Automotive Refinisher Nov-Dec 2014

T H E V O I C E O F T H E I N D U S T R Y

November - December 2014

UTOMOTIVEAUTOMOTIVEAEdition 176

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CMC AUTOPANEL

KINSEY REPORT

DELTA PANELBEATERS

STANSURE ROADSHOW

IN THIS ISSUE

PARISSHOW

AUTOMECHANIKA

FRANKFURT

GOODWOOD

REVIVAL

AUTOMECHANIKA

FRANKFURT

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WORLD SKILLS COUNTDOWN

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In the last two decades the South African collision repair markethas really come of age as right across the country top independentrepair concerns have moved forward to embrace the changingtechnology of todays complex modern vehicles.

One of the foremost concerns in recent years has been theconstant bottom line profitability erosion partially due to the lackof standards which has lead to a over-traded repair environment.Top class independent shops have been left with only policies ofa reactive nature and much difficulty in finding a proper return ontheir investment through a lack of recognition of the standardsneeded to run a professional repair facility.

The Collision Repairers Association has adopted an entirely newapproach to the industry and some of its challenges by recruitingthe cream of the crop of the repair industry who have invested instandards and continue to put out quality repairs with the aim toplease customers. The vast knowledge of the officials and staffwill drive forward a strategic plan to improve repairer profits andgain recognition for the vast number of independent key roleplayers in every area of activity in collision repair in South Africa.

Enjoy the recognitionyou deserve.

T h e b e n c h m a r k o f q u a l i t yC a l l u s o n 0 8 6 1 7 2 6 2 7 2 o r V i s i t w w w . c r a s a . o r g . z a

The CRA over the past year have worked closely with somemajor insurers in putting together guidelines to progress theneeds of both the insurance and repair sectors. The time hascome for major structural repairers and the smaller non-structural repair shops to have a dedicated voice at thenegotiating table. Not only do we have to understand theinsurance industry and some of their unique challenges, but weneed to also offer long term sustainable solution to problemsthat have existed over the past 3 decades.

The CRA is also driving a recognizable legislated standardvia the DTI that will become compulsory for any repairer to tradein South Africa. This should see the repairers that have alreadyinvested in standards gain the recognition they so rightlydeserve.

The industry has certainly been begging for change andchange has arrived in the form of the CRA. So call us soon togain your place on the road forwards with the new tradeorganisation of the future in collision repairs.

JOIN THE CRA AND GET THE RECOGNITION YOU DESERVE!

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PUBLISHER’S BYTEAccidents Reduced Globally 4CMC AUTOPANELNew Cape Town Top Shop 10STANSURE National Roadshow 20PARIS MOTORSHOWWith a Twist 24PEUGEOT 208 REBIRTHAutoInsider 28AUTOMECHANIKA 2014What Was Hot at Frankfurt 32KINSEY REPORTWinners and Losers 40GOODWOOD REVIVAL2014 Report 50DELTA PANELBEATERSTop Shop 72WORLDSKILLS COMPETITIONAutomotive Week 81ARNOLD’S CLOCKAfrican Panorama 90

ContentsN O V E M B E R - D E C E M B E R 2 0 1 4

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Front Cover: Citroën Divine DS ConceptContents: Peugeot Quartz, Paris Motor Show

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UTOMOTIVEAAUTOMOTIVE

VEHICLE SAFETY FEATURESREDUCE ACCIDENTS GLOBALLY

Early research results from across the world are picturing adiminished accident rate with body shop repair signals ofreduced vehicle damage along with diminished injuriessustained by drivers and passengers. These worldwide

studies have been conducted in the US by the Highway SafetyInstitute and the results of the study revealed that injury relatedclaims shrunk by almost 26%, along with a damage reduction ofsome 15%.

This is down on previous years. The European numbers alsoshow a similar decline in Germany. ATX and German researchrevealed a 9% reduction in all claims as Sweden’s police haverecently tracked this decline and announced a 48% reduction infront-into-rear impacts. Switzerland’s insurers AXA and Winterhurstudies of statistics into accidents also posted a 31% reduction infront-into-rear crashes and a lower third party claim rate.

Finally, Tristar Worldwide Chauffeur Fleet standards fitted withpark distance safety features saw a 27% reduction in front-into-rearaccidents.

Just what all these trends will eventually deliver on South Africanroads and highways remains a big mystery for our accident ratesremain horrific. Take the 54 vehicles and lives lost near Alberton byjust one cavalier truck driver with an unroadworthy 16-wheeler.One thing that will undoubtedly need to be factored in is thatdespite our strange mix of civilisation and African non-civilisation,new Lidar and CMOS radar signals will undoubtedly be legislated atsome point. It will eventually play a major part in reducing seriousvehicle accidents into the next decade.

Disgraceful Crime and Vehicle StatisticsContinuing on from the Alberton accident, one vehicle was

stolen during that time as well as a multitude of personal belongings.It is no small wonder that the police publish their vehicle statisticsone year in arrears for they make a country and its crime levelsappear to be completely out of control.

Looking firstly at the 66 000 vehicles with a value of some R8.5billion – stolen or hijacked in a calendar year – some of the shockingstatistics reveal that according to the SAPS and the South AfricanInsurance Crime Bureau, some R514 million worth of these units

were stripped and dismantled by chop shops. Close to R5 billionworth are removed and transported across our borders toneighbouring countries and worst of all, in my view, up to R3.1billion worth of stolen and non-recovered vehicles are workedback into the e-Natis re-registration system by cloning andduplicating of other South African road-going vehicles.

This registration system seems to be riddled with a bunch ofcorrupt officials all on the take to make this huge business flourish.The big downside of all this is that 39 000 cloned vehicles werereportedly copied last year alone. So once again the original carvehicle owner is left with the headache of settling the outstandingvehicle lease or HP; and in many cases the thieves simply ride alongwithout being stopped or ever caught by the police.

This is a lucrative pastime to avoiding work and stealing yourway forward. It is driven by dodgy vehicle sellers and gulliblepurchasers to a deal that’s always going to be ‘too good to betrue’. If you ever wanted to engage in a toxic conversation aboutSouth Africa out of control in crime policing, please start right nowas our bungling and non-reactive police force once again struggleto cope with our criminal creativity across the country.

Contingency Plan for the Postal StrikeAs I write this we are knee deep into a 10-week postal strike

that seems to have no end in sight. Please visit our newly updatedwebsite at www.autoref.co.za and download the latest magazinesat no charge and in a convenient page turner. We have alsouploaded it in ISSUU for those of our readers who are using Ipadsor other tablets.

‘Tis the SeasonIs it just me or has 2014 been a year of the “blur” as it has

whooshed by at an ever quicker pace than experienced before?Thank you once again to all of our avid readers, contributors andadvertisers, without whom we wouldn’t have the joy of putting thispublication together.

Be sure to take some time off during the seasonal break; pat thedog, love the family gatherings and wherever you find yourself – besafe and take it easy on the roads.

PUBLISHER’S BYTE - by Ian Groat

UTOMOTIVEAUTOMOTIVEAT H E V O I C E O F T H E I N D U S T R Y

R E F I N I S H E R

November-December 2014 Edition 176

Telephone: +27 (0)11 949 4091Facsimile: +27 (0)11 252 6844Email: [email protected]: www.autoref.co.zaPublisher: Ian GroatEditor: Claire MacfieAccounts: Val GroatDesign: Jay GroatAssistant: Nataschja FerreiraCT Correspondant: Dave FallEuropean Technical Editor: Andrew Marsh

The views expressed inarticles in AutomotiveRefinisher are those of theauthors and shall not beconstrued to represent thoseof the Editor or the Publisher.Accordingly, AutomotiveRefinisher accepts noresponsibility for claims andstatements made byadvertisers and independentcolumnists. Further, theappearance ofadvertisements herein doesnot necessarily indicate theapproval by AutomotiveRefinisher for the productand/or service advertised.Material may not bereproduced in any formwithout the written consentof the Publisher. AutomotiveRefinisher is dedicated toservicing the businessinterests of the collisionrepair industry.

WHAT’S HOT?

AR N-D 2014 CLAIRE_NOV/DEC 2005 paganation 2014/10/31 1:27 PM Page 19

BASF Coatings Services 086 1100 173 www.devilbisseu.com Tunzi Automotive +27 (0)11 867 7887

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The new venture of the Motor Traders Organisation (MTO) continues to make marketing progress saysNoel de Robillard. “Right now we are enjoying good success in signing up new members as far afield asthe Port Elizabeth area of our operation.” The local market encompasses up to 600 000 people beingactively employed in the various sectors of the motor trade and the objectives of the MTO are to

champion their rights across the trade.“With the introduction of the Motor Traders Organisation ultimately we can see the expansion of our signed

up membership approaching 1 000 companies and individual members as well as trade supply concerns. In the rollout phase towards the end of this year and early next year, one of our media functions will become a push tonegotiate with trade unions within the motor trade on various labour matters and employer concerns within ourtarget area of operations of vehicle dealerships, motor body repairers and fuel forecourt operations, to name but a few.

“Right now we’re already at around 300 signed up new members and the response has been positive to some of the services that we offerto our members to guide them through existing legislation, particularly in regard to the Consumer Protection Act. It’s a vital area for smallbusiness operations. We’re also continuing to try and keep our MTO membership fees at low entry levels while being able to offer the prospectof delivering a full service package with good service delivery levels for as an alternative industry organisation in the motor trade.” concluded DeRobillard.

MTO are driven by the following benefits:l Our rates are very competitive ranging from R300.00 per month or R3 000.00 annuallyl We offer BEE Certification or assistance at preferential ratesl We have access to lawyers and labour advisors who can offer our members assistance with all legal matters, again at preferential ratesl We are currently negotiating with a reputable broker for affordable basket packages which include Medical Aid and Pension fund for

employees, specifically for MTO membersl Motorite, and Warranty solutions have endorsed the MTO to ensure that your warranty work can continue and are at the final stages with

all the other warranty companiesl We have a marketing campaign to ensure we drive consumers to our membersl Tap a tag - a list of benefits including negotiated rates on speed point of 2.15% and 1.75% on a debit card.

MOTOR TRADERS ORGANISATIONMAKING PROGRESS

WHAT’S HOT?

INDUSTRY UPDATE

Noel de Robillard, head of the MotorTraders Organisation (MTO).

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DRIVINGTHE MOTOR INDUSTRY

DRIVINGTHE MOTOR INDUSTRY

The Motor Trade Organisation is a new organisation which exists to support and promotethe interests of the South African motor industry. We will be working closely with membercompanies and plan to become the ‘Voice of the Industry’ promoting its position to bothgovernment stakeholders and the media. It has been formed to address your concerns andneeds as business owners. For far too long business owners in the SMME market have beenon the recieving end of additional costs, higher wages, stricter, tighter legislation andcompliance, all aimed at the betterment of consumers, workers and even at times oursuppliers. This is true because the trade unions have a strong voice and fight for theirmembers. Government wants to address consumer needs hence the consumer protectionact. BUT WE NEED TO ASK OURSELVES, who is protecting the interest of business owners?

Visit our website www.mto.org.zaEmail : [email protected]

Call 0861 298 009

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Story and pics by Ian Groat

TOP SHOP CMC AUTOPANEL, BRACKENFELL CAPE TOWN

The Dals Motor Group (DMG) really got into top gear wayback in 1995 when Tommy Nel opened up a panel shop inMontague Gardens. Tommy, who started out as aVereeniging-based panel shop owner, had paid some

school fees on just how to get the world’s best body shop toperform. He started with his family to overhaul the way forward andby using his personal drive and desire to become the best at collisionrepairing in the South African market. Dals has continued to buildstate-of-the-art repair facilities in the Cape Town suburbs.

The next big opportunity for the Dals expansion came in thepurchase and revamp of Dals Brackenfell where another hugeupgrade was set in motion to cope with a Mercedes-Benz approvalprogramme. With his 40 years’ experience, Tommy, with his sonElvin, set the foundation for Brackenfell.

So it came as no surprise to see the Nel family introduce the all-new, 8 000 square metre body shop. Dals Libertas Goodwood andDals Claremont was thus opened in the Southern suburbs; theyboast a number of approvals including another Mercedes-Benzbadge. These shops complement the already strong Dals MontagueGardens branch; the five branches have some 17 000 square metresbetween them.

The Brackenfell operation, together with long time turnkeyspecialist, Walter Lenaerts, have introduced a shop with no less thanfour full-size sprinter spray booths along with an Aeromix colourroom plus the Aeroprep and vacuum assisted preparation decks.“The shop is really part of the final push to deliver excellent repairwork as it features world class technology,” says Nel.

Elvin gave a great opening speech to say that it had been a longhard road with his father in learning the business where he had seenhimself working as a driver, storeman and assessor, he truly learnt thebusiness from the ground up.

The final realisation of a dream come true was the opening ofCMC Auto panel. The DMG facilities now employ over 160 people

in the various operations in the suburbs across Cape Town and withthe new technology-packed workshop, he felt confident that theywere on the right path.

To name one feature, the new operation featured the Aerocureglass sided spray booth which now uses the latest energy savingmotors to reduce electrical costs by some 50% over older typecabins. With over 350 invited guests the evening function was a fullbells and whistles affair on the launch evening.

The two aluminium bays have the most advanced equipment andmethods in aluminium repair, this is part of the ongoing commitmentthe Nels have towards their customers to ensure their vehicles arerepaired to factory specification in hospita-like conditions. Theseconditions ensure that no cross contamination between ferrous andnon-ferrous metals take place.

Tommy Nel hasn’t enjoyed the best of health in recent years butremains absolutely driven when it comes to completing his personaldream of being able to deliver the absolute best service andcustomer experience in body shop repair in Cape Town.

The CMC operations are backed up by more than 30 towing andresponse vehicles and controlled and monitored by a special callcentre for clients with 24 hour Cape Roadside Assist.

Knowing Tommy for the entire 40 years as I do you have tocommend him on sticking with the dream against plenty of wind onhis chest along the highway to get the result of a body shop thatranks as one of the best in the world right now. His final commentof having a talented family to see him through it all says it all.

In closing, facilities like these that take our industry forward, theyraise the bar to another level. Many thought Tommy Nel was crazyto take on such a project. Nevertheless here we are, a testament tohis determination and passion to see his industry soar to new heights.

The Dals Motor Group would like to thank the Nel family fortaking us with them on this journey.



CMC AUTOPANELLAUNCH IN STYLECMC AUTOPANELLAUNCH IN STYLE


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R-M systems are the ref in ish of choice for the Dals Groupoperat ions and the RSB team give top notch serv ice to mainta inexce l lent leve ls of serv ice back-up.

The smart new shop f ront and exce l lent s ignagemake a great f i rs t impress ion on anyone.

Ansie ( le f t) and Tommy Nel are seen here wi th the i rdaughter L ind ie Nel . As a fami ly dr iven bus iness theyare very proud of the i r legacy.

“The a l l newCaro l inera lumin ium repairroom is fu l lyequipped forfuture a lumin iumrepairs ,” saysAlex Lenaerts .

Aerocure’s new dr ive-through sprayboothsfeature v isua l computertemperature and energyread outs whi le inoperat ion. There was al ive demonstrat ion tak ingplace dur ing the event .

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1. Looking more like a huge night club, the CMC shop is simply enormous in size. 2. It was a very lavish occasion with no expense spared.3. Elvin Nel thanked everyone for coming along to enjoy the evening and especially everyonel involved in the hard work needed. 4. Over 350 invited guests partied until late with great entertainment and music to celebrate the occasion.5. CMC pulled out all the entertainment action in a power-packed evening party.

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CMC Auto Panelprovided the guests

with a superb eveningof entertainment.

TOP SHOP CMC AUTOPANEL, BRACKENFELL CAPE TOWN


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Afacelifted training course aboutoccupational safety has beenrolled out on a national basis bythe Collision Repairers

Association (CRA). The syllabus for training has been

further refined by specialist trainer for thedeaf, Dr Frik Botha, and covers all thedisciplines needed in today’s body shopenvironment. The course meets andexceeds safety standards for bothemployers and statutory legislation thatneed to be met.

A new compliant first aid kit will soonbecome available nationally from CRA andall queries from members of any urgentnature can be solved by calling Lisa-MarieGermanus on 082 600 9565. She is alsoavailable to talk to new members andprospective CRA body shops.

Celebrating Two Years Of SuccessThe CRA are already marking their

second year of success as an associationthat cares in the collision repair industry.They wish to thank all of their members fortheir generous support, time and feedback.“The ability to listen to our members andthen implement these actions is whatmakes us different,” said Lisa-Marie.

Auto Escalate Initiative GainsMomentum

The Auto Escalate initiative has finallyended the long-standing divisions of fairlabour rates and annual increases betweencollision repairers and insurers. Based onreasonable and fair business practice, theparties have undertaken to automaticallyincrease the labour rate annually on 1September.

The percentage will be based on theannual wage increase that appears in theofficial gazette. The date also coincideswith the introduction of annual wageincreases in the automotive sector.

Auto Escalate will ensure that annualincreases will be regulated, fair and willhave no conflict in the labour tariff wars ofprevious days. It is a first for the industryand has been driven, amongst others, bythe support of two of the largest insurers inthe country.

The Collision Repairers Association(CRA) who have pioneered the AutoEscalate initiative, intend to make this anindustry benchmark to be proud of. Theycurrently have 350 members nationwide.

In celebration of this ground breakinginitiative, CRA members of the Free

State/Northern Cape region held afundraiser. The CRA has all the industryplayers approached for donations andR150 000 was raised for Little FightersCancer Trust. A sizeable gift for sure.

The CRA FS/NC would like to thankthe following contributors for theirgenerous donations:

Gold• BASF• Lindsay Saker VW Bfn• MarounsSilver• ABSA• ABS• Audi Centre Bloemfontein• Auto Niche• BFN Multi franchise• Grandmark• Honda/Mahindra BFN• Human Auto• IMA• Mag Repairs• Imperial GM• SantamBronze• Aon• Bloem Bakkie Linings• C&F Motor Spares• Central Nissan

• Dup’s Towing• Exact Towing• Goldwagen• Glasfit• Hollard• Hyundai Bloemfontein• Indwe• John Williams• Landmark• Moto-Inn• OFS Car Breakers• Oranje Toyota• PG Auto Glass• Silverton radiators• Mrs Fredrie van der MerweCRA Contributors:• Auto Body Worx• Auto Renew• Auto Vision• B&H Paneelkloppers• Dent Doctor – BFN• Dent Doctor – Kimberley• OFS Panelbeaters• PC Struwig• Perfect Panelbeaters• Pokwani Panelbeaters• R&G Panelbeaters• TC Panelbeaters• Thompson’s Panelbeaters• Triomf Panelbeaters

LOCAL UPDATE

CRA’S TRAINING AND AUTO ESCALATEINITIATIVE



WHAT’S HOT?

“CRA have had a very productive and successful year so far as membership continues to grow” says Lisa-Marie Germanus.


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Bulldog Abrasives is the sole distributor of the SATA rangeof products in Sub-Saharan Africa. In a joint initiativebetween Bulldog and SATA, six of Bulldog’s top technicalrepresentatives travelled to the SATA Training Centre at

their head office in Kornwestheim, Germany, for five days ofintense technical training. They were trained on SATA’s entireproduct range and systems to upskill and then pass this valuableknowledge onto their customers.

SATA’s philosophy is “always be up to date with state-of-the-art technology” – this can only be achieved with on-going trainingand the enhancement of personal knowledge. Bulldog’s sales teammade use of SATA’s in-house training centre with spray booth, andhad training in both theory and practical fields. They were trainedby SATA’s training manager, Andreas Engenhardt, and werelooked after by SATA’s export manager Frédéric Martinez.

Bulldog staff were schooled on the different types of filtersavailable from SATA as well as the piping layout of thecompressed air system. They also learnt about all of the guns aswell as the safety equipment utilised when using SATA’s sprayequipment. Training was also provided on the maintenance andcleaning of the spray guns, which is rather important as the life ofthe gun is dependent on it. This was just a fraction of what waslearnt during their visit to SATA.

They were given a tour through SATA’s production facilitywhere they were shown how the legendary SATA quality level isachieved. Seeing their precision production machinery provides alasting impression of SATA’s product quality.

The team were then introduced to the following recentlyreleased SATA products:

The premium spray gun SATAjet 5000 B which sets newstandards when it comes to quality – painting has become easierthan ever before! This gun is extremely versatile in terms ofapplication distance and inlet pressure. Painters now have theability to set pressure and distance as required by the paint to beapplied, the climatic conditions and the work method to achieveperfect finishes.

SATA has released their SATAjet 4000 B “Surfer” gun with anattractive design, reflecting the theme of the German spray gunmanufacturer at this year’s Automechanika trade show. The designof this extraordinary spray gun epitomises the Californian way oflife – sand, surf and sun – the impression of California Dreaming!This gun is available as a strictly limited edition and will be availablefrom Bulldog Abrasives as from the middle of October 2014.

