower priced TCE 4230 is available with an optional following arm that helps the technician deal with TPMS systems by providing mounting assistance with no tire slippage and providing the ability to firmly hold a tire away from the rim while servicing sensors,” said Nowaczyk.

Balance makes perfect

There’s a clip on that Brit show Top Gear where host Jeremy Clarkson attempts to balance the tire that is vibrating his car with a Euro coin and some gaffer tape (Duct tape on this side of the pond). He succeeds in eliminating the vibration at some speeds but not at others. The moral of the story — wheel balancing is a precise science.

“Balancers have evolved through our technology which we call SmartWeight,” said Tallon of Hunter Engineering.

“We created an electric machine that will reduce the imbalance to zero. What SmartWeight does is it does not look at balance itself, it looks at forces.” The system is available on most of their tire balancers and according to the company, “This new method computes correction weights by measuring and evaluating the ‘absolute’ or pure static (shake) and 18 SSGM October 2011

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Bosch’s TCE 4540 tire changer uses leverless technology for fast and safe removal and assembly of standard and low profile tires.

couple (shimmy) forces that cause vibration. Unlike traditional balancing, which judges balance conditions based on correction weight values, SmartWeight balancing uses the actual static and couple forces to directly address the source of vibration problems, resulting in the best possible balance,” Tallon added. “The SmartWeight system creates a faster balance and a better balance.”

Using a more traditional method, John Bean’s BFH and VPI series of balancers are still very much computer controlled. “The BFH systems are lasers. You mount the wheel and tire assembly onto the machine’s shaft correctly, and that is all the technician has to do,” said Maitland. “With these two units it really does not matter the about the skill level of the end user. All they have to do is select the correct collar which will center the wheel assembly and choose the right flange plate that will lock and hold the wheel. All they have to do is simply lower the hood. The lasers then takes over it will measure the tire. It will tell you if it needs sticky weights or snap on weights. The user still has to put the weights on themselves. We still have not gotten to the point where that is done automatically. The user rotates the wheel it will lock the wheel when it gets to the correct spot. It will show the correct weight on the screen and there will be a laser dot where the weight must be place. Anybody can do this.”

Aligning not automatic

“The greatest advantage in wheel alignment technology is the advent of imaging systems which allow faster setup and measurement over standard sensors,” said Bosch’s Nowaczyk.

“When entering this market we intended to cut set up time as others have, but our goal was to do this without sacrificing www.ssgm.com

11/10/11 2:27 PM

Tire Changers || accuracy. The result was the Easy 3D aligner, which utilizes eight imaging cameras at close range to offer unprecedented accuracy and repeatability.”

While tire changing and balancing have become virtually goof-proof due to new technology, “when it comes to alignment systems you have to know and understand how vehicle alignment works,” said Jim Bean’s Maitland. “Our system is easy to use, but you need to understand what is going on.

Somebody that has no skill with regards to alignment can be taught to bring a vehicle in and to mount a certain apparatus, and take one or two measuring steps. That can be easily done, absolutely. But to really get into the adjustment of the vehicle, that is different.”

He said the Jim Bean system can do more than just align a car’s tires. “The computer readout will give you all the numbers and all the geometry even down to diagnostics, wheel base track. It will even ascertain if the vehicle is healthy enough to have an alignment or whether repairs have to be performed. What we actually have on our units, what it does when it measures the compensation is it also measures the loaded tire diameter. So what it gives is the diameter in either mm or inches. So it will give me the revolution the tires make per kilometer or mile. The reason for that is that it will say if there is a tire on that should not be on that vehicle — it is the wrong tire. Or a tire is severely worn and can ... continues on page 26

The Bosch WBE 4510 wheel balancer uses laser sensors to provide fully-automated measurements for tire width, run-out and tire symmetry. Weight optimization mode measures individual rim and tire imbalance.

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|| Filters

Selling On the Strength of the Brand The Purolator ProMotive oil filter uses new microfiber technology in the filtering media design and packaging, which enables this filter to offer improved performance in a more compact filter housing.

C

ertain brands are iconic. Watchmaker Vacheron Constantin commands top dollar for its timepieces and the company has an illustrious pedigree of buyers, from Napoleon to Harry Truman. Stereo component maker McIntosh is sought after by audiophiles around the world who are not shy of spending thousands of dollars on a single amplifier or pre-amplifier from this company.

The reason why someone is willing to spend those kinds of monies on such products is because of the exceptional quality of the products — from the materials used in their manufacture to the care taken in the construction. Those brand names are synonymous with quality and value. Companies that carry these products are considered by consumers to be exemplars of quality and service, and are extremely loyal to them.

Think for a moment about big box stores. No one is loyal to a big box retailer because of the quality of its goods. In fact, everyone pretty much agrees that most of the stuff in big box stores can range for the decent to the downright terrible. You only shop at a big box store because of price; and you will likely switch from one big box retailer to another if there are a few cents in savings to be found on a cheaply

20 SSGM October 2011

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Brand recognition, history will make people pay more for certain products, including premium filter technologies

By Tom Venetis, Editor made piece of off-shore electronics or clothing that will last a few months or a year before falling apart.

The same goes for the aftermarket service industry. If you want to keep customers loyally coming back to your shop you must sell on quality, from the services your technicians and service writers provide to the quality of the parts used on a customer’s vehicle. This is why selling on the strength of a brand is key to customer retention and profit.

We in the independent service industry, however, are told that today’s customers are only interested in price. A customer coming into the shop for an oil filter change or engine filter replacement, the kind of filter used is a non-issue. They don’t care if the shop uses a no-name, off-shore filter or a domestic, branded filter product. What they will ask is if one filter product is more expensive than the other, why decide on the more expensive one rather than the cheaper product.

Why is brand important?

Certain brands denote quality. In the area of filtration products — air, engine, transmission, etc. — the brand will convey to the customer the quality of the product and what it means for the long-term operation of the vehicle. www.ssgm.com

11/10/11 2:29 PM

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|| Filters

Since 1954, WIX Filters has offer a wide range of filters for the aftermarket, including car cabin and engine air filters.

