Counterman, May 2014

Tech That Makes Us Look Like Magicians ● Are You The Next CPOTY? See Page 47

May 2014May 2014

We also look at:• Fuel Pumps• Batteries• Motor Oil• Brake Hardware• Motor Mounts • and More!

HelloSay

To Low-Copper Friction

counterman.com/ASAP for reader service

Tech FeaturesBy Larry Carley

Fuel pumps come in different varieties. .......22Late-model vehicles place high demands on batteries. ................................................................24Remember brake hardware when making a sale. ............................................................26Motor oil: More changes on the way. .............28Say hello to low-copper friction. ......................36Motor mounts tamp down vibration, noise. ........................................................38

Mechanic ConnectionBy Gary Goms

Ball joints, tie rods are important safety components. ..................................................30Variable valve timing sales should increase. ........................................................................32Rack and pinion repairs........................................34

COUNTERMAN (ISSN 0739-3695) (May 2014 Volume 32, Number 5): Copyright 2014 Babcox Media, Inc. All Rights Reserved: Published monthly by Babcox, 3550 Embassy Parkway, Akron, OH 44333 U.S.A.Phone (330) 670-1234, Fax (330) 670-0874. Periodical postage paid at Akron, OH 44333 and additional mailing offices. POSTMASTER: Send address changes to COUNTERMAN, 3550 Embassy Parkway,Akron, OH 44333-8318. A limited number of complimentary subscriptions are available to individuals who meet the qualification requirements. Call (330) 670-1234, Ext. 275, to speak to a subscription services rep-resentative or FAX us at (330) 670-5335. Paid Subscriptions are available for non-qualified subscribers at the following rates: U.S.: $69. Samples and back issues - Domestic - $10, International/via air mail - $15.Canada: $89 for one year, $149 for two years. Canadian rates include GST. Ohio residents add 5.75% sales tax. Other foreign rates/via air mail: $129 for one year. Payable in advance in U.S. funds. Mail pay-ment to COUNTERMAN, P.O. Box 75692, Cleveland, OH 44101-4755. Visa, MasterCard or American Express accepted.

Editor’s Ink By Mark Phillips .....................................................6Who is in authority here?

Counter-tech By Mandy Aguilar.........................................52Technology that makes us look like magicians.

From The Publisher By S. Scott Shriber........................56Race on Sunday, deliver parts on Monday.

features

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38

36

columns

2 May 2014 | Counterman

MayVolume 32, No. 5

INSIDE

departmentsAftermarket News ...........................................................................................8Aftermarket News presents news, views and analysis of currenttrends and events in aftermarket distribution

MarketPlace ....................................................................................................54Every month, MarketPlace showcases the newest automotive prod-uct and service innovations your customers are asking about

News extra .......................................................................................................40Four-in-one transportation show brings international aftermarket to Taiwan.

Classifieds.........................................................................................................48NASCAR Performance............................................................................49This monthly special section takes you behind the scenes of thisfast-growing sport.

ADVERTISING SALES REPRESENTATIVES

Home Office:3550 Embassy ParkwayAkron, OH 44333-8318330-670-1234FAX 330-670-0874

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Classified Sales:Tom [email protected], ext. 224

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P U B L I S H E RS. Scott Shriber330-670-1234, ext. [email protected]

E D I T O R I A LMark Phillips, Editor330-670-1234, Ext. [email protected]

Amy Antenora, Editor, aftermarketNewsManaging Editor, Counterman330-670-1234, Ext. [email protected]

Larry Carley, Technical [email protected]

C O N T R I B U T I N G E D I T O R SMandy Aguilar, ColumnistGary Goms, Commercial AccountsGerald Wheelus, ColumnistJerry King, Cartoonist

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D I R E C T O R O F e M E D I A & A U D I E N C E D E V E L O P M E N TBrad Mitchell330-670-1234 , Ext. [email protected]

C O R P O R A T EBill Babcox, PresidentGreg Cira, Vice President, Chief FinancialOfficerJeff Stankard, Vice PresidentBeth Scheetz, Controller

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Founded 1983. Copyright 2014Babcox Media, Inc., All Rights Reserved

COUNTERMAN (ISSN-0739-3695) ispublished monthly by Babcox Media, 3550Embassy Pkwy., Akron, OH 44333. Periodicalpostage paid at Akron, OH and additionalmailing offices.

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There’s a riveting and entertainingscene in the original “Terminator”movie starring ArnoldSchwarzenegger where one of the

lead characters, Kyle Reese, has had justabout enough of a psychologist while he’sbeing held at a police station. Reese hascome back from the future to save the futureleaders of a resistance movement that aimsto save humans from obliteration by Termi-nator robots and Skynet, a giant computersystem that decides humans should die.

Reese repeatedly tells the psychologistabout the nasty war in the future and how arobot was sent to the then present to kill theresistance leaders (I mean, come on, thatsounds totally plausible.) At one point,Reese blows his stack when the psycholo-gist says he can’t release him from policecustody. “Then why am I talking to you?Get out. Who is in authority here?” he yells.

Have any of you ever felt like this?Wanting to yell, “Who is in authorityhere?” you know, at the customer service

person you’re speaking to who has noapparent authority to do anything

other than converse with you andtell you they’re “sorry” about yourexperience? At the salespersonwho can make no decisions with-out consulting their supervisor?

At the checkout person whoneeds a twist from his

or her supervisor’sspecial little

“key” to dosomethingabout yourtransaction?

When any-one whorepresentsa compa-

EDITOR’S INKBy Mark Phillips

Who Is In Authority Here?ny or organization reaches for the “I needto speak to my supervisor” line while dis-cussing any customer service issue, it’s thekiss of death. It means, basically, “I’m justpaid to answer the phone or stand here. Ican’t really help you.” It means the organi-zation is seriously flawed. It means the cus-tomer-facing employees, often the mostimportant in any company or organization,have no authority. If Kyle Reese was a cus-tomer, he would be seriously disappointed.

Companies may think that by directingtheir employees to refer matters to supervi-sors they’re playing it safe. But customerservice reps are sometimes the only face of acompany because they actually interact withcustomers on a daily basis. Once customershave had one-too-many poor interactionswith a customer service rep, that’s it. Peopleare not willing to hang on for the long-haulto see if things will improve. They’ve gotother places to do business.

It’s easy to spot these types of organiza-tions. If two or more employees, whenquestioned, point to the same person abovethem as the arbiter of all things customer-related, you’ve probably identified aflawed organization. If those employees of-fer zero solutions on their own, you’veidentified a flawed organization.

Why do some organizations operate thisway? It’s probably due to a combination ofthings. Maybe they don’t trust their em-ployees to do the right thing (in this case,why hire people?) Maybe they’re led bycontrol freaks. Maybe they have a com-mand structure that’s more hierarchicalthan flat, where the top decides everythingand nothing from the bottom — includingideas on how to improve things — is allowed to trickle up.

Whatever the reason, organizationswhose employees can’t or aren’t allowed tomake decisions are going to get pummeledby those that allow and encourage it. CM

■ ■ ■

For more information: www.counterman.comTwitter: @CountermanMag

Once customershave had one-too-many poorinteractionswith a customerservice rep,that’s it. Peopleare not willingto hang on forthe long-haul tosee if things willimprove.


RESEARCH TRIANGLE PARK,N.C.— The Global Automotive Af-termarket Symposium (GAAS)Scholarship program website,

www.AutomotiveScholarships.com, received a record-setting 607 com-pleted applications from studentsseeking the 2014-2015 awards.

AFTERMARKET NEWS

GAAS Scholarship Applications Set A New Record In 2014

FARMINGTON HILLS, Mich. —MAHLE Aftermarket Inc. (formerlyMAHLE Clevite Inc.) has an-nounced itssponsorshipof FormulaDRIFT driv-er ConradGrunewaldfor the 2014 Professional DriftingChampionship Series.

As an official partner, MAHLEAftermarket Inc. will provide tech-nical support for Grunewald and hisFormula DRIFT Chevrolet Camaro.It also will have the MAHLE branddecal displayed on the No. 79 car.

“As a leader in motorsports withvarious partnerships in circle track,drag racing, Formula 1, and dieselmotorsports arenas, we have the ex-perience to provide Grunewaldwith the technical knowledge need-ed to succeed in the Formula DRIFTseries,” said Jon Douglas, generalmanager, MAHLE Aftermarket.“Conrad Grunewald is a talenteddriver and we are pleased to sup-port him as he competes in the 2014Formula DRIFT series.”

MAHLE Aftermarket Inc.Sponsors Formula DRIFTDriver Conrad Grunewald

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“The 607 applications for thisyear’s scholarships far exceed ourprevious record of 503 set in2013,” said Pete Kornafel, chair-man of the GAAS Scholarship Se-lection Committee. “Our outreachto teachers and industry profes-sionals has succeeded in gettingthe word out about the scholar-ships’ availability to students whoare planning careers in the auto-motive aftermarket.”

CESAR AYALA

///

Automotive Parts Associates has announced the addition of the group’snewest member: All European Auto Supply Inc. All European Auto Sup-ply was established in Royal Oak, Mich., in 1994 and today prides itself instocking the largest inventory of exclusively European parts in the Mid-west and selling them with unmatched accuracy. In addition to its strongMichigan-based business, the company sells online nationwide throughits website, www.alleuro.com.


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AFTERMARKET NEWS

This Month’s Puzzle

What vehicle does this picture represent? Ifyou think you know the answer, go towww.counterman.com and click “Guessthe Car” on the nav bar. Submit your answerand contact information. A winner will berandomly selected by the Counterman stafffrom all correct answers. The deadline toenter is June 2. The winner’s name willappear in the next issue. Stay tuned!

Win $100!

Guess the Car

#75

Last Month’s Correct Answer:

Pontiac Tempest

Congrats to Bill Wash,Powhatan, Va.

#76

Automotive Parts Associates Announces Newest Member: All European Auto Supply Inc.