The SATA filter is now equipped with a SATA Filter Timer. TheSATA three-stage filter regulator unit is equipped with an activatedcharcoal filter to efficiently remove ultra-fine particles and oilvapours. In order to maintain the efficiency of the filter regulatorthe unit must be regularly maintained, thus avoiding coating flaws,quality issues and ultimately expensive reworks. The regularreplacement of saturated filter cartridges is equally essential whenworking with air-supplied breathing protection in order topreserve the health of the painters. To remind users to exchangeexhausted filter elements regularly, from now on all SATA filterregulator units will be supplied with a set of SATA filter timers.

SATA’s commitment to the continuous improvement in thequality of their product range and the operators’ knowledge ofhow to effectively implement the use of these products istestament to their devotion to their brand and their companyethos which has resulted in 99% of SATA’s customers returning topurchase SATA products.

TRAINING UPDATE

SATA & BULLDOGABRASIVES - COMMITTED TOSUCCESS

TRAINING

From left to right: Frédéric Martinez, SATA’s export sales manager; DonovanSpriggs and Dean Palmer Bulldog technical sales representatives; AndreasEngenhardt, SATA’s training manager.

Bulldog sales manager, Banie Welthagen (right) receiving a certificate from SATAtraining manager Andreas Engenhardt.

Peerapong Maythanarapong from Mercedes-Benz Thailand, was in Germany at thesame time and joined in with the Bulldog team’s training schedule. Left to right is:Luteyn Risseeuw; Peerapong Maythanarapong; Craig van Blerk and AndreasEngenhardt.

Bulldog technical representative, Dale de Clercq (right), receiving a certificate fromSATA training manager Andreas Engenhardt.


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In a novel move to engage with theirselected approved repair network,Stansure recently held a national roadshow convention for body shop, parts

and paints in Port Elizabeth, Cape Town,Kwa-Zulu Natal, Bloemfontein and Gauteng.

Peerushen Moodley, head ofprocurement told delegates that a think tankapproach on how Stansure could improvetheir working relationships with the networkof body shops was a good way to go.

The group have upped their motorbookby over 20% to close to 46 000 policies thisyear and it’s a vital drive to improve everyway they can with repairing stakeholders asclaims volumes increase. This type ofengagement is a vital part of improving thecompany’s insured drivers experience. Theyare currently seeing some 22% of total writeoffs and salvage returns remain satisfactory.Right now what is needed is animprovement in key-to-key time to makerepairs fast, simple and absolutely painlesss.That’s the new objective from the Stansureoperating team.

Len Moodley then went on to say thatdriveable damaged vehicles had seen anincrease over the years and they wereseeking new pathways in repair processes toget clients cars returned on time and closingdown time wasting gaps in the process canoften be overcome by increasingcommunication across the board. With thelions share of small hits of which 50%remains driveable under current conditionsof their policy holders.

Kirk van Wyk, who handles the nationalclaims, went on to say in some cases clientsabused courtesy cars by not returning thoserental Avis vehicles on time. There wereobvious ways on reducing friction in this area

of operations to diminish costs for all stakeholders in improving the car hire processmanagement cycle.

Parts were an ongoing problem for manyrepairers as delays up to three months werenot uncommon for impacted vehicles seenin repair with towing now consolidated withMSRG accessing yards. Those who attendedfelt problems still exist on chargeout ratesand collection costs for distance repaircompanies on outlying areas that needed tobe resolved in a more formalised way.Stansure was originally started as an in-houseoperation to cover Standard Bankemployees but has since gone on to growlike crazy into a national book of insureddrivers.

They are seeing approximately 450damaged units each month with 200 non-driveable, 200 driveables and 50 write offvehicles being the pattern of damage seenon average.

Vehicles in warranty are now alwaystowed to the closest approved repairer andwith over 10 000 new policies now beingsold over 2014, collision repairers involvedwill see a gradual increase in repair volumes.

Clinton Poonsamy, manager: MotorAssessing, informed delegates of a newprocess structure on claims processing at thecall centre. The process now concentrateson removing any wasteful expenses andimproving the client’s experience with astep-by-step approach to each stage of the

repair cycle.General discussion on problematic areas

of poor assessor questions, payment delaysand other bits and pieces gave Stansure theroom to improve the total offer. “We wantto do things better and better for allconcerned,” said Moodley. Costings andclearance certificates were also up forgeneral discussions, as were the companyaudit profiles. SMD went through thecurrent process of assessment, many feltthey could see improvements to reduce costand speed up repair cycle time on theStansure assessing methodology.

Talks on 24 Fix Autoglass and other keyareas were also included in the national roadshow. Moodley was upbeat about theoutcome as the company had found manynew paths to eliminate cost frictions andprocess improvements going forward todrive Stansure client experiences upwards ina bid to keep their insured drivers in theright frame of mind.

“As a progressive insurance company,examining failure demand is important toStansure to try to eliminate these areas ofcontention and costs as we are now strivingto reduce customer effort by making it quickand easy for customers to try and solve allthe problems. It lowers the customer’s effortwhich makes them more likely to remainloyal and keep them with a Stansure masterpolicy,” concluded Moodley.

INDUSTRY UPDATE

STANSURENATIONAL ROAD SHOW



INSURANCE

The Stansure roadshow was wel l supported as the insurer looks to improve the i r c l ientsco l l is ion repair cyc le exper ience.

Peerushen Moodley sa id much can bedone to improve work ing re lat ionships atStansure.

C l i n ton Poonsamy to ld the a t tendeesabout the new process structure in theca l l centre.

Len Moodley sa id Stansure were tak ing aprogress ive path for a l l s takeho ldersinvo lved.

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Upgrades and repairs are financiallypainful when you neglect them for toolong. Remember the old tune, “All orNothing at All”, first recorded by Frank

Sinatra? It aptly describes many shop owners’approaches to making changes or improvements.

It came to mind after talking with a close friendwho sells and services spraybooths, framemachines, welders and other key collision shopequipment. She says that in this tough economymany shop owners are choosing to upgrade theirexisting equipment rather than buy new. She also says she is appalledby the sorry state of much of the equipment she is asked to rehab.

On chassis machines chains are frequently broken, hydraulicpumps are leaking and hydraulic rams don’t operate properly. Theholding clamps are often in poor working order. Most of thesecomponents must be serviced once a year. If they had been, the costof upgrading and repairing them would be a fraction of the bill forservicing these neglected components.

Frequently the computerised measuring equipment has beenneglected so long that it stands unused in a corner while techniciansuse old tram gauges to make less accurate measurements. Whenasked why these components have been allowed to fall into this sadstate, the shop owner replies he was intending to replace them withnew equipment, but just hasn’t gotten around to it. “All or nothingat all.”

Body straightening machine neglect is nothing, however,compared to paint booth neglect. Regular booth exhaust ductsshould be cleaned every six months, but they’ve often been ignoredfor a year or more. Booth ceiling filters should be changed every sixmonths and floor filters or exhaust wall filters should be replacedabout every two weeks. My friend says the state of some of the filtersshe has seen are so bad they must be seriously affecting the qualityof the paint jobs coming out of the booth.

Burners and mechanical units need to be serviced every sixmonths, but aren’t. Paint cabinets contain ancient materials thatshould have been disposed of months ago. Much of this is neglect tothe point that it could become hazardous. Once again, incrementaltimely replacement and maintenance could have cut the cost ofupgrading in half, rather than nearly painting the balance sheet red.

My friend sees all kinds of neglect in paint booths. Air line filterelements should be changed every three to six months, but oftenaren’t. (Air compressor filter elements like desiccant beads need thatkind of attention too). Air compressors and dryers have not been

maintained properly by changing oil filters on compressors andadding Freon to the air dryer every six months. Air lines are just airreceivers that no longer work properly when they’ve not beendrained in the morning and in the evening. All of this adds up togreater replacement costs.

Air line hoses and quick couplers develop leaks. This is one of themost costly areas to a body shop. One leaky air hose can cost a shopup to R2 000 in a single month. Clarifiers that should have beencleaned out once a year appear to have been untouched for several.At this point some are beyond repair and must be replaced atsignificantly more cost than simple maintenance.

Even the cords to the polishers and vacuum cleaners are frayedand in poor working order, sometimes with exposed wires. Again,most of this neglect is actually hazardous. Taken one at a time, theseneglected areas may seem trivial, but together they add up to asignificant sum.

With many shops considering the lean production approach, the“scrub” phase, cleaning, repairing or replacing equipment that is notfunctioning properly, risks being a major task.

If the lean Japanese concept kaisen, which calls for incrementalchanges in a shop’s appearance, equipment or personnel training, hadbeen applied all along, the shop’s cost would have been lean as well.

I recently had an occasion to make a number of visits to a lovedone in a convalescent hospital. Every time I visited, I noticedsomething was being painted, upgraded. A convalescent hospitalcan’t shut down to be painted, so they paint a bit every day, even it’sonly a door a day. It’s a lesson that’s relatable for collision repairtoday, since business is still not booming in most areas, techniciansshould have at least a little time every day to attend to some kind ofmaintenance. A kaisen-like incremental approach to keeping a shopin top operating condition might well be the best lean approach, andfar less costly than “all or nothing at all.”

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KAPCI AD M-A 2014_Layout 1 2014/03/12 2:56 PM Page 1

This is a slightly sideways look at the Paris Motor Show which gotunderway at the start of October 2014. Some ground rules first:• The show always has global premiers even though the vehicleshave been launched before and/or are primarily intended for Europe.

• All premiers are linked to the last show – which happened two years ago.

• There are a huge number of ultra-light, ultra-slow and ultra-expensive vehicles on show, since France is the biggest market in Europefor ‘quadricycles’. Uniquely these speed-limited vehicles can be driven by16-year-olds, the infirm and the banned. How socialist is that?

There is a rather bigger trend underway. Or two. Let’s look at these….When is an ‘all-new’ vehicle a facelift?As a direct result of the global economy crash most vehicle

manufacturers struggled to keep the full force of their model replacementprogrammes going along. Some of these manufacturers effectivelycancelled replacement vehicle programmes, and instead carried on withupdating existing products to comply with ever more stringent emissionregulations, for example.

Ford for example had a range of MPVs based on the CD345 Mondeo(Galaxy and S-Max) which had been in production since 2006 – here weare in 2014 and the S-Max replacement has only just been revealed. Truethe Ford Fusion CD 391 (to be called Mondeo in Europe) has been onsale in the US since 2012 but plant closure in Europe and weak demandfor the current Mondeo allowed the replacement programme to moveout by two years. Meanwhile the ‘all-new’ Focus3 is in reality a revamp tothe bumpers and a huge investment in revised powertrains, which willthen carry on into Focus4 in due course.

How did this play out?Aston Martin – lots of minor revisions, but same old product. Bentley

Mulsanne Speed – more wood, more glitz, more power. An upgrade. Willanyone buy it? Ferrari 458 Speciale Aperta – limited edition, but expectthe active aerodynamics to appear on the regular 458 in the very nearfuture.

Ford Focus3, C-Max – major powertrain facelift, minor exteriorupgrade. Honda Civic Type R ‘concept’ – much delayed, a range addition.

Honda CR-V – this really is a facelift with an upgrades 1.6-litreEarthDreams turbodiesel engine. Infiniti…. In deep, deep trouble. Havingre-named the entire product line up with some very minor revisions,added genuinely new vehicles (Q50 for example) and then struck a dealto use Mercedes-Benz diesel engines along with building a new car basedon the A class platform in Mexico…. When will Infiniti settle down andget some serious sales made?

Nissan Pulsar – this is a new product for Europe, but really is the samething that could have been bought in other parts of the world for someyears. The cunning plan? Having cleaned up with Qashqai (Dualis) and Juke(Jake?) for the pseudo SUV market, Nissan Europe think by goingconventional they’ll clean up again. So that’ll be about 10 years ahead ofthe curve….

Opel/Vauxhall Corsa – this one is an almighty facelift. Brand newengines, transmissions and exterior panels with a new interior. So why isthis a facelift? This is not the ground breaking GM baby platform becausethat was cancelled. Instead the platform co-engineered with Fiat is all setto enter its second decade of manufacture. Tricky.

What was really new?Fiat 500X – it might be advised to view this car in a dark room whilst

wearing sunglasses. Not quite in the league to the 500-oh-L, it uses thesame C platform as the Alfa Romeo Guilietta and the new Jeep Cherokee– and replaces the Suzuki built SX-4 based Sedici. Much delayed, and tobe built in Italy by Fiat – but only on good days.

Hyundai i20 – following the lots of small steps path, the i20 builds onthe previous platform and gains some all-new engines. Evolutionary ratherthan revolutionary.

Jaguar XE, a nearly all aluminium car aimed at BMW 3 series (althoughJLR also mention 5 series) built at the Land Rover plant in Sol-i-hull. Powerwill come from Ford built supercharged V6 petrol engines and the newJLR built ‘Ingenium’ engine range of four cylinder petrol and turbodieselengines too.

Land Rover D-I-S-C-O-very Sport – Just as JLR were taken over byTata, there was a plan to produce a seven-seat version of the Freelander2, a plan that was just nine months from start of production. All went

quiet. JLR launched the Land Rover Range Rover Evoque (blessed withdesign input from Victoria Beckham), Range Rover/Range Rover Sport andnow launch the revised, re-skinned seven-seat Freelander 2 as the DiscoSport. It will feature the all-new JLR ‘Ingenium’ range.

Mazda MX-5 – all new, the fourth generation vehicle and to be builtwith ‘another engine’ for Alfa Romeo too. Paris saw the Mazda version –we await the Alfa Romeo version. Oh wait – will the Alfa Romeo versionhave seven year’s roadside assistance? Or should we start walking now?

Renault Espace, given the current product has been in almostcontinuous production since 2004 with just one major facelift, once cansay that it needed replacement. Following the theme that MPV monoboxprofiles have been replaced by pseudo SUV cross-overs, Espace gains theplatform from Nissan Qashqai (or Cash-cow) and is ‘ow you say, re-focused. Why? Renault want to get back some of their top end luxury carmarket – much as they have tried to do since the days of the Renault 25.

Skoda Fabia – the third generation Fabia and the first VolkswagenGroup ‘small’ car to be based on the MQB kit introduced with GolfVII/Seal Leon/Skoda Octavia/Audi A3. Expect the stop-gap Polo V(facelifted a few years ago), the Seat Leon and Audi A1 to be replaced intime with this new version of MQB.

Suzuki Vitara – all new, really, really all new. This will take over fromthe SX-4 and is closer to an SUV than the previous car. The introductionof the Vitara marks the end of production collaboration in Europe withFiat.

When is ‘new’ technology really off the shelf?The automotive industry is moving quickly to introduce ever-

expanding technology which is centred on connectivity and active safety –although no area of the vehicle is immune from this progress. However,we are seeing the introduction of mass market ‘new’ technology is reallyabout 10 years behind where the real break-through technology is. So aswe have seen at previous events, automotive technology on offer tovehicle manufacturers is really a consolidation of two decades of activity.

Expect another major technology burst to get underway in the nextfour years….

Those concepts….Citroën C4 Cactus AIRFLOW 2L concept – how does two litres per

100 km fuel consumption grab you? C4 cactus is not based on C4 but ona stretched C3 platform. This concept revises the body structure toinclude fibre-reinforced plastics, aluminium and steel alloys . Then it addsa compressed air/hydraulic hybrid drive system – which still means thevehicle is 100kg lighter than a C4 Cactus. It also has active aerodynamictabs. Hocus pocus? No. The main technology partner for the driveline isBosch. This may not appear exactly as shown in Paris but most of it willgo into production very soon.

Audi TT Sportback concept. OK, this might not make too much sensebut just as Citroën created the sub-brand ‘DS’ so Audi wants to create a‘TT’ brand. The first two steps are in place – the coupe and roadster. Can’twait for the TT Q – loads of ground clearance and no headroom. Anyway,TT Sportback is coming, like a Swiss train…. a cert.

Infiniti Q80 Inspire – a concept with more to say in its name than thevision. Interesting use of colour – white leather for the back seatoccupants and black leather for those up front. This is supposed toprepare us for the Q80…..

Lamborghini Asterion LPI 910-4 concept - a melange of previouslyused exterior themes combined with a full-blown hybrid powertrain. Notreally a product in its own right but an important pointer to where Audiwill take Lamborghini next.

Renault EOLAB concept – a body shell made with aluminium, steelalloys and fibre reinforced plastics and complete with active aerodynamicsurfaces. Even the front seat backrest frame is made from CFRP. Theharness is made from aluminium (to save weight). Drive line is battery-based hybrid drive. The real point? A huge indication of how Megane 4will look.

SsangYong XIV-Air and XIV-Adventure – aimed at the Honda CR-Vand the Toyota RAV-4, the only question is will Mahindra & Mahindra everput this into production? Volkswagen XL Sport concept. Take one superoptimised hybrid drive coupe, extend the wheel arches sideways (sodestroying the aerodynamics) and eject the two-cylinder turbodieselengine for a Ducati V2. Pointless.

OverallThe Paris show has had some rocky times in the past and came close

to closure. However it has bounced back and from the 2014 array of newvehicles and oddities it seems to have been a success. For the automotiveindustry there are a few storm clouds gathering – the European economicslow-down is biting once more and the number of times a product can bedescribed as ‘all-new’ is getting harder to justify. However, this wasprobably the last time we will see yawing gaps in the product renewalprocess, since the automotive industry more or less got back on an evenkeel in 2012.

GAY PARISWITH A TWISTPARIS MOTORSHOWWITH A TWIST by Andrew Marsh




Volkswagen XL Sportconcept

Infiniti Q80 InspirationLamborghini Asterion

Maserati Alfieri Renault Eolab

CIitroën CactusConcept


INTERVIEW NICO KRUKENBURG, BASF COATINGS SERVICES

Nico Krukenburg started at BASF Coatings (Europe) in1999 and worked for marketing, sales, productmanagement and supply chain for Industrial and OEMAutomotive Coatings in the German Headquarter in

Muenster/Westphalia.During 2003 to 2011 he worked as sales and project manager for

a European company in the field of secondary raw materials andrecycling and returned to BASF Automotive Refinish in 2011 inEurope, being responsible for European business developmentmanager for fleets and (technical and commercial) approvals. Later,he became business development manager within the businessmanagement key account division for commercial vehicles.

QHow has your period of BASF Coatings Services consolidationbeen progressing?

AYou call it consolidation; we see this more as a (re-)focus on ourcore competence and core business. Doing this, we had to take

tough decisions that may look like a consolidation, but weconcentrated on the quintessence of our business, the vehiclerefinish business. In my view my assignment in South Africa is a truecommitment from our headquarters to the South AfricanAutomotive Refinish Industry. Within the EMEA (Europe-Middle Eastand Africa) region set-up of BASF Coatings, South Africa is one ofthe top five countries – and therefore of great importance to theBASF Automotive Refinish business in EMEA. In addition to this, theSouth African organisation acts as a hub for the Sub-Sahara regionand is therefore important for the entire region.

QWith the waterborne initiatives pursued globally by the group,how do you rate the local market in terms of progress in

refinish?

ABASF Coatings is one of the global leaders in waterborne carrefinish. Early in the 1990s we started with the Glasurit 90-line –

before the European VOC-regulation forced it upon automotivepaint manufacturers, suppliers and users. Today, the waterbornesystem is approved by the greater majority of key car manufacturers.It is one of the most efficient paint systems available for the vehicle

refinish market. Looking to South Africa, we recognised the initiatives of the car

manufacturing industry to drive waterborne products ranges withinthe approved panel- and body shops. Therefore, the local market willdevelop further in this direction and we are enthusiastic to drive andsupport this development as well

QThe current drive is one of improving the way body shops aremanaged to concentrate on systems and profit improvement. Is

this part of a company drive?

AYes – this is not only part of the company drive, it is a core topicwithin our strategy and a key pillar to any one of our premium

paint brands. It is evident that establishments such as massive fleet companies

and insurers in Europe are looking at partnering with suppliers thatcan affect the efficiency and productivity of their systems andprocesses. It is our mandate to support and educate body shops inthe effort to reduce the repair times and increase the body shop’sutilisation. In a simple formula: More cycles per day in a body shop.As a result of this outlook we host a number of body shop businessseminars and related training activities in all regions of the country.Our Value Added Services team in South Africa attended severalannual training sessions in Europe to ensure they are on top of theirgame when it relates to global trends and outlooks that needs to beconsidered for our local industry and market.

QTalking about group progress, have you fulfilled the originalvisions as it has evolved for the Glasurit brand across South

Africa?

AIn business you never come to an end – but, yes, we are fully ontrack. The targets are ambitious, but we have a very good team

spirit within the company, sales and service teams. During my firstweeks in South Africa I have already experienced the dynamicswithin the organisation. I am sure that our time is right for ourproduct and service portfolios which have been developed for thismarket.

QThe colour offer from major houses has moved to special toolsto increase formula retrieval and identification, where are you

with this area of the business?

AColor offer is “key” for the car refinish market. If the colourdoesn´t match the job has not been done. We offer online and

offline tools, such CPS (Color Profi System for metallic colours) inthe fourth generation with more than 6 000 chips and more than14 000 OEM colours represented. For solid colours we offer CPSUni (Colour Profi System Uni) in the third generation with more than1 700 chips. Tinting guides and tinting swatches complement thisoffer.