“Being able to see the difference in quality of filtration is not easy for consumers,” said Paul Brosius, product specialist with Beck/Arnley. “Oil, fuel and transmission filters usually have a casing that prevents the customer from actually seeing what they are buying. Even when they can see the filter media, on air and cabin filters, it’s hard to judge the quality of the media. The danger with cheap, ineffective filter material isn’t the immediate impact on a vehicle, but the extended effect over time of accelerated wear due to higher levels of contamination as a direct result of substandard materials or components.”

Bert Verriet, program manager, Filtration Products with Affinia Canada said while service providers should carry a range of filtration products to meet customer needs, service writers and technicians should first promote a higher-quality filter product.

“For the customer The Fram Xtended Guard filter uses engineered filtering media arranged in two plies that wishes to keep his and reinforced with a metal screen to deliver vehicle longer and is sinup to 10,000 miles of engine protection. cerely interested in long22 SSGM October 2011

p 20-24 Filters.indd 22

term maintenance, the option should be provided to supply a quality filtration product,” he added.

Verriet said in terms of oil filters, there are three things that need to be emphasized to vehicle owners. The first is the paper used, the amount (square inches), the type of filtration material used (synthetic, cellulose or blended) and the number of pleats packed into the filter product. All this will affect the filtration capabilities of the oil filter.

“Second is the construction,” he continued. “Does it meet and or exceed the original manufacturer’s specifications. This is difficult for the average consumer to make a decision, so they would have to rely on the advice of the parts professional to help them make that choice. Third is the gasket and anti-drain back valve construction. Does the manufacturer use silicone or nitrile rubber in these two components? If the vehicle owner wants to keep his vehicle for a long time, then quality parts should be used in the repair and maintenance.”

“Assigning a value to that assurance is difficult,” said Jason Best, vice-president of aftermarket sales and marketing with Spectra Premium. “Yet, that is because the message may not be communicated properly in terms of what that perceived value is. Visual differences can be demonstrated in terms of quality differences on products and these needs to be interpreted in terms of relevance to the safety and value of the vehicle. Being able to demonstrate these arguments and putting them in relative terms of understanding potential risks or future costs for additional repairs caused by price-driven solutions can only help to educate (customers) on the value of a premium brand.”

The most valuable commodity an independent service operation is the reputation it has amongst consumers and www.ssgm.com

11/10/11 2:29 PM

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Beck/Arnley has a range of high-quality filter products available for service providers, covering fuel, transmission and air filters.

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the community-at-large. H. Huntsman & Sons did not earn its reputation as England’s most respected and exclusive tailor of suits by selling poor quality products or using cheap materials.

A reputation for quality work and professionalism will drive work into the bays. “Selling branded filter products that consumers recognize enhances the shop’s reputation for quality,” said Jay Buckley, technical training manager, Fram Group. “When a customer knows you are using high-quality, branded products, they assume your workmanship is up to the same standards.”

“Shops can definitely get a reputation based on the parts they sell, especially if they specialize in a type or make of vehicle,” Brosius said. “For example, most vehicle owners want to take their vehicle to shops that know their type of car and all want a shop that understands how to properly car for it.

“If the customer knows that the shop carries a product that is well known in the OE and aftermarket, they are more likely to take their vehicle there and have those parts installed. It is no secret that name brands raise consumer acceptance and generate sales.”

Verriet added that “quality filter and other quality repair parts go along with quality service. I do not believe that everyone wants to purchase the lowestpriced pars for their vehicle maintenance. Independent service shops can gain customer loyalty by explaining to the consumer why they use quality parts in their vehicle repair and maintenance.

“This will improve customer loyalty when the customer understands that the shop has their interest in mind by (using) quality parts.”

SSGM

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12/10/11 11:42 AM

|| Tire Changers

... continued from page 19

Hunter’s TCA34 tire changer technology is a leverless, push-button tire changer that can come with a Wheel Lift option.

one minute, while the customer is talking to the service rep, we are able to diagnose the vehicle and see if it has an incorrect alignment reading,” said Tallon. “You don’t even need to Bosch’s FWA 4630 Easy 3D aligner uses two portable camera pods and stereoscopic triangulation to accurately align a vehicle’s tires. use technicians to do this test. Don’t have to be a licensed CARS AD SERIES mechanic2010 or an apprentice to do this.” He stressed that this affect certain areas of the vehicle including the transmission.” system is just for diagnosis and it prints out the results for the HORIZONTAL FORMAT Checking the alignment used to take a while, but Hunter customer to see. “That is just used to quickly check the align1/3 PAGE has cut the time with the Alignment Quick Check. “What we ment. The machine that actually does the alignment is the are able to do on a flat floor, in a drive through application like Hunter Hawkeye Elite alignment system. Both systems use in a quick lube bay or a dealership drive in area. In less than the Hunter Quick-Clamp adapter.”

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26 SSGM October 2011

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www.ssgm.com

11/10/11 2:28 PM

Fretting Over Intermittent Faults?

By Mike Farrell, Curriculum Developer CARS

T

oday’s modern vehicles have an ever increasing number of electronic systems and electrical options that must meet the driver’s high performance demands as well as provide reliability.

The components, along with the associated wiring and connectors, are also being packaged into smaller and smaller spaces.

Finding customer concerns such as intermittent no-starts, service engine soon or other warning lights becomes increasingly difficult, especially when the condition cannot be duplicated.

Some of these intermittent conditions may be caused by what is described as “fretting." Fretting is the build-up of nonconductive oxidized debris between two electrical contact surfaces inside an electrical connector. These connections are most commonly used to join components and harnesses.

Fretting corrosion is caused by vibration, thermal cycling and small amplitude motion between the electrical contacts. On high current power circuits fretting will cause a permanent increase in the circuit’s resistance. On low current signal circuits fretting may cause high resistance which can result in intermittent connections. On critical sensor circuits the loss of the signal to a control module may cause the vehicle to function abnormally for a short periods of time. This condition may or may not result in diagnostic trouble codes being set.