NEWARK, Calif. – Autologic Diagnostics, in partner-ship with the WORLDPAC Training Institute (WTI),hosted its fifth annual National Conference and TechSessions (NCTS) March 6-8 at The M Resort in LasVegas. Two-hundred-and-sixty people from acrossthe U.S. and around the globe were in attendance.Attendees were able to select four classes for a totalof 16 hours of training.

The NCTS kicked off Thursday, March 6 with anopening evening reception at Lux on the top floor ofthe M Resort, followed by two days of intensive train-ing and a closing dinner on Saturday, March 8.

Autologic training included BMW, Mini, Mer-cedes-Benz, Porsche, Land Rover, Volvo and Volk-swagen/Audi car lines. WORLDPAC TrainingInstitute (WTI) provided advanced technical class-es on BMW, Mini, Volvo, Mercedes and shop man-agement.

New in 2014, the NCTS introduced three “hands-on” demonstration classes including Mercedes En-gine 272 Repair with Jeff Henschel, 722.9Transmission with Nathan Canson and BMWPanorama Roof with Luke Murray.

“Two of the things that separate Autologic from ourcompetitors are our world-class technical support andthe extensive training we provide for our customers,”said Kevin FitzPatrick, CEO Autologic Diagnostics Inc.


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AFTERMARKET NEWS

Over the Counter By Jerry King

Autologic Diagnostics Partners WithWORLDPAC Training Institute (WTI) For 2014National Conference And Tech Sessions

ALLENTOWN, Pa. — MAM Soft-ware Inc. will release its Autocat+electronic catalog for warehousedistributors, jobbers and servicedealers later this month.

Autocat+ provides direct accessto updates from a wide variety ofsuppliers, combining cloud tech-nology with the industry ACESand PIES standards to publish up-dates quickly and eliminate month-ly data maintenance. According toMAM, customers will enjoy a user-friendly interface with an intuitiveselection of vehicle informationand product types on a singlescreen. Flexible configuration op-tions allow the product to cater toeach business; users can placeproduct category and sub-cate-

gories in logical areas to increasevisibility and potential add-on saleopportunities. VIN, interchangeand buyers guide searches delivermultiple methods to identify theright part and reduce lost sales, thecompany adds.

Other key features include:● Driven by cloud technology● Simplified searches that aid

product identification● Complete product details

including images, attributes andinterchanges

● Published updates areimmediately available to all users

● No monthly maintenancerequired to update productinformation

According to MAM, the ability

to access real-time supplier data iscrucial. Although electronic cata-logs have standardized searchesand information, the distributionof updates has lagged behind tech-nology and the swift pace of busi-ness transactions.

“Data latency has been a consis-tent pain point for cataloging in theaftermarket,” said Patrick Maley,president of MAM Software.“Starting with the layout and pro-duction efforts of printed catalogsand continuing through electroniccatalogs that rely on media andmonthly mail distribution, the in-dustry has been hampered by thedelay in getting catalog informa-tion into the hands of those makingpurchasing decisions. MAM isbringing the proven success of itscloud-based catalog solution to theU.S. to address this issue.”


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AFTERMARKET NEWS

SMP Honored At O’Reilly’sManagers’ ConferenceNEW YORK, N.Y. – Standard Motor Products Inc.(SMP) was recently honored with O’Reilly’s Vendor ofthe Year award for Technical and Training Support. Theaward waspresented atthe O’ReillyAuto PartsManagers’Conference,held Feb. 1 inSt. Louis, Mo.More than6,500 O’Reillyteam members were in attendance.

This award recognizes suppliers that go above andbeyond in their effort to train O’Reilly professional cus-tomers and team members to ensure they have an in-depth understanding of the products that vendorsupplies.

“SMP consistently excels at training our team mem-bers and installers on their product lines,” said DavidWilbanks, vice president merchandise, O’Reilly AutoParts. “In fact, we’ve received comments from our pro-fessional customer base remarking how high SMP hasset the bar with these training classes – no selling, nogimmicks, just solid training.”

MAM SoftwareTo Launch Autocat+ Cloud-Based Electronic Parts Catalog

Federated Announces‘Get Dirty with Kenny’Home Run WeekendSTAUNTON, Va. – What could be better than a week-end of dirt track races and running bases? Winners ofthe “Get Dirty with Kenny” extravaganza will see anight of major league baseball from a skybox at beau-tiful Busch Stadium in St. Louis before hitting thetrack with NASCAR driver and dirt track legend Ken-ny Schrader the following day.

The popular “Get Dirty with Kenny” dirt track driv-ing experience will take place at the Federated AutoParts I-55 Raceway in Pevely, Mo., outside of St. Louis.Winners will have the opportunity to race withSchrader as well as get a behind-the-scenes look at theracing business.

“Every year, we add a little twist to the ‘Get Dirtywith Kenny’ sweepstakes, and a night at Busch Stadi-um watching the defending National League champi-ons battle one of their arch rivals from a skybox iscertainly going to be extra memorable for our win-ners,” said Phil Moore, senior vice president for Feder-ated. “Every year, the winners of the ‘Get Dirty withKenny’ contest tell us it was an unforgettable week-end and we know this year will be no different.”

To be eligible to win a chance to “Get Dirty withKenny,” a shop must be enrolled as a Federated CarCare Center member by June 1. All Federated CarCare Center members in good standing are automati-cally registered to earn a chance to win an all-expens-es-paid trip.

For more information about the Federated Car Careprogram and the “Get Dirty with Kenny” promotion,contact your Federated Auto Parts Distributor or visitwww.federatedautoparts.com.

counterman.com 15

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AFTERMARKET NEWS

@CountermanMagFollow Us On Twitter


McHENRY, Ill. – This spring, sell-ing seriously green stopping powercan earn counter people and tech-nicians some serious cash, accord-ing to Raybestos Brakes. Thecompany’s Element3 brake padswith Enhanced Hybrid Technology(EHT) are some of the greenestbrake pads in the aftermarket and

are copper-compliant to 2025. The company is offering simulta-

neous sales promotions for counterpeople and technicians. From April1 through May 31, when counterpeople sell Professional Grade Ce-ramic, Professional Grade OE-Matched and Element3 brake padswith EHT, they earn $1 for each set

of qualifying brake pads sold. Oncethey sell 20 sets, they automaticallyearn a $5 bonus. Counter peoplecan redeem up to 20 tally cardsduring the promotional period; po-tentially earning up to $500.

Technicians who install Element3brake pads with EHT, ProfessionalGrade Ceramic and ProfessionalGrade OE-Matched brake pads alsocan earn the same cash reward; re-ceiving $1 for every set of qualify-ing product installed. Once theyinstall 20 sets, they also earn the $5bonus. Technicians can redeem upto 20 tally cards during the promo-tional period. The more they install,the bigger their haul, Raybestossays – up to $500.

For more information, visitwww.RaybestosBrakes.com or call800-323-0354.

AFTERMARKET NEWS

Raybestos Brakes Help Counter Pros, Technicians ‘Get Green’

Parts Plus To Give Away Clay Millican’s ‘57 Chevy Pickup

GERMANTOWN, Tenn. – TheParts Plus division of The Automo-tive Distribution Network willaward Clay Millican’s ’57 Chevytruck as well as a brand-new 2015Chevy pickup to two service deal-ers as part of a nationwide sweep-stakes promoting its 2015 NationalConvention in New Orleans.

“We’re awarding two grandprizes that every car guy would bethrilled to have,” said Mike Lam-bert, president of the Network anda New Orleans native. “It doesn’tget any better than the classic ’57Chevy pickup driven by the Net-work’s six-time world championdrag racer and a brand-newChevy. As we say back home,‘Laissez le bon temps rouler [Letthe good times roll].’”

From June 1 through Nov. 30,service dealers around the countrycan become eligible by makingqualifying product purchases fromtheir Network supplier. Weeklyand monthly prizes include iPads,flat-screen TVs, autographed ClayMillican hats and more.

Five shops will then be drawn aswinners of a trip to New Orleansand the 2015 Network NationalConvention. On the final conven-tion night, two finalists will be de-termined as winners of the Chevypickups, including Millican’s prideand joy.

“I guess you could say it’s been apassion of mine,” said Millican,driver of the Parts Plus Top Fueldragster. “With me on the road somuch, I wanted the ’57 Chevy togo to people I trust to take care of it— namely, one of the Network’sbest service dealer customers.”

Hytec Automotive Announces StrategicPartnership With Barrett Distribution Centers

DORAL, Fla. – The Hytec AutomotiveGroup has formed a strategic partner-ship with Barrett Distribution Centers ofPico Rivera, Calif., to ship and distributeHytec Automotive-branded aftermarketparts. The partnership will allow forsame-day shipments of Hytec auto parts.

“We are extremely pleased to an-nounce the partnership with Barrett Dis-tribution Centers,” said James Irving,CFO, The Hytec Automotive Group. “Tonow have the ability to ship our Hytecbrand quality automotive parts the sameday they are ordered will now afford usthe ability to compete with any distribu-

tion and fulfillment channel in our industry. Our Western United Statescustomers will benefit greatly with this on-demand distribution plat-form.” Barrett’s 120,000-square-foot fulfillment center provides expertfulfillment services for the surrounding areas including Orange County,Los Angeles County, Southern California and the Inland Empire. It is con-veniently located 20 miles from Los Angeles International Airport and 17miles from the Port of Long Beach. It also has immediate access to the605, 105 and Santa Ana freeways.

TORONTO – Karbelt Speed andCustom, National PerformanceWarehouse’s (NPW) Canadian divi-sion, recently hosted the KARS Expo– its first trade show under theNPW banner – held March 22-23.

KARS is the acronym for Kar-belt’s Automotive Racing and Spe-cialty Expo. The weekendperformance showcase started offwith an appreciation dinner for theparticipating vendors and industryspecial guests. The event was host-ed in conjunction with MegaSpeedCustom Car and Truck Show atThe International Centre in Toron-to, Ontario, for double exposure(wholesale and retail). The KARSExpo had more than 50 manufac-turer display booths and atten-dance reached more than 26,000,making this the largest automotiveshow in Canada.

