counterman, february 2014

Mandy Reviews Calendar Apps ● Enter Guess The Car For A Chance To Win $100

February 2014

Plus, We Look At:● Catalytic Converters● Electronic Control

Modules● Valve Train Timing

Sales● Cabin Air Filters● Chassis Parts

counterman.com/ASAP for reader service

Tech FeaturesBy Larry Carley

Don’t overlook replacement belt opportunities.............................................................34Cabin air: The “hidden” filter. ..........................36Wear will eventually takes its toll on chassis parts. ......................................................38Modern vehicles are filled with electronic control modules (ECM) ..................40Mechanic ConnectionBy Gary Goms

Understanding and selling catalytic converters. ..................................................................43The valve train timing market. ........................44

COUNTERMAN (ISSN 0739-3695) (February 2014 Volume 32, Number 2): Copyright 2014 Babcox Media, Inc. All Rights Reserved: Published monthly by Babcox, 3550 Embassy Parkway, Akron, OH 44333U.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 EmbassyParkway, 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 ser-vices representative 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. Mailpayment to COUNTERMAN, P.O. Box 75692, Cleveland, OH 44101-4755. Visa, MasterCard or American Express accepted.

Editor’s Ink By Mark Phillips ....................................................................8It’s the details that matter.

Keeping It Simple By Gerald Wheelus ........................................48A reader asks, how do you manage phone calls, in-store customers?

From The Publisher By S. Scott Shriber ......................................52Do you have one of these?

Counter-tech By Mandy Aguilar........................................................54Mandy looks at calendar apps.

Allen & Allan By Allen Markowitz and Allan Gerber........................56Do you work for a “go-to” store?

features

44

43

34

columns

4 February 2014 | Counterman

FebruaryVolume 32, No. 2

INSIDE

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departmentsAftermarket News ....................................................................................10Aftermarket News presents news, views and analysis of currenttrends and events in aftermarket distribution

MarketPlace......................................................................................22,23Every month, MarketPlace showcases the newest automotive prod-uct and service innovations your customers are asking about!

News extra........................................................................................................32An interview with Henry Hippert of Eastern Catalytic.

Classifieds ........................................................................................................50NASCAR Performance............................................................................51This monthly special section takes you behind the scenes of thisfast-growing sport.

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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, ColumnistAllen Markowitz, ColumnistAllan Gerber, ColumnistJerry King, Cartoonist

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

Edward S. Babcox (1885-1970)Founder

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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.

Member, BPA International

13

Ihate snow on the carpet in my house,the kind tracked in on shoes and boots. Ican’t help it. It’s a huge pet-peeve forme. Why does it bother me? There’s

something about walking around thehouse in winter in my socks, only to step ina frozen or wet mess. Off go the socks.

Be forewarned, that before coming over,you’ll need to remove your boots at thedoor. This is a no-exceptions rule except inthe event there’s a repair person comingover. I give them a little slack, mostly be-cause if it’s winter and I’ve called themout, they’re out in the cold to come helpme out of a bind.

Recently, it was the cable company. Ibraced myself for this by putting an extrathrow rug in front of the door that leads tothe garage. I figured that way, I could mini-

mize the wet, sloppy damage. So whenthe woman from the cable company

walked in the door, after havingforcefully kicked snow off her bootsoutside, she did the unbelievable:She grabbed a pair of waterproofboot footies from her equipment

belt and promptly placedthem over the soles of

her boots. Voila! Ice-on-carpet scare

averted. I was

shocked. Ieven re-marked to

her howgreat itwas. Youmight

EDITOR’S INKBy Mark Phillips

It’s The Details That Matter

think this is a little thing. And you’d beright. But isn’t it the little things that reallymatter, those little details?

If the cable woman had just carelesslywalked through my house, spreading snowand ice up and down the steps and all overmy carpets, I would have thought to my-self, “Typical. Exactly what I expected. An-other reason to hate the cable company.”

But here I am, writing about it. Writingabout someone putting little waterprooffooties on their boots. Believe it or not, be-fore she even performed the work she wasthere to do, my impression of the cablecompany had improved. Then, she ex-plained in detail the work she was going todo and within 30 minutes, had drasticallyimproved the Internet service coming intomy home. Talk about turning what couldhave been a routine service visit into ashining example of how customer serviceshould be.

After all, there are a number of ways Icould get Internet service into my housethese days. You can use a satellite dish; cable company; phone company; my ownwireless device; an iPad with service. So Ihave options. But this most recent experi-ence has left me with a much improvedimpression of the company I do businesswith.

So what about you? Do you have cus-tomers that one day, you just never hearfrom again? Are you asking customerswhat you could do better? Are you makingthe extra effort to go to any length to find adifficult-to-find part?

Maybe it’s time to find your version ofwaterproof footies. CM

■ ■ ■

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

Are you askingcustomers whatyou could dobetter?


GERMANTOWN, Tenn. – CBK In-ternational Inc., a warehouse dis-tributor based in Mississauga,Ontario, Canada, has joined theAutomotive Distribution Networkas an Auto Pride member, accord-ing to Mike Lambert, Networkpresident.

“CBK International is a fast-ris-ing company that will be an excel-lent representative of the AutoPride brand as the Network contin-ues to extend its footprint intoCanada,” Lambert said. “I’m confi-dent this new partnership will bemutually beneficial, enabling CBKto utilize the Network’s purchasingpower, IT initiatives and marketingsupport to continue to expand theircustomer base.”

Operating out of its 42,000-square-foot main warehouse inMississauga, CBK Internationalcurrently serves approximately 100jobber stores in Ontario and Que-

bec. CBK also has four co-operatedjobber stores, along with 10 associate jobber locations.