Fretting is most commonly found on tin plated terminals. A tin plated contact is constructed with a thin layer of tin oxide (A) that is used to protect the malleable tin body. The illustration shows the thin tin oxide layer cracking (B) due to the pressure required for good terminal contact (Step 1). Step 2 shows the microscopic amount of fretting caused by corroded material that forms due to micro motion, thermal cycling or vibration. As the thin tin oxide layer wears, the tin portion of the terminal is exposed to air and will form a layer of insulating tin oxide (C). As the terminal fretting motion continues the amount of tin oxide debris will also continue to build www.ssgm.com

p 27 CARS advertorial.indd 27

(Step 3). This scenario will continue until enough debris has built up and the high resistance that results will cause an intermittent condition (Step 4).

In the example, tin terminals were used as they are the most common type on a vehicle. Fretting corrosion can also occur on terminals made of copper, iron, nickel and zinc, all of which are non-noble metals.

Non-noble metals are susceptible to forming oxides. Noble metals such as gold and silver are not susceptible to fretting corrosion but the cost of these metals makes their use in automotive applications very limited.

Fretting corrosion does not have the same appearance as water corroded terminals. In severe cases, fretting appears as small dark smudges or streaks located where one terminal contacts another electrically. On non-severe cases the corrosion will not be evident to the naked eye.

In the case of an intermittent condition, replacing a component or control module may temporarily repair the customer’s concern, but after a short period of time the same concern will re-occur. While most terminals manufactured for today’s vehicles are designed to resist fretting, the harsh conditions that are present can still result in the condition.

Diagnosing a customer concern caused by fretting can be difficult. If the condition caused a diagnostic trouble code to set and the wiring and component(s) were tested with no fault evident, use service information to identify any connectors that are in the circuit. If no trouble codes set, review the symptoms of the condition and deter-

mine which components and modules may be causing the fault. Again, using service information, locate the wiring circuits and connectors.

In order to reduce fretting, try to minimize the movement between the electrical connector terminals by installing all wiring and connectors into the OEM clamps and brackets. Also, be sure to check the terminal contact between the male and female electrical terminals. Terminals with high contact force resist fretting better than loose terminals. Tin contacts require at least 100 grams of normal contact force and should be lubricated.

The use of dielectric lubricant can help prevent a reoccurrence of fretting.

A thin film of dielectric lubricant will reduce the friction and help prevent wear due to motion and protect the terminal surface area from atmospheric oxidation.

The lubrication should be applied lightly to both sides of the connector or component.

Be sure not to apply too much lubricant as it may cause the connection to hydro-lock when refastening. After reconnecting the components wipe away any excess dielectric lubricant and attempt to duplicate the customer’s concern.

For more information on automotive technology visit CARS OnDemand training at: www.carsondemand.com If you have completed any of the Advanced Technology CARS OnDemand courses, CARS would appreciate you taking the time to complete a short 3 minute survey. To access the survey please go to the CARS website, log-in and under “Account Details” choose “Participants Surveys” — “Advanced Technologies Student Survey.” Your feedback is important to us.

October 2011 SSGM 27

11/10/11 2:31 PM

|| TACT Team Management

How To Live Happily Ever After

By Murray Voth, TACT (Total Automotive Consulting and Training)

O

nce upon a time in a land far, far away…. well maybe not so far away, there lived a retired automotive parts salesman. Bob had spent the majority of his career calling on service stations, dealerships, and independent garages, as they were called in his day. He had enjoyed his career for the most part and had made many good friends in the industry. He did not see himself as a salesman, but prided himself in being an excellent problem solver and solutions provider.

His customers were loyal because they understood that Bob had their best interest at heart. They never had to worry about the quality of the products they bought and they knew the pricing would be competitive. Even though an occasional part failed, they knew that Bob’s company had not made the part; they just distributed it, yet offered the value of an excellent warranty program.

Bob understood very early in his career that he did not sell automotive parts; his customers sold parts. In fact he came to believe that even his customers did not sell parts. He watched the best of his customers carefully and noticed that like him they also had the vehicle owner’s best interest at heart. They took the time to inform and educate their customers about the condition of their vehicle and the needs of the vehicle, the vehicle owners than chose to purchase particular services or repairs based on that information.

What set the better shops apart from the others was that they had a clear understanding of an obvious fact that most shops and parts salespeople miss. When a part on a vehicle fails, it is already sold. The vehicle owner is going to buy that part somewhere; it is just a matter of where. Most of us really dislike being “sold” anything. Yet

28 SSGM October 2011

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we feel good about a purchase when we have all the information to make a good decision regarding that purchase.

Bob and his best customers clearly understood this principle.

One day Bob decided he needed a break from the garden and the grand kids and decided to take a road trip and visit some of his former customers. He looked forward to reminiscing about old times, and maybe someone would buy him lunch for a change. He first stopped in at Charity Automotive. Charity Auto was started by Jim and his wife Joan 30 years ago, and has been limping along ever since. Jim started out as a technician working for someone else, but he always felt that his boss was making money off of his back and the backs of his customers. So Jim decided to go out on his own. He knew that he could give great customer service and had good workmanship.

When he first started out, his first customers were his family, friends and neighbors. He wanted to give good service so he felt that in order to do that; he would give them discounts when they asked. As time went on he was so used to giving discounts, he thought that all of his customers expected discounts. Because he had that memory of his former boss, the last thing he wanted to do was make a profit off of his customer’s back. It had been a few years since Bob had seen Jim, and he was shocked by what he saw when he arrived at the shop. The newest car in the parking lot was a 1999 Ford Taurus, Jim was in the bays working on a 1978 Fairmont, and Joan was at the front counter juggling all the bills. When Bob asked Jim where all the help was, Jim replied that he could no longer afford to pay any staff. Jim said that no one was willing to spend any money

on their cars; the economy must be really bad. He thought he might work a couple of more years and just walk away from the business. “No lunch here,” Bob thought and said his good-byes.

Bob decided to go to another shop called Hobby Automotive. Hobby Auto had been started 20 years ago

by Bram and his brother Hans. Bram and Hans had loved cars all their lives; they had started out working in their back yards on their own cars and their friend’s cars. They raced cars on the weekends and started getting into performance modifications. As their business grew they quit their jobs as technicians in other shops and opened their own location.

During the 90s they seemed to be busy and making money, but as time went by less people were interested in the type of work they did. They branched out into accessories and detailing and even got a couple of tow trucks. They had read an article about diversification in business and thought this was the best way to make more money.