Customers can use the Profit Manager Pro-software too. Inaddition to this, we can refer to one of the largest color databaseswhich is Glasurit Color Online. This is linked as well to the ProfitManager Pro-software to get the right colour-formula easily. Last butnot least is the very advanced solution of the Ratio Spectro II device– we see the future in this color identification tool. We thereforestrongly believe that we have the right answers and advice to thequestions of our customers.

QWhat is the driving focus from BASF Coatings Services rightnow and into the future?

AProductivity and efficiency are key for our clients. Workfloworganisation and key-to-key time has become more and more

important. Continuous training of our customer base becomes animportant key-success-factor. For this reason BASF Coatings Serviceswill open a state-of-the-art training facility in Johannesburg soon. Thistraining facility is based on the experience of a network of Europeantraining centres. I have visited a number of the training centres inEurope and can only emphasise the value of a South African TrainingCentre which will enhance the value of our business. We willfurthermore open additional local decentralised training centres inDurban and Port Elizabeth. This will complement the centres wealready have in Bloemfontein and Cape Town. Here we see a strongfocus in the future.

QWhere do you see the BASF Coatings Services group lookingin the next three years ahead, locally and internationally?

AWe believe that our strong brands will help our customers toincrease their business. The business environment remains

challenging. But within our regional and even global network, we willbe able to strongly support our customer.


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GLASURIT N-D 2014_Layout 1 2014/10/30 10:37 AM Page 1

208 LEADS THE RE-BIRTH FOR PEUGEOT



Thirty years ago the 205 GTi was born – a car which took aEuropean formula which had been established with theVolkswagen Golf (small car, bigger than usual engine, veryprecise handling) and pushed the performance envelope.

Few who ever drove one ever forgot it – indeed the 205 family wasa huge success since the ground work in the main vehicleprogramme was so good. The 205 was followed by the slightly larger206 which broke with the past as the first major Peugeot vehicle notto be designed by Pininfarina, but internally it too was a hugecommercial success. 207 became slightly bigger again, and a muchmore mature product than the previous models. But then, consumerdemands for refinement, safety and build quality inevitably took itstoll on vehicle weight.

Mayhem EverywhereDuring this period the fortunes of Peugeot SA went from

invincibility to near collapse – the interior systems and metal formingbusiness (Fauricia) and the logistics company (Gefco) remained veryprofitable whilst the automobile division lurched from difficulty todifficulty. Lucrative powertrain engineering collaborations with BMWand Ford were either terminated or scaled down, whilst for morethan a decade the Chinese market remained a mystery whilst otherswho started at about the same time (Volkswagen Group, BMW)powered ahead. The global financial crisis pushed this global businesswith founder family board members close to the brink – the analysisshowed the board had lacked conviction and made poor choices toadd to the woes. The result? The majority of Gefco was sold to theRussian State railway, Fauricia almost became independent andpeople openly talked about the end of both Peugeot as well asCitroen car production.

Part of the car ‘issue’ was that Peugeot had a tiered product rangeswathed in corporate clues which made less and less sense for thepublic. The push by ‘premium’ brands downwards had alreadydestroyed the upper end models, eaten into the mainstream volumeproducts and now openly challenged the base products. The FrenchGovernment did everything possible to assist Peugeot SA by fixingshort-term loans much to the anger of the EU (since repaid in full) –Renault too was in deep trouble but at least had Alliance partnerNissan to help. Peugeot SA was alone, confused and in deep trouble.

Seeing the LightWhilst the ‘old’ administration was in charge and through the

board room revolution, Peugeot SA found its heart. Starting with yetmore super-efficient mainstream product they went left field andtook on both the Fiat 500 and the Mini with a re-modelled three-door super-mini, by inventing the brand ‘DS’ and crucially pushing thethree-door hatch to a higher price point than the five-door hatch C3.That quietly got consumers back in love with the product. Thecurrent market see’s brand as a reassurance for buildquality/reliability, but the hook is the design and just how thepurchaser can make their own car unique. BMW openly admittedevery single Mini leaving the production line had on average £2 500of options which in turn had a far higher margin than the base vehicle.That’s what got the global automotive industry’s attention.

The Beginning The Geneva show of 2011 was the first outing for the 208, along

with the sister car the Citroën C3 (A58). On both show stands therewere production quality pilot build vehicles, a far cry from the fleetof eight production quality hand built prototype 1007s that adornedthe 2007 Paris show (cost circa €250 000 each) – a car that went onto lose €15 380 for each vehicle built. However, the biggestinvestment was a brand new three-cylinder engine buried in awalkway beside the stand…

The Bare FormulaThis was proof Peugeot SA had really started to find its feet again.

The ‘formula’ was utterly conventional for the era – up to six airbags(two front, two side, two curtain), electronic stability control withintegrated hill-hold feature, electric power steering assistance withthe electric motor fixed to the rack, LED tail lights (depending ontrim level) and day time LED running lights. Braking was via discs atthe front and drums or discs on the rear. Equally the suspensionconformed to type with McPherson front struts for the frontsuspension and coil sprung torsion beam rear suspension.

What Could all the Fuss be About?The interior was longer than the 207, by 100mm – but the

exterior was 70mm shorter. Add to that the 1.6 litre turbo petrolengines jointly developed with BMW (used in theR55/R56/R57/R58/R59/R60/R61 Mini) which replaced the larger andheavier 2.0-litre engine, the 1.0-litre three cylinder engine and theshortened body with and extensive use of higher strength steelalloys. The result is an average vehicle weight saving of 114kg when

FUTURE TECH - by Andrew Marsh


compared to 207. The weight saving for the 1.0 litre petrol enginemodel is 173kg, weighing in at just 975 kg! That is pretty remarkablefor a small vehicle complete with modern safety protection and NVHperformance.

The key was reduced tailpipe emissions, and to achieve thatthere are three important approaches:

• Managing the air over and underneath the vehicle to minimiseaerodynamic drag – which reduces the amount of engine powerrequired for a given speed.

• Reducing vehicle weight to in turn reduce the amount of powerrequired to accelerate it, so reducing tailpipe emissions.

• Increasing the efficiency of the engines which in turn are smallerbecause of the reduced demand from the vehicle.

Steel Alloys Everywhere The increased use of higher strength steel alloys contributes to

weight saving and getting more performance from less material,making the 70mm length reduction compared to 207 viable – evenimproving the crash energy absorption management. The roof skinis laser welded into position…

But, there’s MoreSpiritually the 205 GTi cast a long, long shadow over its

successors – it weighed just 850kg, and had power outputs rangingfrom 105bhp through to 130bhp. It was the combination of torquecurve, power curve, gear ratios, body stiffness and vitalspring/damper/tyre optimisation that produced such memorableperformance. The 206 and 207 GTi vehicles were very good, but the208 GTi promised to shed some weight and get back towards thesvelte dynamics of the original.

Introduced almost a year after 208 went into production, the GTiuses the 1.6-litre turbocharged direct injection petrol engine co-developed with BMW, in 200bhp form. The upgrade for 208 GTiincreases the vehicle weight to 1 160kg, and the frontal area from0.65 m2 to 0.72 m2 (CdA – 0.34).

To cope with the additional power the front subframe is stiffened(which is shared with the 156bhp 1.6-litre turbo engine models), therear torsion beam uprated, the damper re-calibrated and the brakingsystem re-optimised. Additionally the track at the front is widened by11mm and at the rear by 15mm. Like the original the interior hasunique front seats and interior colour theme.

Enter the anniversary edition. This features a lowered ride heightby 10mm, increased front track by 22mm at the front and 16mm atthe rear compared to the regular GTi. The engine output is increasedto 208 bhp/300 Nm, driving through a six-speed manual transmissionwith revised ratios and Torsen limited slip differential. The two-tonepaint is an option, and probably the most eye catching feature.

Will it Work?Peugeot is not the first vehicle manufacturer to wake up and

realise it has drifted some way from its original values. What makesthe 208 range the bedrock of success is the engineering that hasgone into the platform, so no matter how it appears – a small hatch,a cross-over SUV, a niche product to go head-to-head with othermarket leaders – the capability to meet those diverse needs is builtin. Just as Ford found more than two decades ago, having a vehiclewhich responds quickly and accurately to driver inputs equalsenjoyment, and that leads directly to sales success.

After all, no matter how congested traffic becomes when theroads do clear we want to enjoy driving. Will 208 really lead the re-birth of Peugeot SA? The market tide is turning and 208 is wellplaced to exploit that.

Auto Industry Consulting is an independent provider oftechnical information to the global co llision repair industry. Productsinclude EziMethods, our online co llision repair methods system andA uto Industry Insider , our co llision repair industry technicalinformation website. For more information please visit the websites:www.ezimethods.com and www.auto industryinsider.com or contactben.cardy@auto industryconsulting.com

29

www.autoindustryinsider.com


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The 23rd staging of the premier Automechanika trade fair forthe automotive aftermarket held in Frankfurt, Germany, fromSeptember 16-20 was the biggest and best in the history ofthis event that stretches back to small beginnings with only

415 exhibitors at the inaugural show in 1971.The recent five-day Automechanika trade fair in Frankfurt was

definitely the place to be for those involved in the growing businessof servicing the aftermarket needs of the motor industry. Many SouthAfricans joined visitors from virtually all the countries in the world toview the offerings of a record 4 631 exhibitors. The displays werespread over 10 exhibition halls and several of the open areas on the305 000 m2 site. The total length of the aisles at this year’s showtotalled almost 42km.

Only 707 of the exhibitors were from Germany, with the other3 924 coming from 70 nations situated outside the borders of thehost country. China had the most displays at 783, but other countrieswith large representation included Italy (489), Taiwan (471) andTurkey (265). Nineteen South African companies had their wares ondisplay at the DTI-backed SA Pavilion at its usual location in Hall 1.

Parts and Components, with 2 267 exhibitors, was far and away

the best supported interest group and this year it was split fromElectronics and Systems, which had 532 exhibitors. Other groupingswere Accessories and Tuning, Repair and Maintenance, IT andManagement and Service Station & Car Wash.

“The ratings given to this years’ trade fair have been outstanding,with a significant impetus coming from outside Germany,” said DetlefBraun, a member of the board of management of Messe Frankfurt.

This year’s show was attended by 140 000 trade visitors from 173countries, with a quarter of them coming from the workshop sector.The number of international visitors rose by five percent to 60%.“More than ever before, Automechanika in Frankfurt has shown itselfto be a platform for the presentation of important, future-orientatedtechnologies as the keys to tomorrow’s developments through theentire automotive aftermarket,” added Braun.

The Fair also presented many of the latest products anddevelopments from the global market for trucks and buses under thebanner of Truck Competence. This was the second time that thissector had been promoted separately and the fact that about aquarter of the exhibitors, more than 1 000 of them, displayed thedistinctive orange Truck Competence was proof of the wide

AUTOMECHANIKA REVIEW 2014AUTOMECHANIKA REVIEW 2014

R E F I N I S H E RUTOMOTIVEAAUTOMOTIVE32

Seen at the South Afr ican pav i l ion was the new South Afr ican CEOUte Schuchardt for Automechanika.

The Wie lander and Schi l l team of fered a host of t ime sav ing repairequipment .

Sykes-Pickavant have launched a spec ia l too l k i t for repa ir ingalumin ium bodies.

Wi th record showattendance

Automechanikamanagement wereecstat ic about the

show resul t .

Cromax wi th the i r Sp ies Hecker brandand Standox ref in ish had returned inforce for Automechanika th is year .

by Roger Houghtonpics by Ian Groat

AR NOVEMBER-DECEMBER 2014 NAT_NOV/DEC 2005 paganation 2014/11/03 12:35 PM Page 14



acceptance of this concept.Braun said that it was interesting that sustainability and

environmental compatibility also played an extremely important rolein the commercial vehicle segment with many relevant products andservices on display.

Many conferences and workshops took place duringAutomechanika Frankfurt. Particularly popular was the CollisionDamage Talk, the best attended event on this year’s AutomechanikaAcademy programme with 600 participants. The event was jointlysponsored by automotive paint manufacturers who returned toAutomechanika after an absence of 12 years.

“We have regained our confidence in trade fairs as a marketingtool and enjoyed the opportunity to meet the world at Frankfurt andare looking forward to the next edition of the fair in 2016,” saidCromax sales manager Frank Forst.

The hall where alternative mobility concepts were displayed hadfar more exhibitors than at the 2012 show. In fact this year therewere 50 exhibitors from 12 countries in this hall of the future.

On display was a broad spectrum of alternative powertrains fromhybrid to electric to LPG and natural gas. Besides charging

infrastructures, charging management and plug and cable systems theparticipants offered insights into the latest developments in the fieldsof motors, electronics, lightweight construction, power storagetechnologies, battery management, energy supply, financing, basic andadvanced training, repairs and service. Many companies reported onworking successfully with universities, research institutes and otherindustrial partners that bodes well for future developments.

Another magnet for visitors was the Galleria with a wide-rangingchoice of basic and advanced training choices. For example, over 650trade visitors from 36 countries attended the practice-orientatedworkshops on collision-damage management. As a participantreported, “The workshops exceeded my expectations. MesseFrankfurt has created a platform that not only provides specificinformation on topical issues but also enables visitors interested inthese subjects to familiarise themselves with practical aspects of newtechnologies in a very short time,” commented Braun.

Automechanika Frankfurt is certainly a revelation for all involved inthe automotive aftermarket as evidenced by the huge number ofvisitors that attended this biennial event. The next AutomechanikaFrankfurt will be held from September 13-17 in 2016.

Car-O-L iner showed an expandedVAS 6528 approved repair package.

Mirka showed a new Aquastar low dust sanding product at the show.

E lectr ic veh ic les dominated an ent i re ha l l to show a futur is t icvehic le d isp lay.

Ce let te have moved the company repair to an improved dr iveon system.

DeVi lb iss have a new expandedrange of the successfu l GT i range.


With show attendees running atalmost 10% up on the best everrecorded visitors, the internationalcomponent for the repair trade

was running at record levels. At Halls 10 and 11, it was a grand return for

some of the major refinish companies after theirabsence of over a decade. Altexa, Standox andSpies Hecker had taken space along with BASFand Glasurit to come back and talk to their manyworld importers and end users. But while theywere moving ahead some of the other up andcoming paint companies were on show so with anemphasis on new waterborne refinish and Yatu,General Paints and Kapci all reporting that theyhad done good business in their quest for largerexport markets.

Vehicle body repair was once again wellrepresented with major companies like Car-O-Liner, Blackhawk, Autorobot, Celette and Chief, toname a few all showing vastly updated newmeasuring systems that now measure in thesedimensions at the same time. Along with this werenew high power approved by car makers on showboth for spot welding repair and also in Mig andlow temperature Mig brazing types.

With an ever-increasing supply base out of theChinese market place their march forwards on thesupply of spraybooths, preparation zones, spraypainting equipment looks to be going on worldmarket. Well that’s not really a big surprise as theircost to manufacture just about anything remains at18 cents to the US dollar when production costsare analysed.

Henkel had a huge stand to demonstrate theirvarious new glue technologies and two-packbonding systems. The company has got a range ofnew body fillers and underbody sealing systems.

A number of new smart repair packages wereunveiled to show how these concentrate on bodyrepairs used without the need to strip interiorpanel trim because collision damage hits are nowsmaller in general at road accident levels. Theredemand seems to be on the increase.

Apprentice training got good traction from theGerman Skills Development body with theemphasis being on getting increased awareness atschool and college levels for collision repaircareers. Overall this years’ event covered some 41kilometres of walkways with around 2 700exhibitors out to gain new business.

So just when you though this business couldnot expand any further before your very eyes atAutomechanika, it did. That’s what makes it thegreatest show on the automotive tradedevelopment on planet earth.

BODY REPAIR OVERVIEW

34

41 kilometres ofwalkways makes

Automechanika2014 the largest

ever expo inFrankfurt

Autorobot f rom F in land were one of a number of repa irsystems showing new three d imensional measur ing equipment .

SATA showed a brand new a i r fed maskwhich meets wor ld safety demands.

GAV f rom I ta ly have ahuge range ofspec ia l is t sprayequipment on of fer .

Kapc i at the expo showed newco lou r t oo l s t ha t have beendeveloped for the market g lobal ly .

by Roger Houghtonpics by Ian Groat




Li tera l ly hundreds of spec ia l hot rods and otherunique custom cars were on v iew at the show.

B lackhawk showed the new HD Korek t ruck repairwhich features u l t ra ta l l cab pul l ing technology.

The show for repa irers is short o f mind boggl ingfor i t ’s sheer sca le of exh ib i ts f rom 2 700exhib i tors across the g lobal market .

Super fas t Hunter Whee l A l ignment makes thecompany a wor ld leader in th is area of bus iness.

Br ing ing in vocat ional learners to the body shop repair t rade had b ig t ract ion atthe fa i r to increase industry opportuni ty for employment .

BASF showed a novel h is tor ic carva lue system in Frankfurt .



The Bolt Stop successful distribution centre pulled out their keysuppliers on a recent customer day when Bantam distributorsarranged some exciting displays of new technology productsbeing introduced into the auto trade. With the help of the

Henkel-Teroson brands, Dewalt, King Tony, Vermont Sales and Jonway,amongst others, Bolt Stop attracted a large band of their loyal customerbase on the day.

Director of the Bolt Stop, Hein Scheepers, is a real bike enthusiast.This year with the help of Craig Bowles VRM Sales Manager at Henkel,and their sponsorship, they have trained nearly 15 young developmentriders with the vibrant 100cc. The team managed to get to around 18long and short circuit track meetings right across South Africa this pastseason.

“We are also going to continue our efforts by expanding thesponsorship from Henkel next year,” continued Craig, as this hasbecome a successful partnership between ourselves and Bolt Stop, toassist up and coming young riders and their look alike GP machines.They always put on an excellent show,” he concluded.

INDUSTRY UPDATE

BOLT STOP BIG BANG CUSTOMER DAY

WHAT’S HOT?

HD KOREKAn all new straighteningsystem for heavy dutyvehicles

HD KOREKAn all new straighteningsystem for heavy dutyvehicles

The compact Korek HD floor frame features adouble layer ground frame for robustperformance and easy set-up. The flexibletower assemblies are highly mobile. It offersextended cab tower pulls with traction pulls of20 tons per basic tower.

The towers are simple to fix as they operateon rollers and are fixed to the HD Korekframe by four wedges with three main standson offer. This is coupled to 30 ton compositionhydraulic sets. The options for a perfectchassis cab and frame straightening job areendless as well as painless.

As far as speed of output and profitability areconcerned, the HD Korek offers majorprofitability at a reasonable entry level cost. Itis ideal for both CV repairers and large fleetoperators as an investment in Truck repair.

30 TonStand

HydraulicStand

MobileHigh LiftStand

FOR COSTS ANDINFO CONTACT ANDREW MACKIE ON 083 628 6639

Fully approvedby Mercedes-Benz

CommercialVehicles

Hein Scheepers ( le f t) , en joyed a garden party type of day wi th theHenkel Team on hand for the Bol t Stop Customer Day.

VOLVO DEVELOPS INFLATABLECHILD SEAT

Volvo has unveiled its inflatablerearward-facing child seat conceptusing ground breaking technology,making it safe, easy to pack and

carry, and versatile to use. The seat has aninnovative pump system that inflates in lessthan 40 seconds. Volvo used a uniquematerial called drop-stitch fabric whencreating the prototype. The fabric is verystrong when inflated and is a common technology in the boatingindustry, having been originally developed by the military.

Lawrence Abele, design manager at the Volvo Monitoring andConcept Centre in Los Angeles and the designer behind the new seat,said, “For me child safety is always the number one priority. For many,travelling with young children is a challenge; any assistance to simplify theparents’ life with young children is a great thing.”

The vehicle manufacturer has also published a brochure: IncreasedSafety, to reduce claim frequency, which offers an overview of Volvocar’s sophisticated safety features and how components such aswindscreen, bumper and grille can affect their performance.

SAFETY

36



Volkswagen Group plans to reduce costs at its namesakepassenger cars brand by five billion Euros by 2017 andboost productivity as it seeks to lift sagging profitability.Efficiency gains have failed to keep pace with rising R&D and

labour costs, CEO Martin Winterkorn said in an internal presentationto company managers.

The VW brand, the carmaker’s biggest division by revenue anddeliveries has profit margins lower than rivals because of fixed coststhat VW said are relative to Toyota.

The brand’s 2013 profit margin was 2.9% compared with autodivision margins of 8.8% at Toyota and 9% at Hyundai Motor. Theunit’s operating margin dropped to 1.8% of sales in the first quarterfrom 2.4% a year ago. The company’s target for the VW brand is a6% margin. VW’s profitability gains are disappointing given its steadyexpansion, analysts say.

“Let’s be honest, we have a lot of catching up to do with our corecompetitors,” Winterkorn wrote in a letter to VW managers. “Thatis why we must now take action that is clear, effective andsometimes painful,” he said, pointing out that R&D costs had surged80% across the multi-brand group since 2010.

VW employs nearly 575 000 people, more than any othercarmaker. Much of VW’s production is in its home market ofGermany, where workers secured a significant pay increase last year.The company has sought to offset its heavy wage bill by sharing partsand development costs among its portfolio of 12 vehicle brands.

