The Garage 354

Cheltenham Ford
specialist does jobs
others can’t
NEWS
BETTAPARTS
EXPANDS LIGHT
COMMERCIAL
VEHICLE
BEARINGS RANGE
Blue Oval Vehicle Services in Cheltenham is expanding to bigger
premises and taking on a new technician thanks to “booming
trade”, which the owner puts down to reputation and having the
right tools for the job.
Established in 2012 by Adam Clack, having started his career at
Ford main dealers, the independent specialist has invested in timesaving
equipment from
Pichler Tools.
“If you can do something
that someone else can’t
then you’re away,” said
Adam. “We’ve got dealers
coming to us because
we can do jobs that they
can’t.”
A prime example is
Pichler’s 12 ton hydraulic
injector removal kit,
offering a proven extraction system for the problematic Ford 2.0
TDCI EcoBlue engine. The kit will effectively remove some injectors
without damage, or when fully seized into the cylinder head they
can still be removed in stages. Pull spindles, slide hammer and
thread tapping tools extract the pieces left behind when the
injectors break.
“With injector problems on the EcoBlue engines, we’ll charge
a fraction of what the dealer does because they can’t usually get
these injectors out,” said Adam.
Pichler’s hydraulic wheel bearing removal kit is another go-to
tool at Blue Oval. It includes a 22 ton hydraulic cylinder which can
also be used for the removal of seized drive shafts, bushes and ball
joints – all while still on the vehicle.
“You might expect the drive shaft to pull out of the hub after
you’ve removed the drive shaft nut but that’s not always the case,”
said Adam. “We can now push the drive shaft out on the car in a
couple of minutes and it’s job done.
“Without that kit you can only get that drive shaft off by
removing the whole hub and trying to put it in a press and you’ll
probably destroy something getting it apart.”
Adam describes business as “relentless” and is looking forward
to expanding his workshop in the coming weeks. The move will see
him go from two to five ramps and an additional technician will
bring the total number of employees to four.
For more information about Pichler Tools please visit www.
pichler-tools.uk or call 01335 360759.
BETTAPARTS has expanded its popular ABTEX Wheel
Bearing range, with the addition of 23 new references,
expanding its range of products for passenger cars and
light commercial vehicles (LCVs).
As more vehicle manufacturers are producing wheel
bearings that are fully integrated into the hub of the
vehicle, ABTEX products match the original equipment
manufacturer’s design, to offer garages and workshops a
high-quality aftermarket option.
There are a large number of hub bearings in the
ABTEX range, making replacing bearings much quicker
and easier for technicians. To make the fitment process
seamless, these come with fixing bolts as standard.
The latest part numbers from BETTAPARTS include
LBK8810 to cover popular LCVs such as Ford Transit
Connect 02 – 13, Transit Tourneo 02 – 06 and Transit 00
– 06; LBK9028 suitable for Ford Transit Tourneo 06 – 14
and Transit 06 – 14, and part number LBK9458, to fit Ford
Tourneo Custom 12 –, Transit Customer 12 – and Transit
13 –.
Other highlights in the expanded wheel bearings range
include new parts introduced to fit popular passenger
cars such as reference LBK8977, to fit Mitsubishi Colt
04 – 12 and Smart Forfour 04 – 16; reference LBK9037
suitable for Mercedes Benz C-Class 07 –, E-Class 09 – 16,
SL 01 – 12, SLC 16 –, SLK 11 – and SLS 10 –, and LBK8678,
suitable for Chrysler Delta 11 –, Fiat 500e 20 –, 500L 12
–, Bravo 07 – 14, Doblo 10 –, Stilo 01 – 08, Tipo 15 – and
Lancia Delta 11 – 14.
For more information on the ABTEX range from
BETTAPARTS including its comprehensive product range,
and to access the supplier’s Webshop, visit:
www.bettaparts.co.uk/
THE GARAGE 17
17, News Pichler AND Bettaparts 2.indd 1 30/08/2023 15:08