10 minute read

Exhibitor news

We highlight some of the product launches, demos and handson training planned across the three days of the show

LKQ Euro Car Parts will present its extensive product range, training platform and other garage solutions across four stands at the show. Its product range will be presented on its largest Stand N100 including its in-house component brands –Starline, MPM Oils, Pagid and Eicher.

The LKQ Academy will be inviting attendees to experience the garage of the future at stand N125, with live demos on air conditioning, wheel alignment, diagnostics, and garage management software. Expert advice for bodyshops will be available on Y100

It will introduce a unique new garage concept – 1Tec Auto

Primalec will debut several new products at the show on stand R60, which is located right by the entrance to Hall 19.

Visitors will be able to watch or participate in demonstrations including a working A/C unit and see how easy the products are to use, including the new EyeSee Refrigerant Inspector.

Smart Splice is the canny connector system that facilitates speedy repairs and modi cations to pipes and hoses, enabling repairs to leaks in vehicle transmissions, power steering and air conditioning systems – typical repairs take just ve minutes. Smart Splice parts include straight, 45°- and 90°-line ttings, as well as hose to pipe, hose to hose, and line block-o ttings. You can even use Smart Splice to add a service port connector to an A/C line.

Primalec’s unique vacu-can injection system has been repairing micro A/C leaks with Airco Seal Pro for over 20 years and now you can use it to inject ExtraCool A/C rejuvenator, and Glo-Leak Flash UV leak detector dye as well. Primalec’s system mixes with the system’s own refrigerant before injection, giving faster circulation and avoiding any risk of clogging the compressor.

Puri er-2 – the latest addition to Primalec’s deodorising/ sanitising range is on show too, along with Nitro-Trace, Leaktronic and the sought after Snow Leopard oils.

Hub – alongside seven other aftermarket suppliers, including MPM Oil, Pagid, Schae er, Shell, Valeo, Varta, and ZF, and subject experts will be sharing their knowledge within the interactive hubs.

Opus IVS, will have a vehicle on stand W70 for a live demonstration of their remote services. The Remote Assist Program (RAP) enables customers to use their DrivePro device with the support of OEM-trained master technicians. The Opus IVS DrivePro Elite diagnostic tablet o ers a remote services VCI and coverage for 64 brands. It comes with IVS 360 live support included.

If you’re at the Show on Tuesday afternoon, join them on the Workshop Hub (Q130) at 2pm for a whistle-stop problem-solving tour of vehicle uid systems.

MEYLE’s stand will be in Hall 20, E60, where the focus will be on their HD product line and their new eSolutions. Among the highlight products, visitors will nd automatic transmission service kits as well as the new and MEYLE HD control arm for Tesla Model 3 & Model Y, which provides a durable solution. A comfortable meeting area invites visitors to sit down and chat with experts over a cup of co ee to learn more about how its spare part solutions make car repair and maintenance easier and more e cient.

The KalimexStand K107 will feature new product launches, giveaways and show deals throughout the three days. The team invite readers to nd out about cost-e ective DPF cleaning solutions from JLM Lubricants plus the latest additives for AdBlue, GDI engines and emissions reduction. Visitors can also pick up an exclusive goody bag, including a limited edition mug stu ed with sweets. The rst 50 visitors to its stand each day will also get a free stick of Quiksteel Epoxy Putty.

Maverick Diagnostics o ers to help visitors modernise their workshops on Stand L140, providing practical advice on OEM tooling, technical support, training, and EV battery diagnostics. Whether you are just considering specialising or are already experienced in using dealer diagnostics, its team of experts will be on hand to o er advice and business support. It will showcase its range of OEM tooling and technical support, while its sister company, Automotive Training Academy will present its comprehensive training program, including dealer tool and EV training.

It will also launch its new EV battery diagnostics products from AVILOO, carrying out live demonstrations on a Tesla Model 3. Visitors can enter a competition to win a £7,000 JLR dealer diagnostics and support bundle (preregistration is required, simply email laura@maverickdiagnostics.com), as well as giving away IMI EV training for two technicians. Plus, special discounts will be o ered to existing and new customers.

Niterra UK – owner of the NGK and NTK vehicle electronic brands – will have a host of attractions on Stand E90 and will focus on its NGK Academy training initiative and its EGR valves range.

Garage visitors will also be able to test their skills on a race car simulator when the fastest competitor will win the Niterra Trophy, walk away with a BoxClever gift bag, and have the chance of meeting some of the company’s motorsport ambassadors.