Winterkorn said production of an additional variant of the VWTiguan SUV was determined to be “not economically feasible” toproduce in Germany and such setbacks need to be addressed. “Ourshred task is to create the ability to profitability produce thesevehicles here in Germany.”

Auto workers in VWs home country cost 48,40 euro per hourlast year, the highest in the world, according to data from Berlin-based auto-industry group VDA. That compares with 25.63 euros inthe Unites States and 29.96 euros in Japan.

VWs top labour representative said he supports the push to liftearnings and demanded that benefits determined in collectivebargaining agreements remain untouched by cutbacks.

“Regarding productivity, the board and the management have tofinally do their job,” Bernd Osterloh, head of VWs workers council,said in an internal newsletter to employees obtained by BloombergNews. “It’s right that Winterkorn finally makes it clear thatmanagement has to fix its own mistakes.”

Winterkorn said that the VW brand may decide to stop makingnon-profitable models, citing convertible cars. Other steps mayinclude lowering purchasing expenses, reducing complexity, cuttingfactory expenses and improving sales channels.

While VW plans to intensify efforts in areas poised to shapefuture mobility like connected vehicles and electric cars, it intends tooutsource production of components that can be produced moreprofitably by suppliers.

“This is not about cosmetic change,” Winterkorn said, “This isabout asking fundamental questions.”

INDUSTRY NEWS

WHAT’S HOT?

Training Expertise Now In AfricaTTI Global are proud to announce the opening of a

new state-of-the-art collision repair training centrein South Africa.We plan to deliver specialist model specific training

modules now being used in the new world car designsand production.The centre features international trainers as well as

a proven syllabus developed globally with localauthoring to help improve your company’s businessperformance. We offer our tools, technology and talent to bring

world class training to your staff.

Call Altus van Wyk at TTi Global+27 (0)82 561 4687

The Volkswagen A l l t rack

37


CELETTE DPS N-D 2013_Layout 1 2014/02/06 11:13 AM Page 1

CELETTE DPS N-D 2013_Layout 1 2014/02/06 11:13 AM Page 2



The Kinsey Report on parts pricing is now a quarter of acentury old and provides a guideline to owners andprospective vehicle buyers on the costs involved in servicing,repairing and fixing accident damage. The 2014 report

includes for the first time a section on entry-level single cab bakkiesin addition to the traditional sections, and this year I have combinedthe City Cars and Entry level together. With 72 vehicles in the studythis year, we have had to leave out a number of cars – some goodsellers like the Renault Sandero which has a proven track record ofreasonable pricing and other brands, where the yearly sales are eitherdwindling or very small.

There are a few surprises in this year’s results with new brandsfeaturing in the top three positions. Many manufacturers andimporters work extremely hard to improve the affordability of theirvehicles. Volume plays a large part in pricing – and a new brandentering the local market inevitably has a low volume, but as thisincreases so does the need for parts – so volume discounts from theparent company kick in. With new models there is often confusionwith parts pricing until the electronic parts catalogues at thedealerships are stabilised and glitches are sorted out. Everythingshould be OK before your new vehicle needs parts (with theexception of crash parts, if you are unlucky).

Sourcing of parts is also crucial – a vehicle and parts sourced, say,from Europe, can have a vastly different cost structure from the samevehicle manufactured in some of the Eastern countries. India hasshown itself to be a good source country recently with a number ofbrands featuring in the top four.

As always, the service/maintenance plans play a big part in runningcosts up to 45 000km and more, as do the warranties offered bymanufacturers. The cost of crash parts however, is more critical – theinsurance excess and write-off point of a vehicle are linked to the costof an accident repair – and the panel beater’s bill can escalate veryquickly even for a seemingly minor bump.

A point here, which could save a good few thousand rand ofrepair costs, is to not carry anything heavy on the passenger seat if itis not occupied. The vehicle can be “fooled” by those kilograms intodeploying the airbag, which often breaks the windscreen – and thatcould be R20 000 more on the account.

As we have mentioned before, crash parts may seem similar, but

the price says otherwise. Rear fenders, for example, on manyvehicles extend from the front door apertures right to the back ofthe vehicle – a far cry from a panel traditionally seen around theback wheel!

Headlights too, vary considerably from a fairly simple halogenlamp to high intensity discharge systems costing R15 000 or moreper side.

When buying an older vehicle, or when your own vehicle nolonger has a warranty/maintenance plan in place, the cost of repairsbecomes an important consideration. Clutches for example, havebecome expensive to replace (the advent of pricey duel-massflywheels, which are known to give trouble sometimes), could turna routine repair into a very expensive business.

It pays in the long run to do some solid investigation beforebuying, particularly a used vehicle.

For all the details of this year’s Report, or for past reports, go tothe Kinsey Report website www.kinseyreport.co.za

City Cars and Entry LevelThis combined section consists of small modern cars – several

built out east – or “older” stalwarts that have stood the test of time.Leader here is the Ford Figo 1.4 (built in India) which wins handsdown in least expensive service, repair and crash parts. The PoloVivo follows with affordable repair and crash parts, but pricey rearbrake shoes push the servicing section up somewhat – the goodnews being that they should last for 50 000km. Third spot goes tothe Honda Brio 1.2, some R10 000 more expensive than the firsttwo, and just pipping the Toyota Etios by less than R200.

Super MiniThese modern high tech cars, a blend of European and Eastern

styling, have pretty robust sales figures and plenty of support fromthe young, appearance-conscious market segment. Top honours goto Citroen’s DS3 VTi, helped in no small degree by having the leastexpensive crash parts. Peugeot 208 comes in second with goodpricing for servicing (second to Renault) and crash parts (second toCitroen). Third place race is narrowly won by the Hyundai, just R71less expensive overall than the Renault Clio, which has thedistinction of having the most affordable servicing basket.

PARTS BASKET SURVEY KINSEY REPORT

Ford Ecosport 1.0 Trend, the winner of the Compact SUV crossover segment. THE KINSEY REPORTTHE KINSEY REPORT




Family FavouritesThis is one of the largest volume segments in the SA market and

one of the biggest categories in the survey. Clear market leader is theToyota Corolla, which with two models available, the Quest andcurrent Corolla, make up almost 2 000 sales per month. The Quest,which is the previous Corolla model, just edges out its more moderncounterpart by less than R1 000. Toyota’s strength here lies in thevery affordable accident repair costs which in some instances are halfthat of their competitors. This means that even quite old Corollas areoften viable to repair.

In third place overall is the Hyundai Elantra, also third in crashparts costs, but competitive in both service (third) and repair partsprices (second).

Compact CrossoverThe Ford EcoSport 1.0T wins this category – another Indian-built

vehicle - and this new high tech vehicle has a three-cylinder 999ccturbocharged engine producing over 90kW. From the point of viewof this pricing study though, its main strength lies in reasonably pricedcrash parts to move it into top spot. Second is an old favourite, theToyota Avanza, almost at opposite ends of the technology field,which is able to remain competitive in the service parts costs and iscomfortably ahead of the rest in the prices of its repair parts. Peugeot2008 comes in third, also assisted by good crash parts prices.

CrossoverThis huge section probably accounts for a similar size slice of the

market as the family favourites and is certainly one of the fastestgrowing segments of the market, as a trip to any shopping mall wouldconfirm, fuel costs notwithstanding.

The Toyota Fortuner dominates this category with a massive

overall lead of over R30 000 on secondplace, but one has to bear in mind thatthe Fortuner in the survey is anautomatic and hence does not includeclutch and flywheel prices. The second-placed Kia Sportage and third-placedHyundai IX 35 both have expensiveflywheels – R10 000 and R14 000 a pop– which, if they are taken out of theequation, tend to narrow the gap a bit.Very affordable crash parts prices however, still gives the Fortuneran unassailable advantage over its rivals.

Double CabsIndia and China head off the Japanese onslaught in this section –

Tata XENON doing the honours again. Once more, affordablecrash part prices are a very real factor keeping the Tata ahead. TheGWM Steed likewise, is also very competitive in its crash parts andmaintains its second position in the category helped along by thelowest repair parts cost in the basket. In third place is the Nissan NP300 double cab – still a good, reliable vehicle given its long lifespanin the SA market place.

Single CabsThis is a first – we highlight some of the base single cab models

– two under one-tonners in the NP 200 and the Chev Ute and fivefull one-ton pick-ups.

And the winner here is the Nissan NP 200 followed by bigbrother the Nissan NP 300 Hardbody. Toyota Hilux comes in thirdand all these have picked up some benefit from the pricing of theiraccident parts.

COMPACT CROSSOVERParts Description FORD PEUGEOT RENAULT FIAT NISSAN SUZUKI

ECOSPORT 2008 1.6 DUSTER 1.6 500L JUKE 1.6 SX4 1.61.0T TREND ALLURE DYNAMIQUE LOUNGE 5 DOOR GL

Retail Selling Price R229 900 269 900 212 900 257 900 249 500 265 900Parts basket as % of selling price 25.41% 24.90% 32.60% 29.92% 45.79% 50.15%Air Filter R335.16 148.11 158.75 275.14 165.30 239.33Oil Filter R125.40 125.07 87.84 106.00 107.95 89.21Pollen Filter R158.46 286.45 117.58 224.41 241.83 266.21Spark Plug Each R327.18 196.91 82.54 76.54 317.88 115.96R/H Wiper Blade R207.48 257.62 90.37 201.63 147.33 610.87L/H Wiper Blade R140.22 257.62 90.37 201.63 231.10 494.76Front Brake Pads R1461.48 1378.86 811.89 1109.06 765.56 2767.95Rear Brake Pads R1713.42 863.47 954.74 964.65 795.29 1468.91Cam Belt / Timing Chain R715.92 552.31 1105.18 609.47 1914.33 1499.72Front Brake Disc R1022.58 727.41 1145.22 1067.82 1034.50 1772.10Rear Brake Drum / Disc R916.98 2141.35 144.45 671.71 1515.20 1520.16Front Shock Absorber / Strut R1005.74 1409.37 1902.65 2636.64 1994.04 6775.78Rear Shock Absorber / Strut R673.74 1363.91 1159.87 1534.94 1456.26 2829.64Clutch Plate R3847.52 2749.49 2513.78 3066.45 1449.30 1531.25Pressure Plate KIT KIT KIT KIT 2005.62 2151.34Flywheel R3690.52 4395.27 3372.21 3576.35 18431.52 3782.57Fan Belt R566.58 319.70 210.83 383.47 447.70 400.44Bonnet R3739.20 2629.14 3874.86 5217.57 5489.96 7583.44Front Bumper Skin R1244.25 2116.18 2222.81 6752.58 2787.30 8121.09Grille R428.64 811.30 1796.81 N/A 4180.89 2483.62L/H Front Fender R907.44 814.35 2998.61 1012.55 2506.84 2705.14Wheel Rim R2197.93 3037.92 1668.82 1710.01 9217.66 6038.45L/H Headlight Assembly R3409.74 4254.95 3432.68 2055.10 2230.55 6823.48Front Windscreen R1712.28 3080.78 2390.81 3805.75 5405.33 9118.72Aircon Condensor R2331.30 3108.69 4096.37 3494.51 5521.88 6261.61Radiator R2978.82 3060.49 3638.13 1567.50 3938.51 8232.27R/H Front Door R2878.50 3802.39 3993.43 7790.59 5635.09 8541.56R/H Rear Door R4135.92 3871.49 3876.00 4795.98 5034.87 7589.91R/H Front Window Glass R214.32 1038.11 917.13 716.78 5297.36 1772.15Rear Bumper Skin R1600.56 1634.19 3772.31 3751.22 2595.52 8299.75L/H Rear Fender R6710.04 5770.01 4446.01 6006.53 8162.19 3032.57Boot Lid / Tailgate R5833.38 4908.53 5601.82 7445.48 5933.22 8777.56L/H Tail Light Assembly R779.76 2147.60 1619.76 1345.72 1851.15 3904.91Rear Windscreen R403.56 1763.08 3809.09 3004.55 5440.02 5742.56Total R58 414.02 65 022.12 69 39.71 77 178.33 114 249.06 133 346.97

by Malcolm Kinsey




Auto ExecutivesAs the category indicates, these are all high tech, automated, well-

appointed cars which proudly represent some of the mainmanufacturers in the market. Priced between R400 000 and R577000, the price of their parts is less likely to be of concern to their first-time owners, but may well be of interest when they reach the usedcar market.

Audi A4 just pips the Volvo S60 in a very close race, marginallybeating the Volvo in each section. The Hyundai Sonata 2.4 followsclosely in third.

This year we have seen some exceptionally close pricing, whichindicates that manufacturers are very aware of the importance ofcompetitive parts costing. A few surprise winners will probably causea stir in some sectors.

Side BoxThe method of compiling this survey has not changed over the

past 25 years. I first find out which vehicles the manufacturers andimporters consider their highest volume sellers. Obviously some ofthe really big players could have several vehicles in any one categoryif only based on the numbers sold, so there has to be as fair aspossible a selection to include as much variety as is practical.

A list of parts is either taken to a dealer, or emailed or faxed, sothat all quotes are written. Only queries are done telephonically.These days, for a large number of vehicles we actually supply a VINnumber for the vehicle we want, which does away with any confusionas to which model we want.

The figures are what a customer should pay on the day the quoteswere done – we ensure that all quotes are completed within thesame calendar month to avoid end-of-month price hikes orreductions.

SINGLE CABSParts Description NISSAN TOYOTA CHEVROLET ISUZU FORD MITSUBISHI

NP 300 2.0 HILUX 2.0 UTILITY KB 250 RANGER TRITONHARDBODY VVTis 1.4 CLUB BASE 2.5 2.4 GL

Retail Selling Price R194 200 210 400 159 500 204 000 189 900 179 900Parts basket as % of selling price 28% 30.54% 40.49% 32.86% 39.55% 49.12%Air Filter R410.16 475.77 250.86 302.90 443.12 496.0089.52Oil Filter R107.95 221.97 90.71 194.70 125.40 128.69Pollen Filter N/A 768.50 279.00 216.86 465.12 N/ASpark Plug Each R29.47 76.13 53.74 N/A 190.38 34.76R/H Wiper Blade R65.11 143.47 429.35 27.85 116.82 216.63L/H Wiper Blade R65.11 116.61 PAIR 27.85 116.82 136.45Front Brake Pads R696.89 1501.00 827.33 1336.68 1487.70 1395.71Rear Brake Pads R563.52 1230.85 770.79 880.32 2048.58 665.17Cam Belt / Timing Chain R902.60 756.99 325.30 646.88 1647.73 623.76Front Brake Disc R1148.70 1633.60 383.42 1103.88 1482.00 1904.22Rear Brake Drum / Disc R843.02 986.37 723.88 1049.03 1094.95 2460.96Front Shock Absorber / Strut R358.45 1332.45 980.10 2115.93 845.88 1166.51Rear Shock Absorber / Strut R426.77 525.76 494.77 745.95 644.10 639.67Clutch Plate R1992.90 1332.53 842.51 933.44 5597.45 1384.26Pressure Plate R1705.12 989.12 836.75 916.83 KIT 1852.76Flywheel R5942.79 3376.06 2915.32 5716.59 1737.93 3915.71Fan Belt R250.97 1022.66 355.04 267.43 685.53 315.30Bonnet R3853.96 2963.08 5801.45 6069.02 6527.64 5105.26Front Bumper Skin R2924.92 1767.73 2770.42 3016.16 2941.50 4857.89Grille R1923.43 1389.82 650.89 2278.60 4455.12 763.13L/H Front Fender R2048.02 1171.84 1678.24 2382.01 1769.85 4187.13Wheel Rim R1135.67 1466.74 1807.22 922.13 1841.10 2295.17L/H Headlight Assembly R3661.44 3138.67 2203.18 2410.67 2880.10 5978.01Front Windscreen R3909.86 2468.26 1044.35 4508.13 1568.70 9132.80Aircon Condensor R1670.15 5820.25 1509.98 2307.45 2610.60 4428.39Radiator R3738.12 4932.11 1335.58 2545.00 2778.08 9352.62R/H Front Door R5509.45 4129.84 5412.66 7015.97 6790.19 7188.57R/H Rear Door N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A N/AR/H Front Window Glass R1132.70 876.66 176.24 818.10 285.00 2170.01Rear Bumper Skin R1311.00 N/A 1030.25 2270.31 4254.51 2540.96L/H Rear Fender R1667.28 6553,22 11839.71 5110.26 7139.82 2427.64Boot Lid / Tailgate R2024.87 6122.37 9440.92 5554.91 7297.36 6256.27L/H Tail Light Assembly R1114.46 1085.12 766.34 1374.02 2416.90 1555.05Rear Windscreen R1237.80 1134.60 6554.56 1636.20 723.90 2799.94Total R54 373.65 61 510.15 64 580.86 67 034.80 75 099.86 88 375.41

The Nissan NP300 2.0Hardbody cameup tops in thefirst ever singlecab comparison.

PARTS BASKET SURVEY KINSEY REPORT


The new Pneumatic Random Orbital Sander – Mirka PROS650CVwas developed in-house by Mirka’s industry leading design team.It is packed with clever features which has created an efficient andeffective sanding tool that is perfect for professional operators.

Mirka PROS650CV has a 5mm orbit and has been specificallydeveloped to produce maximum dust extraction, even at a low suctionpower, thanks to a wider dust outlet in the machine housing whichsubstantially improves dust suction efficiency.

The innovative features continue with a “brake seal” designed todeliver a variety of valuable performance benefits. For example, in contrastto conventional pneumatic random orbital sanders, the brake seal on theMirka PROS makes the backing pad oscillate rather than free spin whenholding the machine in the air. This eliminates the possibility of causingdeep marks in the surface when fast rotating abrasives first touch the job.In addition, as soon as the tool is removed from the work surface thebrake seal immediately brakes the “rotation speed” of the backing pad.The long-life brake seal also contributes to improved dust extractionefficiency by minimising internal suction leakage.

Like all Mirka tools, the Mirka PROS features optimised ergonomicsthat make it comfortable to grip and easy to use for long periods of time.The design also incorporates an integrated cover that isolates theoperator’s hand from the cold inlet hose fitting.

To help operators achieve the very best performance from the MirkaPROS650CV, a new backing pad has been designed – 150mm with 5mmorbit. It features a central air inlet which results in improved air flow andhelps extract dust away from the centre of the tool even faster.

For more information on this high quality tool, contactBulldog Abrasives’ sales team on +27 (0)11 786 5991 [email protected]

PRODUCT PROFILE

NEW MIRKA® PROS

WHAT’S HOT?


AEROCURE DPS AD S-O 2014_Layout 1 2014/08/27 10:34 AM Page 1

AEROCURE DPS AD S-O 2014_Layout 1 2014/08/27 10:34 AM Page 2

Hyundai, like sister company Kia, hasupgraded its best-selling SUV witha range of technological and stylingenhancements, an improved new

two-litre petrol engine and a new six-speedmanual gearbox.

The original ix35, launched in 2010, hasgenerated consistently good sales, thanks agreat deal to its reliability. Now come a newpetrol engine as partner to the existing diesel,new gearboxes and new equipment.

There are six derivatives, their namesbased on the shared 2.0 NU engines:Premium ix35 with the two-litre petrol enginelinked to either a six-speed manual or six-speed auto transmission. Intermediate ix352.0 NU Executive with the two-litre petrolengine and six-speed manual transmission.

Elite, powered by the two-litre petrolengine and the other two by the two-litreturbodiesel. The range-topping R2.0 Elite isequipped with the two-litre turbodiesel, a six-speed automatic transmission and all-wheeldrive.

The exterior enhancements of the newix35 include: new projector headlights withLED accents, LED tail lights, new body-coloured front grille, roof side rails andsunroof, and new 17 and 18” alloy wheel rim

designs. One of the most significant upgrades,

Hyundai says, is the replacement of the two-litre Theta II petrol engine with a new, super-efficient Nu two-litre multiport injection (MPI)engine that claims to supply a more even andefficient delivery of power and torque – withpeaks of 116kW at 6200rpm and 192Nm at4000rpm respectively.

The engine is available in combination witha new six-speed manual gearbox or animproved, very responsive and smooth-changing six-speed automatic transmissionwith manual/sequential override.

The six ix35 derivatives offer a variety ofspecifications according to budget orrequirement, though there is only one 4x4version.

All benefit from a number of exteriorchanges that include a new design of alloy rimsand restyled bi-function projector halogenheadlights and LED “positioning” lights. ThePremium derivatives run on new 17” alloys,the Executive and Elite models on 18” – thelatter perhaps the better bet for Gauteng –once The Getagun province, now ThePotholed Province.

The cabins have Hyundai’s signature blue

lighting, power windows and locks, remotekeyless entry and foldaway mirrors withelectric control for the ix35 Executive andElite. “Even the front cupholders areilluminated with blue light for night drives,” theautomaker proudly reports.

Executive and Elite units have leatherupholstery with adjustable lumbar support forthe driver (though my driving partner, a ladywith back problems, couldn’t detect thechange as I moved the lever).

The ix35 has excellent rear legroom and asa bonus, the rear seats recline. The cars alsohave lots of cubbies, slots and holders, whichthe media release kindly listed.