According to Roy Shen, vicepresident of CBK, the timing wasright for CBK to join the Networkas the company increases its num-ber of product lines and continuesits steady growth. “As a member of

the Network, CBK will add severalproduct lines so we can serve as abetter supply chain to support ourcustomers,” Shen said. “CBK’s affil-iation with the Network and theAuto Pride brand will not onlystrengthen confidence with our cur-rent jobbers but also enable us togrow our customer base.”

AFTERMARKET NEWS

What vehicle does this picturerepresent? If you think youknow the answer, go towww.counterman.com andclick “Guess the Car” on thenav bar. Submit your answerand contact information. Awinner will be randomlyselected by the Countermanstaff from all correct answers.The deadline to enter is March 6. The winner’s namewill appear in the next issue.Stay tuned!

Caprice (Chevrolet)

Congrats to Randy Eckert,Conroe, Texas

Last Month’s Correct Answer:This Month’s Puzzle

Guess the Car / Win $100!

#73

#72

CBK International Joins The Network As Auto Pride Member

Johnson Controls Sells AutomotiveElectronics Business To Visteon

MILWAUKEE – Johnson Controls has signed a definitive agreementto sell its automotive electronics business to Visteon Corp. for $265 mil-lion. Under the terms of the agreement, Visteon will acquire JohnsonControls' instrument cluster, infotainment, display and body electronicsproducts. The company previously sold the HomeLink product portionof its electronics portfolio to Gentex Corp. in September 2013. “Visteonis a good strategic fit for the business and will provide the right level ofcommitment and the best long-term value for our customers and em-ployees,” said Alex Molinaroli, chairman and CEO of Johnson Controls.

GERMANTOWN, Tenn. – As part of its launch of theParts Plus Mexico program, the Automotive Distribu-tion Network recently signed into membership twonew members in Mexico: Grupo Esquivel AutopartesS.A. de C.V., based in Aguascalientes, Aguascalientes,Mexico, and Mayoreo Automotriz Franco S.A. de C.V.(MAFRA).

“After much preparation tailoring a Parts Plus pro-gram specifically for markets in Mexico with the helpof our manufacturer partners, we are proud to official-ly announce the addition of Grupo Esquivel Au-topartes S.A. de C.V. into membership,” said MikeLambert, president of the Automotive DistributionNetwork. “Parts Plus Mexico will not only greatly ex-pand the Network’s footprint but also enable ware-houses and their independent jobber customers in thecountry to have better purchasing power, enhancedbest practices, greater computer technology and pro-fessional marketing programs that will enable them tomore effectively compete against the big-box retailersand other competitors.”

A traditional three-step warehouse, Grupo Esquivel


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AFTERMARKET NEWS

Over the Counter By Jerry King

The Network Signs Two Parts Plus Mexico MembersAutopartes S.A. de C.V. operates 10 locations in majorcities throughout Mexico: Aguascalientes, Monterrey,Guadalajara, Queretaro, Pachuca, Morelia, San Luis Po-tosi, Leon, Celaya and Irapuato.

“With several new competitors opening in Mexico,the timing was right to join Parts Plus Mexico to pro-vide our customers with the tools they need to continueto succeed,” said Jorge Esquivel, a third-generationbusiness owner who serves as president and CEO ofGrupo Esquivel Autopartes S.A. de C.V.

“We’re pleased that MAFRA will now be flying theParts Plus banner in Mexico,” said Lambert. “Formerlya successful member of our CMB division, MAFRA isyet another example of a business continuing to growand expand under the Network umbrella.”

Based in Tijuana, Baja California, Mexico, MAFRA isa third-generation business serving the traditionalthree-step market throughout the area. Owned and op-erated by brothers Jose Manuel Franco, president, andRicardo Franco, vice president of operations, MAFRAwill utilize the Parts Plus Mexico program to more ef-fectively compete with big box retailers and other pro-gram groups entering the country.

VIP Tires & Service Raises MoreThan $22,000 For Make-A-WishPORTLAND, Maine – During this past holiday sea-son, VIP Tires & Service successfully completed itssixth annual fundraising campaign for Make-A- Wish.This year’s campaign came with a special surprise –John Quirk, president and CEO, committed to matchwhat was raised by the stores. Every VIP store partici-pated in this seasonal program promoting donationsto Make-A-Wish and, along with the match, VIP’s em-ployees raised $22,604 through customer donations.VIP Tires and Service donates $22,604 to Make-A-Wishafter holding its sixth annual fundraising campaignfor the non-profit organization. Pictured here from leftto right: Adam Dunbar, member of Make-A-Wishboard of directors; Tim Winkeler, chief operating offi-cer; John Quirk, president and CEO; Rebecca Leam-ing, development manager of Make-A-Wish Maine;Mary Daigle, office support manager; and Tom Peaco,executive director of Make-A-Wish Maine.

By giving stars to customers who made donationsto Make-A-Wish, VIP raised not only critical funds,but also awareness of the tremendous work beingdone by this organization.

“Each branch collected donations for their localMake-A-Wish chapter,” said Tom Peaco, executive di-rector of Make-A-Wish Maine. “In Maine, we grant awish every five days and the average cost is $6,000.Partnering with VIP gives everyone the chance to do-nate as little or as much as they can to help a child liv-ing in their own state.”