The event allowed vendors and

technical support personnel to dis-cuss with attendees product applica-tions, tech tips and the latest info onwhat’s hot for the upcoming motor-sport season. Event organizers saymanufacturers appreciated talkingto both the consumers and jobbers.

Jobbers placed their spring or-ders and took advantage of thepricing incentives to kick-start the2014 season. Eligible Karbelt quali-fied wholesale accounts were ableto participate in the cash back, cashraffle, product prize draws andalso earn cruise credits with theirshow purchases. All booths wereequipped with customer referralinformation to become a Karbeltcustomer and to sign up for refer-ral regarding where to buy theproducts from one of Karbelt’s job-bers closest to them.

Plans are already under way forthe 2015 edition.


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AFTERMARKET NEWS

NPW Reports First KARS Expo A Success

The Network Hosts Nearly Entire Membership,Dozens Of Manufacturer Partners At Spring Meeting

GERMANTOWN, Tenn. – TheAutomotive Distribution Net-work recently hosted dozens ofmanufacturer partners and its en-tire membership for the group’sspring meeting in Ft. Worth,Texas, including several newwarehouse distributors represent-ing the Parts Plus, Parts PlusMexico, IAPA and Auto Pridebrands.

“This gathering of members andvendors provides unique opportu-nities for our WDs to meet face-to-face with Network headquartersstaff and our manufacturer part-ners to provide feedback from thestreet, discuss exciting new promo-tional opportunities, and explorethe latest elements in the associa-tion toolbox,” said Mike Lambert,president of the Network. “Discus-sions like these are now somewhat

rare, so our membership utilizedthis quality time.”

The Network also reviewed newmarketing, product and IT initia-tives, including the license platelookup tool and WebShop app,which proved to be especially en-lightening for companies that havejoined the Network since last fall’smeeting, Lambert said.

“The Network remains a mem-ber-driven organization, so ourspring and fall membership meet-ings help to ensure that the Net-work is continually developingprograms and making product de-cisions that will benefit our mem-bers and their customers at thestreet level,” Lambert said. “It wasvital to have input from ournewest members from the WestCoast and the Northeast andeverywhere in between.”

The Network Launches New WebsiteFor Auto Pride DivisionGERMANTOWN, Tenn. – The Automotive Distribution Network haslaunched a new website to complement the latest program offerings of itsAuto Pride division.

Located at www.autopride.com, the redesigned site reflects the growth ofthe Auto Pride membership nationwide and its increasing number ofbusiness tools, including its expanded Auto Service Experts program, ac-cording to Mike Lambert, president of the Network.

“From featured manufacturer partners to a location finder to online train-ing, the new autopride.com is a comprehensive site for consumers as wellas for Auto Pride members, jobbers and service dealers,” Lambert said.

The enhanced, easy-to-navigate Auto Pride site also contains money-saving offers and credit applications for consumers as well as e-catalogsfeaturing parts, tools and equipment to ensure easy, accurate ordering forjobbers and service dealers.

European Union truly makes ‘TheArnott Advantage’ a worldwide reality.”

Benefits to EU customers anddistributors include:

● Reduced Shipping Costs andTransit Times – Shipping cost is re-duced by as much as 80 percentand same-day service is availablefor in-stock orders placed by 2 p.m.CET.

● Eliminated Duties and Taxes –Duties and customs fees are in-cluded. VAT charges are eliminatedfor VAT-registered companies.

● Euro and local currencies ac-cepted – Arnott Europe accepts di-rect bank transfer payments ineuros and charges no foreign trans-action or bank fees.

● Remanufactured ProductAvailability – Arnott’s remanufac-tured products are available to EUcustomers who previously had tosend a core in advance. The EU fa-cility serves as a hub for the returnand purchase of air suspensioncores for recycling.

For more information aboutArnott Europe or to download theArnott Air Suspension Products2014 Catalog, please visitwww.ArnottEurope.com.

MERRITT ISLAND, Fla. – ArnottAir Suspension Products has an-nounced the opening of a Euro-pean Union branch office anddistribution center. According toArnott, the new EU facility, locatedin the Netherlands, provides localsales and support, faster shipping,payment in local currencies and aneasier way for the growing legionof European customers to returnand sell air suspension cores to thecompany.

With headquarters in Florida,Arnott makes air suspension re-placement products for many Eu-ropean, Japanese and Americancars, trucks and SUVs.

“Opening the European Unionfacility is the logical result ofArnott’s significant and growingworldwide product popularity,”said Todd Nash, senior vice presi-dent of global sales and marketing.“One of the key aspects of what welike to call ‘The Arnott Advantage’is a culture of product quality andintense commitment to customersatisfaction, including accurate or-der fulfillment and prompt ship-ping. Having dedicated Arnottemployees in the European Unionas opposed to simply serving the


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Arnott Air Suspension Products Opens EuropeanUnion Office And Distribution Center

module assembly,” whichfits inside the tankthrough a hole in the top

of the tank. The fuel pumpassembly is held in place with fas-teners or a lock ring, and sealedwith a gasket or O-Ring. Replac-ing the pump module usually re-quires dropping the fuel tank.

The wiring and fuel line con-nections are on the outside of thetank. Corrosion and vibration can

Fuel pumps are a popularproduct line because virtu-ally every vehicle builtsince the late 1980s and

early 1990s have been equippedwith some type of electronic fuelinjection. A high-pressure electricpump is required to generatepressure so fuel will spray out ofthe fuel injectors when the injec-tors open. The amount of pressurethe pump has to generate willvary depending on the applica-tion, but is typically in the 35 to80 PSI range.

Most original equipment elec-tric fuel pumps are mounted in-side the fuel tank. Submerging thepump in gasoline quiets the pumpand allows the fuel to cool and lu-bricate the pump. This is very im-portant because most electric fuelpumps spin at high speed (5,000to 7,000 RPM or higher). Withouta steady supply of fuel throughthe pump for cooling and lubrica-tion, the pump can quickly self-destruct (a good reason to avoidrunning out of gas!).

The fuel pump is combinedwith the fuel level sending unitand float in the “fuel pump


By Larry Carley, technical editorTECH FEATURE

cause electrical problems with thewiring harness connection, whichcause the pump to stop operating.Replacing the pump isn’t neces-sary because the problem is thevoltage supply. A bad fuel pumprelay, blown fuse, wiring fault oranti-theft system problem can alsocause an electric fuel pump tostop working. It’s important torule out all of these other possibil-ities before installing a new fuel

Fuel Pumps Come In

pump to prevent unnecessary re-turns. If a newly installed fuelpump does not work, the problemwasn’t the pump but an electricalissue.

The fuel filter and fuel pump in-let sock must also be changedwhen a new fuel pump is installed.On returnless EFI applications,there is no in-line fuel filter. The fil-ter and regulator are both part ofthe pump module assembly.

Electric fuel pumps also areused for other purposes — liketransferring fuel from one tank toanother in pickup trucks withdual fuel tanks. Some applicationshave two pumps, one to “lift” fuelout of the fuel tank and a secondhigh-pressure pump to supply thefuel injectors.

Universal low-pressure electricfuel pumps also can be used to re-place mechanical fuel pumps onolder vehicles with carburetors.Mechanical fuel pumps are usual-ly driven off the camshaft and usea spring-loaded diaphragm and apair of valves to move fuelthrough the fuel line to the carbu-retor. Mechanical pumps operateat low pressure (2 to 7 PSI), andare prone to leaks, diaphragmfailures and breakage. Replacing amechanical pump with a lowpressure universal electric pumpcan improve reliability and reducethe risk of vapor lock during hotweather by keeping the fuel in theline under pressure (which pre-vents the formation of vapor bub-bles). Solid state electronic pumpshave no bearings, electrical con-tacts or diaphragms to wear outor fail, which makes them moredurable than other types of elec-tric pumps. Installation only re-quires a voltage supplyconnection.

Other parts that may be neededwhen replacing or installing a fuel pump include fuel hose,clamps and a fuel filter. Fuel sys-tem cleaner should also be recom-mended to keep the fuel systemand injectors clean. A dirty throt-tle body can be cleaned up with a can of aerosol throttle bodycleaner. CM

counterman.com 23

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Different Varieties

not only because of their increasedlongevity but also because theyperform better with high electricalloads and stop/start systems.Over the next couple of years, upto 40 percent of new cars may beequipped with fuel-savingstop/start systems and AGM bat-teries. Ford has said that up to 70percent of its cars will havestop/start by 2017. Stop/start isbeing used on the 2014 Ford Fu-

sion with a 1.5LEcoBoost engine,and the 2014 ChevyMalibu 2.5L engine(which gets 3 mpgbetter fuel economyin city driving thanits conventionalpredecessor).

A stop/start sys-tem turns the engineoff when a vehiclestops moving for

more than a few seconds. Thissaves what would otherwise bewasted while the engine is idling.Stop/start systems can improvecity fuel economy numbers an av-erage of 3.5 percent up to 14 per-cent depending on how the vehicleis driven. On applications thatcome factory-equipped with anAGM battery, the same type of bat-tery should be used to replace theoriginal battery when a battery re-placement becomes necessary.

Also important to battery life iskeeping the battery at or near fullcharge. When a battery runs down,sulfate builds up on the plates. Thelonger the battery sits in a dis-charged condition, the harder it isto knock the sulfate off the plates

Long, cold winters are hardon car batteries, but long hotsummers can be evenharsher. Batteries in hot cli-

mates like Arizona, New Mexicoand Florida typically need to bereplaced a year or two sooner thanthose in states with more moderateclimates. The reason is that heatcauses the electrolyte inside thebattery to evaporate, and once thelevel drops below the tops of the

plates, the plates suffer permanentdamage. To make matters worse,sealed top “maintenance-free” bat-teries have no provisions foradding make-up water.Consequently, many of these bat-teries are doomed if their waterlevel gets too low.

Absorbent Glass Mat (AGM) bat-teries are typically much longer-lived because they have no liquidelectrolyte in their cells. The elec-trolyte is held in spongy mats be-tween the lead cell plates. This notonly makes such batteries spill-proof but also less vulnerable tooutgassing and loss of electrolyteover time.