British racing driver Nic Hamilton, who has con rmed he is to drive Team HARD. Racing’s Cupra Leon in the 2023 Kwik Fit British Touring Car Championship (BTCC) season, will be on the stand on Tuesday, June 6. Hamilton, the brother of seven-time World Formula 1 champion Lewis Hamilton, has a long-standing relationship with the NGK brand and will be available to meet visitors as will North Yorkshire based racing car driver Max Coates, who will be on the stand on Thursday, June 8.

OSRAM and Ring will be sharing Stand M111 in Hall 19 with an extensive display of their products, including a focus on the original equipment lighting solutions OSRAM provides, and Ring’s aftermarket battery care, workshop tools, and inspection lamps.

New product highlights include the Osram Night Breaker 200, its Professional Series of working lights and Ring’s coloured inspection lamps, cordless tyre in ator, pro jump starter and RWL400, RWL600 and RWL1000 work lamps.

The stand will host interactive features and experts from both Ring and OSRAM will be on hand throughout the show to discuss products, o er advice and perform product demonstrations if needed, and there will also be the chance for visitors to win prizes on the stand.

Henry Bisson, Marketing Director at Ring, said: “Automechanika Birmingham is always an excellent show for us to communicate with current and new customers about what we can help them with, whether that’s lighting solutions or one of our other ranges… for workshops, it’s vital that technicians have the best tools to hand at all times, if a vehicle has a battery/starter system fault, they need to diagnose and identify it quickly and e ciently to be able to get on with their job for instance.”

TOPDON UK on Stand N62 will provide answers to your questions on its range of diagnostic products, whether it be ADAS, Diagnostic tools, Remote diagnostics solutions or the newly introduced Thermal Imaging and battery range of products.

Steve Scott from the renowned Simply Diag Network and Diagnose Dan will also be on the stand to chat with visitors. Three prizes will be given away in a competition to win a Phoenix Lite 2, T30000 Battery Charger and TC005 Handheld Thermal Camera. Goodie bags will also be handed out!

Visit Stand S90 to view a huge range of Sealey products, their current promotions and the latest 1,432 page edition of The Tool

Catalogue, containing over 12,000 products designed for use in the trade with 1,100 brand new products. There will also be some show deals to take advantage of.

The Independent Garage Association (IGA) supports members with the day-to-day challenges and complexities of running a garage business and ensures the sector’s voice is heard at Government level.

IGA members have access to a wealth of services, advice and resources; including a dedicated member helpline, legal and HR advice, technical training, MOT QC and Health & Safety schemes, online technical forum and helpline, customer conciliation and arbitration, exclusive commercial services and o ers, preferential training rates at the RMI Academy of Automotive Skills, and more.

Members receive regular communication via email, post, and telephone about important industry updates, and are sent straightforward advice when new issues a ecting the sector emerge.

IGA members can also join Trust My Garage, the IGA’s nationwide consumer assurance scheme that acts as a badge of quality for independent garages. The scheme is approved by the Chartered Trading Standards Institute and backed by extensive nationwide advertising, giving local garages a national pro le.

You can talk to the IGA team at the show on Stand G122 about the bene ts of IGA membership, to ask any industry questions you may have or to discuss the issues they are lobbying for on your behalf.

As one of the event’s Platinum partners, on Stand Q90 in Hall 19, HELLA will exhibit its workshop equipment for vehicle diagnostics and advanced driver assistance systems, as well as its OE replacement parts programme, that includes a wide range of vehicle electrics and electronics.

“With the complexity of modern vehicle technology aligned with the vehicle manufacturer’s drive to lockout independents, workshops need diagnostic equipment that not only tackles the technology, but also provides a solution for the cyber security management (CSM) barriers they encounter,” explains HELLA’s Ian Boyle.

“So, to both highlight these issues and demonstrate that there are viable, cost-e ective solutions to them, is why we’re exhibiting and this means that the Hella Gutmann mega macs X and the macsRemote, as well as the latest CSC Tool-Digital for ADAS calibration that we o er, will take centre stage during the event.

HELLA will also deliver ‘Automated driving of the future’ and ‘High voltage expertise’ presentations from both the Workshop Training Hub (Q130) and EV Hub.

BM Catalysts’ will highlight the latest Selective Catalyst Reduction (SCR) references alongside its already established range of catalytic converters, diesel particulate lters and front pipes in Hall 19, Stand M70

Mark Blinston, commercial director at BM Catalysts, said: “Demand for SCRs is only going to increase, as many of the newer Euro 6 vehicles feature this technology and will be entering the vehicle parc over the next few years. It is therefore imperative that the aftermarket is fully informed and has readily available access to high-quality SCRs.”

The team will share information on changes to emissions legislation, including the proposed changes to MOT testing on diesel vehicles, and the opportunities that are appearing within the aftermarket as a result.

Technicians visiting the stand will have the opportunity to get a practical insight into the company’s manufacturing processes, assembling a catalytic converter using a demonstration jig.