When Bob showed up the boys were all smiles, yelling a greeting from back in the shop. Bob smiled and thought to himself about how some things never change. The parking lot was jammed with old wrecks, half finished hot rods, and a couple of rusty tow trucks. There seemed to be a few cars around owned by paying customers, but the business ran like organized chaos. Bob went into the waiting area and cleared a pile of shop rags off of a chair to take a seat.

Bram came in wiping his hand on his coveralls and shook Bob’s hand.

They discussed how business was and Bram started saying that he wasn’t enjoying the business that much anymore, in fact, he was beginning to loose his love of cars altogether. www.ssgm.com

11/10/11 2:32 PM

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|| TACT Team Management Besides Bram and Hans there were three other technicians. Everyone was busy and working hard. They were all taking turns answering the phone and talking to customers, ordering parts, yelling instructions back and forth to each other, working on cars, towing, test driving, and writing out the final invoices for the customers.

Bram confided in Bob that it seemed no matter how many cars came in or how hard they worked they just could not make enough money to run the business.

They had sold their race cars and were now thinking of re-mortgaging their houses to stay in business. As friendly and positive as the brothers always seemed, you could see the worry beginning to show on their faces. Bob wished them well, made a few suggestions and went on his way, his stomach growling from hunger. “No lunch here either,” he thought. He began to wonder if he had got out of the industry just in time.

Bob stopped for lunch at one of his favorite restaurants and when he did

not recognize any of the serving staff any more, he began to feel very old.

The world seemed to have passed him by. He was also discouraged to see the struggles of some of his friends; he had hoped some of them would be retired by now and become his golfing buddies. He did start to feel better after having a bite to eat so decided to call on one more place before he called it a day.

On the other side of town tucked into a complex filled with all kinds of shops he pulled in front of Runswell Automotive. This shop had only been open for about 10 years and was owned by a former technician by the name of Richard. Most of Richard’s experience had been at a new car dealer, but he had left because he felt that he could not really look after customers the way he wanted to.

The whole team at the dealership really did want to serve their customers well, but there always seemed to be some policies put in place by the car manufacturer that restricted their abil-

ity to do so. It seemed like the manufacturer was the most important customer and put themselves in front of the regular customers. Having received some great training in productivity and efficiency at the dealership, Richard went looking for a shop that might be for sale that was not living up to its full potential. With a loan from his uncle he started out on his own. In his first year of business, Richard heard about management training for automotive shop owners from one of his parts suppliers. He took all the courses he could get and began to implement what he learned. He knew that he had to work on his business and not in it.

As Bob entered the waiting area he was greeting by Kim. Kim had been working for Richard for just two years so Bob had not really had an opportunity to get to know her. Kim’s last job had been as office manager in a large insurance office, she was accustomed to systems and procedures and how to serve customers. Richard had learned

Get back to enjoying your business!

Learn how to improve your repair facility’s profitability, productivity and reduce your stress.

Dave Meunier’s Automotive Management Training and Consulting group is one of the most sought after providers of business solutions for shop owners in Canada.

Flexible training courses are offered across Canada and include:

The explanation, for the success of TACT students comes from a well tested common sense approach to managing every aspect of day to day operations, starting in the bays and working its way to the income statement.

Advance PROShop Manager Modules – Full day topic specific sessions designed to allow you to get answers to your own shop challenges.

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Enrolling in one of Dave Meunier’s shop improvement courses will provide you with the confidence to analyze your business monthly to look for ways to improve profits and lower your stress.

3 Day Shop Management Course - This interactive training

course will teach owners to take better care of your customer, save them money and allow your shop to be more profitable than ever before.

PROSHOP Performance Groups – This is a once a month program, where automotive repair facilities come together to receive training, solve concerns affecting their business, implement solutions and take better care of their customers.

Just contact Lee Meunier, Toll Free at 1-866-489-8228 (TACT) or by email Lee@proshopmanager.ca

Brought to you by TACT Total Automotive Consulting & Training Group 30 SSGM October 2011

p 28-32 TACT.indd 30

www.ssgm.com

11/10/11 2:33 PM

has feet, doesn’t walk but runs 150,000 miles With features like advanced polymer isolator feet, Airtex fuel pump modules offer superior noise damping for quiet performance.

Designed to meet or beat the most rigorous OEM standards for fit and performance, Airtex delivers more innovations per gallon.

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6801 ATX HasFeet-Jobber News.indd 1 p 28-32 TACT.indd 31

2/23/11 4:11 PM 12/10/11 11:59 AM

|| TACT Team Management that one key to satisfy clients was to have good written communication between the client and the technicians. Kim was good at that and really only needed to have basic automotive knowledge to be an excellent service advisor in the business. As they chatted, Kim mentioned that Richard was in a meeting with one of the technicians discussing the purchase of a brand new scan tool.

The whole team at Runswell Auto was proud to be the diagnostic shop of choice in the area. In fact, Richard’s old boss at the dealership sent him the occasional vehicle to diagnose when his own guys couldn’t figure it out. A short while later Richard entered the waiting area and greeted Bob with a hearty handshake. Richard offered to take Bob out for a coffee and Bob accepted, although he asked Richard if he really was able to leave the shop behind like that. Richard laughed and motioning to Kim said that with the great team he had in the shop, his time was more flexible and he was now able to work on his business and not in it.

Taking out a retired parts salesman for coffee and picking his experienced brain for wisdom was part of working on the business. Bob smiled, and felt a little younger again, along with a renewed hope for the industry he loved so much. And it looked like Richard was going to buy the coffee.

SSGM

32 SSGM October 2011

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SSGM BAYWATCH New Products

Innovative New MOOG Lower Ball Joints The MOOG steering and suspension brand from Federal-Mogul is offering lower ball joints for a variety of late-model Lexus GS and IS models. These latest “first-to-market” parts extend the brand’s coverage leadership of Asian nameplate vehicles. The new MOOG lower ball joints (K500123, right; K500124, left) provide exceptional component performance and durability for more than 350,000 rear-wheel-drive Lexus vehicles, including 2006 GS 300; 2006-2007 GS 430; 2007-2010 GS 350; 2008-2010 GS 450H and GS 460; 20062010 IS 350 and IS 250; 2008-2010 IS F; and 2010 IS 250C and IS 350C models.