Wishes range from trips to Walt Disney World tocomputer gaming systems, playhouses, dinosaur digsand more. Support for these wishes help Make-A-Wish fulfill their mission – to enrich the human expe-rience with hope, strength and joy.

counterman.com 13

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AFTERMARKET NEWS

VIP Tires and Service donates $22,604 to Make-A-Wish afterholding its sixth annual fundraising campaign for the non-profit organization. Left to right: Adam Dunbar, member ofMake-A-Wish Board; Tim Winkeler, COO; John Quirk,President & CEO; Rebecca Leaming, Development Manager ofMake-A-Wish Maine; Mary Daigle, Office Support Manager;and Tom Peaco, Executive Director of Make-A-Wish Maine.---

SAN ANTONIO, Texas – Aftermar-ket Auto Parts Alliance has an-nounced the winners in its AutoValue and Bumper to Bumper partsstores’ “Drive To Daytona” promo-tion – one of the largest sweep-stakes of its kind in aftermarkethistory. Each month from Septemberthrough November 2013, eight qual-ifying technicians were chosen towin an all-inclusive trip for two to afull weekend of racing action atDaytona International Speedway forthe Budweiser SPEEDWEEK 2014event. Three of the 24 lucky tripwinners will receive a key at DAY-TONA that gives them a chance towin a 2014 Corvette Stingray.

In addition to the eight trips permonth, 50 participating technicianseach month received a variety ofconsumer electronic prizes includ-ing 55-inch LED televisions, iPads,Digital SLR cameras and Bluetoothsound systems. Also, each monthone lucky winner received a Mus-tang GT as a part of the sweep-stakes package.

The Daytona trip winners are:(Shop, Location, WD)● Akeley Auto Center, Akeley,

Minn., Auto Parts HQ● Antigo Auto Center, Antigo,

Wis., Auto-Wares● Berrydale Certigard, Win-

nipeg, Manitoba, Piston Ring● Bill’s Quality Auto, Tulsa,

Okla., Parts Warehouse Inc.● Cindora Auto Sales, Caledo-

nia, Ontario, Vast Auto● Downtown Shell, Palm

Springs, Calif., Metro● Expert Auto Electric, Tyler,

Texas, ABC Auto Parts

● Farmer’s Cooperative, Ply-mouth, Neb., Merrill Co.

● Frye’s Automotive, MargateCity, N.J., Eastern Auto PartsWarehouse

● Gendron/Fisher, Alstead,N.H., Bond Auto Parts

● Integrity Tire, San Bernardino,Calif., Metro

● Leimberger’s Auto Repair,Chester, Va., Hahn Automotive

● MainStreet, Grand Rapids,Mich., Auto-Wares

● Cruisin Auto, Red Deer, Alber-ta, Central Auto Parts

● Pike’s Tire and Service, Searcy,Ariz., Parts Warehouse Inc.

● Right Way Automotive, Sud-bury, Ontario, Maslack Supply

● Seeger Repair, Creve Coeur,Mo., All Car

● Seever Repair, Pleasanton,Calif., Trimon

● Shields Service, Louisville,Ky., Moog Louisville

● Spec Performance, Kankakee,Ill., Lang Distributing

● Big B’s Automotive,Cambridge Springs, Pa., HahnAutomotive

● Superior Auto Repair, SaltLake City, Utah., HendersonAutomotive

● Tires Unlimited, San Jose,Calif., NPW

● Yosemite Smog and Electric,Oakhurst, Calif., Smith Auto Parts

“The Drive to Daytona sweep-stakes has proven to be a huge suc-cess for our Auto Value andBumper to Bumper parts storesand distributors,” said Dan Willi-ford, Aftermarket Auto Parts Al-liance marketing director. “With avariety of outstanding prize pack-ages and 59 chances to win eachmonth, we were really able tomove the sales needle in a signifi-cant way. We can’t wait to host thewinners at the Daytona Interna-tional Speedway next month!”


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The Alliance Announces ‘Drive ToDaytona’ Sweepstakes Trip Winners

ALSIP, Ill. — Web 2 Market, a Webdevelopment firm in the Chicagoarea, announces the general avail-ability of integration betweenShowMeTheParts and the Magentoe-commerce solution. Manufactur-

ers, wholesalers and resellers cannow easily and quickly open a Webstorefront or catalog to become on-line merchants.

The store can be integrated withdata from the ShowMeTheParts

database of more than 250 manu-facturers, 1 million products and100 million application datarecords. By integrating theShowMeTheParts data, visitors tothe merchant’s site will be able tosearch for the part byyear/make/model data, VIN, SKUand/or cross reference number.The search results will include anyproduct in the merchant’s catalog.

The product’s detail page in-cludes product name, description,image, application data and techni-cal documents, all populated fromthe ShowMeTheParts database, au-tomatically. The merchant can con-trol price, name and otherattributes, if desired.


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AFTERMARKET NEWS

ShowMeTheParts Enters StrategicPartnership With Web 2 Market

CARQUEST AutoParts Announces‘Ten To Win’ Sweepstakes GrandPrize WinnerRALEIGH , N.C. – SammyGuinn of Guinn’s Tire & Autoin Marietta, Ga., is the 2013CARQUEST “Ten To Win”sweepstakes grand prize win-ner. Guinn is the winner of afully restored 1965 Ford Mus-tang, which he took delivery ofJan. 18 at the Barrett-JacksonAuction in Scottsdale, Ariz.

The CARQUEST “Ten toWin” Sweepstakes was a 10-month contest, held from Feb-ruary through November 2013,exclusively for professionalcustomers of CARQUESTAuto Parts stores.

Grand prize winner Guinnis owner of Guinn’s Tire &Auto, a family owned and op-erated business in the Mariet-ta, Ga., area for more than 35years. His business also is aproud member of TECH-NETProfessional Auto Service(www.techauto.com).