Delphi Technologies, a brand of BorgWarner, invites visitors to get hands-on with its latest innovations on Stand R64 in Hall 19. New-to-range parts, including a Tesla suspension arm, a raft of rst-to-market brake components, and new bi-metallic, highcarbon alloy brake discs will be set out, alongside a complete programme of workshop support in the form of Masters of Motion and Delphi Academy.

“Automechanika is a golden opportunity for garages to see what’s happening in our industry,” said Nigel Du eld, UK Country Director at Delphi. “We’ll be demonstrating how we’re helping garages service increasingly complex vehicle systems through the supply of premium quality parts, OE-level diagnostic equipment, technical support and training.”

To celebrate its Alpine sponsorship, visitors will be invited to compete for the best lap time on an Alpine F1 simulator and reaction time on a Batak machine, with daily prizes for the top performers. Elsewhere at the exhibition, Delphi’s Technical Services Manager Luke Garratt will be presenting ‘Hydrogen Internal Combustion – Is this the future?’ as a keynote speaker on Wednesday 7th June.

“The simple fact is nothing beats showing garages our products,” said Steve Prince, MD at Pichler Tools. “They then instantly see for themselves not only the manufacturing quality and professional durability of Pichler Tools but also understand exactly what speci c jobs particular products do and how they work so well.”

Steve explains that Pichler’s tools are designed to improve safety, speed, and quality of work, or simply help retain jobs that otherwise couldn’t be done on site. “Pichler Tools was rst known for specialist injector and glow plug removal kits,” said Steve. “There’s now a lot more products in our range to help garages grow their pro ts.”

Pichler Tools, on Stand S88, will bring their best-selling heavy duty heat inductor, the workshop coil spring compressor, an automatic brake bleeder and their wheel bearing removal kits –for all main generations of vehicle wheel bearings.

The Veri cation of Lubricant Speci cations (VLS) will celebrate ten years of protecting lubricants users at Automechanika Birmingham this year on Stand S60

Back in 2013, VLS was formed amid concerns that some lubricant products were being sold with claims that did not seem believable. Closer inspection found that substandard formulations were occasionally passed o as the latest speci cations or even failed to perform e ectively. Most lubricants sold in the UK market at the time were fully compliant. However, out of this concern, reputable lubricant blenders and manufacturers came together to launch VLS. Since then, VLS has investigated 86 di erent lubricant complaints from cold weather properties to compliance with industry standards and market regulations. The work is ongoing, with eight cases currently under review.

The Motor Ombudsman will be operating a case clinic on Stand F117 in Hall 20 each day of the event. Members of the organisation’s Dispute Resolution and Business Services team will be on-hand to discuss the bene ts of being accredited to its Chartered Trading Standards Institute (CTSI)-approved Motor Industry Codes of Practice, and to provide information and guidance on best practice for resolving consumer disputes fairly and quickly without having to resort to legal action.

At Automechanika, CDTi will present its new pre- lled PatFluid Bag Range for the rst time, speci cally designed for vehicles that use on-board DPF additive (Fuel Borne Catalyst) dosing systems. Some of these vehicles require a exible bag or pouch to hold the additive which can be quickly replaced with a new one when it runs out. Find out more in Hall 20, Stand G78

Ecobat Battery will be exhibiting on G90 in Hall 20, which will be divided into ve areas: Automotive, leisure, mobility/ motorcycle, chargers/invertors, with a fth being dedicated to sister company Ecobat Solutions, which o ers an integrated EV battery logistics, re-engineering and recycling service to manufacturers.

“Alongside best practice battery advice, such as to check the battery of every vehicle that enters the workshop and to make sure the battery is supported when carrying out diagnostic tests for the installers present,” says Ecobat Battery’s Commercial Director, Paul Payne. “We’ll also be presenting charging and solar solutions for the leisure sector, products to cater for the motorcycle and mobility sectors and even addressing the EV market with an EV lithium battery pack."

Community-driven garage management software, Garage Hive will be encouraging stand visitors to interact with the software during live demonstrations Stand P60 in Hall 19. There will also be plenty of freebies up for grabs including a chance to win a free ticket worth £100 for The Blend 2023, its annual conference and networking event for independent garage owners taking place on Saturday 7th October in Birmingham.

Garage Hive director Alex Lindley, alongside other team members, will be on-hand to issue expert advice for independent garages keen to boost business performance. “We’re really looking forward to the return of Automechanika Birmingham,” said Alex. “It’s an excellent opportunity to meet like-minded garage owners, re ect on shared challenges and discuss garage growth potential. We’ll also be launching a new parts supplier integration at the show, which will bring further timing-bene ts for workshops.”