AGM batteries are being used ina growing number of new vehicles



Late-Model Vehicles PlaceHigh Demands On Batteries

when the battery is recharged. Ifthere are too many deep dischargecycles with a conventional lead-acid battery, or the battery is chron-ically undercharged, it will lose itsability to accept a full charge. Thebattery will grow weaker andeventually fail.

Late-model vehicles are loadedwith electronics that place in-creased demands on the batteryand charging system. Many mod-els have “keep alive” memoriesthat draw a small current from thebattery even when the key is off. Tominimize the power drain, manymodules are programmed to gointo a sleep mode that minimizespower consumption at some timeinterval after the ignition has beenswitched off. Even so, the residualkey-off power drain can be up to100 milliwatts 30 minutes or moreafter the ignition has beenswitched off. Opening a door orapproaching a vehicle with a smartkey fob can activate the keyless en-try system and other modules, in-creasing the power drain on thebattery for a period of time. Conse-quently, if a vehicle is not drivenfor say a week to 10 days, the bat-tery may discharge to the pointwhere it can no longer crank theengine.

Loose, corroded or damaged bat-tery cables that make poor electri-cal contact also can cause a batteryto run down or prevent the enginefrom starting. Battery cablesshould always be inspected andcleaned or replaced as neededwhen starting/charging problemsare encountered, or when installinga new battery. CM



Remember Brake HardwareWhen Making A Sale

Although disc brakes havebeen around for decades,many cars and lighttrucks still have drum

brakes on the rear. Why? Becausedrum brakes are less expensive tomanufacture, are self-energizing(they don’t require as much pedalpressure or power assist) and caneasily incorporate a simple parkingbrake mechanism.

On vehicles that have disc/drumbrake systems, the front discbrakes do most of the work. Conse-quently, the disc brake pads upfront usually wear out two to threetimes faster than the drum brakeshoes in the rear. Because of this,the rear brake linings and hard-ware may only be inspected ratherthan replaced when a vehicle re-ceives its first or second brake job.

By the time the rear linings areworn out, most drum brakes haveseen a lot of miles. The hardwareinside the drum is usually in poorcondition and should be replaced.Drum brake hardware includes:

● Return springs that retract theshoes away from the drums whenthe brakes are released. These mayweaken and stretch with age, al-lowing the brake to drag ratherthan turn freely when the brakesare released.

● Hold-down springs retain theshoes and allow the shoes to movesideways on the brake backingplate. A broken spring can allowunwanted shoe movement insidethe drum. It also may cause noiseor wedge itself between the shoeand drum causing the brake todrag or seize.

● Adjuster spring(s) help main-tain tension on the self-adjuster so

the adjuster can compensate forshoe wear.

● Self-adjuster mechanism com-pensates for brake wear to brakepedal play doesn’t increase as thelinings on the brake shoes weardown. Corrosion and dirt can oftenjam a self-adjuster and prevent itfrom working.

● Parking brake adjuster cableworks with the parking brake link-age to push the shoes outwardagainst the drum when the parkingbrake is applied.

Disc brakes also have hardwarethat’s just as important as drumhardware. There are no hold-downsprings, return springs or ad-justers, but disc brake calipers dohave slides, mounting pins andbushings that can cause problemsif the hardware is worn, badly cor-roded or damaged.

In a typical single-piston floatingcaliper, the caliper slides inward asthe piston pushes the inner pad outagainst the rotor. If the caliper failsto slide because the mountinghardware is worn or corroded, thecaliper will not move and force theinner brake pad do all the work.This will cause the inner pad towear rapidly and also reduce brak-ing effectiveness. Also if the calipermoves inward but fails to slideback to its original position, thepads can drag against the rotor. Re-placing the hardware and lubricat-ing the slides with hightemperature brake grease (neverordinary chassis grease) will assurenormal operation and smooth,even braking.

Other “hardware” that also mayneed replacing on disc brakes in-

Continued on page 46

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Motor Oils — More Changes On The Way

As automakers put moreand more emphasis onfuel economy, durabilityand extended service

intervals, motor oil specificationscontinue to evolve to reduce fric-tion, wear, aeration and viscositybreakdown. The current Interna-tional Lubricants Standardizationand Approval Committee (ILSAC)GF-5 oil standards will beupgraded again in a couple ofyears. Although that’s down the

road a bit, it’s important to knowthat many automakers have devel-oped, and will continue to develop,their own oil quality and perform-ance standards.

Back in 2011, GM developed its“dexos 1” specification for gasolineengines and “dexos 2” for dieselengines. Both specs call for a high-quality synthetic blend that canmeet tough durability and per-formance standards. GM says oilsthat meet their dexos requirement

exceed those of the current GF-5 re-quirements. GM recommends oilthat meets the dexos specificationsfor all 2011 and newer GM engines.Motorists are free to use any oil intheir engines, but if they have anengine problem as a result of usingan oil that does not meet the dexosrequirements, repairs may not becovered under warranty. Anybrand of oil that meets the dexosrequirements can display the dexoslabel on their product provided

Tech Tip

Even lower viscosity, even higher performance, evenmore specialization — this is the motor oil of the fu-ture, according to Oliver Kuhn from the research

department of the motor oil specialist LIQUI MOLY.Garages will have to get used tohanding more and more differenttypes of oils in the future.

With downsizing, automotivemanufacturers are attempting to re-duce fuel consumption and simulta-neously maintain performance atthe same level. For the motor oilthis means tripling the load:

1. In order to deliver the same

performance in spite of less dis-

placement, engines have to run at

higher speeds.The job of the mo-tor oil is to reliably ensure proper lubrication at such highspeeds.

2. Downsizing reduces the quantity of oil in the engine

by 30 to 40 percent.The oil circulates more frequently,and is therefore subjected to greater stress.

3. Even though the oil temperature is not higher than

in conventional engines, the stress increases for the oil.

The rapid circulation no longer gives the oil a chance to“rest” and cool down a little.

All these factors lead to the oil in the engine agingmore quickly. Moreover, in downsized engines the oil hasto withstand particularly high continuous loads, be more

resistant to aging and have high resistance to wear. Thisis achieved by use of various additive packages, wherebythe friction modifier plays a very special role here.

The tolerances inside the engine as well as those ofthe engine in relation to the motor oilare disappearing more and more. Al-though it is still preferable to add justany oil than run the engine withoutany oil at all, every car now requiresits “own” oil, specially matched to thespecific requirements of the engine.LIQUI MOLY offers the right motor oilfor practically every make, includingmodels with downsized engines.Everything is produced in Germany toguarantee the highest-possible quality.Our online oil directory at

www.liqui-moly.us shows drivers and garages which oilis approved for which car — free of charge and withouthaving to register or sign in.

Mineral or synthetic blended oils cannot offer the per-formance required by downsized engines. With such oilthe wear increases and the performance characteristicsof the oil are depleted long before the next oil change.State-of-the-art motor oil consists of a blend of PAO baseoils to which hydro-cracked oil (HC oil) has been added.The more performance required from the oil, the moreimportant are its additives. Today, state-of-the-are oil con-sists of 70 percent base oil and 30 percent additives.

Courtesy of LIQUI MOLY

The motor oil of the future will have a lower viscosity and be more

Oliver Kuhn of LIQUI MOLY

Increasingly more economical engines place waxing demands on motor oil.

they pay GM a licensing fee plus aroyalty on every gallon of oil theysell that is dexos-approved. Be-cause of this, some oil companiesthat have products that can meet orexceed the dexos requirementshave refused to pay GM’s licensingfee. In lieu of such, they state theirproduct “meets or exceeds all OEMrequirements.”

Regardless of the brand of oil acustomer buys, it’s important tomake sure the oil meets or exceedsthe OEM requirements for their ve-hicle as well as the recommended

viscosity grade. Many late-modelengines are factory-filled with 5W-20 because of its low-friction, fuel-saving advantages. But some arebeing filled with even thinner oilssuch as 0W-20. For 2014, GM nowspecifies 0W-20 for their 5.3 & 6.2Lengines.

A high-quality synthetic blendor full synthetic oil that meets orexceeds API “SN” and ILSAC GF-5 specifications should always beused if a vehicle has oil drain in-tervals of 7,500 miles or higher, or

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Two trends are present for further development of motor oils.

1.The motor oils of the future will be very low viscosity.The lowerthe viscosity of the oil, the less internal resistance it has — which helpsreduce fuel consumption. On the other hand, however, low viscosity oilalso means a thinner coating of lubricant on the surfaces. Even higherperformance additive packages are required to keep this thin film of oilfrom tearing. While 10W-40 was a standard viscosity in the past, today5W-30 is preferred and 0W-20 will probably become standard in the fu-ture.

2.The motor oil of the future will be more highly customized for indi-

vidual engines. This development already started decades ago as automo-bile manufacturers were no longer satisfied with industrial standards suchas API and began developing their own oil specifications. The time is longpast, when one single type of oil is suitable for all engines. This trend to-ward special oils will continue, making life more and more complicatedfor garages, dealers and car drivers.

LIQUI MOLY’s own research facilities and development laboratory coop-erate closely with automotive manufacturers, ensuring its place as aleader in production of state-of-the-art motor oils.

About LIQUI MOLY

LIQUI MOLY GmbH, from Ulm in South Germany, offers a wide range ofhigh-quality products such as motor oils, additives, vehicle care productsand service products. The range includes some 4,000 items. LIQUI MOLYdevelops and tests its products in its own laboratories, manufactures ex-clusively in Germany and markets all of its products. LIQUI MOLY wasfounded some 50 years ago and is now one of the leading companies inthe industry. The products are sold in Germany and in 100 other countries.

highly specialized than ever



By Gary Goms, commercial accounts editorMECHANIC CONNECTION

Ball Joints and Tie Rod Ends AreImportant Safety Components

Any good alignment tech-nician knows that steer-ing linkage is the mostcritical part of the steer-

ing system because worn linkagecan not only cause excessive tirewear, it can also become an impor-tant safety and liability issue. If, forexample, a tie rod end or tie rodadjusting sleeve breaks, the driverwill immediately lose steering con-trol of his vehicle. Consequently,it’s important for all parts andservice professionals to emphasizesafety when selling steering link-age parts.