SPENCER, Iowa – Arnold MotorSupply, headquartered in Spencer,Iowa, has recognized its top per-formers for the Retail Store Divisionof The Arnold Group of Companiesfor 2013. The winners were honored

for his exemplary effort goingabove and beyond the norm in cus-tomer service and satisfaction.Bauer’s store reached a milestone insales in 2013.

Also at the meeting, Troy Tullis,manager of the Arnold Motor Sup-ply automotive parts store in Ames,Iowa, received the Store Manager ofthe Year Award. This award wascreated to recognize the individualwho best exemplifies outstandingleadership in the pursuit of per-formance excellence, and who hasdone the most to further store per-formance in the Arnold Group ofCompanies.

Arnold Motor Supply also recog-nized the top performers in the Re-tail Store Division of The ArnoldGroup of Companies for 2013.

The Top 5 Awards recognize thetop producers companywide inboth sales and the percentage in-crease of sales.

Industrial Paint Solutions (IPS) inSpencer, Iowa, received the DivisionLeader award in the category of TopSales. Terry Hammer is the managerof the IPS Division.

The Auto Refinish Solutions(ARS), also in Spencer, received the

Division Leader award in the cat-egory of Top Sales Increase. BradEdwardson is the manager of theARS Division.


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AFTERMARKET NEWS

Keith Bauer Of Arnold Motor Supply UrbandaleRecognized As A Top Performer For 2013

at the company’s manager’s meet-ing, held Jan. 14 in Ankeny, Iowa.

Keith Bauer, manager of theArnold Motor Supply in Urban-dale, Iowa, received the company’s“Service is the Difference” Award,

Bauer, right, with AMS’ Dennis Spooner.

Troy Tullis received the Store Managerof the Year Award.

DUBLIN, Calif. – Epicor SoftwareCorp. has announced that the Epi-cor Payment Exchange credit cardprocessing solution is now avail-able to automotive aftermarketparts distributors, jobbers and re-tailers that want to simplify pay-ment processing and reduce thecosts associated with many third-party providers.

“Many third-party credit cardprocessors cater to the interests ofnational big-box retailers, which canlead to higher rates and reducedconvenience for smaller, specializedbusinesses,” said Steve Bieszczat,senior vice president, automotiveand marketing, retail distributionsolutions for Epicor. “Epicor Pay-ment Exchange puts the power backinto the hands of Epicor customers

with significant savings in manycases and a full range of servicesthat help save time, reduce hassleand improve the consumer’s buyingexperience.”

According to the company, Epi-cor Payment Exchange is a con-venient, secure service thathandles each step in credit cardtransactions, including authoriza-tion, settlement and reporting.More than 1,000 merchants usethe solution, whose businesses arepowered by the Epicor Eagle busi-ness management solution. Thisscale enables Epicor Payment Ex-change users to benefit from vol-ume discounts that often are notpassed along to store operators bysome other processing firms, ac-cording to Epicor.


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AFTERMARKET NEWS

Epicor Launches Payment Exchange Credit Card Processing Solution

APA Plans2015, 2016 AnnualConferencesLENEXA, Kan. – AutomotiveParts Associates (APA) has es-tablished plans for its 2015 and2016 Annual Conferences.

The Hyatt Regency CenturyPlaza in Los Angeles, Calif., willhost the 34th Annual ConferenceMarch 18-20, 2015. The group’s35th annual conference will beheld March 9-11, 2016, at Disney’sContemporary Resort in Orlando,Fla.

Beginning in 2015, attendeescan expect a revised weeklyschedule. Most notably will be thepattern changing to a Wednesdaythrough Friday schedule, and thegolf tournament shifting to theend of the program.


Fight Back Against Winter With PlastiKote Undercoat

Harsh winter weather across the country has beennot been kind to vehicles. Plastikote Undercoat canhelp protect the underside of vehicles against theravages of winter. Available in both professional(273) and rubberized(272) undercoating,PlastiKote Undercoatprovides durable pro-tection against rust, cor-rosion, moisture, fumes,dust, heat and cold.PlastiKote rubberizedundercoating offers aflexible, non-asphalticcoating that contains noasbestos fiber, whileprofessional undercoat-ing delivers an effectivesound barrier to reduceroad noise.

Arnott Releases New AirSuspension CompressorFor Bentley ContinentalGT, Flying Spur

Arnott Inc. has an-nounced the releaseof a new, heavy-duty air suspen-sion compressorfor the 2003-2012Bentley ContinentalGT, and the 2006-2012 Bentley Flying Spur (OE partNo. 3D0616005K). Arnott’s air compressor for theBentley is new – not remanufactured – and made byWABCO, the OE manufacturer. The compressor shipscomplete with new air fittings, a thermal sensor andintake hose assembly. The Bentley compressor iscompletely assembled, tested and includes an easy-to-follow installation manual with detailed instruc-tions on reusing the Bentley mounting bracket.Arnott’s Bentley air compressor, part No. P-2740, retails for $1,093.75. Arnott backs each new Bentleycompressor with an unlimited mileage/two-yearwarranty.

Coming Soon: The NewATEQ VT56 TPMS Tool

Technicians looking for amulti-function TPMS toolthat helps them balance theimportant aspects of theirwork will soon have a newoption. Beginning in thespring of 2014, ATEQ will

launch the ATEQ VT56 with an optional wirelessprinter and docking station. The ATEQ VT56 is thefirst TPMS tool to offer a powerful and unique newTPMS relearn experience. It’s the fastest and mostadvanced ATEQ TPMS tool yet, and is designed tocontinuously adapt to a technician’s needs.