Pity that all-wheel drive is only available onthe top, and therefore most expensive, modelbut I suppose Hyundai SA knows its market.But this IS Africa and people do like to go off-road – few of them, however, have the bucksto afford nearly half a million of them for thepleasure. However, the ix35 Executive andElite derivatives come with electronic stabilitycontrol, hill-start assistance and downhillbraking control.

The Hyundai ix35 is delivered with a five-year or 150 000km warranty, a five-year or90 000km service plan and five years or150 000km of roadside assistance.

DRIVEN HYUNDAI IX35




SPIES HECKER N-D 2014_Layout 1 2014/10/30 10:41 AM Page 1


Mazda South Africa, an official subsidiary of Mazda in Japan,officially opened its doors for business in South Africa on1st October. It is headed up by David Hughes, fromAustralia, the new MD for Mazda SA, where he took

Mazda to the number one position with 118 000 Mazda sales in oneyear.

A dyed-in-the-wool motor man, he brings three brand newmodels to the marketplace – with more to come. The Mazda 3,Mazda 6 and diesel Mazda CX5 are full imports from Japan, while theMazda BT50 bakkie continues to be made by Ford Motor Companyin Pretoria and distributed through 50 Mazda dealers here in SouthAfrica. The quality, the ride and features these Mazdas bring to themarket place all come at a good price as they hit the premium sectorof their segment in South Africa.

Toyota has just launched a new stylish Yaris into the marketplacethat should give them good numbers going into the future. They arefitted with one litre-, 1.3 litre- or 1.5 litre hybrid engines, and offerfive-speed, six-speed or automatic gearboxes. Prices start atR168 000 and they come with a three-year, 45 000km service planand warranty from Toyota.

Really on the ball, the Castrol Toyota Motorsport Teamcompeting in the recent Toyota Dealer Rally in the Cape brought outtheir competition cars with the new Yaris look just two days after thelaunch in Cape Town. They finished first and second in the Rally withGiniel de Villiers/Greg Godrich enjoying their first ever National RallyChampionship win ahead of team-mates Leeroy Poulter and ElveneCoetzee, who unfortunately spun their Castrol Toyota just twocorners from the end and lost the rally by eight seconds.

The Sasol Solar Challenge run under the auspices of the FIA, theinternational controlling body of automobile sport in the world andMotor Sport South Africa, started in Pretoria at the end ofSeptember.

Some of these futuristic looking vehicles can top 160km/h andaverage over 90km/h for the entire event. They are designedprimarily for efficiency rather than for the comfort of the driver orpracticality. Particularly as summer approaches, their streamlinedclosed-in cockpits have no air-con.

Their route took them from Pretoria to Bloemfontein, Graaff-Reinet, Port Elizabeth, along the Garden Route to the finish in CapeTown. It was an eight-day event. There were eight domestic teamsentered by SA Universities and Technical Schools but also includedthree international teams from Holland, Cyprus and Turkey. Theentire race was over 6 000km with teams managing between 500kmand 700km per day.

“An awesome Picanto now looks even sportier and sexier,” sayKIA’s people here in South Africa, thanks to a mild exterior update.The Picanto has done exceptionally well since first launched here wayback in 2011. Fresh off the mark, the Picanto scooped a design awardcoming out ahead of more than 11 000 entries from 60 countries. Itwas KIA’s fifth Red Dot Award in less than three years.

Ever on the move, GWM (Great Wall Motors) in China areincreasing their production abilities in Baoding. They have justcompleted Phase 1 which can produce 850 000 per annum out ofone factory. Their R&D is nearly completed. GWM’s design team has

been put on a new level with ex-BMW designer, Pierre le Clercq,joining the team. Now they are constructing a new plant in Russiaas they go about achieving the company’s goal of manufacturing1.5m vehicles by 2015.

KTM Motorcycles have just introduced a free two-year15 000km Service Plan for their 1190cc Adventure Motorcycle. Thatis for all models of Adventure sold after September 1, 2014.Adventure bikes are all the rage these days. Reliable on the tar, theywill go to most places all over Africa.

The AA remains opposed to e-tolling which looks like it’s startingto go on the blink. Already there are rumours of staff being laid off.The whole system was a no-brainer from the beginning.

The Honda CRV became the world’s best selling SUV during thefirst quarter of 2014. Figures provided by automotive marketconsulting specialists Focus2Move showed worldwide sales of theCRV totalling 165 000 vehicles, up from 162 000 sold in the sameperiod of 2013. It finished above competitors like Toyota’s RAV,Volkswagen’s Tiguan and the Nissan Qashqai,

President of Honda Aircraft Company, Fujinosan received anaward for “Innovation and Aeronautics” in St Petersburg in Russia inSeptember. The over-the-wing engine mount configuration, soon tobe seen flying around the world, has taken years of development. Ithas now been assembled for a myriad of customers. The Honda Jetis billed as the world’s most advanced light business jet aircraft. Thisis the fastest, highest flying, quietest and most fuel-efficient jet in itsclass. Do we expect anything else from Honda?

The VW Polo Vivo that was pushed back into second place by anew Polo, has returned to the top of the sales charts with the launchof the restyled Polo Vivo. It has been South Africa’s top sellingpassenger car for five years and has been a great marketing successfor VWSA. In September the Vivo was the biggest seller of vehiclesin our market – bar none.

The VW Polo is one of our biggest exports going to manycountries overseas, in LHD or RHD configuration. Always consciousof the environment Volkswagen has just won the Exporter’s ClubTop Environmental accolade. This was awarded at PE’s BoardwalkConvention Centre a month or so ago.

If you visit Volkswagen you will see why everything is made tosave the environment and in Volkswagen language being “very blue”,as opposed to the normal “green” everybody else uses.

Carel Otto and his wife, Danielle, won the VW Spirit of AfricaTrophy held in Botswana. They took home R50 000 worth of prizemoney for this achievement in an event run for the last five years bySarel van der Merwe, our motorsport icon.

The MG people in South Africa have just received their firststock of the all-new MG3 Super Mini, which has been doing greatthings selling overseas and in fact racing in British Touring Cars.With a more regular supply, we should soon start to see more ofthese on the road, coming from a marque that started 90 years agoin Britain. The cars are still designed and engineered at MG’s historichome in Longbridge in Birmingham.

The motor industry does lots of good things for theenvironment. The latest is the Isuzu Off-Road Academy gettinginvolved in the Rhino Revolution trying to stop the slaughter of

DID YOU HEAR? by Roger McCleery

The 11 Car of the Year finalists for 2015, what a line-up!

48


43

The compact Korek HD floor frame features adouble layer ground frame for robustperformance and easy set-up. The flexibletower assemblies are highly mobile. It offersextended cab tower pulls with traction pulls of20 tons per basic tower.

The towers are simple to fix as they operateon rollers and are fixed to the HD Korekframe by four wedges with three main standson offer. This is coupled to 30 ton compositionhydraulic sets. The options for a perfectchassis cab and frame straightening job areendless as well as painless.

As far as speed of output and profitability areconcerned, the HD Korek offers majorprofitability at a reasonable entry level cost. Itis ideal for both CV repairers and large fleetoperators as an investment in Truck repair.

these massive animals to hack off their horns. It seems alosing battle with vets, rangers and even government officialsinvolved in this whole sordid business.

GWM has sold 50 000 vehicles since they first openedtheir doors in South Africa seven year ago.

Ford has increased their commercial vehicle line-up withthree new Transit variants and are serious about enteringthis lucrative market in a big way. More models are tofollow.

Renault has certainly cracked a few volume sellers for themarque with the launch of the new Megane. Add thesenumbers to the Clio, Duster and Sandero and they arelooking pretty good to increase their sales from the 1 500-plus they do every month. 1 615 were sold in September.

Audi sold 155 450 cars worldwide in June. This is a10.8% increase over the same month in 2013.

Mitsubishi are back into the car market with a favourably-priced A-segment car called the Mirage. It comes at anextremely competitive R1 900 per month, including a12 month comprehensive insurance to make it affordablefor younger buyers.

There is a rumour that Parliament is going to start aConcour’s d’Elegance Club after seeing some of the vehiclesobserved at the ANC Conference at Mangaung last year:106 BMW X5s, 28 Range Rover Sports, 11 Maseratis, nineFerrari’s, six Hummers, 211 BMW 7- or 5-Series sedans, and103 Merc sedans. That’s a good start by all the peopletrusted by the public to keep those expenses down.

Johan de Nysschen, previously of Audi North Americaand Infiniti, is now President of Cadillac in America. Thisagain shows South Africans can go to the top in the worldmotor industry.

South African Mike Halforty has become the first homegrown CEO of a local subsidiary of Bridgestone Tyres.

Jonathan Wing (17) from Hilton College in KZN haswon the World Handicap Championship title in heavy rainin France. He is the only kartracing driver in South Africawith a prosthetic left leg. He now joins 14 South Africanswho hold World Karting Championship titles but is the firstto win a handicap world title in motorsport.

The Finalists for the 2015 WesBank / SAGMJ Car of theYear (COTY) competition were announced during athrilling reveal event at the Inanda Polo Club inJohannesburg. Hosted by WesBank, the competition’sheadline sponsor, the Finalist reveal follows a vote cast by a29-member Jury from the South African Guild of MotoringJournalists (SAGMJ), of an original list of 40 Semi-finalists.

The eleven finalists for the 2015 WesBank / SAGMJ Carof the Year competition, South Africa’s premier motoringevent, are (in alphabetical order):

Audi A3 Sedan 1.4T SE S TronicBMW M4 Coupé Auto BMW M4Citroën C4 Picasso E-HDI 115 IntensiveHonda Accord 3.5 V6 ExclusiveLexus ES 250 EXMercedes-Benz C-Class C 200 AutoNissan Qashqai 1.6 DCI Acenta AutoPorsche Macan S DieselRenault Duster 1.5 DCI Dynamique 4WDSubaru WRX PremiumToyota Corolla 1.4 D-4D PrestigeThe winner of the 2015 WesBank / SAGMJ Car the Year

will be revealed at a gala banquet on 18 March 2015, alsohosted by WesBank. Motul and Hollard Insurance supplysupport sponsorship.

Follow the action on Facebook by liking the WesBankCar of the Year page, or on Twitter by following@wesbankcoty. You can also read more about thecompetition and its finalists on www.wesbankcoty.co.za


Listen to Roger McC leery everyTuesday on Radio Today

(1485 A M) at17h30 foreverything about SA motor ing.

49


This year’s Revival Meeting was once again packed with manyunforgettable moments and with a record sell out of some140 000 spectators and competitors all out to enjoy thefabulous occasion. Set in glorious weather, this was once

again an overdose of beehive hairstyles, tweed costume jackets andsilly hats over two days of cut and thrust races of which there wereeight special events per race day.

Jaguar FocusNot only were there no less than 25 D Type Jaguars racing along

with thundering XKS1 1950 racers in the Lavant Trophy, it was a wallof sound blasted out by all those powerful straight sixes all singing inunison. It was quite unforgettable while the racers were strutting theirstuff. The public were witness to some pre-1974 Jaguars, set at theentrance to the circuit. It produced some 4 500 veterans and pristineconcours type machinery from yesteryear dedicated to Jaguar’sgreatest classic cars – all on show at the historic fun fair. They came

from Switzerland, Germany and Italy - in fact from all corners of theworld to be part of the great Brown’s Lane Classic Display.

Maserati Greatest RacersMaserati took centre stage at Goodwood with the spectacular

sight and sound of 16 Grand Prix Maserati 250 FS’ racing in a doublecelebration of the car’s 60th anniversary and centenary ofmanufacture. The car makers centenary success first saw Juan Fangiodrive a 250 F to its first victory in 1954 at the Argentine GP and withthat they went on to take the title in 1954 and 1957. Other greatdrivers like Sir Stirling Moss and Roy Salvadori paraded daily and alsoraced in the Richmond Trophy in the mid 50’s, along with a star-studded line-up of drivers of the era.

Jackie StewartSir Jackie Stewart got his big moment of glory this year at

Goodwood with a 50-year line up of his great race cars. Right from

ANOTHER GREAT GOODWOOD REVIVAL

50

Story and pics by Ian Groat

UU


ANOTHER GREAT GOODWOOD REVIVAL

JAY'S PGS _NOV/DEC 2005 paganation 2014/11/03 12:50 PM Page 2



A Grand Prix Maserati250 FS at full speed.

Emannuel Pirro hadsome spirited drives inthe huge Ford Falcon.

Sir StirlingMoss with JoeRamirez.

Everyone turned out inper iod sty le for the

Rev iva l occas ion.

Unforgettable momentsfor spectators andcompetitors alike.

the early BRM P261 to a Marcos GT Xylon he drove in his first everrace. Speaking from the special podium, Stewart said to finish first youfirst have to finish. He went on to say that he was privileged to haveworked with some of the finest mechanics and team managers of alltime. Ecurie Ecosse and his race team in the 1950’s saw legends likeJohn Surtees, Sir Stirling Moss and Mark Webber, showing real stylein the Tyrell GP racers on the parade laps.

Rowan Atkinson (Mr Bean) luckily escaped physical damage whenhe was involved in a shunt in his Ford Falcon V8 driving the firstShelby Cup Race. He muscled the huge V8 powered classic in finestyle until he hit another competitor and spun off forcing him toabandon the Saturday race.

The dawn patrol aviation demonstration had opened each day’sactivities with a fly past from a PSL Mustang along with a Spitfire andGerman fighter aircraft to replicate the Battle of Britain theme. Youcould be forgiven for missing the sweet sounding BRM 1950 V16 1.5-litre type 15 racer as it noisily went about laying down some track

Unforgettable momentsfor spectators andcompetitors alike.

by Ian Groat

JAY'S PGS _NOV/DEC 2005 paganation 2014/11/03 12:50 PM Page 3

Sir Jackie Stewart leads out his championship race cars atGoodwood with Mark Webber in the No 2 Elf car.

rubber at the races. Other activities found at Goodwood this year includeda vintage aeroplane static display, along with fly pasts of Lancaster bombersand Canberra jet aircraft. The bands played out endless swing numbers fromthe dance tent on the lawns and the re-created Mods and Rockers faced offlike they did in 1964. Outside a re-created Brighton Pier, looked like the olddays reincarnated.

All this while real gearheads were treated to a festival of memorableracing like the Barry Whizzo Williams track dice to see off stiff oppositionwith his 1959 Sunbeam Rapier in the Saint Mary’s Trophy races.

With great weather to bless this blissful retro racing pageant it once againproved to everyone who attended to race or watch that there is nothingquite like it anywhere in the world that can take you back to the 1940s-1960s period like the Goodwood Revival.

It is absolutely unique in the phenomenal way that everyone joins in toget dressed up for this great racing occasion and that’s why it remains sucha captivating event. It’s much more than a car show, it’s an indulgence ofpetrol head nostalgia.

Men at Work

The only man ever towin Formula One andmoto r c yc l e GP Wor l dChamp ionsh ips , J ohnSurtees was on parade.

Over 140 000 enthusiasts flocked to the GoodwoodRevival this year in another sell out extravaganza.

Jackie Stewart got a big reception with his50 career racers on parade.

Being hosted by Rolls-Royce Motors hasdefinite advantagesfor the Revival days forthis photographer.52


JAY'S PGS _NOV/DEC 2005 paganation 2014/11/03 10:51 AM Page 4

Contact Deon on 083 628 2288, [email protected], www.hurricaneauto.co.za

WIELANDER AD NEW S-O 2014_Layout 1 2014/08/27 10:50 AM Page 1

Kevin Schwantzgot 10 out of10 for h iscrashing abi l i tyon the Norton.

Outright winners with the 1948 1000cc Vincent Rapidemahcine, Beau Beaton and Craig McMartin. The bike

blew its gearbox crossing the line in part 2 of the races.




The pace for the MemorialTrophy was a flat out dice fromover 60 world class racers.

Troy Corser rode the1937 BMW like thewind but did not finish.

Kevin Schwantz rode this 1952 ManxNorton to finish fourth for Ken McIntosh.

Beau Beaton and the mighty1000cc Vincent muscled theirway to victory this year.

Tucked away in the race programme at Goodwoodwas the two-part Barry Sheene Memorial Race. Itwas set over 16 laps each day and featured tworiders per team to contest the trophy offering a Le

Mans-type start. Last year South Africa was represented by‘Team Incomplete’ with Jimmie Guthrie and PeterLabuschagne who posted a mid-finish to the race. This year’srace, however, morphed into machines produced way backin the early fifties with 31 teams set to do battle on long-stroke Manx Nortons and early Triumph Twins – as well asa four cylinder Gilera that came out to play.

This year it was the turn of Australian ace Beau Beatonand Craig McMartin who brought a super swift 1948 VincentRapide from KH Equipment to put the cat among thepigeons in the normal Manx Norton pecking order winninglist. There were also notable world champions in the entrylist in the form of Kevin Schwantz, Micheal Rutter, TroyCorser and Steve Plater.

Practice and race days were held in unusually balmyautumn weather conditions and the Vincent took pole forthe first leg after a frantic start which saw Irish superstarJeremy McWilliams suffer a fall on the track to damage the1952 Manx front forks irreparably. After the rider change,the mighty Vincent, which had an extra 50 horsepoweradvantage over the competition, disappeared into the blueyonder. With both riders overcoming the bikes refusal tobrake well around any corner, Steve Plater, former TTwinner and commentator rode a solid stint with Glen Englishto take second spot after a huge scrap with Scott Smart forthe podium places. Motor Cycle News tester Adam Childscooped fourth on a 1954 Matchless C80.

With the Vincent’s obvious superiority and despite itshuge size and weight, the organisers let a later 1961 Manxinto the second leg, ridden by Jeremy McWilliams andDuncan Fitchet. This machine was to produce the race scrapof the weekend. Troy Corser struck trouble with theSebastian Gutsch 1937 BMW R5 SS and was out of the firstrace. Also sidelined was the Gilera of Brian Richards as alltypes of mechanical mayhem seemed to strike these oldclunkers some 70 years young.

In the second leg the Vincent 1000cc didn’t have it all itsown way for the nimbler 1961 Barbour Norton Manxharassed and outrode the bigger machine time and again tobring the crowds to their feet, and, despite winning by awheel as they crossed the line for the chequered flag anominous puff of blue smoke saw the Rapide blow up itsgearbox.

However, despite that they took the overall win for thetwo-part Trophy race. Second was the Fred Walmsley on a1953 Manx Norton with Plater and English on board. Childand Ling rode a brilliant race to scoop the final podiumposition in another race where more favorites fell by thewayside with mechanical failure in the heat of the moment.

The Schwantz/O’ Connor Manx Norton, brought all theway from New Zealand by ace Turner Ken MacIntosh, tooka well-deserved fourth in the Memorial final placings in a racethat featured bikes that started their lives more than 75 yearsago. They are still capable of big speeds, even by modernstandards.

BARRY SHEENEMEMORIAL RACES



by Ian Groat


HURRICANE AD S-O 2014_Layout 1 2014/08/27 10:43 AM Page 1

lock whilst listening to hear for the distinctive “bleep”.• Before walking away from your vehicle, physically check your

door handle to make sure your vehicle is locked.• Park as close to the entrance of the shopping centre as possible

as there is always a lot of people and general movement.• Be aware of suspicious individuals lingering around the parking

area.Mutual & Federal encourages drivers to stay alert and vigilant for

any suspicious activities at all times as this could save money,frustration and more importantly lives.

SAFETY NEWS

REMOTE BLOCKINGCRIME ON THE RISE

Recently there have been an increasing number of remoteblocking incidents taking place across the country. Mutual &Federal therefore would like to keep customers informedabout potential risks and how to avoid any problems

if/when criminals interfere with a car's central locking system, leavingthe vehicle owner thinking that their car has been locked when ithasn't.

Criminals can block a car’s remote signal by pressing down on agate remote at the same time the car owner presses down on theirimmobiliser to activate the car alarm and the central locking. Mostcar and gate remotes operate on the same frequency, making iteasier for criminals to interfere with the signals. Thus, a driver will beunder the impression they’ve locked their car while they haven’t.

Due to the increase in incidents of remote blocking, Mutual andFederal will now cover items stolen from unoccupied motor vehicles,even if there are no visible signs of forced entry, provided certainconditions are met.

Below are some tips on how you can protect yourself from thissneaky vehicle crime trick:

• Do not to leave any valuables in your vehicle. If there are any,do not leave them in a place they are easily visible, but rather in alocked boot or compartment.

• Do not rely on sound alone and assume that your vehicle islocked and alarm is armed. Ensure rather that you watch the vehicle

CRIME UPDATE


Auto manufacturers could havedriverless cars on the road withinthe next few years. Here’s whatyour shop needs to know.

Fully automated vehicles that obey trafficsignals, detect other cars and obstacles andmanoeuvre roadways without humaninteraction could realistically be available inless than five years. Nissan Motor Co. andMercedes-Benz have both publicly promisedfully automated vehicle designs to becommercially ready by 2020. Tesla hopes torelease an automated model by 2017 andVolvo is launching an autonomous vehiclepilot programme later this year.

