INSIDE THIS ISSUE…
REGULARS
2 Note from the MD
3 For Your Information
WELCOME
Note from the MD
12 Newsdesk
13 Take a Break with ROYAL
22 FPS Product Index
24 Competition Time
Your change to win an Amazon Echo Smart House package,
courtesy of BLUE PRINT!
FEATURES
4 All in the Family
GATES introduces their latest Micro-V ® belts that carry stronger
than ever associations to the Gates OE range
6 CAT-ching up with the Future
KLARIUS sheds some light on type-approved CATs and what this
means, post-Brexit
7 Sensing Emissions
CAMBIARE explains how vehicle electronics play a part in reducing
a vehicle's carbon footprint
8 Cracking into Valve Head Failure
FEDERAL-MOGUL sheds light on the various problems faced by
valve heads as a result of modern automotive technology
9 Amassing Power Efficiently through Quality
BOSCH talks about the technology behind air-mass meters
10 Topping it Up
FEBI talks to VITAL NEWS about why strut top mounts need to be
checked regularly
11 Cooler Under Pressure
NISSENS explains how turbocharged engines impact the intercooler
14 Dual Mass Effect
LUK explains common causes for DMF failure
15 High Pressure, High Performance
CARWOOD shares valuable fault identification and prevention advice
16 Summer Splash
FPS shines some light on summer sales essentials
18 Handing it to the Cables
FIRST LINE highlights the opportunities and technology behind
automotive cables
Welcome to the latest issue of Vital News.
At a blink of an eye, the first half of 2017
has flown by. The most recent excitement
coming from the general election result
and closer to home, Automechanika
Birmingham.
The election has brought another
surprising result. Seemingly, the youth
vote mobilised after their disappointment
at the Brexit result, turning out in higher
numbers to ensure their voice was heard.
It also seems that the combination of
a rather detached and disconnected
Conservative party upsetting older voters
with their social care policies, combined
with a digital media savvy Labour party
connecting with the young and promising
largesse from their magic money tree,
resulted in a hung parliament.
If a coalition can be formed, this could
well prove to be a good outcome. With
continuing attempts to balance the
books reasonably, sensible economic
policies and increased spending might
reflect nation needs on healthcare and
education. We may even get a half-
sensible approach to Europe.
Here’s hoping!
Automechanika Birmingham showed
in good form as ever, with a generally
buoyant start to the year being the
general opinion. Alongside further
recent consolidation in the sector, the
key takeaways seemed to be discussion
over the 4-1-1 MOT, post-Brexit type-
approval and in particular, connected
technology. Overall, the sector remains
robust, with the IAAF estimating that the
UK independent aftermarket is worth
more than £13.5 billion and provides
more than 250,000 jobs, making us one
of the largest in Europe. With vehicle
manufacturers paving the way for
100% connected vehicles by 2025, the
Right2Choose campaign is therefore
an important campaign to ensure the
aftermarket continues to thrive.
At FPS, we work with our suppliers
to maintain best practices within the
aftermarket to reinforce the confidence
of motorists whilst giving them options
to maintain their vehicles in a way that
works best for them. This issue’s cover
story explores Gates’ latest generation
Micro-V ® belts that mirror their OE range
in design and performance. Read more
about this on page 4.
Also in this issue, we get insight from our
other suppliers, Bosch, Carwood, Klarius,
febi, First Line, LUK, Federal-Mogul,
Cambiare, Nissens, Polco, Upol, Mont
Blanc and Royal.
As always, we look forward to your
feedback on how to provide you with
excellent services to make the business
better.
Meanwhile, happy reading!
Neil Davis
Managing Director, FPS
[email protected]
PROUD TO SUPPORT
CONTRIBUTORS THIS ISSUE…
19 The Perfect Mat-ch
POLCO presents their diverse range of car mats as strong
additional sales opportunity.
20 Repair, Prime, Protect
U-POL presents ISOPON project kits for DIY enthusiasts
21 Come Rain or Shine
ROYAL introduces two outdoor shelters in time for long summer days
21 Leave it to the Pro
MONT BLANC introduces the ProRack range for LCV applications
2 CONTENTS
VITAL NEWS ISSUE 47