Linkage Configurations

Steering linkages are designed intwo general configurations, paral-lelogram and rack and pinon. Theconventional parallelogram link-age has been with us since inde-pendent front suspension cameinto popular use during the late

1930s. Because modern right andleft-hand suspensions travel inde-pendently of each other, the tierods must pivot through approxi-mately the same vertical arc as thefront lower control arms.

Independent suspension geome-try therefore requires an inner andouter tie rod end mounted at approximately the same pivotpoints as the front lower controlarm. The right- and left-side tierods are connected to each other bya center link, which is also mount-ed to the Pitman arm on the steer-ing gear and the idler arm on thepassenger side of the vehicle. In thestraight-ahead position, the Pitmanarm, center link and idler arm forma rectangle. When the vehicle isturned, they form a parallelogram,which gives this particular designits name.

Rack and pinion steering ismuch simpler in design, since the

steering gear or rack is mounteddirectly between the inner and out-er tie rod ends. The inner tie rodend is a ball-and-socket design,which forms the body of the tie rodand which is threaded to the outertie rod end. In most cases, rack andpinion steering gears are sold as“long racks,” which include the in-ner tie rod ends and boots. Rackand pinion steering is currently themost predominate of the two steer-ing linkage systems.

Parallelogram Failure Patterns

Parallelogram steering linkageshave many wear points that affectthe total toe angle of the front tires.The toe angle of the front wheels iseasy to remember if you look atyour own feet: toes in = “toe in.”toes out = “toe out.” The Pitmanarm steers the vehicle by transmit-ting the thrust from the steering

(Parallelogram steering linkage) The Pitman arm and tie rodassembly are clearly visible on this Nissan pickup. The tie rodincorporates a forged steel tie rod adjusting sleeve forincreased strength and reliability.

(Rack and pinion steering linkage) The tie rod assembly on thisMacPherson strut front suspension is connected directly to therack and pinion steering gear




Variable Valve Timing SalesShould Increase

There’s no doubt that partsprofessionals will begin sell-ing more variable valve tim-ing (VVT) components as the

new generation of vehicles beginscoming into aftermarket shops forvalve timing repairs. The current ver-sions of VVT were popularly intro-duced into domestic productionabout 10 years ago. Just recently, forexample, I was called to diagnose aVVT problem on a Ford F150 pickup

equipped with the 5.4-liter VVT sin-gle overhead camshaft (SOHC)engine and with 245,000 miles on theodometer. In the following text, I’lluse this typical example to illustratethe many issues facing parts profes-sionals on vehicles equipped withvariable valve timing.

Operating Principles

The theory behind variable valvetiming is simple. Imagine a column

of air speeding through a two-inchpipe at 250 feet per second. Sud-denly, the air flow is blocked off bya valve at the end of the pipe. Thekinetic energy of the air keeps itmoving until a compression wavebegins to develop at the valve. Theoptimum time to open the valveand achieve the greatest air flow iswhen this compression wavereaches its peak. In contrast, thebest time to open the exhaust valveis when a vacuum wave developsat the valve.

Variable valve timing takes ad-vantage of these pressure and vacu-um waves to achieve a greater airflow through a given size of engine.Advancing valve timing increaseslow-speed engine torque while re-tarding valve timing increases high-speed torque. The PowertrainControl Module (PCM) determinesthe valve timing position throughdata supplied by the camshaft posi-tion sensors or by valve timing sen-sors. Be aware of this terminology

These camshaft sprockets and timinggears are integral parts on this Fordapplication. The stamped steel platesare reluctors that allow the camshaftposition sensor to sense valve timing. Aconventional timing chain sprocketcompletes the set.

Due to their fine mesh, it’s easy tosee how oil flow through the VVT

solenoid screens can be restrictedby varnish or sludge.

CLASSIFIED




Rack And Pinion Unit Repairs

When your professionalalignment technicianinspects a vehicle’ssteering linkage, it’s

very easy to spot a leaking rackand pinion steering gear becausethe rack boots are filled with leak-ing oil. Similarly, a conventionalrecirculating ball steeringgear is usually worn outwhen oil is leaking from itssteering shaft or sector shaftseals. An alignment techni-cian might also want toreplace either type of steeringgear to address steering qual-ity complaints. With that said,let’s look at some new andalso some very old steeringgear technology currentlyappearing in your independ-ent shop’s service bays.

Steering Gear Types

The function of any steeringgear is to transform the circularmotion of the steering wheel intothe linear motion needed to steerthe front wheels right and left.While most modern vehicles inte-grate a hydraulic power assist intothe steering gear to aid the driverin parking his vehicle, many hy-brid, stop-start and conventionalvehicles now employ electronicsteering gears that can actuallyturn the front wheels with the en-gine off. As you might suspect, theelectronic steering gear generatesdiagnostic trouble codes whenproblems develop and must there-fore be diagnosed using a profes-sional scan tool. Generally sold asan integral assembly, electronicsteering incorporates a steering

wheel position sensor and varioustorque-sensing devices to providesteering feedback to the driver.Since electronic steering is integrat-ed with vehicle stability controls(VSC), electronic parallel parking,and other steering/safety systems,steering position sensor must re-

learn the straight-ahead position tocorrectly enable these auxiliarysystems after a wheel alignment orreplacement is performed. Mostelectronic steering gears are cur-rently available as complete unitsfrom the auto manufacturer.

The conventional recirculating-ball steering gear has proven to bea relatively trouble-free system.The most common failure is wearin the steering sector shaft bush-ings, which in turn causes the sec-tor shaft oil seals to leak. Becausemany are designed with the sectorshaft bearing directly against thesteering gear case, the most reliablerepair is to replace with a remanu-factured unit. Unlike rack and pin-ion or electronic steering gears,

conventional steering gears can of-ten be adjusted to eliminate minorwear in the gears and bushings.

Thanks to their compact designand mechanical simplicity, rackand pinion steering gears have be-come popular, even in light trucks.The most common failure is oilleakage due to scuffing and pittingin the aluminum cylinder bore.Since special tooling is required torepair aluminum cylinder boresand install piston oil seals, themost cost-effective choice is to re-

place with a remanufacturedunit. These units are sold inshort- and long-rack versions,with the long-rack having newinner tie rod ends and bootsattached to the rack assembly.

Installation Issues

Before removing any steeringgear, it’s always important tolock the steering wheel in thestraight-ahead position to pre-vent damaging the steeringwheel’s air bag clock springassembly. Many conventionalsteering gears also incorporatea steering position sensor that

provides an input to the vehiclestability control and other safetysystems. Whenever the steeringsystem is disassembled or the frontwheels are re-aligned, the steeringposition sensor must re-learn thestraight-ahead position by using anappropriate scan tool or by usingthe auto manufacturer’s specifiedmethod.

Warranty returns on remanufac-tured steering gears are oftencaused by the power steering oilbeing contaminated with metallicdebris from a worn power steeringpump. When replacing a steeringrack, the technician should inspectthe power steering oil for a metallic“sheen” to the oil, which indicates

From the top in a clockwise direction, the icons onthis power steering reservoir cap indicate powersteering, fluid level and that the owner’s manualshould be consulted for the type of fluid required.




Copper has been used inmany nonasbestos organic(NAO) and ceramic frictionformulas since the 1980s to

help dissipate heat. Copper is agood conductor of heat but ceramicfibers are not. To improve the heattransfer characteristics and faderesistance of NAO and ceramic fric-tion materials, many brake manu-facturers have used a small amountof copper in their brake pads (oftenless than 10 percent but as much as20 percent in some formulas). Cop-per is typically not used in mostsemi-metallic friction materialsbecause steel fibers conduct heatwell and can handle high brake tem-peratures.

The problem with copper is that ithas been labeled an environmentalpollutant. As brake pads wear, theyproduce brake dust. Tiny particles ofcopper in the dust can be washedfrom roadways into lakes andstreams by rainfall. Environmentalstudies have shown that copper canbe toxic to aquatic life.

In 2010, California passed a lawcalling for a reduction of coppercontent in brake friction to less than5 percent by 2021 and .05 percent by2025. Washington state passed simi-lar legislation in early 2011. Otherstates are considering similar rules.

In response to this legislation,brake manufacturers that have beenusing copper in their friction materi-als have developed new, low-copperand copper-free brake pads. Mostbrake manufacturers are way aheadof the deadline and have already in-troduced their new reduced copperproduct lines to the aftermarket.

Many of these new reduced-cop-per and copper-free friction materi-

als actually perform better than thelast-generation friction materialsthey replace. Improvements includebetter stopping power (up to 40 per-cent better fade resistance), im-proved wear resistance, reduceddusting and noise (up to 35 percentquieter).

Finding ways to reduce copper inexisting friction materials led to newways to improve overall brakingperformance. Thus, consumers getnot only a new generation of envi-ronmentally-friendly friction materi-als but a significant stepped-upbraking performance. Most con-sumers who have had the new re-duced copper pads installed on theirvehicles report a noticeable im-provement in how well their brakesperform. Repair shops are also see-ing fewer comebacks.

Pads that meet the new low-cop-per requirements are being certifiedby the Automotive ManufacturersEquipment Compliance Agency(AMECA). Ratings include “A”, “B”and “N” edge codes. Each edgecode represents a different level ofcompliance for various contami-nants in the friction material. Theseinclude copper (Cu), asbestos,chromium (Cr), lead (Pb), mercury(Hg) and cadmium (Cd). Those thatmeet the highest rating “N” containless than 0.50 percent copper and noasbestos, chromium, lead, mercury,cadmium or antimony.

New “Leaf Marks” started ap-pearing on some brake pad packag-ing in January 2014 to indicate thecompliancy level of the product.This mark gives consumers andtechnicians the ability to tell at aglance if the pads are environmen-tally compliant. CM

Friction—Say Hello to Low-Copper Pads

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Motor Mounts TampDown Vibration

Shake, rattle and roll.That’s what the drivetraincan feel like if a motor ortransmission mount is

broken. The mounts are there tonot only support the engine andtransmission but to also isolateengine vibrations from the rest ofthe vehicle.