The ATEQ VT56 features an ergonomic keypadand provides a modern and easy sensor triggeringand programming experience. The VT56 also fea-tures a high-resolution 4.3-inch color display. TheVT56 will be the first ATEQ TPMS tool to print wire-lessly with an optional docking station integratedprinter. You will no longer require a computer toprint detailed TPMS information for your customer.

Wagner Lighting Introduces Advanced LEDSealed Beam Headlamps For CommercialApplications

Federal-Mogul’s Wagner Lighting brand, “The Auto-motive Lighting Experts,” has introduced LED sealedbeam replacement headlamps for commercial appli-cations and some passenger vehicles. The new LEDlamps, available through any Wagner Lighting dis-tributor or retailer, help dramatically improve driv-ing visibility in a full range of operating conditions.The new lamps’ bulb-free LED design virtually elimi-

nates damage caused byroad shock and vibra-tion while projecting abrighter, whiter andcrisper light that extendsthe driver’s field of vi-sion as compared tostandard halogen head-lamps. Each new lamp iscompliant with U.S.DOT requirements.

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

EnerSys IntroducesGroup 65 Battery ToODYSSEY PerformanceSeries Product Line

EnerSys has expanded itsODYSSEY Performance Series battery product of-fering to include the Group 65 battery designed specif-ically for consumer applications. The ODYSSEYPerformance Series 65-760 battery features 762 coldcranking amps (CCA), 129 reserve capacity (RC) min-utes and deep cycle capability up to 400 cycles at 80percent depth of discharge. Engineered with ThinPlate Pure Lead (TPPL) technology, ODYSSEY Per-formance Series batteries feature rugged construction,high reliability and deep cycling capabilities to delivermore overall power and longer service life than con-ventional batteries. The battery features a three- to 10-year service life and two-year storage life at 77 degreesfahrenheit (25 degrees celsius). It is vibration-resistant,classified as “non-spillable” by the U.S. Department ofTransportation and includes a limited four-year full re-placement warranty. It also corresponds to BatteryCouncil International (BCI) Group 65.

DENSO Develops Highly StandardizedAutomotive Climate Control Unit

Global automotive supplier DENSO has developed anew automotive climate control unit that can beused for a wide variety of vehicles ranging fromcompact to luxury cars. This new standardized auto-motive climate control unit, which is smaller andlighter while realizing higher performance, is theworld’s first of its kind. The new smaller, lighter cli-mate control unit also can be used in eco-friendlycars. For instance, for stop/start systems, the evapo-rator in the unit can be replaced with a cold storageevaporator; and for hybrid and electric vehicles, theheater core can be replaced with a heat pump airconditioning system. Also, by changing the blowerfan to two-layer structure, to take in external air and

circulate internal air simultaneously, the airconditioning system could be used

for vehicles with lim-ited heat sources.DENSO’s new cli-

mate control unit wasreleased last December.

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

Delphi Launches Five New Accessories ForDiagnostic Scan Tools

Delphi Product & Service Solutions (DPSS) hasannounced five new accessories for its diagnosticsscan tools. Delphi’s Diagnostic Scan Tool and FlashProgrammer are complete diagnostic solutions forvehicle service and repair. Operating on a PC-basedplatform, technicians connect the tool to the OBDIIconnector under the instrument panel to determinetrouble codes and are guided to the suspect area.Technicians can use the tool, which has access to thelatest OE data and software, to get current service re-pair information (with subscriptions after the first sixmonths) and dedicated tech support.

counterman.com 23

TechSmart Releases New Import SolutionsTech Session Videos

Standard Motor Products Inc. has released a TechS-mart Tech Session video featuring TechSmart importsolutions.

Highlighting the TechSessions are TechSmart’sall-new, not remanufac-tured, electronic throttlebodies for Nissan and Infiniti,and TechSmart VVT chaintensioner kits for VW andAudi. These VVT kits includeevery necessary componentto get the job done right. Alsofeatured are power distributioncenters for VW and Audi, an ignitioncoil harness repair kit, expansion tank service kits forBMW and more.

The Tech Session video series is available for view-ing on the TechSmart YouTube channel,www.youtube.com/TechSmartParts, as well as onwww.facebook.com/TechSmartParts, by clicking on thevideo channel button.


ALLENTOWN, Pa. – MAM Soft-ware has announced Tri-State Enter-prises, a truck accessories wholesaledistributor and member of The Net-work, will install Autopart businessmanagement software at its loca-tions in Fort Smith and Little Rock,Ark. Tri-State Enterprises started in1974 as a Ford Authorized Distribu-tor, offering Motorcraft with a lineof aftermarket truck and SUV acces-sories. Nearly 40 years later in 2012,Tri-State’s management team decid-ed it was time to take the businessin a new direction and began exe-cuting plans to expand its offeringto include aftermarket replacementparts. “The replacement parts initia-tive strained our existing businessmanagement software,” said TristanTaylor, general operations manager.“We needed aftermarket-specificfunctionality, including partslookup, better inventory manage-ment and a system that allowed forproduct scanning in and out. We

also needed the ability to handleEDI to speed up receiving. Withoutthose enhancements, we knew ourinitiative wouldn’t succeed as wellas we had envisioned. It quickly be-came clear that we needed the besttool set available if we wanted tobecome a competitive force withinthe replacement parts sector of theaftermarket.”

According to MAM, Autopart is aversatile business-management so-lution that fuses sales, stock man-agement, accounting and reportingprocesses that will supply Tri-StateEnterprises with:

● Rapid parts lookup for phoneroom sales staff and customers inthe field

● Inventory speedily received intotheir system

● Better inventory forecasting –product on the shelf when it is need-ed and returned when overstocked

● A faster e-commerce fulfillmentprocess

Permatex UnveilsNew Corporate LogoHARTFORD, Conn. – Permatex, a leading innovator in chemicaltechnology for automotive main-tenance and repair, has just devel-oped and launched a new logofor its Permatex brand. The newdesign will be used as both agraphic for its corporate identityas well as a logo mark for itsproduct packaging and marketingcommunications.