It’s a trend that all shop owners shouldcarefully watch and prepare for, says DanielGage, spokesperson for the Alliance ofAutomobile Manufactures (AAM). “Virtuallyevery auto manufacturer is also working onan automated vehicle of some sort,” he says,noting that technology companies likeGoogle and IBM are getting involved as well.“There will be automakers that have fullyautomated vehicles ready to roll out in avery short time frame.”

Although several societal questionsremain before these cars becomecommonplace, the movement will eventuallysucceed because auto industry experts andpolicymakers believe the technology willhelp minimise traffic accidents, improvetraffic flow, reduce road congestion andboost fuel economy.

“The use of fully automated vehicles willpose dramatic changes to the collision repairindustry that shop owners should payattention to now,” says Tim Ronak, seniorservices consultant for AkzoNobelAutomotive and Aerospace Coatings. Carswill be more computerised than ever before,which will drive changes in necessary trainingand knowledge for technicians, and causeshop owners to diversify their businessinitiatives in preparation.

Various collision avoidance features havealready been proven to reduce trafficaccidents and claim severity, so fullyautomated vehicles are likely to impactcollision based work volume and revenue.Roughly 85% of all traffic accidents arecaused by human error and could beavoided with automated vehicles.

“But that doesn’t mean the end of thecollision industry,” Ronak says, “because thetrend of automated vehicles will drive newbusiness opportunities for body shops. Twobrand-new business markets will open upthat shops can specialise in to differentiatethemselves from the competition and build

sustainable business models.“First, shops can get into the retrofit

business. It’s possible that automated vehicletechnologies could be retrofitted intoexisting cars that already contain certaincollision avoidance systems. For example,shops could add additional features tocurrent vehicles with electric steering, suchas the 2012 Chevy Malibu, to make the carfully automated.

“There could be a massive market forretrofitting through data ports,” Ronak says.“There’s going to be a whole new industryopening up in the retrofit of thistechnology.”

“Another new market opportunity forshops, is sensor system maintenance.Automated vehicles will have a plethora ofsensor and camera systems that willperiodically require correction, calibration,adjustment, cleaning or replacement. Hesays there will be significant businessopportunity for shops that are capable ofperforming those services.

“If you fail to leverage technology in yourbusiness, you will not stick around. But itdoesn’t have to be all doom and gloom,”Ronak says. “I believe it will become a highermargin business due to the technology as westart to adapt. Shops just truly need toembrace technology as an advantage, andposition themselves for the change byinvesting in and acquiring the rightknowledge.”

“Although fully automated vehicles won’tbe showing up in your shop for some timeit’s a good idea to start getting readybecause there will be a large demand forreputable shops with automated vehiclecapabilities in the future,” Gage says.

“We’re going to have huge reliance onindependent shops,” Gage says. “There aretoo many cars on the roads and too fewdealerships to have people only go toauthorised dealerships for repairs. We don’thave enough dealerships to service theentire fleet.”

Performing the work will require aspecialised set of skills and abilities.Automated vehicles will operate usingdozens of driver-assist features incombination with several computersoftware programmes and algorithms. Thatmeans repairers will not only need to beproficient collision technicians, but computertechnicians as well. Acquiring electronic-

based training focused on understandingvehicle computerisation will be essential inorder to properly diagnose, repair andreplace new sets of software, sensorsystems, electronic components and wiring.

“It’s not just learning about the existenceof those systems. There’s going to be a corelevel of knowledge about how those thingswork that will be important to have,” Ronaksays. “Collision repairers need to understandthese root technologies in order totroubleshoot the problems that cars aregoing to have in the future. It will be aboutsensors, scanners and diagnostics.”

Little information is currently availableregarding the specifics of automated vehiclerepair, but automakers will be committed tomaking information accessible as soon as it’savailable. The industry will see increasedusage of online training modules, andmanufacturing companies will work closelywith industry associations to disseminateinformation and training.

Richard Wallace, director of trainingsystems analysis for the Centre ofAutomotive Research (CAR), says theindustry will also experience changes incurriculum among secondary and post-secondary schools. Many vocational schoolshave already started developingprogrammes that are more heavily focusedon electronics, software and radiocommunications.

Right now, Wallace says the best way forshops to proactively prepare for automatedvehicles is to get closely familiarised with allof the electronic and driver assist featuresthat already exist on late model vehicles.Many components making automatedvehicles a reality are used right now, such asnavigation, adaptive speed control,automated braking, lane departure warning,blind spot monitoring and automatic parking.Wallace says use of those systems will beincreasingly prominent until fully automatedvehicles hit the market, and obtainingtraining on those components is an effectiveway to incrementally advance knowledgeand skills.

“As more and more companies makethese standard on vehicles, those are goingto be components included in theautomated vehicle,” Gage says. “The phase-in of those technologies will be incrementaland evolutionary.”

TRAINING UPDATE

HOW WILL WEREPAIR AUTOMATEDSELF DRIVINGVEHICLES?



TRAINING


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LIFETIME WARRANTYLIFETIME WARRANTY

YATU NEW AD M-J 2013_Layout 1 2013/07/15 12:50 PM Page 1

PHOENIX EXCHANGE AD M-A 2013_Invoice TOYOTA 16-8-05 2013/03/18 1:38 PM Page 1

Rolls-Royce Motor Cars hasannounced that a new Technologyand Logistics Centre will be built atBognor Regis, close to the Home of

Rolls-Royce at Goodwood, West Sussex.The new 30 000m2 centre will consolidate anumber of current logistics functions andallow for future expansion.

The Technology and Logistics Centre willbe located on the Oldlands Farm BusinessPark on the northern edge of Bognor Regis,12 kilomtres from Rolls-Royce Motor Cars.The Centre will be ideally situated to takeadvantage of the forthcoming Bognor RegisNorthern Relief Road, due to open in 2015.Around 200 people will be employed at theCentre, with a number of new roles createdin addition to those transferred from existinglogistics functions. The Technology andLogistics Centre is planned to be fullyoperational in early 2016.

The site has been identified by ArunDistrict Council as part of its ‘EnterpriseBognor Regis’ initiative. The area is beingdeveloped as a new premier businesslocation in West Sussex, reserved for mixedoffice, industrial and supportingdevelopment to deliver a new generation ofbuildings in a high quality environment tosustain both newly established and growingbusinesses. Rolls-Royce will be the firstmajor business to take advantage of theinitiative.

The Technology and Logistics Centre willconsolidate three current operations – aninbound warehouse for production parts; adistribution centre, including an inboundbody store and finished car store and aworkshop for car preparation. The Centre

will be managed on behalf of Rolls-RoyceMotor Cars by an external logistics provider.

Torsten Müller-Ötvös, chief executiveofficer for Rolls-Royce Motor Cars, said, “Iam delighted to announce our newTechnology and Logistics Centre, whichreflects the sustainable development andongoing success of our business. Every Rolls-Royce motor car is built at the home ofRolls-Royce at Goodwood and this newfacility will provide the required local logisticssupport for our current and future models.”

He continued, “Rolls-Royce is a Britishmanufacturing success and we remain fullycommitted to building our future here inWest Sussex.”

Business Minister, Matthew Hancock,said, “This terrific new centre at BognorRegis will give a huge boost to the localeconomy, and safeguard 200 jobs. It’stestament to one of our Great Britishsuccess stories, Rolls-Royce, and its valuedcontribution to UK manufacturing.”

INDUSTRY UPDATE

ROLLS-ROYCEANNOUNCES NEWCENTRE

WHAT’S HOT?

An art is ts v iew of the new Technology and Logist ics Centre that w i l l be bui l t at BognorRegis , which is c lose to the home of Rol ls-Royce at Goodwood.




HYUNDAI SA OPENS ASSEMBLY PLANT IN SA



Hyundai Automotive South Africa officially opened acommercial vehicle assembly plant on September 4 this yearon the East Rand of Gauteng, as part of a multi-million randinvestment in its commercial vehicle division in the local

automotive market.“The opening of this assembly plant forms an ideal platform from

which to strengthen our business strategy, both in terms of commercialmarket growth and sustainability, as well as an increasing commitmentand investment in the South African economy,” says Wade Griffin,director of commercial vehicles at Hyundai Automotive SA.

“We believe that there are strong opportunities through investmentand local assembly to capitalise on for our business.”

The rationale behind the semi knocked-down (SKD) assembly plantin Apex, the industrial area of Benoni, was largely driven by a long-termstrategy to grow Hyundai’s share in the South African commercialvehicle market, to be more competitive and to increase Hyundai’sinvestment in the country’s economy. The initial aim is to produce 50units a month, focusing specifically on the Hyundai HD65 and HD72trucks.

At this stage most of the trucks produced in the plant will bedistributed in the South African market, but Hyundai Automotive SA isinvestigating options to export to markets in the Sub-Saharan region ofAfrica. Of the vehicles assembled in the Benoni plant, 20% will beexported to neighbouring Southern African countries such as Botswanaand Namibia as part of the immediate plans.

Hyundai Automotive SA established the factory by buying anexisting plant from Imperial Holdings as part of a R110 millioninvestment in the Commercial Vehicles division of Hyundai in SouthAfrica.

“We did careful research to establish the economic viability andsustainability of such a SKD assembly plant. Hyundai CommercialVehicles is a division of Hyundai Automotive SA – one of the mainplayers and biggest sellers in the South African automotive market. Thisinvestment in our Commercial Vehicle division enables us to be more

aggressive and competitive due to the zero import duty as anincentive for local assembly of trucks,” says Griffin.

Stanley Anderson, marketing director of Hyundai Automotive SA,says it is important to note that the company’s investment reachesbeyond the monetary aspect. “We have already employed over 30staff, with the vision of increasing this to around 60 people. Bycreating these initial 30 or so jobs, we are directly improving the livesof more than 230 people.

“However, there are at least an additional 10 people that can gainemployment as a result of the development of this plant, if weconsider our current service partners. And further job security too, ifyou include other suppliers in terms of logistics, maintenance,cleaning, security and information technology services.”

Hyundai has brought in a number of trained engineers fromHyundai Motor Company’s Commercial Vehicle division in Korea toassist with the local training and development of staff to ensure thatbest practices are followed in the assembly process. From here, theHyundai Training Centre at the head office of Hyundai AutomotiveSA will be responsible for ongoing training.

“We have already produced the first trucks from the assemblyplant. The local production of HD65 and HD72 trucks will give us alot of momentum to increase our present three percent share in themedium commercial vehicle market,” says Griffin.

An increase in local content of the vehicles that are assembled inthe plant will bring further savings, a more competitive businessmodel and create further jobs in the local economy. “We areobviously at an early stage in the development of the local operation,but we are already examining the expansion of locally produced partsfor our assembly line,” says Griffin.

“We chose the premises in Benoni for two reasons: There was anexisting infrastructure and suitable buildings and storage areas to runsuch a plant; and it is situated in the economical hub of South Africa– Gauteng – where there is a big demand for products such as ourHD65 and HD72 trucks.”

HYUNDAI SA OPENS ASSEMBLY PLANT IN SA

HYUNDAI SAINVESTS IN LOCAL ASSEMBLY PLANT

HYUNDAI SAINVESTS IN LOCAL ASSEMBLY PLANT


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South African business is backing the move by the SAInsurance Association (SAIA) for compulsory third partyinsurance for all vehicles in South Africa to be put on thegovernment’s legislative agenda. This is according to the

Innovation Group’s Future Now report, a very insightful study of thelocal insurance industry both the current situation and futurepredictions.

The Innovation Group’s managing executive: insurance, JonathanHolden, says that an additional spur comes in the process ofharmonisation currently under way among SADC countries withSouth Africans travelling to many of these countries having to buythird party insurance cover at the border.

The report, which was released earlier this month, has aninteresting look at trends and future developments. According to theCEO of Innovations, Glen Mollink, the report highlights an imminenttechnology-driven revolution and emphasises the need tocollaborate on data-sharing in the future.

Mollink says the tools exist in telematics and “big data” to dosomething about traffic congestion and poor driver behaviours, “Butit requires the cooperation of the 40-odd insurance companies in SA,traffic authorities and vehicles owners.”

The research also showed an appetite for more flexible policyoptions. Telematics is set to become a significant disruptor to theSouth African motor insurance market over the next decade, and islikely to very soon impact pricing methods across the industry.

Mollink says the successful motor insurers of tomorrow will bemaking significant investments today in their ability to process hugeamounts of data, so as to be able to tailor premiums to exactlyreflect risk, thereby improving margins.

Through Business Intelligence systems, of which telematics is butone component, the cost of supply chains can be reduced by aconsiderable margin where fleet managers and supply chainoperators are in possession of high-quality data input relating to, thevehicle, driver behaviour, time of day and seasonal factors, billing, fueland maintenance costs, lading, medical history, route-info and more.

In addition, the report states that once Aarto is implemented“accountability will reside with the company, which will be liable forany sort of traffic infringement by its employees while driving acompany vehicle.” Management systems will be needed to enforcethis system.

Insurance executive Holden adds, “The insurance industry ispoised over the coming decade to use technology as never before inall aspects of its business from signing up policyholders toadministering claims. This is one of the findings of the Future NowReport, released in September by Innovation Group.

“The South African motor insurance industry is in the midst of anexciting and fundamental change in the way in which it evaluates risk,prices policies and interacts with its customers. Technology and dataare set to come together to redefine the insurance-customerrelationship.

“One of the by-products of the digital revolution has been theshift in the balance of power from industry to consumer. In the pastthe consumer buying experience was weighted more in favour ofbrands and brokers, whereas new technology is acting as somethingof a leveller. The report also found that technology in automotivedesign and fleet management is likely to result in fewer accidents, andcertainly fewer serious ones,” concluded Holden.

INDUSTRY NEWS

LEGISLATE COMPULSORY INSURANCE

64

LOCAL NEWS

by Roger Houghton

With 70% of dr ivers on the roadwi thout cover , the insurance industryand co l l is ion repair operat ions en joya skewed bus iness in road acc idents .



HIGH DEFINITION

WAX

Here is a thought-provoking quotefrom the esteemed organisationaltheorist Russell L Ackoff, “Therighter we do the wrong thing,

the wronger we become. When we make amistake do ing the wrong thing and correct it,we become wronger. When we make amistake do ing the right thing and correct it,we become righter. Therefore, it is better todo the right thing wrong than the wrongthing right.”

It’s a bit of a tongue twister. Here is howit relates to what we do, working in thecollision industry.

Isn’t it true that we all strive to do thingsbetter in our business? Daily we meetchallenges head on, grapple with the day-to-day trials that customers seem to throw atus and firefight to please everyone most ofthe time.

Many collision shop owners have workedout that life needn’t be like this, and havegone through a systematic process of tryingto analyse the individual problems to try tostop them before they happen. It’s true thatas business owners, we recognise thatindividual problems in our businesses needto be eradicated, which often requires somesmart thinking in order to design processesthat eliminate, or at least significantly reduce,individual challenges.

It’s not only the unexpected problemsthat we attempt to solve, it’s also aboutimplementing processes in order to makeour ‘system’ of repairing vehicles moreefficient. Efficiency drives what we do inorder to make a profit. We streamline ourorganisation and dissect it into itscomponent parts in order to neutralise thatcritter that keeps destroying our well-oiledmachine. Experience demonstrates thatmost shop owners do this sort of thing intheir own way, and from their experience indoing those things they see benefits to theirbusinesses from their hard work.

Now let’s look at Ackoff’s first sentenceand see how it may apply to collision repair.

“The righter we do the wrong thing, thewronger we become.”

What if all of the effort we put into doingthe better (righter) thing in our business isactually being carried out on the ‘wrong’thing? What if we are channelling our greatintentions and efforts into improvingsomething that is not actually the thing that’sbroken and what if the real thing that isbroken is actually the ‘system’ itself?

Don’t we just assume that we know howto repair cars? Don’t we just assume thatbecause almost every other collision shoprepairs cars this way it must be the ‘rightway? What if, inherently, it is actually the‘wrong’ way to repair cars, and we just keeptrying day-in to improve what is a brokesystem in the first place?

What I’m questioning is whether we arecurrently repairing vehicles in the correctway and by the correct process in order toachieve our real goals, without realising thatthe ‘system’ we use to run our businessesmight be inherently wrong.

According to Ackhoff’s statement,“When we make a mistake doing the wrongthing and correct it, we become wronger.”How can this be so? Well, if the system isinherently wrong, then no amount ofrectification to individual parts will make the‘system’ a better system. It’s still wrong andeffort and energy have been wasted in orderto stick a band-aid on what is not really the

problem.If the system is inherently the correct

one, but with areas that require resolve,then those areas are corrected, the systembecomes better. Remedial work that is‘systemic’ not ‘systematic’, ie: not dealingwith an individual problem in isolation,always wins because it takes a holisticapproach to the overall outcome of thebusiness, not the department.

Interestingly, when Ackoff says,“Therefore, it is better to do the right thingwrong than the wrong thing right,” he has apoint.

Distilled down to the core meaning as faras a collision shop is concerned, this is called‘systems thinking’ and it’s systems thinkingthat takes a systemic approach to problemsolving, process design and organisationaltheory. Some years ago, a team studiedsystems thinking, among other theoreticaloperational methodologies and recognisedthat the whole process of collision repair isjust plain wrong. It’s actually not fit forpurpose, and clearly is not conducive torunning a business with 21st centurychallenges for profit and customerprerequisites.

Current processes, culture, technologiesand thinking need to almost be thrown outthe window. The question was, howdifferent would body shops be if running asystems-based solution?

INDUSTRY UPDATE

RETHINK THE PROCESS

TRENDS

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by John Parker

Some smart th ink ing needs to be done to overcome dai ly f i re f ight problems when i tcomes to increas ing product ion demands.


UTOMOTIVEA

Yes, a full 25 minutes to make a pitch for their business. Seem unlikely?Well on average, a reader will spend 25 minutes with the

Automotive Refinisher Magazine. Just as you are now. As a result, brand loyalty increases by 32% and sales uplift by 8%.

All at a fraction of some other media costs and infinitely more effectivethan email sent straight to the junk folder.

In today’s climate, it’s important to hang on to customers. Because when a competitor comes knocking,

all that really matters is how much your customers like you.

We can make them know you really well.

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To advetise call us on +27 (0)11 949 4091Alternatively send us an email to [email protected]

Or visit our website www.autoref.co.za

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What wouldyou say to a customer whogave you 25 minutesof their time?

What wouldyou say to a customer whogave you 25 minutesof their time?

Yes, a full 25 minutes to make a pitch for their business. Seem unlikely?Well on average, a reader will spend 25 minutes with the

Automotive Refinisher Magazine. Just as you are now. As a result, brand loyalty increases by 32% and sales uplift by 8%.

All at a fraction of some other media costs and infinitely more effectivethan email sent straight to the junk folder.

In today’s climate, it’s important to hang on to customers. Because when a competitor comes knocking,

all that really matters is how much your customers like you.

We can make them know you really well.

AUTOREF AD J-F 2014_Layout 1 2014/05/14 2:04 PM Page 1

It is nice to be able to report somepositive market developmentsconcerning vehicle exports. It looks likeall concerned in the automotive industry

export council have had another focusedyear of trade expansion. In general theyrepresent the interests of seven motormanufacturers and exporters namely BMW,Ford, General Motors, Mercedes-Benz,Nissan, Toyota and Volkswagen along withinterested parties in the truck and busindustry, this plus up to another 500component supply concerns.

Industry spokesman Dr NormanLamprecht, executive manager of NAAMSA,remains upbeat about the export vehicletrack record despite a protracted industrystrike earlier in the year.

For the past two decades the SouthAfrican automotive industry has beentransformed into an internationally morecompetitive, globally integrated industrysupplying high quality automotive productsto the domestic and global markets. TheSouth African vehicle manufacturing andassociated industries have grown to becomethe major contributors to manufacturingactivity in the country. The APDP, whichcommenced 1st January 2013, is designed totake the industry to the next level bydoubling vehicle production in the countryto 1.2 million units per annum by 2020.

The value and insight which data has tooffer and the role that data plays areabsolutely key and integral in formulatingpolicy and defining business strategies.Market intelligence provides companies witha competitive edge. Accurate and timeous

data gives insight into current tradingconditions, acts as an indicator as to wherethe market is headed and assists companiesto develop better and appropriate strategies.A recent development relating to SouthAfrican trade should include data in respectof Botswana, Lesotho, Namibia andSwaziland (BLNS) in order to provide amore accurate reflection of South Africa’strade.

BLNS country trade statistics havepreviously not been included in SouthAfrica’s trade statistics because of the freeflow of trade from a customs point of viewwithin the Southern African Custom’s Union(SACU). The automotive industry’s tradeperformance has subsequently been revisedwith BLNS country data in the 2014

publication, and where applicable, withretrospective effect.

The South African automotive industryhas enjoyed sustained growth in bothdomestic sales and exports since thedownturn in 2009, despite the uncertaininternational climate. During 2013, totalautomotive industry exports increased byR7,8 billion or 8.2% to R102,7 billion fromthe revised R94.9 billion in 2012.

