Scotland Ash News

Engine decarbonising brand TerraClean saw its two sponsored driving stars make a positive start to their respective 2018 campaigns at the weekend, in both the British Touring Car Championship (BTCC) and Renault UK Clio Cup races, held at Brands Hatch. 

Double BTCC champion Colin Turkington snatched second place in Sunday’s opening race of the season, with James Colburn also coming through for second in a thrilling finish in the first Renault UK Clio Cup race of the year.

Chasing a third title success in the championship, Team BMW’s Turkington was classified 27th in race two after suffering an engine issue on the start line and finished ninth in the day’s third race, setting the fastest lap in the process.

Meanwhile, James Colburn proved his title credentials on a weekend of mixed fortunes for the Westbourne Motorsport driver, who stormed to second place in front of a capacity crowd.

The 2011 runner-up was praised for his consistent performance, starting with a strong set of results in free practice on Friday, to claim second place in Sunday’s live ITV4-televised race. This, despite finishing seventh in practice thanks to a red flag and being forced to retire in race two, due to debris on circuit from another incident dislodged a drive belt, causing the car to overheat.”

Both drivers now head to the second meeting at Donington Park in three weeks’ time (28-29 April) with renewed confidence and exciting prospects for the rest of the season.

Phillip Dowd, Randstad sales director, said: “What an excellent start to the season for both of our drivers – if this is just the beginning, then we’re in for a fantastic ride ahead. We wish both Colin and James every success for the next race and look forward to supporting them trackside again in a few weeks’ time at Donington.”

“We’ve the largest network of DPF cleaning and engine decarbonising specialists in the UK and we have actively encouraged our service centres to work closely with fellow garages, for the benefit of the automotive industry” Phillip Dowd

Decarbonising brand TerraClean has predicted more garage partnerships as a result of the upcoming MOT test changes, specifically surrounding DPFs.

A draft MOT inspection manual states that “any vehicles fitted with a DPF should be checked so that ‘no visible smoke is emitted from the exhaust during the metered check’.” If smoke is detected, the car will automatically fail the examination.

Since 2014, when MOT tests for diesel cars were previously tightened up, any car missing a diesel particulate filter (DPF) once fitted as standard would fail. The DVSA claims 1800 cars have been caught without a DPF. What’s more, experts believe the number is much higher and suggest that the current MOT test, designed to detect DPF removal, is unfit for purpose. This is mainly because, it only includes a ‘visual inspection’ of the hardware. New MOT proposals coming into force in May will see DPFs coming under more and more scrutiny.

Phillip Dowd, sales director of Randstad Ltd, home of the TerraClean brand said: “The testing of DPFs is going to become more prominent and we are already seeing more independent garages calling on the TerraClean service centre network to assist with DPF related problems.

“We’ve the largest network of DPF cleaning and engine decarbonizing specialists in the UK and we have actively encouraged our service centres to work closely with fellow garages, for the benefit of the automotive industry.”

TerraClean’s efficient and effective EGR / DPF cleaning tool is able to thoroughly remove carbon deposits from the DPF whilst on the vehicle. TerraClean also offers an enhanced DPF cleaning service to its network including testing, cleaning and return of the product, offering the additional benefit of removing stubborn ash from the DPF.

TerraClean recently held a series of one-day training courses on the growing opportunities of Diesel Particulate Filters (DPFs) and will soon be announcing a series of 2018 dates. The sessions are aimed at supporting TerraClean Service Centres on the effective diagnosis of DPF / EGR related problems and how to solve them using the range of bespoke TerraClean products available.

In October, November and December 2017 we raised £405.00p for the Teenage Cancer trust, this is through a collection box and donating £1 from every MOT carried out!

Thank you to everyone who has donated!

The total amount raised is £4,546.00 up to the end of December 2017.

We will keep you informed of our ongoing progress. Look out for updates.

 

Randstad, via its engine decarbonising brand TerraClean, has donated more than £200 to The Dave Rayner Fund in memory of West Surrey Racing’s Simon Wood (aka Tippa), who passed away suddenly in December.