The announcement was made bySean Lyon, director of marketingand product management for Per-matex, who noted, “Our primaryobjective in developing a new logowas to create a clean, modern anduniform look for the Permatexbrand. We had been using the fa-miliar blue and orange box designon all of our packaging since 1970,and in early 2000, we introduced aseparate Permatex corporate logofor internal use and marketing.Over the years, we felt that the useof two logos did not work to ouradvantage in maintaining a strongPermatex brand mark and con-tributed to some confusion amongconsumers.”

According to the company, thenew logo update continues to usethe same well-known corporatecolors of blue and orange, the ubiq-uitous Permatex swirl and a fontthat is somewhat similar but a re-fresh to the current typography.

Lyon further explains, “The endresult of our efforts is a crisper andcleaner, more modern appearance,which we believe will create astronger symbol to which all of ourconsumers can relate. The newlogo is the first element of a newpackage design that Permatexplans to launch in 2014.”

AFTERMARKET NEWS

Tri-State Enterprises Chooses MAM Software’sAutopart Business Management Software

Centric Parts Adds 100,000 Square FeetOf Additional Warehouse Space

INDUSTRY, Calif. – Centric Parts, leading manufacturer and supplier ofaftermarket brake components and systems under the Centric, Posi Qui-et, C-TEK and StopTech labels among others, has announced the additionof 100,000 square feet of new warehouse and office space adjacent to itsexisting City of Industry, Calif., facility. This brings Centric’s total squarefootage in Industry to 470,000, and to a combined 650,000 square feet be-tween the company’s three Southern California facilities.

“As our product range continues to grow and we continue to add newapplications for every product line we offer, we have decided to add an-other building to our City of Industry facility,” said Dan Lelchuk, presi-

dent of Centric Parts. “Thisnew warehouse allows usto house an even larger in-ventory of parts so we maycontinue providing thehighest fill rate in the in-dustry – and it providesthe additional space re-quired for our upcomingproduct line expansion.”

YAKIMA, Wash. – Fuse5, a leadingautomotive aftermarket cloud plat-form, announced that its producthas been launched by Triangle AutoSupply Company in Yakima, Wash.

Triangle Auto Supply is Yakima’soldest family owned and operatedparts store. The company has beenserving Eastern Washington since1921. In business for more than 90years, Triangle Auto Supply is athird-generation, family ownedbusiness.

“Fuse5 certainly takes us into thenext century,” said Todd Degrasse,owner of Triangle Auto Supply.“From stem to stern, Fuse5 is aseamless process. We needed totransition to a new system in a verylimited time frame and I’m certainno other software company couldhave made it happen so fast.”

The creators of Fuse5 say theycontinually work to improve their

solutions to meet the demand for in-dependent businesses striving to re-main relevant in an increasinglycompetitive environment.

“We are excited to have TriangleAuto join the Fuse5 family,” saidGabe Davis, CEO of Fuse5 Inc. “Asan ADN partner, we’re grateful forthe opportunity to bring true cloudsoftware into a market that’s eagerfor change.”

According to the company, theFuse5 cloud platform offers cus-tomers reduced monthly costs withthe ability to pair their software totheir business processes.

“Everyone on the Fuse5 team isvery helpful and does a great jobthinking outside of the box whenthey need to,” said Degrasse. “Theyreally have a personal touch andtruly take the time to know theircustomers. The Fuse5 team is second-to-none.”


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Triangle Auto Supply Goes Live With Fuse5

Catalog Managers Conference Registration OpensBETHESDA, Md. – The National Catalog Managers Association(NCMA) announced that registration is now open for the 41st annualKnowledge Exchange Conference, May 4-7. The event will be attendedby nearly 300 content professionals and hosted at the Sheraton WildHorse Pass resort in Chandler, Ariz

The Knowledge Exchange Conference agenda features presentationsfrom Mark Seng, vice president, aftermarket and commercial vehicle, IHSAutomotive; Tim Folks, senior director, enterprise architecture and contentservices, CARQUEST; and Brent Windom, president and COO, U.S., Uni-Select. Breakouts and panels will address topics ranging from the ACESand PIES industry standards to telematics and digital asset management.

NCMA is the only organization devoted to the education, networkingand career development needs of automotive content and product man-agement professionals. The annual conference features keynote speakers,technical training breakouts, panel discussions and a vendor partnertrade show. NCMA members benefit from networking with hundreds ofothers who share a common profession, as well as with the solution andtechnology vendors on which they rely. Registration for the conference is$495 for members and $695 for non-members. A group rate of $189 isavailable at the Sheraton Wild Horse Pass until April 4. The venue is 15minutes from Sky Harbor Airport in Phoenix, Ariz. To register, visitwww.aftermarket.org and click “Meetings/Events.”


Oxygen sensors have beenused for more than aquarter of a century,dating back to 1980

when the first computerizedengine control systemsappeared. The oxygen (O2)sensor is part of the fuelmanagement system. It mon-itors unburned oxygen in theexhaust. The powertrain con-trol module (PCM) uses thisinformation to determine if thefuel mixture is rich (too muchfuel) or lean (not enough fuel).

To provide the best perform-ance, fuel economy and emis-sions, the PCM has toconstantly readjust the fuelmixture while the engine is run-ning. It does this by looking atthe signal from the O2 sensor(s),and then increasing or decreas-ing the on-time (dwell) of thefuel injectors to control fuel delivery.