The economic challenges in Europe andthe US are forcing South African companiesto look at alternative markets and partnersto diversify risk and create new avenues forgrowth. Indicative of this trend, the exportvalue to 21 of the 152 country exportdestinations more than doubled from 2012to 2013.

by Ian GroatLATEST NEWS

TOYOTA FCV PROGRAMMEBOOSTED

Toyota has reached an important production staging post inits programme to launch its first fuel cell vehicle, gaininggovernment-approved status to build and inspect high-pressure hydrogen tanks. Having met the stringent criteria

required by Japan’s Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry, the firstmanufacturer to do so, Toyota can now increase production of tanksthat can be used for safe storage of hydrogen fuel at up to 70 MPa(700bar) pressure. This keeps the company firmly on track for themarket introduction of its Fuel Cell Sedan in Japan, Europe andNorth America in 2015.

Japanese law requires all pressured gas containers and accessoriesto be type-certified and made available for official safety inspectionsduring the manufacturing process. Until now, Toyota’s hydrogentanks also had to undergo a further inspection before being installedin a vehicle. The inspection schedules had a direct impact on itsinventory control and the manufacturing timetable for Toyota’s FCVprototypes.

By being able to self-inspect the tanks it makes, Toyota can nowstreamline its FCV manufacturing process, while maintaining the

highest quality and safety standards. As well as improving efficiencyand productivity, this is also expected to help reduce the cost ofFCV’s.

To gain official approval (KJKS 0102), it has had to meet 194requirements and demonstrate an appropriate high level of quality ofmanagement. It prepared a quality manual and a set of inspectionrules to provide a fully documented hydrogen tank qualitymanagement system that goes beyond its own operation to includeaffiliated parts.

LOCAL EXPORTSINCREASE



Dr Norman Lamprecht seen f ly ing the export f lag at the recent Automechanika t rade fa i rin Frankfurt . The South Afr ican team of competent exporters th is year racked up goodproduct interest leve ls for loca l automot ive products .

WHAT’S HOT?

TECH UPDATE


It all started last autumn when my friendJo Ramirez and I were chatting aboutour respective bucket lists of things todo before we died, or were too

decrepit to do them, and discovered thatwe were both desperate to compete in theMille Miglia retrospective.

The Mille Miglia was first staged in 1927as a 1000-mile road race round Italy, fromBrescia down the Adriatic coast to Romethen up the Mediterranean coast back toBrescia. Enzo Ferrari described the MilleMiglia as ‘the most beautiful race in theworld’ and competitors ranged fromweekend warriors in their FIAT specials tothe top professionals of the day. In 1957,though, just a few miles from the finish, atyre blew on the Ferrari of the Marquis dePortago, the resulting crash killing dePortago, his navigator and nine spectators;following which the race was banned.

In the 1980’s the Mille Miglia wasrevived as a retrospective for historic carsand has become the world’s most

exclusive classic car event, a magnet forcelebrities and aficionados alike. Why not,we thought, do it together in my JaguarXK120 Roadster? The model hadcompeted in the ‘proper’ Mille Miglia andthus, in theory at least, eligible to run in theretrospective. Whilst obtaining an entry forthis high-profile event was reputed to bemore difficult than getting an invitation toElton John’s birthday party we thought ithad to be worth a try. Jo had worked forFerrari, Maserati and Lamborghini back inthe sixties and later with the Tyrrell,Fittipaldi and McLaren F1 teams so havinghim on board might help our cause. Healso spoke fluent Italian – which was a realbonus!

Another factor in our favour was thatmy XK had period competition history inthe hands of then-owner Michael Brook,who had been given the car as a 21stbirthday present in the mid-1950’s andused the car for ‘courting during the weekand racing at weekends’. Now, though, the

car was pretty tired mechanically and if itwas to have any chance of completing athousand mile thrash round Italy a majorrebuild was needed.

Jo spoke to a friend on the Mille Migliacommittee and called to say that ourchances of getting an entry looked good, soI set about completing the long andcomplex Mille Miglia entry form. Sortingthe car was now the most urgent priorityand the rebuild was well under way when,in mid-February, we heard that our entryhad been accepted. Then a minor crack inthe block was discovered, delaying thecompletion date. Then, on its post-rebuildshake-down, disaster struck, when a coreplug blew, the result of the acid-dip carriedout to facilitate the block repair. There wasno alternative but to remove and strip theengine, replace the core plugs and then puteverything back together.

Normally nearly a week’s work,engineer Simon Hemsley had the car backup and running in only two days, a

INTERNATIONAL ESCAPADES - by Chris Mann

THE PLEASURES AND PAINS OF A 1000 MILEHIGH SPEED DRIVE ROUND ITALY



MILLE MIGLIA


herculean effort which enabled me and‘Team Manager’ Chris Connelly to catchthe ferry by the skin of our teeth,

Two days before the start of the 2014Mille Miglia the 451 competing carsgathered at the Brescia Fiero forscrutineering and to enable completion ofthe seemingly interminable paperworkrequired by the organisers. Finally, all wasready and on Thursday, May 15, we set offthrough Brescia’s chaotic rush-hour trafficto the start ramp where, at 7.27pm ourMille Miglia adventure started in earnest aswe were flagged off the start ramp and weheaded east to the Adriatic coast, part ofan ever-evolving high speed snake of classiccars, cheered on by a million spectatorsand waved through towns, villages and redtraffic lights by the local Polizia. Every sooften we would be diverted on to a timedsection which required us to travel a seriesof set distances in specified times,measured to 1 000ths of a second andwere, it appeared, critical to success.Unfortunately, although we had had asophisticated rally meter fitted to the car,neither of us could work out how to use itso our time-trial efforts rapidly descendedinto farce but the car drove beautifully andwe arrived at our first night destinationnear Padua just after midnight, the crowdsof spectators still out in force.

Day two was bright and sunny as we setoff on the first leg of our 775-kilometrejourney to Rome, one of the last cars toget away. Heading south we made goodprogress through Rovigo, Ferrara andRavenna, and on to San Marino wherelunch awaited. Keen to make up time wedeclined lunch, grabbed a banana and abottle of water and set off to mess up thenext series of time-trials, before heading toAncona where the Polizia Stradale lookingcool in their mandatory shades escorted usin a 70mph convoy through the towncentre.

From Ancona we messed up more timetrials en-route to Casale before headinginland to the beautiful medieval city ofAscoli Piceno. We were now nearly backon schedule but the skies were lookingmenacing as we headed off into themountains towards L’Aquila and, as duskdescended, the heavens opened. Withinminutes the driving rain had soaked usthrough and rendered vision impossible. Joslowed to a crawl and we tried folding backthe aero-screens in an attempt to see. Itmade little difference other than exposingus to a barrage of what felt like pin sharp-icicles. Freezing cold, wet through andunable to see we crawled on through thedarkness for what seemed like hours, ourmisery compounded by an engine misfireas the water found its way into thedistributor. The rain eventually eased butby this time we were totally lost, eventuallyreaching our hotel at 3.20am having beenon the road for nearly 20 hours!

The following morning, after whatseemed like about 10 minutes sleep wethrew on our dry clothes and headed forthe start line, over an hour behind ourscheduled departure time. As a result theusual crowds lining the street had longsince left for their morning espresso andwithin a few kilometres we were onceagain well and truly lost. Fortunately, wewere befriended by a helpful local whodirected us back on to the correct routeand the first check point at Ronciglione.

The scenery was glorious and the sunshone, both Jo and I feeling remarkablychipper as we headed north-west throughViterbo and Radicofani to Siena and thenext checkpoint in the breathtakingmedieval square of Il Campo. Once againJo was greeted like a homecoming prince,interviewed at length by the checkpointcommentator, great fun for us but createda growing queue of impatient competitorsbehind us.

The problems of the previous daycombined with our less than stellar effortsin the timed sections meant that we werenever going to make the leader board sowe decided to omit the next section viaPisa and Lucca, enabling us to enjoy to thefull the spectacular Futa and Raticosapasses, arguably the most iconic elementsof the Mille Miglia.

It was the right decision, the sweepingroads were a joy to drive and the XK wasback on song, its six-cylinder yowl music toour ears, our pleasure marred only by theoccasional time-trial. Soon after 7pm wearrived in Bologna to find the whole townhad turned out, cheering on the passingcompetitors in the evening sunshine as weheaded for the Piazza Maggiore and theend of day three.

On Sunday morning we left Bologna forthe final leg of the 2014 Mille Miglia,heading for Modena where Jo pointed outthe Albergho Real Hotel favoured byFerrari works drivers of the 1950s and 60s.Long gone, though, was Modena’s otherelite hotel the Palace where, back in 1962,Jo had the grim task of clearing the effectsof his close friend Ricardo Rodriguez,following his death in practice for the firstever Mexican GP. Rodriguez’ familybequeathed Ricardo’s iconic yellow crashhelmet worn by Jo on our Mille Miglia tripas a mark of respect to his friend.

After Friday and Saturday, the final legon Sunday was something of an anti-climax,a relatively gentle 240-kilometre drivethrough Modena, Mantova (home of thelegendary Tazio Nuvolari) and then on toBrescia where it had all started. Our Fridaytrials and tribulations well and truly behindus Jo and I arrived at the finish line to theacclamation of the crowd and with smiles amile wide. We had successfully completed‘the most beautiful race in the world’, anexperience we will never forget.



The Mille Miglia is described as the “most beautiful race in the world” and has become the world’s mostexclusive classic car event.

Jo Ramirez worked for Ferrari, Maserati andLamborghini back in the 60’s and later with Tyrrell,Fittipaldi and the McLaren F1 teams.


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TOP SHOP DELTA PANELBEATING CENTRE

The open plan body shop hall at Deltashows excellent levels of workshopproduction routing.

RIGHTTHE FIRST TIMERIGHTTHE FIRST TIME

Story by Dave Fall and pics by Ian Groat




Technica l serv ice and sa les back-up f rom ABS Parow haveconcentrated on keeping pa int ut l izat ion to a min imum. Fromlef t to r ight are: Anthony Kannemeyer , Robin Gaf f ley ,D irector for Del ta and John Beck f rom ABS Parow.

Concentrat ing on a r ight f i rs t t ime product ionhas made Del ta Panelbeat ing Centre ab le tol i f t customer sat is fact ion retent ion leve ls .

PPG’s Tammy Robberts , reg ionalsa les manager for the WesternCape and Robin Gaf f ley .

Deep in the heart of Strand, in the Western Cape, can befound Delta Panelbeating Centre. Owned by RobinGaffley, a man who applies a strict code of businessethics: “Every job that passes through my workshop has

a signature of confidence and workmanship of the highest quality”.Delta is a busy shop, with bodyshop repair approvals from at

least 13 motor manufacturers, including Audi, VW, Honda, Hyundai,GM and Toyota. “‘Courtesy cars are also available should a customerbe completely without transport – this is all part of our service”, saysGaffley.

“I have been in the panelbeating business for close on 33 yearsnow. As a matter of fact, we started out in premises just furtherdown the road, lovingly remembered as ‘The whole in the wall’.Even when we started out we strived and went the extra mile, toensure the perfect job, first time, every time. I always wanted tomake a difference to the area to build up a solid panel shopreputation’.

“The Strand is currently seeing substantial economic growth, witha fair amount of panel shops opening and operating within the area.Over the years business has gotten tougher, with many a panel shopalso now coming and going. Through dedication, hard work andgood reputation, Delta has stood the test of time”.

“I think from the word ‘go’, we felt success coming our way.

Although I am a hands-on type of guy, I have the happy knack thesedays of selecting the right tradesman to tackle the task in hand. Westarted up with half a dozen of staff members. Today, we have a staffcomplement of around 30”.

As one of PPG’s most loyal and long standing customers, Deltastarted using the PPG Deltron product range during the late 90’s andconverted in 2004 to PPG’s waterborne based technology calledEnvirobase® High Performance. With PPG, a world leading coatingsand specialty product company, they are assured of the latesttechnology and innovation. Running alongside Delta’s successes, istheir PPG supplier, ABS Parow, and as said by Gaffley, “they offer agreat back-up service, always putting our needs first and being afundamental part of our business for many years”.

“Good business ethics, no matter what business you are in, areparamount, and it has made this panel shop successful. As statedearlier, I am not prepared to ever do a half-hearted job on acustomer’s vehicle”.

“Four points I would like to stress regarding the PPG Product -the finished result is always superb, their spray techniques couldn’t besimpler while using their waterborne paints, their products have agood shelf life and finally – one must never forget PPG’s blends arevirtually unlimited and certainly cover every model that reachesSouth Africa – no matter the manufacturer.

The coat ing of choice has a lmost a lways beenthe PPG ref in ish system because of greatback-up says Anthony Kannemeyer (r ight) .

Wi th a host of approva ls for motormake rs and i n su re r s c l i en tconf idence is assured for the repairat Del ta Panelbeat ing Centre.

Constant re investments boosted Del ta ’s per formance.


INDUSTRY NEWS

INSURANCE CASE GAINSMOMENTUM

USA NEWS

What started as a flurry of announcements, a legal filingin Mississippi, a lawsuit in Florida, the IABA starting aclass-action campaign in Indiana, has turned into anationwide wave of wrongful practice litigation

against insurance carriers.Repairers from several states have enlisted the legal muscle of

John Arthur Eaves Jr, a Mississippi-based attorney who’s worked ona number of high-profile cases around the world. Eaves has been atthe forefront of this fight and, as of press time, has repairers in 41states having filed or preparing to file suits as part of the collectiveeffort. He said that he expects all 50 states to be involved by the timethe case, which has been consolidated to Florida US District Court,goes to trial in the next 18 months or so. For their part, insurers havestrongly disputed the claims, and filed a motion to dismiss.

With the help of Eaves, a group of repairers took the fight toCapital Hill, staging a mid-September rally in Washington Septemberwith the hope of spurring legislation that would reinforce the 1963Consent Decree as US law and put an end to what the industryclaims to be illegal practices by insurance carriers.

The real game-changer though happened in August whenLouisiana Attorney General Buddy Caldwell filed suit against StateFarm on behalf of consumers, a landmark moment that broughtcharges of collusion and unsafe practices against insurers out of thecollision industry fishbowl and into the public forum.

The attorney general’s office brought similar claims in its suit,steering, unsafe requirements in repairs, short-pay issues, etc, but thereal difference, says assistant attorney general Stacie Deblieux, will beawareness. The average consumer will now be made aware of whather office believes are illegal actions begin taken by insurance carriers.

It’s been a “from-all-angles” attack, Eaves says. Auto insuranceproviders, individually and collectively, have denied the accusations.

“The description in the lawsuit filed by the attorney-general inLouisiana is not in line with State Farm’s mission to serve the needsof its customers, and our long, proud history of achievements inadvancing vehicle safety,” State Farm spokesman Dick Luedke says.“A vibrant, profitable auto collision repair industry is in the interest ofState Farm and other auto insurers. At the same time, we areadvocates on behalf of our customers for reasonable repair costs.We believe repairer profitability and quality auto repairs that arereasonably priced can both be achieved.” Shops can still join in onthe multi-district suit by contacting Eaves’ office, he says. More shopsmeans more evidence in court. According to Eaves, the evidence isoverwhelming. His team has collected affidavits, depositions and“millions” of documents outlining the claims repairers are making.

Liking his chances, Eaves wanted an expedited trial and is hopingto go to court within the next 12 months. The Florida US DistrictCourt judge handling the case is expected to set the timeline for thetrial at some point between a hearing in November and a statusconference in December. From the time of that announcement,there will likely be a 60-day waiting period before the informationgathering phase of the trial begins. That is when insurance companieswill be forced to turn over internal documents, Eaves said.

In Louisiana, no date has been set for a trial in the attorneygeneral’s case. Deblieux says it would be reasonable to assume thatmore states will follow in her office’s footsteps and file on behalf oftheir consumers.


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World Steel Dynamics’ (WSD) reportAutobody Warfare - Aluminum Attack,based on its independent consultation withsteel, aluminium and automotive experts,

concludes that steel can deliver the weight savings required tomeet federally mandated fuel economy targets for mostvehicles. The report was formally presented to steelexecutives at the World Steel Annual Conference inMoscow.

“This timely analysis demonstrates the value of advancedhigh-strength steel designs in meeting the needs ofautomakers while exposing the cost of penalties of switchingto aluminium,” said Lawrence W Kavanagh, president of theSteel Market Development Institute (SMDI), a business unit ofthe American Iron and Steel Institute (AISI). “We areenthusiastic about the findings, which confirm our extensiveresearch showing automakers can meet their weightreduction goals with advanced high-strength steels. Thereport’s conclusions and forecast for steel, are good news forcustomers and consumers as they demonstrate thatautomakers can and will continue to depend on theperformance of steel and the safety fuel efficiency andsustainability it provides.”

Other key findings of the WSD study include:• Advanced high strength steels (AHSS) will offer more

than sufficient lightweighting opportunities to automotivecompanies in the next decade, and from 2021-2025,automotive designers will be implementing any amount ofhigher-strength steels.

• Once engineers decide to redesign steel-intensivevehicles from the ground up, they will implement sizeable andrelatively low-cost weight savings with advanced high-strengthsteels, enabling continued supply of steel closures.

• Advanced high strength steels, even if pricedsubstantially higher than other auto sheet, are quite attractivegiven their weight savings relative to aluminium, and will riseto 237 million tons in 2025, a 330% gain displacing mild steeland alternative materials.

• Automakers will not widely adopt aluminium or otheralternative materials during their next round of design, andthe growth in aluminium sheet in cars, SUVs and light truckswill peak about 2018.

INDUSTRY NEWS

ALUMINIUM VS HIGHSTRENGTH STEEL

TECHNOLOGY




Ihave recently been on two business trips to Western Europewhere I, as a Virgo, truly enjoyed the discipline, neatness andcleanliness of that part of the world. On this occasion my travelstook me by coach from Paris to the Netherlands via Belgium, and

a week later travelled to Frankfurt for Automechanika.I was the only journalist on the first trip, which was with DAF, and

the party included 11 truck operators as well as four executives ofBabcock International, which has the franchise to market anddistribute DAF trucks in Southern Africa.

Travelling by luxury coach allows one to truly enjoy a country and,on this occasion, to be part of well disciplined driving with the hugenumber of trucks nearly all clean and with their loads neatly coveredto save fuel. Road surfaces were excellent and well marked. We didnot see a single road accident or broken down vehicle either.

The DAF trip also gave me the opportunity of visiting two motormuseums, one being the DAF museum in Eindhoven.(www.dafmuseum.nl/en) and then I went on a private visit to theLouwman Museum in The Hague.

DAF has had a long and chequered history since small beginningsin 1928. It has encompassed the design and manufacture of trucks,vans and cars but it is now totally focused on making trucks. It is thefastest growing truck brand in Europe as well as being part of the US-based PACCAR company which has made a profit every year sinceits founding in 1905.

Founded in 1928 in Eindhoven, The original DAF Company wasstarted by Hubert “Hub” van Doorne and his brother Theo, as avehicle repair workshop. The original workshop is now part of theDAF museum which has a very interesting collection of vehicles.

In 1932 a decision was taken by the Van Doorne brothers toconcentrate on building trailers, backed by their landlord, a breweryowner. The company then took on the name Van DoorneAanhangwagen Fabriek, which was abbreviated to DAF.

One of the early truck projects was converting Ford 4x2 trucks toa 6x4 configuration that led to the manufacture of military vehicles.High volume production of trucks, trailers and buses really began in1949 and included many vehicles for the Dutch army.

Hub van Doorne remained an innovator and in 1954 hedeveloped a variable belt-drive transmission system derived from theuse of belts and pulleys in industrial manufacturing and machiningprocesses.

This resulted in a preview of the DAF car at the 1958 AmsterdamMotor Show. It was launched the following year as the first volumeproduction car since the Clyno of the 1920’s with continuously

variable transmission (CVT) using belt drives to the rear wheels. Thesystem was known as the DAF Variomatic transmission. The four-seater car was powered by an air-cooled, twin-cylinder engine of590cc. This engine was enlarged to 850cc over the years and variousRenault engines of 1 100cc and 1 300cc were also fitted.

Volvo Cars then took over DAF cars in 1975 and the 66 modelwas renamed the Volvo 66. Then the Volvo 343, which should havebeen the DAF 77, was launched and DAF turned its attention fullyto truck development and production.

DAF merged with the British Leyland Company in 1987, but raninto financial difficulties in 1993 when the British truck marketcollapsed.

PACCAR, a Fortune 500 company and one of the leading truckmanufacturers in the US, came to the rescue of the Dutch companywith a takeover in 1996. This was followed in 1998 by PACCAR’stakeover of Leyland, which was integrated into the DAF truckoperation and remains a British manufacturing base to the present.

The Louwman Museum is firstly an amazing piece of architectureand then it is set in beautiful surroundings with lots of greenery andwater. (www.louwmanmuseum.nl).

It is the oldest private (family-owned) collection of vehicles in theworld, dating back to 1934. The Louwman family has been in themotor business since 1923 and is the importer of Toyota and Lexuscars and Yokohama tyres into the Netherlands.

The varied range of vehicles on display in this magnificent buildinggoes from the very early days, when wagon wheels were the normon motorised transport, to the last of the Toyota Formula 1 cars(2009).