The new MOOG ball joints feature the brand’s proven powdered metal upper and lower bearings for exceptional strength and performance and longer life. The new MOOG ball joints also feature grease fittings to allow for periodic servicing to extend product life. Each MOOG part is delivered complete with slotted or castellated nuts and cotter pins for fast, easy installation.

Federal-Mogul www.moogproblemsolver.com

Inductor Flameless Torch The Inductor Mini-Ductor II is a 1000watt hand-held induction power inverter.

Faster and safer than a torch, it instantly heats and removes seized nuts, bearings and other metal or mechanical hardware without the danger of an open flame or potential damage to nearby plastics.

Induction Innovations www.theInductor.com

... Baywatch continues on page 38

www.ssgm.com

11/10/11 2:34 PM

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|| Identifix

BMW Intake Air Strategy

By Robert Jacobs, Identifix European Master Technician, Certified Infiniti Master, ASE Master + L1

H

ow difficult can it be to control the amount of fresh air entering an internal combustion engine? Traditionally, the intake air control for internal combustion automobile engines utilizes a throttle-controlled butterfly valve.

Engines with carburetors utilized the butterfly valve to control the amount of air, and at the same time, the amount of fuel being drawn into the engine. Most engines with modern fuel injection also operate with the butterfly valve for intake air control, but typically they control fuel by reading numerous input parameters and then injecting the proper amount of fuel via fuel injectors.

Some manufacturers like to add a great deal more engineering to the process than a simple throttle body with a butterfly valve for intake air control. While the butterfly style throttle valve has been a successful means of controlling intake air, it also has downfalls. At idle or under partial load, the throttle butterfly valve is only slightly open, which leads to the engine creating vacuum in the intake manifold. This may sound like a normal condition of engine operation and something that should be expected, but it actually reduces the amount of pressure above the intake valves. To achieve the best filling of combustion chambers, ambient pressure should be available directly at the intake valves. The reduction of pressure at the intake valves has a negative effect on cylinder filling, mixture control and fuel economy.

34 SSGM October 2011

p 34-36 Identifix.indd 34

This particular problem can be addressed in either a super-charged or turbo-charged engine but at greater expense and design complexity. Turbochargers and superchargers are also designed to provide boost pressure at high loads, which will produce more power, but they do not combat the main downfall of the throttle butterfly valve at idle and partial load.

Starting in 2002, BMW introduced the Valvetronic control system for intake management on its 7-Series vehicles.

There are several items which come into play to make the Valvetronic system a more efficient system, but the general principle that it has is the ability to control valve lift to manage intake air. Besides valve lift control, there are variable length intake runners, variable camshaft timing control (VANOS-in case you’re wondering, this comes from the German words: Variable Nockenwellen-Steuerung) and a conventional butterfly style throttle body which is used as a backup system in the event of Valvetronic system failures and in other specific situations. During normal Valvetronic operation, the throttle body butterfly valve is in the wide open position. In the event of a failure, it can be operated in the same fashion as an electronically controlled throttle body. There is no actual mechanical linkage to the throttle body itself. An electric motor is used to operate the butterfly throttle valve when specified by the engine control module. www.ssgm.com

11/10/11 2:35 PM

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|| Identifix The Valvetronic valve lift control has a few more components than a typical overhead camshaft configuration: the Valvetronic motors, eccentric shafts, eccentric shaft position sensors and intermediate levers. Using these components, Valvetronic can adjust valve lift from 0.3mm to 9.85mm in 300 milliseconds. Smaller changes in valve lift obviously require less time.

The physical placement and function of the components are as follows: 1 The eccentric shaft is set slightly above and off to the side of the camshaft. Think of the eccentric shaft as a small second intake camshaft.

2 The intermediate levers connect the camshaft and the eccentric shaft.

3 The camshaft contacts the side of the intermediate lever.

4 The top of the intermediate lever is in contact with the eccentric shaft.

5 At the bottom of the intermediate lever is a rocker arm device which makes contact with the top of the valve on one end and with a hydrau10SSGM_11Induction.33_Layout 1 9/26/11 lic lash adjuster on the other end.

6 In the middle of the eccentric shaft

is a gear which meshes with a Valvetronic motor. The motor is capable of turning the eccentric shaft either clockwise or counterclockwise. The motor is a high amperage motor, which at times can flow as much as 100 amps of current. The eccentric shaft position sensor is mounted on the back of the eccentric shaft and translates information to the Valvetronic control unit for precise feedback of eccentric shaft positioning. As the motor adjusts the eccen4:56 PM Page 1 tric shaft, due to the shape of the

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p 34-36 Identifix.indd 36

eccentric shaft, intermediate lever and rocker arm, the lift of the valve is changed. The basic camshaft profile is adhered to, but the lift of the valve is the only thing affected by the Valvetronic system.

7 An additional feature which en­hances the level of intake air control is the VANOS system. Aside from adjusting valve lift, the overlap and timing of when the valves are opened can also be adjusted. The VANOS assembly is located on the front of each camshaft and oil pressure is used to change the timing of the camshafts. This allows for greater overlap at high engine speed to produce more power and less overlap at idle for smoother engine idle characteristics and greater emission control.

8 Finally, a variable length intake runner is utilized to provide optimum low end torque without penalty at high engine speeds.

The basic design of the intake manifold is such that a scroll-shaped component inside the intake manifold can be turned to increase or decrease the distance intake air must travel before reaching the valves. A motor with an integrated position sensor is located on the back of the intake manifold to control the scroll component within the manifold.

With all of the above components working in unison, there is an increase in power and fuel economy and allaround better engine running characteristics. I haven’t heard of any advances to this extent for the exhaust side of the internal combustion engine, but I’m sure it’s only a matter of time before something of similar performance benefit will be discovered.

SSGM www.ssgm.com

11/10/11 2:35 PM

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ValvolineÂŽ now offers a full line of Valvoline Professional Series automotive service chemicals. With Valvoline Professional Series, you get a comprehensive line of professional-grade products, services and solutions all backed by industry leading marketing programs.