Engine vibration is usually mostnoticeable at idle, especially withfour-cylinder engines, odd-fire V6engines and diesels. Vibrationstend to worsen when the A/Ccompressor is engaged, or whenthere is a heavy electrical load onthe alternator.

Motor mounts are fairly rugged,and typically consist of a moldedrubber donut or spacer laminatedbetween a pair of stamped steelplates. On in-line rear-wheel driveapplications, the mounts are usu-ally located on both sides of theengine block and under the trans-mission tailshaft. On front-wheeldrive applications, the mounts areusually more intricate (and expen-sive). The mounts are located atboth ends of the engine (right andleft), with a third mount locatednear the top of the engine or un-der the transaxle to prevent theengine from rolling.

Over time, the rubber portion ofa mount may delaminate from itssupport plates (broken mount), orit may crack or deform (collapsedmount). Either way, you customeris going to need one or more re-placement mounts. On a high-mileage vehicle, replacing ALL ofthe mounts at the same time caneliminate annoying vibrations andreduce the risk the other mountsfailing at some point later on.

Although the motor mounts onmany vehicles are the relativelysimple solid rubber and steelmounts, many import cars andluxury vehicles use liquid-filled“hydromounts” to minimizeNVH (Noise, Vibration & Harsh-ness). The liquid is containedwithin a hollow cavity inside themount. Over time, leaks can oc-cur causing the mount to deflateand lose its ability to dampen vi-brations. Hydromounts shouldbe replaced with the same type ofmount to maintain the originaldampening characteristics thatwere designed into the vehicle.But if a customer is looking for aless expensive repair alternative,solid mounts are available formany of these applications.

The latest technology includes“active” motor mounts that canchange their dampening charac-teristics in response to external in-puts. Active mounts can berelatively soft at idle to absorb theunwanted shakes produced bywidely or unevenly spaced cylin-der firings, then stiffen up at high-er engine speeds and loads tolimit unwanted engine motions.Applications include certain latemodel Honda, Hyundai, Jaguar,Lexus Toyota and others.

Some active mount systems usea pulse width modulated controlsignal from the PCM to vary thestiffness of the mount. The controlsignal opens and closes a solenoidthat allows engine vacuum to pullair out of hollow cavity inside themount. A bad solenoid or vacuumleaks in the hose connections canprevent the mount from function-ing normally. CM

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By Mark Phillips

TAIPEI, Taiwan — A four-in-one transportationshow was held in Taipei, Taiwan, April 9-12, show-ing off the country’s exports of automotive after-market hard parts as well as electronic componentsand electric vehicles.

The simultaneous 30th Taipei International AutoParts & Accessories Show (AMPA), Fourth Annual In-ternational EV Taiwan (electric vehicle) Show, NinthAnnual Taipei International Automobile ElectronicsShow and Ninth Annual Taiwan International Motor-

cycle Show kicked off with an open-ing ceremony held at the NangangExhibition Hall. The shows wereheld with AMPA and AutoTronicsat Nangang, and the motorcycleshow and EV Taiwan near the fa-mous Taipei 101 building.

Dr. San Gee, vice president of theTaiwan External Trade Develop-ment Council (TAITRA), the organ-izer of the show, told openingceremony attendees that the com-bined shows were expected tobring 60,000 domestic and interna-tional buyers. The shows featured1,346 exhibitors and 3,655 booths,which was an increase of 1.5 per-cent over last year, TAITRA said.

Taiwan is a big exporter of autoparts, exporting $6.6 billion in partsin 2013, up $1 billion over 2012,TAITRA said. AMPA, the partsshow, has grown from 111 exhibitorsand 185 booths in 1984 to 993 ex-hibitors and 2,871 booths this year.

More than 12 buyers with rev-enues in excess of $100 million attended the show, TAITRA said,including Advance Auto Parts, Valeo and Delphi Shanghai.

NEWS EXTRAco

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Alex Lee of Kentfa Advanced Technology Corp., demonstratesthe company’s battery dispenser that allows users to retrievefully charged vehicle batteries while exchanging an exhaustedbattery, much like propane gas dispensers in the United States.

Four-In-OneTransportation ShowBrings InternationalAftermarket To Taiwan

EV Taiwan offered opportunitiesfor attendees to ride vehicles inboth outdoor and indoor test areas.

“With years of hard work, Tai-wan’s automotive electronics havegained global admiration in termsof technology and product quali-ty,” said Fu-Hsiong Cheng, vicechairman of the Taiwan Electricaland Electronic Manufacturer’s As-sociation (TEEMA). “Taiwanesecompanies can make use of theirstrengths in IT experience, strongproduction capabilities and flexiblemanufacturing systems and re-search on vehicle telematics, multi-media, semi-conductor technology,software development, GPS andwireless transmission to grasp thelarge automotive electronics mar-ket and business opportunities.”

The AMPA and AutoTronicsshows announced the InnovationAwards for 20 products in four cate-gories: auto parts, auto accessories,auto electronics and auto electronicend products. In all, 115 entries viedfor a chance to capture an innova-tion award.

This year’s winners are:Automobile Parts

Silver Award● TYC Brother Industrial Co.: Head

lamp with DRL LED light guide● Just Auto Lighting Technology

Co.: LED low beam systemmodule

Bronze Award● Tan Xin Technology

Development Co.: Water-basedthermal dissipation coating

● JW Optical: Lamp colortemperature-changing structure

● Giantlight Traffic SuppliesInstrument Co.: GL-190 90mm bi-LED head lamp

Automobile Accessories

Silver Award● Epoch Energy Technology Corp.:

Carbon cleaning system EP-580B● Peterburg Industrial & Design:

In-channel wind deflectorBronze Award● BEAMPRO Technology Co.: Cat’s

pupil, multiple curvature lens● Best Power Tools Co.: Half-inch

impact wrench● Formosa Saint Jose Corp.:

U-AUTO Mat

Automobile Electronics End

Products

Gold Award● Tintable Smart Material Inc.:

Auto-dimming rearview mirrorbased on all-solid-state with thearea switching tinting function

Silver Award● Great Guard Industry Co.: Great

Guard Car wheel locking anti-theft system

● Cansonic Inc.: ULTRADV● Chimei Motor Electronics Co.: All

round automatic scooter heads-up display safety warningsystem

● MaShin Electric Corp.: MS-300intelligent battery charger; Three-in-one multi-function MS-300

Automobile Electronic Parts

Gold Award● Hestia Power Inc.: High-power

650V 120A silicon carbide (SiC)Schottky Diode

Silver Award● Alpha Light: EMI EMC Free LED

current control IC● ATBS Technology Co.: Thru-Flow

TPMS external sensor aRacerSpeekTek Inc.: RC EngineManagement Systems

● MIJY-LAND Industrial Co.:Cordless screwdriver

Visitors to EV Taiwan, focusedsolely on electric vehicles of alltypes and related products, wit-nessed a marketplace on the lead-ing edge. Taiwanese manufacturerssuch as Pihsiang Electric Vehicle,Dijiya Energy Saving Tech, Go-Tech Energy Co., Tatung Co. andBubu Tong Electric Vehicle showedmembers of the press their electricvehicles, batteries and motors thatare all in on the ground level ofthis niche of the industry.

The electric vehicle market, while


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still nascent, has asizable number ofTaiwan-basedmanufacturersthat are producingproducts for ex-port to the U.S.,Europe and otherparts of Asia. Thechallenges manu-facturers face in-clude buildingbatteries that arenot only light-weight, but pack apunch energy-wise and the ability tostretch its energy to increase lengthof travel.

At the EV Taiwan show, suppli-ers to Tesla Motors, including elec-tric motor maker Fukuta,electrical-mechanical control mod-ule maker Chrome ATE and autofastener maker Sumeeko Industriestook part in this year’s show,TAITRA said.

A record 183 foreign companiesfrom 16 countries had booths at theshows.

In all, 246 booths were presentedby companies from the UnitedStates, India, South Korea, UnitedArab Emirates, Hong Kong, Thai-land, Malaysia, Singapore, Bulgar-ia, the Philippines, Vietnam, NewZealand, China, Japan, Indonesiaand India.

Taiwan has been an economicand manufacturing powerhousefor decades. The island, in EastAsia, has about 24 million peoplewith a gross domestic product(GDP) of nearly $1 trillion. Its percapita income, at more than$41,000, is the 17th highest in theworld. In comparison, the UnitedStates’ GDP is around $17 trillionwith approximately 315 millionpeople and per capita income ofabout $54,000. Taiwan boasts the19th largest economy in the worldand is a leading center of the high-tech industry. For example, Tai-wan’s Hon Hai Precision IndustryCo., doing business as Foxconn, is

the largest contracted electronicsmanufacturer in the world, pro-ducing products for Apple, Black-Berry and game consoles such asthe PlayStation.

Financial analysts looking togauge the pulse of the high-tech in-dustry worldwide need only tolook to Taiwan, as it has becomethe essential part of the equation inthe production of electronics.

With its relatively small popula-tion and limited marketplace be-cause of its size, Taiwan hasfocused a great deal of energy inexporting its products. Anyonedriving a vehicle in the UnitedStates has no doubt done so withcomputer chips produced in Tai-wan that are the brains of electron-ic control modules.

At the EV Taiwan show, manu-facturers displayed products thatreflect an emphasis on vehicle bat-teries that are relatively easy tocharge and plug in and out of vehi-cles and scooters. CM


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TYC garnered a silver Innovation Awardfor its head lamp with DRL LED lightguide.


uses an oil reminder system. And for the GM applications, itshould meet or exceed the dexosspecifications.

European auto makers are veryparticular about the kind of oilsthat go into their engines. Audi,BMW, Mercedes and VW all followa set of oil standards called theACEA European Oil Sequences.Like the API and ILSAC rating sys-tems, ACEA oil ratings are basedon specific laboratory test proce-dures and requirements. The rat-ings include various sets andsubcategories. Each rating has veryspecific requirements for viscosity,

shear stability, evaporation rates,sulfur and phosphor content, wearresistance, high- and low-tempera-ture performance, sludge resist-ance and oxidation resistance. Sospecific oils are specified for specif-ic European engine applications.