Internal Heaters

Oxygen sensors don’t pro-duce a signal until they arehot, so the O2 sensors inmost late-model vehicleshave an internal heater thatstarts heating up the sensor as soonas the engine starts. Older, first-gen-eration O2 sensors lacked this fea-ture and took much longer to reachoperating temperature, which in-creased cold start emissions.

Once the sensor is hot, a zirconia-type O2 sensor will generate a volt-age signal that can range from a fewtenths of a volt up to almost a fullvolt. When there is little unburnedoxygen in the exhaust, the sensorusually generates 0.8 to 0.9 volts.The PCM reads this as a “rich” sig-

nal, shortens the duration of thefuel injector pulses to reduce fuel

delivery, and leans out the fuelmixture.

When there is a lot of unburnedoxygen in the exhaust — which

may be from a lean fuel mix-ture, or if the engine has a mis-fire or compression leak — the

O2 sensor will produce a low-voltage signal (0.3 volts or less).

The PCM reads this as a “lean”signal, increases the duration ofthe injector pulses, and adds fuelto enrich the fuel mixture.

A slightly different variationon this is the titania-type O2 sen-sor. Used in some older Nissanand Jeep applications, this type

of sensor changes resistancerather than producing a voltagesignal.

In recent years, the design of O2sensors has changed. The ceram-

ic thimble-shaped element inzirconia-type O2 sensors has

been replaced by a flat stripceramic “planar” style sensor ele-ment.

The basic operating prin-ciple is still the same (the

output voltage changes asO2 levels in the exhaust change), butthe new design is smaller, muchmore robust and faster to reach op-erating temperature. You can’t seethe difference from the outside be-cause the tip of the sensor is cov-ered with a vented metal shroud,but many O2 sensors from 1997 andup use the planar design.

Another change has been the in-troduction of “wideband” O2 sen-sors, which are also called“Air/Fuel” or A/F sensors. Thistype of O2 sensor also uses a flat

strip ceramic element inside, but ithas extra internal circuitry that al-lows the sensor to measure the ex-haust air/fuel ratio with a muchhigher degree of precision. It cantell the PCM the exact air/fuel ratio,not just a gross rich or lean indica-tion as other O2 sensors do.

Sensing A Problem?

Many late-model engines canhave as many as four or more oxy-gen sensors, so it’s important toknow which sensor is having aproblem if there is an O2 sensorfault code. The code will usuallyidentify the problem sensor by itsnumber and bank. However, thiscan be rather confusing unless youknow how the sensors are num-bered, and which cylinder bank iswhich. On engines with multipleoxygen sensors, the sensors will benumbered 1, 2, etc. They will also beidentified on V6, V8 and V10 en-gines by the cylinder bank theyread (Bank 1 or Bank 2).

Sensor 1 is always an upstreamsensor in the exhaust manifold.Sensor 2 is usually a downstreamsensor behind the converter — un-less the engine is an inline four orsix with two upstream sensors.Sensor 3 or 4 would always be adownstream sensor. Bank 1 is theside that includes cylinder num-ber one in the engine’s firing or-der. Bank 2 is the opposite side. Ifyou don’t know which cylinderbank is which, look up the en-gine’s firing order diagram. Onmost General Motors V6 and V8engines, Bank 1 is the left cylinderbank as the engine is viewed fromabove or from the driver’s seat.On Ford V6, V8 and V10 engines,it’s just the opposite. CM

TECH TIPS

Taking A Look At O2 Sensors

SOUTHFIELD, Mich. — Federal-Mogul announced in late Januarythat it has entered into a definitiveasset purchase agreement to acquireAffinia’s chassis components busi-ness. The Affinia business servesleading U.S.aftermarketcustomerswith brandedand private label chassis productlines. The transaction is subject tocustomary regulatory approvals.“I believe there continue to be attrac-tive opportunities for growth in theglobal automotive aftermarket,” stat-ed Carl C. Icahn, chairman of theboard of Federal-Mogul. “The boardof Federal-Mogul remains commit-ted to pursuing initiatives, like theAffinia chassis transaction and therecently announced Honeywell fric-tion acquisition, to broaden the com-pany’s product offering, provideoperational synergies and betterserve customers globally. Our objec-tive is simple: we want to make Fed-eral-Mogul products the preferredchoice of automotive serviceproviders in every product categoryand every segment we serve.”

When fully integrated, Federal-Mogul’s chassis business will in-clude a wider range of wheel-endand steering products, including tierods, ball joints, suspension andsteering linkages and alignmentproducts; covering a greater portionof the U.S. car and pickup truckpopulation, including foreignnameplates and heavy-duty appli-cations. Federal-Mogul will contin-ue to offer products through itswidely recognized MOOG chassiscomponents brand and also willserve U.S. automotive aftermarketdistributors and retailers with pri-vate label branded components.

The company also announced theappointment of Daniel A. Ninivaggias co-CEO of the company and

CEO of its Vehicle Component Solu-tions (VCS) group. Ninivaggi previ-ously served as president and CEOof Icahn Enterprises L.P., the com-pany’s majority-shareholder, wherehe continues to serve as a director of

its general part-ner. Prior to join-ing IcahnEnterprises, he

served in a variety of executive po-sitions at Lear Corp., a leading Tier Iautomotive supplier, most recentlyas executive vice president andchief administrative officer. Nini-vaggi will report to the company’sboard of directors and will remain amember of the board on which hehas served since 2010. He is replac-ing Kevin Freeland, who is leavingthe company for personal reasons.