During Autosport International, visitors got the opportunity to participate in the Colin Turkington Simulator Challenge, where they competed for the fastest time. Over £200 was raised from the challenge and donated to the charity chosen by Colin and his wife Louise in memory of their close friend, Simon, Chief Truckie and Tyre and Fuel Technician for the BTCC team.

The Dave Rayner fund supports young, up-and-coming British cyclists to make a successful pro career.

TerraClean also offered visitors and motorsport fans a chance to meet double British Touring Car Championship (BTCC) champion Colin Turkington who made a VIP appearance on the stand throughout the event.

Phillip Dowd, TerraClean sales director and motorsport enthusiast, said: “We were delighted that motorsport fans got the chance to meet Colin on the TerraClean stand at this year’s Autosport International. We’re even more thrilled that we managed to raise over £200 for a charity close to Colin’s heart and an extremely worthy cause.”

BTCC Champion and TerraClean’s brand ambassador Turkington, said: “The team at TerraClean has done a brilliant job in supporting The Dave Rayner Fund and I would like to say a big thank you to all those who visited the stand and took part in the challenge, which has helped raise much needed funds.”

“It’s perhaps an understatement to say there’s been a lot of change this year, but it sets up the prospects of an interesting 2018 at least.

As the largest courtesy car fleet in Oxfordshire, we’ve enjoyed a busy year. And of course, we’ve seen a fast pace in development dictated by the trade through a relentless amount of consolidation and acquisitions. Is this just the tip of the iceberg as we head into 2018 I wonder?

Last year I highlighted the issue with consumers succumbing to poor main dealer standards. That still stands as being very much an issue we as an independent garage continue to tackle, moving in to next year.

More than ever, we need to hit home the message to our customers regarding Block Exemption. The number of consumers, who still believe taking their car to their main dealer when a problem arises on their vehicle as being the only option, is staggering. Whether this is due to a lack of awareness regarding choice and their rights, or due to a lack of trust with their local garage, it is our responsibility – and priority – to ensure that the level of trust is there. A rise in poor main dealer servicing standards is killing the trade’s reputation and so we must be proactive.

It is encouraging to see the IAAF’s Right2Choose campaign that is promoting the message to motorists. This champions our cause and we all must lend our voice to this campaign particularly as we head into 2018.

We are also seeing a trend in the market for more vehicle rentals, for some a preferred option to owning a car and being ‘burdened’ with the responsibility of taking it in for a service. Consumers are becoming more detached from their vehicle than ever before. The demands of modern life may be a factor, but garages need to focus more on customer convenience to help deter more numbers. We need to make the customer experience as best and as stress-free as possible – I’m talking improved customer service, excellent communication, more availability and slicker efficiency.

A marketing strategy, however basic, is essential – it should incorporate newsletters and social media in that mix. Again, this harks back to my comments regarding building trust. I know that we face daily challenges managing our own time, but we need to wherever we can deploy more effort now for the sake of longer-term customer relations and business objectives, to retain not just our existing customers but also generate new ones.”

Peter Welch, Scotlands Ash Garage

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Randstad, via its engine decarbonising brand TerraClean, has extended its partnership with double British Touring Car Championship (BTCC) champion Colin Turkington for the third year running, further strengthening its ties with motorsport.

Turkington enjoyed another successful season last year with TerraClean’s full support, just missing out on being crowned 2017 champion after being forced to retire in the final race and finishing second in the drivers’ overall standings.  

Turkington said: “I’m delighted to be brand ambassador for TerraClean once again and I am thoroughly relishing the prospect of a new season working with them. The nationwide network of TerraClean service centres are extremely supportive of myself and the team and have a presence at every race weekend.”

Phillip Dowd, Randstad sales director, said: “With around 40,000 track-side crowds and live coverage on ITV4, the BTCC offers us a great platform for brand exposure and the best all-round package for building awareness of our growing network of TerraClean service centres. What’s more, we’re delighted to be once again supporting such a renowned champion as Colin, and we wish him every success for 2018.”

Turkington will once again be competing for Team BMW when the new season kicks off at Brands Hatch on 8 April.