For example, Audi has a numberof oil specifications including501.01, 502.00, 505.00, 505.01,504.00 & 507.00. Each number rep-resents a specific oil requirement(much like GM’s “dexos” oil re-quirement for their engines). Oilswith a low volatility index are usu-ally specified for direct gasoline in-jection engines. If an oil does notmeet the specific requirements for

an application, recommend a dif-ferent oil that does.

To make things easier, some oilcompanies have introduced special“EURO” oils that meet the Euro-pean automaker’s requirements.

Once a vehicle is out of warran-ty, any type of oil can be used pro-vided it meets the vehiclemanufacturer’s viscosity recom-mendations and basic performancerequirements. Using the wrong oil(such as a bargain-priced conven-tional oil) in an engine that re-quires a high-quality, long-lifesynthetic oil is asking for enginetrouble, especially if the oil drainintervals are pushed too far. CM

TECH FEATURE

Motor Oils continued from page 29

cludes the clips, shims and/or in-sulators that secure the pads in thecaliper. Loose or missing anti-rattleclips, shims or insulators on thebacks of pads may contribute to anoise problem. In fact, anything

MECHANIC CONNECTION

wheel, through the steering gear, tothe steering linkage, and then tothe front wheels. The symptom of aworn Pitman arm or steering gearis excessive play in the steeringwheel. In contrast, the idler arm’sjob is to simply suspend the pas-senger side steering linkage fromthe frame. The primary symptomof a worn idler arm is wear on theouter edge of the passenger sidefront tire.

Wear in any of the four tie rodends results in excessive variationbetween toe-in and toe-out, both ofwhich cause tire wear and steeringwander. Since modern toe anglesare measured in thousandths of aninch, minor wear in each of thefour tie rod ends can cause criticalvariations in toe angle. Remember,

too, that because tie rod ends arepreloaded to compensate for nor-mal wear, the tie rod end should bediscarded if it feels loose. Last, it’sextremely important to remindyour retail customers that straight-ening a steering linkage part willcreate stress risers in the metal thatwill eventually fracture and causea catastrophic component failure.

From The Service Bay

Some alignment technicians preferpermanently lubricated steeringlinkage parts while others preferparts equipped with grease fittings.When replacing a tie rod assemblythat uses a stamped-steel adjustingsleeve, it’s advisable for conven-ience and for safety’s sake to re-place the sleeve along with the tirerod ends. And because they’re rep-

utation is riding on your parts,most professional technicians willinsist on premium-grade steeringlinkage components. CM

Ball Joints continued from page 30

that increases pad vibration canamplify brake noise, particularlywith semi-metallic pads.

When new pads are installed,they must be held securely by theirpositioning ears and/or anti-rattlesprings, clips or insulator shims,

Brake Hardware continued from pg. 26 otherwise they can vibrate andchatter. Installing a dampeningshim or applying a noise controlcompound or adhesive to the backsof the pads will help keep themquiet. CM

metallic contamination. If the fluidappears contaminated, the powersteering system should be flushedbefore installing the remanufac-tured steering gear. In many cases,the pressure and return steeringgear hoses also should be replacedto ensure maximum reliability.Last, but not least, always includethe recommended power steeringoil with the sale. Remember thatthe type of oil used is determinedby its compatibility with the rubberhoses and seals used in the steeringgear assembly. CM

Rack & Pinion continued from page 34

ADVERTISEHERE!

Tom Staab Classified Sales Mgr.

330-670.1234 ext. 224Fax 330.670.0874 • [email protected]

CLASSIFIED

Track Talk

They’ve helped Richard Petty,Dale Earnhardt and DavidPearson reach the pinnacle oftheir NASCAR career, and nowfans can once again aid in ush-ering in a new group of legendsinto the NASCAR Hall of Fame.

Fan voting for the NASCARHall of Fame Class of 2015 iscurrently open onwww.nascar.com/halloffame andruns through Tuesday, May 20at noon ET.

The five nominees receivingthe highest percentage of voteswill comprise the Fan Vote bal-

lot. This ballot will be includedamong the 54 submitted by theNASCAR Hall of Fame VotingPanel to determine the Class of2015. Voting Day for theNASCAR Hall of Fame Class of2015 is Wednesday, May 21,2014.

“The NASCAR Hall of Fameis the only hall of its kind

where fans have had avoice in the inductionprocess since its incep-

tion,” said Brett Jewkes,NASCAR chief communica-tions officer. “And the reasonis simple. NASCAR fans areextremely passionate andknowledgeable about thesport and its history, andhave demonstrated that withtheir selections for the firstfive classes.”

Last year, RichardChildress, Rick Hendrick,Dale Jarrett, Benny Parsonsand Fireball Roberts were onthe Fan Vote ballot. Jarrettand Roberts were enshrined

as part of the Class of 2014.The following 20 nominees

were voted upon by the 22-per-son Nominating Commit-teeat its first-ever in-person meet-ing Feb. 21, and appear on theFan Vote ballot onNASCAR.com:

• Buddy Baker, won 19times in NASCAR’s premier

(now SprintCup) series,including theDaytona 500a n dS o u t h e r n500;

• RedByron, firstNASCAR pre-mier serieschampion, in 1949;

• Richard Childress, 11-time car owner champion inNASCAR’s three national series;

• Jerry Cook, six-timeNASCAR Modified champion;

• Bill Elliott, 1988 pre-mier series champion, two-time Daytona 500 winner and16-time Most Popular Driver;

• Ray Fox, legendaryengine builder and owner ofcars driven by Buck Baker,Junior Johnson and others;

• Rick Hendrick, 14-time car owner champion inNASCAR’s three national series;

• Bobby Isaac, 1970NASCAR premier series cham-pion;

• Terry Labonte, Two-time NASCAR premier serieschampion;

• Fred Lorenzen, 26wins and winner of theDaytona 500 and World 600;

• Raymond Parks,NASCAR’s first champion carowner;

• Benny Parsons, 1973NASCAR premier series cham-pion;

• Larry Phillips, onlyfive-time NASCAR Whelen All-American Series nationalchampion;

• Wendell Scott,

NASCAR trailblazer was thefirst African-American NASCARpremier series race winner, andfirst to be nominated for induc-tion into the NASCAR Hall ofFame;

• O. Bruton Smith,builder of Charlotte MotorSpeedway and architect ofSpeedway Motorsports Inc.;

• Mike Stefanik, winnerof record-tying nine NASCARchampionships;

• Curtis Turner, earlypersonality, called the “BabeRuth of stock car racing”;

• Joe Weatherly, two-time NASCAR premier serieschampion;

• Rex White, 1960NASCAR premier series cham-pion;

• Robert Yates, wonNASCAR premier series cham-pionship as both an enginebuilder and owner.

Your vote matters! This isYOUR chance to be a part ofthe historical selection of theNASCAR Hall of Fame. You canvote as many times as you likewhile the Fan Vote is open.

Cast your vote today andtune in to NASCAR.com onMay 21 to see which of theselegends make up the NASCARHall of Fame Class of 2015.

Like Every Lap, Every Vote Matters

Follow NASCAR Performance on Twitter and Facebookwww.twitter.com/NASCARauto

www.facebook.com/NASCARPerformance

One of the nominees this year is the legendary Robert Yates who

won a NASCAR premier series championship as both an engine

builder and team owner

Fan voting is open! NASCAR fans are invited to help

pick the legends that will be enshrined in the

NASCAR Hall of Fame Class of 2015.

because some vehicles can use bothtypes of sensors on a single engine.

Parts Nomenclature

The part that actually controls thecamshaft position (and the valvetiming event) is called a “phaser.”VVT Phaser design includes piston

and vane-type configurations. Ineither case, the phaser uses engineoil pressure to push the piston orrotating vanes against a strongspring. With the vane-type phaser,a clock spring returns valve timingto a “default” position during en-gine start-up or if the VVT systemfails. Another part, called a valve

timing solenoid, meters engine oilpressure into the phaser. The VVTsolenoid is supplied key-on voltageand the PCM momentarilygrounds the circuit to meter oilpressure into the phaser until thevalve timing reaches the desiredvalue. The valve timing solenoidalso includes a very fine-meshscreen to prevent sludge and de-bris from entering the mechanism.

Timing Chain Hardware

In the case study mentioned above,the timing chain guides and ten-sioners failed due to extendedmileage. As a result, the driver’sside camshaft went out of time,which stored a P0022 diagnostictrouble code and illuminated the“Check Engine” warning light. Themechanic replaced both timingchains, the guides and thecamshaft/crankshaft sprockets.

Lubrication Issues

Since correct lubrication is critical tothe operation of the VVT phasersand solenoids, it’s doubly impor-tant that the correct viscosity of oilis used in a VVT engine. BecauseVVT designs use a metered oil ori-fice to adjust valve timing, an oilwith a higher than specified viscosi-ty can cause false VVT troublecodes to be stored in the PCM. Inaddition, the oil must have the cor-rect additive package to keep theengine’s oil passages, phasers, andVVT solenoid screens clean. Thecomplicating factor in the aboveVVT diagnosis was that, at 245,000miles, the VVT solenoid screens hadaccumulated enough varnish to re-strict oil flow. An earlier mechaniccorrected that condition by remov-ing the screens on one solenoid. Un-fortunately, the screens on theremaining solenoid were partiallyclogged, which caused the driver’sside camshaft to slowly retard afterstart-up until the engine beganbackfiring through the exhaust. Theproblem was solved by replacingthe remaining solenoid. CM


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MECHANIC CONNECTION

Timing continued from page 32


Boring, normal, same ol’ licenseplates are making a tech splash as oflate! At a time when the world isembracing the “Internet of Things,”

with “dumb” appliances getting smart, it’sgreat to see the un-exciting vehicle licenseplate stepping into the tech limelight. Appli-ances, buildings, vending machines, tractorsand more are getting “smart” by becomingconnected to the Internet and having a com-puter chip, sensor and an IP addressattached. However, the license plate nevergot its 2.0 day in history; it has stepped intothe spotlight all by itself without any modi-fications, update or upgrades.