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p 37 Valvoline ad.indd 37

11/10/11 2:36 PM

SSGM BAYWATCH New Products

OTC Brake Fluid Tester Detects Water Contamination

Snap-on Introduces SOLUS Ultra FullFunction Scan Tool

When it comes to vehicle brake service, OTC, an SPX Brand, has you covered. The newest addition to OTC’s popular line of brake tools is the Brake Fluid Tester (P/N 4598), specifically designed to analyze the amount of moisture content within the vehicle’s brake system. The OTC 4598 Brake Fluid Tester is specially designed for checking the moisture content within the vehicle’s brake fluid. Once the unit is powered on and the metal testing probes are submerged into the brake fluid, the unit will allow technicians to easily check moisture content of brake fluid in a matter of seconds. The unit features a tri-colored LED display for easy recognition that matches the moisture content with a color chart to determine brake fluid quality. (Green LED = Moisture less than 1.5 per cent - O.K.; Yellow LED = Moisture between 1.5 per cent and 3.0 per cent - Consider flushing; Red LED = Moisture greater than 3.0 per cent - Fluid should be flushed immediately). This reading can also be shared with the customer as a definitive reason to service the fluid in the system.

Ergonomically designed with a universal fit, the pen style design easily fits most master cylinder fill ports, offering technicians and shop owners a very quick, easy, and inexpensive way to detect water contamination in the brake system, without requiring any consumable materials. The 4598 tester is powered by a 1.5V battery (included with purchase of tool) and automatically powers off after twelve seconds of inactivity to conserve battery life.

OTC www.otctools.com

Snap-on Incorporated’s SOLUS Ultra (EESC318) is a new fullfunction, OEM-specific scan tool that allows professional service technicians to quickly identify the problem and get to the repair. Designed for fast operation, simple connection and complete scanning abilities, the SOLUS Ultra gives technicians the confidence that they won’t miss anything. The new scan tool offers: Steady-charge battery technology charges directly from the vehicle so technicians never have to stop a job to recharge; a seven-inch widescreen display for precise results and easy readability; a single, keyless adapter covers all OBDII applications so technicians never have to change keys; operate all functions from the touch screen interface or from the four-way keypad and Y/N button; unique “cause and effect” diagnostics that displays functional tests side-by-side with live data; and never wait to boot up – powers up in only 10 seconds.

It provides coverage for dozens of vehicle systems, including the new systems such as hybrids, TPMS, steering, body controls, EVAP and clean diesels. SOLUS Ultra uses icon-based navigation and has an embedded operating system dedicated to diagnostic functions for speed and reliability. It offers enhanced scanner coverage for 1980-newer domestic and Asian vehicles, with European vehicle coverage optional. Capabilities include codes, live data (PIDS), functional tests, relearns and adaptations. Fast-Track Troubleshooter provides experience-based fast-fixes such as code tips, symptoms, tests and timesavers, to get through repairs faster.

Snap-on Incorporated http://diagnostics.snapon.com

38 SSGM October 2011

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www.ssgm.com

11/10/11 2:37 PM

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www.autopartsdepot.ca 11/10/11 2:38 PM

SSGM BAYWATCH New Products

Beck/Arnley Introduces OE Fully Synthetic Motor Oil 0W-20 Beck/Arnley announced it has added premium OE Fully Synthetic Motor Oil 0W-20 to its new line of genuine OE fluids for Asian import vehicles.

Sourced directly from OEM suppliers, this new formulation is a blend of the most advanced additives and select synthetic-based oils to help provide outstanding high temperature protection and reduced wear for longer engine life. Beck/Arnley’s premium OE Fully Synthetic Motor Oil 0W-20 features the same lubricant technology that OEMs use as factory fill. It meets or exceeds OE-specific requirements for 0W-20 API SN performance and ILSAC GF-5, as well as all preceding API and ISLAC gasoline categories.

Beck/Arnley www.genuineoefluids.com or www.beckarnley.com

40 SSGM October 2011

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Firestone R4Tech Air Suspension System

Firestone Industrial Products Company’s R4Tech air suspension system is designed to replace the factory leaf spring suspension.

Firestone’s R4Tech system delivers an improved ride at all times by utilizing the variable spring rate of the air spring to stiffen when the truck is loaded and soften when unloaded. The R4Tech hybrid air/leaf suspension system features a Firestone Airide air spring, Ride-Rite air accessories and a SANLUIS Rassini leaf-spring suspension to create a fully functional system that adjusts for varying load capacities. The complete R4Tech system comes with the Rassini foundation suspension – including leaf plates, lower trailing link, J-spring, spring perches and mounting brackets – the Airide air spring and an air compressor control system that maintains the proper air level in the spring for the exact load.

Firestone Industrial Products Company www.ride-rite.com

www.ssgm.com

11/10/11 2:37 PM

SSGM BAYWATCH New Products

Del City’s New LED Work Lights Del City introduces new LED work lights, an extension of its lighting product line. These hand held LED lights illuminate dark work areas and provide hours of on the go illumination. The LED Pocket Light Stick includes six bright LED’s with a floodlight effect and a directional illumination pattern and 36 lumens of light provide superior illumination that can last up to 11 hours. Its water resistant housing features a molded plastic clip that can be attached to almost any pocket. The LED Rechargeable Work Light has 30 brilliant floodlight style LED’s and new wide angle LED technology, producing 140 lumens. It is manufactured from rugged ABS material and incorporates grip with lens guard. The NiMh battery pack can run up to 10 hours per charge. Added features include a LED low battery indicator, polycarbonate swivel hook and a 120 volt “smart” charger.

Del City delcity.net

OPTIMAX Jr/EZ-Ject Leak Detection Kit Tracer Products has introduced the TP-8647 EZ-Ject A/C and Fluid Leak Detection Kit, a special kit that makes it easy for technicians to find air conditioning and fluid leaks, even those in cramped underhood areas, and avoid costly comebacks. The kit features the award-winning OPTIMAX Jr, a mini blue light LED leak detection flashlight with mega power that reveals the smallest leaks. It’s ideal for leak checking hard-to-reach spots that are inaccessible to larger lamps.