Some vehicles remain in their original state and others have beenpainstakingly and immaculately restored. It is amazing to think thatthe vehicles on display cover motoring over a period of 125 yearsand in general they all have specific historic value, with some beingthe only examples of a brand.

This amazing trip back in time was followed a week later by manyhours spent walking the aisles at Messe Frankfurt, the second largestexhibition site in the world.

This was my fourth visit to this premier trade fair for theautomotive aftermarket and on each occasion I have had thepleasure of the company of the publisher of Automotive Refinisherand fellow classic motorcycle enthusiast, Ian Groat, as we walkedand talked the show for three days. You can read my article on theshow elsewhere in this edition of AR.

NEWS FROM THE ZOO - by Roger Houghton

A REGION OF THE WORLD WHERE DISCIPLINE RULES

This DAF Variomatic on display at the DAF museum in Eindhoven has specialinterest for South Africa in that it is right had drive and a TAB (Bethal) numberplate. It was powered by a twin cylinder “boxer” engine of 750 cc’s and had a beltdrive continously variable transmission system.

This is believed to be the oldest Toyota in the world. It is an AA model which wasproduced from 1936-1943. Approximately 1400 were made. This car, on displayin the Louwman family museum in The Hague, the Netherlands was located inRussia in 2008 where it had seen hard use at the hands of a Siberian farmer.

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Rodcraft is one ofthe world’sleading brands ofpneumatic tools

and workshop equipmentdedicated to the vehicleservice and industrialmaintenance applications,with a broad range of highquality and durableproducts.

The versatile MBXautomotive set is apatented versatile systemused for the removal ofunderbody coating, paintand rust, with or without asandblasting effect(without sand). The MBXsystem also removesdecals/stickers in a coldand efficient way withoutheating up. It has a coolslow speed and safe “chainsaw” handling. The MBXmachine comes with longlasting belts that can be re-sharpened when required,which results in costsavings. The MBX setconsists of the air tool;four bristle belts; onebroad lamellae eraser wheel; 11mm and 23mm wheel adapters; arear adapter for the assembly of a silencing exhaust hose system; atop handle and is suitable for both 11mm and 23mm MBXaccessories and consumables.

The renowned RC2277 BEAST power is now delivered to youin a more ergonomic tool. The new RC2277 curved handle withinjected TPR grip, and its new one hand-operation power settingsystem, now offers a much greater comfort of use in everydayoperations such as tyre changing and general mechanicaloperations. The new edition of the RC2277 composite impactcontinues to deliver its famous fast and high torque performance,with its 1250Nm of power in reverse and one of the best power-to-weight ratios on the market. The NEW BEAST will be morethan just a tool but your best partner when it comes to power androbustness.

The new Rodcraft GHN series includes three transmission jackmodels, ranging from 300, 600 up to 1000 kg in lifting capacity.Featuring a chromed cylinder in an oil bath, for high durability, andanti-rust, the Rodcraft GHN series is a high quality range. The GHNtransmission jacks include several safety and ergonomic featuressuch as descent pedal in an upright position for avoiding miss-operation, a large foot pedal for lifting without locking position,safety valve against overloading and lots more. You’ll like the largeand low clearance base for high stability and the small foot pedalused for lowering which ensures very convenient hand-freeoperations. Each transmission jack is provided with 1.2m length ofchain, a reversible claw with rubber pad and a magnetic tray forbetter convenience in applications.

Rodcraft’s active engagement in the market, as well as the highquality of their products, has earned them a brand recognition levelof over 86% in major markets. Bulldog Abrasives is the soledistributor of Rodcraft products in Sub-Saharan Africa – contacttheir sales team on +27 (0)11 786 5991 [email protected] for more information.

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81

WORLD SKILLS COUNTDOWN COMPETITIONWHAT’S HOT?

Arecent RMI initiative saw three sections of traineescompeting in the Best of the Best skills trade testing. Heldover three full days the competition was well supported bysome high profile trade sponsorships with Aerocure, 3M

Auto Trade, BASF Coatings, Gondolier and Bulldog Abrasives allcontributing to the competition by way of large sponsorships.

The trade competitors were split into three groups being spraypainting and vehicle refinishing, body repair technicians andmechanical technicians. They were all given specific tasks over thethree days of the competition.

Five of the contestants were apprentices from the NthuthukoFoundation. They made it through the provincial level and thoroughlyso on a national level.

Spray Painting CompetitionWith a full complement of specialist technical assistants from

BASF Coatings on hand, Stuart Parmenter from 3M set out skills onprimer preparation, wet-on-wet painting and final bonnet finishingskills with delegates from SA Airways, Cornright Motors and theAIDC Training centre. They tested their skills against each other live

at SA Automotive Week at the Gallagher Show centre in Midrand. The two finalists, Ntebaleng Seema from SA Airways Technical

and Cirhuwani Netshituni will now go on to a world skills final whereonly one delegate will enjoy the Sao Paulo skills world finals next yearin September 2015.

Body Repair SkillsOrganised by Eddie da Silva of ABS in Midrand, this competition

was sponsored by Santam Insurance and the aspiring repairers had anumber of repair areas in which to excell. The dentless repair wassponsored by Dent Digest and Gondolier tools.

Along with rust removal and panel replacement, dent repairs andmajor structural repair tasks on a number of special panels, after thefull three days of competition the scores were within very tight levelsof each other. Eventually Thabiso Mollale from Dent DoctorRandburg tied with Ntebaling Seema, a lady auto body repairspecialist from SAA Technical. Again these two contestants will goforward to a special final to be held at Automechanika next year toselect the finalist for Sao Paulo in South America for the world skillsfinals.

5 6


The f ina l judging was a tough askwi th c lose marks across the board.

I t was an emot ional evening Afr ican sty le when the judgeannounced the two winners.

Stuart Parmenter ( le f t) has a vocat ion in t ra in ing the 3M teamand others.

Santam suppl ied sponsorship for the body repair compet i tors .The two winners wi l l go forward to Automechanika next year andthey wi l l go head-to-head to see who gets to Sao Paulo.

The BASF Coat ings technica l team suppl ied greatass is tance for the spray pa inter compet i t ion.


Ihave spent my entire life involved, in some way or the other, in the motorindustry, at oil companies, the Retail Motor Industry Association (RMI) andrecently, the world of online car sales. When e-commerce - and the subsequentdeluge of e-new car platforms started growing in popularity - I was, like many

motoring professionals and enthusiasts, both sceptical and very excited. I did realiseearly on though that these platforms were great for the average consumer. Itopened up a world of choice, a means of easy price-checking and a way of makingreally informed buying decisions with relative ease. For dealerships, it wasn’t alwaysthe case.

“For many, online car platforms are a grudge purchase. They realised that in anincreasingly competitive marketplace, they had to move online to reach theircustomers, but often themselves are at the mercy of the party that operated theplatform.

“A survey of 13 000 new vehicle drivers in 11 countries conducted by AccentureResearch found that more than three quarters of respondents (80%) would likemore customised digital content from dealerships. Not only that, 74% said that theydesire “better integration between dealer sites and inventory search functions” and83% said improved digital media (including images and video) would speed up thebuying process.

“A consistent customer experience is vital to the online-offline sales process, anarea in which the auto industry is notably lagging other sectors in the eyes of theconsumer,” concludes Luca Mentuccia, the global MD of the Accenture AutomotiveGroup. “At a time when digital marketers are using algorithms to predict whatonline visitors want to know, automakers should be better able to shape contentthat is more user-centric.”

“Customisation and control, any dealership will tell you, is the one thing they arenot provided with when signing on to traditional automotive platforms. There arebasic text and photo options, but branding is not allowed. There are some drop-downs to pre-populated fields, perhaps, but they can be far from ideal. And perhapsworst of all, none of it is integrated with existing sales management, inventorymanagement, stock control or customer service management tools that thedealership might have. In fact, we often find that individual sales people may uploadads to move stock in their own departments, unmanaged, and thus leaving thedealer principal with very little control over the customer’s experience.

“Usually, this process is very expensive, dealerships are tied to contracts, fixedmonthly fees and strict controls that sometimes leave them with a tool that is over,or underutilised. Moreover, these tools rarely, if ever, take the various tiers andfunctionality of the average automotive company into account. A dealer principalhas a very different interest in online trade than a salesperson who primarily wantsto know if another branch has stock of an item he needs, and to market the vehicleshe is responsible for selling.

“It’s time for dealerships to move out of the dark ages of online sales platformsand opt for an alternative that puts full control back into their own hands.”

INDUSTRY NEWS

GUMTREE ONLINE CAR SALES PLATFORM



WHAT’S HOT?

by Jeff Osborne

Jeff Osborne says that dealership sales staff are powering the Gumtree platform forwardsbecause of what it can achieve.

“

For More Information about GAIT Call Jeff Osborne & his team On +27 (0)11 784 3413Or 0800 999 045

Introducingthe Gumtree Auto InventoryTool for dealersGumtree is South Africa’s largestlocal website with 7.9 million uniquebrowsers on desktop and mobile.“Autos” is Gumtree’s largestcategory, attracting over 3.5 millionvisits each month that generate astaggering 220 000 email leads everymonth.

Dealers list the majority of theapproximately 150 000 vehicles in the“Auto” section, and although this hasalways been “free”, we are mindful ofthe amount of dealer time andresources consumed in the loadingprocess. As such, we are excited toannounce our new tool for GumtreeAuto Dealers called Gumtree AutoInventory Tool.

The tool offers Auto Dealersincredible automation, convenience,flexibility and value. To Register go towww.co.za/pages/autodealers

Register with GAIT online.


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Allianz SE and BMW AGannounced that the twocompanies have renewed theircollaboration on a global level for

another five years. The CEO’s of the twocompanies, Michael Diekman and DrNorbert Reithofer, signed the extension ofa Global Partnership Agreement betweenboth groups, which was originally agreedupon in 2009, in September 2014.

Since the start of the Global Partnershipin 2009 Allianz and BMW triples its jointcustomer insurance business, with thecompanies currently cooperating in 27markets and distributing about 50 jointproducts.

The new agreement focuses on theinternational rollout of car and mobilityrelated insurance products such as carinsurance, extended warranty and paymentprotection and also sets the basics forglobal cooperation in areas such as e-mobility, used cars, sales channels anddriver assistance and safety systems.

BMW Aftersales is now also part of theagreement that they state will enableefficient aftersales processes that guaranteeseamless claims handling and premiumservices for the customers.

“The last five years have proven thestrength of the partnership between BMWand Allianz. With our in-depth product andsales expertise in insurance solutions, ourglobal presence and our ability to developinnovative products and services along the

The use of illegal counterfeitautomotive parts is increasing inthe United States, creating publicsafety concerns, according to

experts at the National IntellectualProperty Rights Co-ordination Centre(NIPRCC), which is led by US Immigrationand Customs Enforcements (ICE)Homeland Security Investigations (HSI).

In a Collision Week report a BritishColumbia man who sold counterfeitairbags sourced from China on eBay whowas sentenced to six months in a federalprison, three years’ supervised release andwas ordered to pay R330 000 in

automotive value chain we are confidentthat this successful cooperation willdevelop event further,” says KarstenCrede, CEO Allianz global Automotive.

“Since the start of our globalpartnership five years ago we havesuccessfully expanded the joint customerinsurance business with Allianz. It is ourtarget to internationally expand andintensify our joint cooperation. WithAllianz we do have an ideal partner, whichsupports us and our customers andcomprehensive, transparent and high classpremium products and services on a globalbasis,” explains Erich Ebner von

restitution, following an investigation byICE and HSI.

These counterfeit parts usually bear thetrademark of a legitimate and trustedbrand, but they were produced by anotherparty and are not made to thespecifications of the original equipmentmanufacturer. They’re often producedillegally and sold at a profit to fund othercriminal activities

“Law enforcement has identified a trendof counterfeited parts that is growing at analarming rate,” said Bruce Foucart, actingdirector of the NIPRCC. “At best theseparts will not perform well as authentic

Eschenback, head of the BMW Group’sfinancial services division.

In the US, BMW markets BMWPerformance Insurance, offered inconjunction with Liberty Mutual, thatguarantees the use of OEM ReplacementParts, among other benefits.

Vehicle manufacturers are expected toincreasingly seek to promote insuranceproducts to their car customers, both as aprofit centre for the manufacturer and itsdealers, but also to leverage the insurancerelationship to benefit both the collisionrepair and parts businesses by promotingcertified repair networks and OEM parts.

parts. At worst they can fail catastrophicallywith potentially fatal consequences.” Someof the most dangerous counterfeitproducts involve the explosive elements ofair bags that can literally explode in thevictim’s face during an accident.

Some other counterfeit parts seized bylaw enforcement include, seat belts, oil andair filters, brake pads, brake rotors, controlarms, windshields, bearings, steeringlinkages, ignition coils, microchips, sparkplugs, wheels, solenoids, clutch housing,crankshafts, diagnostic equipment,suspension parts and oil pumps.

INDUSTRY NEWS

ALLIANZ & BMWEXTEND GLOBALPARTNERSHIP

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For more information, please contact Craig Bowles on 079 504 4563 or Tel: +27 (0)11 617 2689

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MIRKA’SFLEXIBLE YELLOW FILE BOARD

Snap-on is proud to announce the special editionDeep Cranberry with Black Trim 20 Drawer ComboTool storage Unit. Unit includes Standard Tool StorageSnap-on features including Double wall Construction,Lock n Roll Drawers, Ball bearing drawer slides, HeavyDuty casters, pneumatic lifts on the top chest.

Overall Dimensions are: 1,472cm Height (lidclosed), 1,016cm width and 508cm deep.

This unit is available as a combination as illustratedat the featured price of R27 770 excluding VAT or asseparate units as follows:

l KRA2212AKPMB; 12-Drawer Roll Cab onlyR15 780 Excl VAT (On promotion during Novemberand December with FREE Hardwood top valued atR4 850).

l KRA2208KPMB; 8-Drawer Top Chest R11 990Excl VAT.

For more information contact your Snap-on Dealeror e-mail [email protected] Visit our websitewww.snapon.co.za for specials on these and others orsee our advert on page 57 of this publication.

Mirka’s flexible yellow file board 70x400mm Grip 53H (partnumber 8391150111) is adjustable to suit any concave orconvex shape. The board has yellow dot marks that indicate thestraight shape and red dot marks indicating the maximumshape. The handle enables a flexible and ergonomic grip.

Both the low profile and the durable construction provideexcellent control over the sanding process. The performance isenhanced when used in conjunction with Mirka Abranet strips.For more information on this product as well as other productsin the Mirka range contact Bulldog Abrasives’ sales team on +27(0)11 786 5991 or [email protected].

BULLDOG ABRASIVES HOMEGROWNPROFESSIONAL WORKSHOP/CAR

POLISHING SEAT Bulldog Abrasives have the solution to all of your

workshop needs – introducing their professionalworkshop/car polishing seat which enables you toreach the lower areas on motor vehicles without aproblem!

Characteristics are as follows:l40° slant angle adjustment on the seat l Low height = 310mm/High height = 370mml Four x 2.5-inch wheelsl Weight capacity of 150kg’s l Colour = black and red. For more information on this product as well as the

rest of the Bulldog Abrasives range of products contacttheir sales team on +27 (0)11 786 5991 [email protected]

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Gravity-Feed Dual-Action AirbrushPreferred when working in small- to medium-sized areas with

small amounts of paint, these gravity-feed airbrushes perform wellat lower air pressures, which help create greater detail.

The interchangeable gravity-feed cups offer paint capacityoptions. The larger size offers easy in-cup paint mixing. Themedium size makes it easy to see over and good to view theworking surface. The no-cup option is great for quick touch-upswhen only a tiny amount of paint is needed.

A unique 0.35-mm needle and nozzle combination for finerdetail spraying and medium-sized spray patterns. Ideal operation isbetween five and 35 psi. Ideal for use with smaller air compressors.

Neo Air Compressorl Compact, Portable, Miniature Air Compressorl Weighs Less than 450 grams!l On/Off and 3-Speed Control Buttonl Airbrush Holderl Air Hosel 100V —> 240V Power Supply.Call Anest Iwata on +27 (0)11 463 2169 for any queries on

these or any of their other quality spray guns and equipment.

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Here are three essential tools from 4CR just for the spraypainter:

l Dust Pick Needle Kit (7550) – To remove dustparticles from wet paint

l Titanium Run Razor (7530) – For removing paint runsquickly and easily from a cured surface

l Touch-up Tip set (7540) – A set of three sizes forsmall, accurate touch up work.

Contact Geoff: 072 069 5423 or Valerie: 082 923 4373or visit www.QbrandsSA.com

QBRANDS4CR TOUCH-UP KIT

This tough plastic polishing apron is new fromVirgin Plastics workware protection products anddisplays a durable overall finish. It should last a longtime in the body shop polishing work area.

For more information call them on+27 (0)83 251 9442 or office +27 (0)11 616 2870or email them at [email protected] for moreinformation.

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Auto Industry Consulting provide technical information and consultancyto the global collision repair industry. Our subscription based websitewww.autoindustryinsider.com includes: l Vehicle Technology Review Videos l New model introductionsl Vehicle manufacturer connections l Technology trend overviewsl Vehicle engineering materials l In depth industry reportsl Industry news and more.Ezi-Methods; our vehicle repair methods solution: CRI Tech Reports; a monthly publication providing strategic and practicalindustry information.For further information on any of these products andservices please contact: [email protected] or by calling + 4 4 ( 0 ) 7 9 2 3 5 6 3 2 6 0

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Q-Paste, the new one step polishing rangefrom Q-Brands, seen here with the woolmop and polishing sponges, is packed in1kg, 3kg and 5kg buckets and gives aperfect glossy finish.


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We weld with over 20 years of experience.Repairs to aluminium, magnesiumcomponents, high strength steel, bronze,pewter, iron, titanium, copper and damagedsteel.

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For most of Arnold’s long life in themotor trade things remainedamazingly successful and he wasalways the type of eternal optimist

living life as hard as he could. That meanttaking the family to a local drinking spot andgiving them an exhausting experience ofwaiting for their inebriated Dad to come outand drive home at enormous speeds to testout his car cornering abilities.

As business within the repair tradeexperienced its normal feast or famine profitcycles, Arnold who by now had becomeover the years a slightly overweight middleaged boss, began to tire of the daily grindand had by now taken to a mid-day binge atthe local pub to overcome the financialdarkness that surrounded him –accompanied by his Boxer dog, Duke. Theywent pint for pint in the lunch hour until thedog eventually passed away with cirrhosis ofthe liver.

Having a large family, maintaining debtsand a loss of social cohesion took a big tollon Arnold’s mental health as the worry gotthe better of him. He finally went rightaround the bend by taking midnight walksuntil the soles of his shoes disintegrated.Looking like a complete “outie” dressed inhis favourite tweed trousers with cycle clipsto tuck them into his socks, the police foundhim early one morning after had had inflictedhis body to a 30-kilometre purgatory self

punishing long distance walk.It wasn’t long after that that Arnold was

removed to the funny farm for some electricshock therapy. It was there that afterjumping out a first floor window to escape,that lady luck intervened. The smacks on theback of the head and a soft landing in a hugeprivet hedge, seemed to knock some senseback into to him. After an eventual recovery,with the exception of a full moon evening,Arnold seemed a bit dotty but under controland spent much of his time down in theshed with his lathe, or asleep.

The one thing that was still a cause forconcern with Arnold was what to do withhis posessions as his final days loomedahead, for he had no will in place. Eventuallyafter being prodded and pushed Arnold satopposite the family attorney and wentthrough his secrets and wishes one by one,that is until it came to the grandfather clock.It all stalled there. He had a son that neededa lifetime of care and four daughters. Whoshould get the clock? “Please make adecision about the clock,” said Lenny, thefamily attorney and after what seemed alifetime, Arnold bequeathed the clock toGeoff, his son.

Rolling on the years, Arnold eventuallypopped his clogs in the front room next tothe TV, but even the gods have a strangesense of humour for Arnold’s great concernabout the grandfather clock and the fact that

the tax man must not know everythingabout his affairs reappeared. No one couldnow find his will and another had to belodged to overcome the official wayforwards. Fortunately the family attorneyhad a notorised copy in his office.

Everything did however become muchclearer after the relentless house cleaningparty got to the family front room wherenext to the mantelpiece stood the hugeclock. As they were working through the oldclothes, worn out socks and other clappedout coats, they eventually opened up theclock’s glass front door to discover in dismaythat there was a large sum of money and themissing will stuffed into the bottom of theclock.

Arnold’s last wish it seemed was to cheatthe tax office of his stash and the hot moneycame as a complete surprise. It seems thebalmy old git had saved like crazy for barrendays ahead. Quite what good it did him wasquestionable as he lived in the end like aloner with a fortune of money stuffed at thebase of a clock.

It really was proof positive that Arnoldspent the twilight years as a sort of recluse,barking mad and always fearing theappearance of the tax collector for revengeand debtor’s prison. In life no one knowsquite how it works, but being overly cautiousis not a great way forward, although Arnoldthought it was the way to go.

AFRICAN PANORAMA - ARNOLD’S CLOCK



by Ian Groat


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Automotive Refinisher Nov-Dec 2014