The Garage 282

WELCOME with Dave Gregory
Hello
Welcome to this issue of The Garage.
Welcome to this issue of The Garage
IN THIS issue we tackle two very thorny
subjects – ones we might not want to
think about, but have to meet head-on
in order for our industry to survive and
prosper, not just now, but years ahead.
The first subject is recycling, and we take
a look at how it puts pressure not only on
a workshop when it comes to disposing of,
say, waster oil and old batteries, but how
suppliers are playing their part in this longterm
green drive.
Older technicians and garage owners will
remember a time when green referred to the
colour of car they would have been working
on, rather than a philosophy to be less
harmful to the planet. Now that philosophy
has become a major influence on how the
aftermarket works, and some still find it
hard to accept the imposition sit has made.
Nevertheless the independent aftermarket
has adapted, and adapted admirably,
and that is something everyone involved in
the industry should be pleased about.
The other subject, and no doubt a more
thorny one, is the supply of counterfeit
products. In its early days the counterfeit
car parts game was small, and could almost
be dismissed, but in the last 20 years or so
– and particularly with the rise of the internet
– it’s stealth-like growth has gone way
beyond what many would have imagined.
For workshops this is especially vexing:
All too often customers want their car serviced
or repaired, but they want to supply
the parts, believing it’s a more cost-effective
way to go.
But – and it’s a BIG but – how does the
workshop customer know if the parts they’re
buying online are the real thing, rather than
some nasty, cheap (and possibly dangerous)
‘copy’ part? Invariably they don’t.
For workshops, there’s only one course of
action, and that’s to refuse to work on a car
if the customer wants to supply their own
parts. You might think you’re losing business,
and possibly you are – but surely that’s
better than a costly legal case resulting from
you fitting defective, copy parts, and all the
serious problems that could bring?
Enjoy the issue!
Dave Gregory
Editor
PS. If you agree, disagree or have anything to
add to my comments please email me at:
dave.gregory@ppmedia.co.uk
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Editorial
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