This super-compact leak detector is powered by three AA batteries, which are included. The LED has a 100,000-hour service life. Also included in the kit are an EZ-Ject A/C dye injector with hose and couplers, an EZ-Ject universal A/C dye cartridge with Fluoro-Lite dye that services up to 14 vehicles, a one ounce bottle of Dye-Lite All-In-One oil dye that services up to two vehicles, a one ounce bottle of Dye-Lite coolant/auto body leak dye and fluorescence-enhancing glasses.

Everything is stored in a convenient, sturdy plastic carrying case.

Tracer Products www.tracerline.com

Mohawk Lifts TR-30 Truck Lift Mohawk Lifts introduced a new TR-30 four post 30,000 lb capacity auto and truck lift. Mohawk’s TR-30 features all position safety locks, pivoting approach ramps, and a 6’11” lifting height.

Mohawk’s TR-30 is ALI/ETL certified to meet the one and only nationally recognized safety standard for vehicle lifts.

Mohawk Lifts www.mohawklifts.com www.ssgm.com

p 38-42 Baywatch.indd 41

October 2011 SSGM 41

11/10/11 2:37 PM

SSGM BAYWATCH New Products

OTC Introduces New Stinger-Series 2-Ton Super Low Profile Service Jack

Phoenix Systems Reverse Brake Bleeder Phoenix Systems, manufacturer of patented tools for brake service, offers the Phoenix V-12 DIY Reverse Brake. The V-12 DIY Reverse Brake Bleeder system features patented reverse bleeding technology that removes trapped air to create a firmer pedal, increased braking power and responsiveness, and reduced vehicle stopping time. It can also provide a combination bleed including reverse, pressure, vacuum or bench to easily bleed ABS systems and clutches. Lightweight and portable, the V-12 DIY Reverse Brake Bleeder requires no electricity or air and works well on today’s cars and trucks, as well as motorcycles, bicycles and ATVs. It is designed for one user to achieve a successful brake bleed in as little as 10 minutes.

Phoenix Systems brakebleeder.com

Low clearance vehicles are becoming more common, particularly with the recent emphasis on smaller, more fuel efficient cars. That makes a low-profile service jack a necessity rather than a luxury for most service shops. The OTC StingerSeries 2-Ton Super Low Profile Service Jack (P/N 1552) provides the ideal balance between performance and cost and is backed by the Stinger two-year No Hassle Exchange warranty. The 1552 features a twin pump design that requires only 5-1/2 pumps to reach max height (unloaded); and its low height makes the unit particularly well suited for groundhugging, high performance cars. Heavy duty construction with rolled edges offers added strength and resists twisting, while increasing durability and service life. The 1552 model has been tested to the highest industry standards of safety and performance and meets the new 2009 ASME/PALD standard.

OTC www.otctools.com

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42 SSGM October 2011 1751_Moneris_Jobber_Oct11_v1.indd

p 38-42 Baywatch.indd 42

2

www.ssgm.com 9/22/11 2:35 PM

11/10/11 2:38 PM

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11/10/11 2:39 PM

|| News Briefs continued

... continued from page 32

Rotary Lift Expands Factory Training for Installers

Since 1989, Rotary Lift has provided regular factory training classes on proper lift installation and service for its Rotary Authorized Installer (RAI) network. Recently, the company added a third full day to its RAI training classes in order to thoroughly cover new products.

“Over the last 18 months, we have introduced the Y-Lift alignment and general service lifts, the SmartLift Trio superstructure, the EFX60 heavy-duty in-ground scissor lift, the Wireless Mach 4 mobile column lift and an updated MOD30 heavy-duty in-ground lift,” explains Ron Lainhart, Rotary Lift parts and service manager. “Adding a day to our RAI classes enables us to teach authorized installers how to install, inspect and service these new products. It also gives us more time to provide additional service and maintenance tips for some of our other lifts.”

Rotary Lift offers its light-duty RAI training class 10 times per year. Its heavy-duty class is held five times per year.

The company also provides its distributors with sales training classes throughout the year. Nearly 4,000 attendees have gone through Rotary University factory training programs.

RAI training is open to employees of Rotary Lift and its

RAI network. One of the requirements to be an RAI is that the company must send a representative to Rotary University training at least every three years. RAIs from around the world may attend regularly scheduled classes. Rotary Lift also periodically conducts classes in Spanish specifically for its RAIs from Central and South America.

RAI training classes are held at Rotary Lift headquarters in Madison, Ind. They are led by Lainhart and Rotary Lift product consultants. A representative of Hilti Corporation also teaches a segment on lift anchor embedment and epoxy application. Every course includes tours of the lift manufacturing facilities in Madison. The classes are heavily handson, with attendees working together to install lifts, take apart and rebuild hydraulic cylinders and accessories, and practice various service techniques. Interacting with other installers is another key component of the sessions, as it gives participants the opportunity to learn from each other.

At the conclusion of the course, each participant receives a certificate of completion.

For more information about Rotary Lift, visit www. rotarylift.com. To find your local RAI, call (800) 640-5438.

You can also find Rotary Lift on Facebook, www.facebook. com/RotaryLift; Twitter, http://twitter.com/RotaryLift; and YouTube, www.youtube.com/RotaryLiftMedia.

VL Communications Launches ABLink for Online Tire Sales

VL Communications has launched ABLink, a transaction site for selling tires online.

Customers will be able to access the site from their computers, iPhones or iPads. They will be able to order tires or parts, and these orders will appear directly in the tire shop’s AB Magique software for billing.

Pilenga Brake Rotors Available Exclusively at WORLDPAC

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WORLDPAC is the exclusive North American distributor of Pilenga brake rotors for Asian, European and Domestic carlines. Pilenga brake rotors are the only brake rotors in Europe to be manufactured entirely in Italy, from casting to finish. As well, Pilenga places a strong emphasis on quality, innovation and safety.

Offering over 250 different Pilenga products and multiple same-day deliveries in most metro areas in the US, Canada and Puerto Rico. WORLDPAC is committed to delivering customers the right part at the right time. WORLDPAC’s complete brakes program offers over 15,000 products from an impressive network of suppliers including Advics, Aisin, Akebono, Ate, Balo, Brembo, Cardone, FTE, Hitachi Chemical, Jurid, Mountain, Nissin, NPN, Pagid, PBR, Pilenga, Prenco, Sangsin Brake, Sumitomo, Textar, TRW, WBR, Winhere, Zimmermann and more.