To achieve this, license plates found anally in big data. Since Massachusetts be-came the first state to issue its own requiredlicense plate, license plates have spreadeverywhere. A license plate was issued toone Frederick Tudor back in 1903 (licenseplate No. 1 - which still remains active) withevery state in the Union following suit, withmore than half asking for two plates per car.With that law, Massachusetts not only man-ufactured the first porcelain-covered, iron-made license plate, but also created itssecond invention: vehicle registration logs.For more than 111 years, we have been log-ging owner and vehicle data on those logsin separate files everywhere; but, with so-phisticated networks of computers and theWorld Wide Web, big data collection is nowextremely affordable. The data gatheredfrom these files is being turned into useableproducts and services for businesses, policesurveillance, IRS and even the auto partscataloging!

At one end of the spectrum there is con-troversy, as license plates and registrationlog-coupled surveillance cameras and scantechnology everywhere are creating loca-tion-based identification systems for vehi-cles and their owners that are beingscrutinized by the likes of the ACLU and

COUNTER-TECHBy Mandy Aguilar

Technology That Makes UsLook Like Magicians

Homeland Security. In our current hyper-sensitive, post-Snowden privacy watch,many are questioning these practices whilehordes of marketers are in a mad dash to ac-cumulate this location-rich data and sell it toothers so they can easily target products andservices to us all. As stated by JenniferLynch, an attorney for the Electronic Fron-tier Foundation in a recent article in TheWashington Post, “When all that data is com-piled and aggregated, you can track some-body as they’re going through their life.”Tracking and studying our daily routines,coupled with our smartphones’ locationdata, credit card use and Facebook postings,can give the holders of that data an Or-wellian insight into our behaviors and pat-terns never before thought possible. Andwhat’s most interesting is that we are eitherclueless or willingly giving it all away.

Luckily for us in the auto parts industry,we can give Big Brother a small hall passand thank big data for bringing us a solu-tion to an age-old problem: Year, make andmodel, please? Since I was 11 years old, Iworked behind a parts counter at my un-cle’s dealership in Puerto Rico. Back then Ilearned that many parts customers don’t re-ally know the car they own — countermeneverywhere have heard many a customersutter those dreaded words: “I can’t recall theyear on my car, but aren’t they all thesame?”

OE dealers tackled this problem early onby creating databases with the VIN number,but only for the vehicles they made; not aton of help for the aftermarket. Soon after,electronic auto parts catalog data providersstarted offering accumulated VIN data forseveral vehicle manufacturers and identify-ing all vehicle brands for parts look up got alot more precise. The problem was that noone could remember a lengthy string of 17digits and letters to ID their cars if their lifedepended on it; not to mention what a drag

Mandy Aguilar is aregional vice president forJacksonville, Fla.-based

The Parts House.

Luckily for us inthe auto partsindustry, we cangive Big Brothera small hallpass and thankbig data forbringing us asolution to anage-oldproblem: Year,make and modelplease?

counterman.com 53

it is to key punch VIN numbers into anycomputer. There had to be a better way!

Enter the new functionality of “plate toVIN” data lookups. Just this past February,the Automotive Distribution Network intro-duced this feature to its WebShop e-Com-merce platform. The product takes vehicleregistration data collected by Polk and de-codes it to return specific Year/Make/Mod-el/Engine info and jumps the customerdirectly to the Product Category selectionview as published by WHI Solutions. As stat-ed in the Network’s press release: “(this newfunctionality) not only saves a few mouseclicks but also reduces lookup errors.”

The technology works like magic. Ourcustomers are embracing this functionality

swiftly. They love the reaction they get fromtheir customers when they look like DavidCopperfield or Chris Angel by gleaning thespecifics of their vehicle information justfrom the plate. A very surprising fact thatadds usability to the new functionality isthat customers everywhere seem to knowtheir plate number by heart; I never both-ered to commit mine to memory, but appar-ently most customers do. Technologicaladvances for the sake of technology usuallydoesn’t mean much, but tech advances forthe sake of making us look good and em-powering counterpros everywhere to looklike magicians, now that’s the stuff of won-der! Can I get an Abracadabra for the otherside of the counter please? CM

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Visit Mandy’s blog: www.mandyaguilar.com

Get FREE product and service info from the companies featured in this issue of Counterman. It’s fast and easy!

www.Counterman.com/ASAPand click the company you want info from!

Advertiser Page Advertiser PageAAPEX 7Airtex Corp. Cover 2, 1, 23AISIN 8Amsoil 13APA Management Group 11Auto Care Association 51Automotive Distribution Network 25AutoZone 9Babcox AMJ 55Bar’s Products 40Delphi Product & Service Solutions Cover, 3Eastern Catalytic 20ExxonMobil Cover 4Federal-Mogul/Wagner Brakes 36,37Federal Process Corp. 38Gabriel Ride Control 31GMB North America 45Gumout 17Intermotor 33

LIQUI MOLY GmbH 29Motor Components LLC 19NGK Spark Plugs 39Nissan North America 21NUCAP Industries 26, 42Packard Industries 14Permatex Inc. 5Peterson Manufacturing Co. 43Philips Lighting 44Schaeffler Group USA 15Solv-Tec 18TechSmart 27Stellar Automotive (Lube Guard) 10Timken 12TYC/Genera Corp. 41US Motor Works 50Walker Products Cover 3WD-40 35WIX Filters 47


MARKETPLACE › visit www.counterman.com/ASAP for reader service

A Tool Backpack And Trolley All-In-One

The Beta Tools of Italy C6T Tool Back-pack & Trolley was designed for the pro-fessional tool user who wants to staymobile with their tools. Unlike a tradi-tional tool bag that has a shoulderstrap, the C6T backpack/trolleycan be worn as a backpackbut then quickly switchedto trolley mode. The back-pack straps conceal insidea large zipper pocketwhen not being used. Thetelescopic handle isspring-loaded and ejectswith the push of a but-ton. The C6T has heavy-duty construction fromthe industrial strengthzippers with oversizedpulls right down to the rubber-ized bottom.

CARDONE New Product Announcement

At CARDONE, we’re determined to have the rightparts in stock when you need them. To accomplishthis, we’re constantly adding new parts to our cata-log of more than 46,000 SKUs. This month, we’repleased to announce the release of 30 A1 CARDONEreman numbers and 33 CARDONE Select new partnumbers. This release features a combination of newSKUs for popular vehicles like the Cadillac DTSalong with some exciting new exclusives like DodgeRam 1500 powder-coated brake calipers.

New Chemical Line From John Dow Industries

John Dow Industries’ (JDI) Dynamic brand has intro-duced its Pro Series Shop Chemical line. The Tire &Wheel Care category of products includes a profes-sional grade Dynamic Tire & Wheel Cleaner contain-ing a special polymer surfactant that breaks the bondof road soil and brake dust residue from all types ofwheels. The Dynamic-Tire Shine contains a uniqueemulsified silicon formula, making this product easyto apply, resulting in an even, glossy wet finish. TheSpecialty Shop Products category includes the Dynam-ic-PrePrep7, specifically formulated to clean the wheelsurface in preparation for applying adhesive wheelweights. This category also includes a general purposecleaner/degreaser called the Dynamic-Super Shop detergent.

T3080 ADB Pad Formula For HD Applications

Textar T3080 is an ultra premium/OE-quality airdisc brake formula engineered for high performancewhile maintaining low wear rates. In addition,Textar T3080 already meets the 2014 and 2021 “Bet-ter Brakes Rules” environmental regulations forheavy metals and copper content, an upcoming chal-lenge facing the brake friction industry. Textar nowhas four different friction materials for the NorthAmerican air disc brake market. Each material is de-signed to optimize the life cycle costs for a particularduty cycle.


Well, I guess that’s not reallythe way the saying goes, butit occurred to me on myrecent trip to Charlotte that it

could be. I occasionally have the opportu-nity to write a column on my travels andthat is the case this month. I was headingto North Carolina to see the folks atNASCAR and thought to myself, “I won-der what parallels racing has to ourindustry?”

I realize our industry has many ties andand a lot of history. But are there any di-rect connections between what you and Ido every day and what these teams gothrough to campaign a race car? I decidedto investigate the possibilities with a tripto Joe Gibbs Racing. The folks at Gibbswere gracious enough to agree to myvisit.

When I arrived, I was immediatelystruck with the level of cleanliness andprofessionalism that permeated the oper-ation. Organization and logical shop flowwas very apparent. Each area was desig-nated for a specific task and each area

FROM THE PUBLISHERBy S. Scott Shriber

Race on Sunday, Deliver Parts On Monday…

was spotless. And I am not talking shopspotless, I am talking surgical spotless.In fact, I could have been in an operat-ing room. The only difference was teammembers were in team garb instead ofscrubs.

The second thing that hit me was thesense of a common goal that was pres-ent. It was very clear that going fast inorder to win was the goal here. Theseshops are clearly on the bleeding edgeof pushing a vehicle to its outer limits.Of course, it is all done with an almostuncanny amount of promotion and mar-keting panache. It’s all about giving thesponsors and the fans the best showpossible.

So what’s the parallel? Well, in thedistribution business it’s all about speedto market. Technicians want their partsin 30 or less. They want the right partand they want to feel value. That allkind of sounds like what I saw at JoeGibbs Racing. Even if you service theDIY market, the customers expect manyof the same things. They want a sharp-

looking environment, knowl-edgeable staff for advice andwant it all handled quickly andat a value price point.

I think we can all take a les-son from the boys in North Car-olina. Keep it neat, do it fast,give them a great value andmake them feel special.

Thanks again to our hosts atJoe Gibbs Racing. See you on thetrack. CM

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For more information:www.counterman.com

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Well, in thedistributionbusiness it’s allabout speed tomarket.Technicianswant their partsin 30 minutes orless.

Counterman, May 2014

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Transcript of Counterman, May 2014