SSGM

www.ssgm.com

11/10/11 2:40 PM

You don’t repair just one vehicle make.

We don’t make parts for just one either.

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9/16/11 3:26 PM 11/10/11 2:41 PM

Automotive Internet Directory

Visit these companies directly at their web addresses or check out the growing list of Hot Links at www.autoserviceworld.com. To find out how your organization can be included in this directory and on the web, contact aross@jobbernews.com

AUTOMOTIVE PARTS & ACCESSORIES Goodyear Engineered Products www.goodyearep.com/aftermarket www.goodyearbeltsandhose.com The officially licensed belt of NASCAR. Gatorback, the quiet belt. You can never replace Goodyear quality.

NGK Spark Plugs Canada Limited www.ngksparkplugs.ca The World Leader in Spark Plugs, Oxygen Sensors and Ignition Wire Sets.

Used by 87% of the World’s OE Manufacturers S.B International Inc. www.sbintl.com “We keep engines humming”

AUTOMOTIVE RECYCLERS Carcone’s Auto Recycling and Wheel Refinishing www.carcone.com With over 32 years of experience Carcone’s Auto Recycling & Wheel Refinishing is your one stop for quality recycled products and wheel refinishing needs. Call today at 1-800-263-2022 or visit us on line at www.carcone.com

AUTOMOTIVE RECYCLERS Standard Auto Wreckers View Our Online Inventory @ www. standardautowreckers. com or call 416-286-8686.

Experienced Shipping Department to Ensure Parts Arrive Safely.

HAND CLEANERS GOJO Industries, Inc. www.automotive.gojo.com GOJO is a leading manufacturer of skin care products and services for many marketing including automotive and manufacturing. GOJO continues to pursue a commitment of creating well-being through hand hygiene and healthy skin.

REFRIGERANT Duracool Refrigerants

www.duracool.com Nationally Distributed by: Deepfreeze Refrigerants Inc. The Leaders in Hydrocarbon Refrigerant Technology. Guaranteed In writing not to harm any Mobile A/C System. You can feel the Difference that Quality Makes. “Our Formula Never Changes”.

ADVERTISERS’ INDEX

Advertiser . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Page # . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Website ACDelco. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 48 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . www.ACDelco.com Airtex. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 31 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . www.airtexproducts.com Bridgestone/Firestone. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . www.bridgestonetire.ca/eco Carquest. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . www.Carquest.ca CARS. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 26 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . www.cars-council.ca CARS(Essentials). . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 35 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . www.cars-council.ca Delphi. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 45 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . www.delphi.com/am De-On Supply Inc. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 44 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . www.deonsupply.com Equus. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . www.equus.com Federal Mogul. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . www.federalmogul.com Ford Motor Company. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . www.ford.ca Havoline. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . www.Havoline.com Identifix. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . www.identifix.com Imperial Oil. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . www.mobile.ca Induction Innovations. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 36 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . www.the Inductor.com Matco tools. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 33 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . www.nmatcotools.com Monaco . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 32,38 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . www.monaco-group.ca Moneris. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19,42 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . www.moneris.com/auto3 Monroe. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . www.monroe.com PBL Insurance Limited. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . www.pblinsurance.com Promax. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 39 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . www.autopartsdepot.ca Robert Bosch. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . www.lightemup.com Ross Tech LLC. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 43 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . www.ross-tech.com SPX. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . www.autoboss.net Valvoline Oil Canada . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 37,47 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . www.valvoline.com VDO. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . www.vdo.com/usa VL Communications. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 41 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . www.vlcomm.com Wakefield Canada . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 29 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . www.wakefield.ca 46 SSGM October 2011

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TOOLS & EQUIPMENT AIR LIQUIDE CANADA INC. www.airliquide.ca Your one-stop shop for all your industrial gases and welding supplies.

WAREHOUSE DISTRIBUTORS & BUYING GROUPS Bestbuy Distributors Limited

www.bestbuyautoparts.ca Independent buying group and warehouse distributor that allocates its profits to member shareholders and provides unbeatable value for independent jobbers.

The E.R.I. Group www.theerigroup.com Canada’s Premier Machine Shop Buying Group Kerr Machine Shop Group Inc.

www.kerrmachineshopgroup.com Buying group for machine shops and performance shops.

Go to www.ssgm.com to see the latest technical videos and tools tests with SSGM Magazine’s Technical Editor Jim Anderton.

www.ssgm.com

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Š 2009, Ashland Canada Corp. *Source: Thomas Penway Research Poll of ASE Mechanics in the United States

www.v a lv o li n e . c o m

Only one person works on his car.

And only one oil works in his engine.

More ASE-certified top mechanics use Valvoline in their own cars.* Mechanics can use any oil they want. They choose the one with a proven reputation for quality, protection and a history of innovation. Valvoline.

100 YEARS UNDER THE HOOD.

TM

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CMG MARKETING • 1125 Leslie St, Toronto, Ontario M3C 2J6 • T 416.646.3050 • F 416.646.3051

I Docket#:

99-0000 I Client: ACDelco I Project: ACD TSS Ad I Date: 11-10-04 I Trim: 8 1/8x10 7/8”” I Bleed: 1/8” I Colours:

C

M

Y

K I Ad#: ACD-TSS-11-4CF-303-EN

IS YOUR “KNOWLEDGE FACTORY” Why bother being frustrated?

We know you have other things you’re taking care of – like fixing it right the first time!

Business is tough, and so knowledge becomes the difference between success and failure. Customers are as demanding as ever. Manufacturers are continually throwing diagnostic curveballs at you every time they release a new make or model. It gets frustrating - we know.

Let us help you navigate those sometimes turbulent diagnostic waters with real world training and our “best in class” Technical Assistance Centre hotline – both come to you courtesy of the ACDelco Total Service Support Program.

See your ACDelco Representative or call the ACDelco Info-Line at 1-800-26-DELCO (33526) for more information on how you can become a TSS member!

ACDelco Training

is Quality control for your business

p 48 AC Delco ad.indd 48

1-800-263-3526 TechConnectCanada.com

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