“I am delighted to have Dan serveas the CEO of the VCS group and be-lieve he will be able to utilize his sig-nificant automotive industryexperience to drive synergies andprofitable growth within this seg-ment of the business,” Icahn said.“The board of Federal-Mogul has astrong focus in this segment, as not-ed by the recent transactions withHoneywell and Affinia; and Danwas a strong supporter of each ofthese opportunities.”

“I have had the pleasure of work-ing with Dan for years in his capaci-ty as a director of Federal-Moguland welcome him as co-CEO andCEO of the VCS segment,” statedRainer Jueckstock, Federal-Mogulco-CEO and CEO of the company’sPowertrain segment. “Dan’s knowl-edge of the company, its manage-ment team, mergers andacquisitions, and the automotivesector in general will be invaluablein facilitating a solid working rela-tionship between the Powertrainand VCS segments, and I look for-ward to having him join our man-agement team.”


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Federal-Mogul To Purchase Affinia Chassis Components Business


What does the New York mandatefor catalytic converters mean?

The change in the aftermarketemission laws for New York willultimately mean that New Yorkresidents will be able to enjoycleaner air because these regula-tions require the use of an im-proved aftermarket catalyticconverter designed to meet thetighter standards set by the Califor-nia Air Resource Board (CARB).While cleaner air is obviously agood thing, the path to achieve thisdoes come at the expense of someparameters the industry was usedto. To meet these new CARB regu-lations, a substantial investment isbeing made in testing and develop-ment, as well as the additional pre-cious metals required by the newcatalytic converters to meet thestandard. Both of these factors areraising the cost of the catalytic con-verters substantially. Guidelines ofthe law also limit the vehicle modelyears for which a manufacturer canlegally make replacement convert-ers. As a result, consumers with ve-hicles that are less than four yearsold may only be able to purchasean OEM replacement converterfrom their car dealer.

What is the penalty for failure tocomply? For the parts store vs. theshop (technician?)

As of today, violations are sub-ject to minimum penalty of $500for a first violation and up to

$26,000 for each subsequent viola-tion. A violation would be issuedfor each non-compliant convertersold and/or installed. Failure tomaintain complete records or sub-mit reports may also result in a vio-lation. The New York StateDepartment of EnvironmentalConservation Division of Air Re-sources Bureau of Mobile Sources,which is responsible for adminis-tering and enforcing these new reg-

ulations, will periodically conductaudits at facilities to ensure compli-ance with the requirements.

How can you tell whether a vehi-cle has a Federal or CARB emis-sions system?

The best way to tell whether a ve-hicle complies with Federal or Cali-fornia emissions is to look in theengine compartment. Vehicle emis-sions labels are typically found onthe front radiator support, the struttower plate or under the hood.

NEWS EXTRA

An Interview With Henry Hippert Of Eastern CatalyticCounterman recently asked Henry Hippert, executivesales director of Eastern Catalytic, to bring readersup to speed on rules and regulations regardingcatalytic converters.

Emissions label locations

California system label Federal system label

Continued on page 42


By Larry Carley, technical editorTECH FEATURE

Don’t Overlook Replacement Belt Sales Opportunities

Serpentine belts, V-belts and timing belts areall automotive components that have a lim-ited service life. New belts should always berecommended when a customer is buying a

water pump, alternator, A/C compressor or powersteering pump. A new timing belt should also beinstalled when replacing a cylinder head or camshafton an overhead cam (OHC) enginewith a belt cam drive.

Most new car warranties will coverthe timing belt for the specified period(if it breaks), but usually exclude anyother drive belts because they are con-sidered wear items.

Vehicle manufacturer recommendedreplacement intervals for timing beltsvary, but are typically 60,000 miles forolder (1990s and earlier) OHC engineapplications, and up to 100,000 milesor more for newer models. But for ser-pentine belts, there are usually no re-placement recommendations. Theymay suggest inspecting the belt atevery oil change, once a year or every30,000 to 50,000 miles. The need forbelt replacement is usually based onthe belt’s condition.

Many consumers have no idea howto inspect the belts on their vehicles orhow to determine if they need a new belt. Obviously,if a belt has snapped, it’s history, and your customerneeds a new one. A belt that is frayed, full of cracksor has missing chunks of rubber is also a bad beltthat should be changed as soon as possible But whatabout a high-mileage belt that still looks like new?

Late-model serpentine belts made of EPDM rub-ber retain their like-new appearance for many, manymiles. Same for EPDM timing belts. Unlike olderrubber belts that typically crack with age, serpentinebelts and timing belts made of EPDM resist cracking.But that doesn’t mean they last forever. Wear is stillan issue that may cause the belt to lose its grip.

With serpentine belts, wear occurs in the V-grooves on the underside of the belt. Eventually, thegrooves become worn and lose their

grip on the matching pulley grooves, allowing thebelt to slip. Slippage often produces noise (beltsqueal) but also can cause additional problems suchas reduced power steering assist on vehicles with hy-draulic power steering, reduced charging system out-put under load (slipping alternator), reduced A/Ccooling (slipping A/C compressor) and/or engine

overheating (slipping water pump).The only way to accurately deter-

mine wear on a flat serpentine belt is touse a belt wear gauge to check thedepth of the V-grooves on the under-side of the belt. If the depth of thegrooves is greater than the thickness ofthe plastic gauge, the belt is okay.However, if the depth of the grooves isequal to or less than the thickness ofthe gauge, the belt is worn out andneeds to be replaced with a new one.

With timing belts, the wear occurson the teeth or cogs on the undersideof the belt. Over time, the edges maywear down or the teeth or cogs maycrack or separate from the belt. Thismay cause the belt to jump time or fail.If the application is an “interferenceengine” (one where the pistons will hitthe valves if the timing belt fails orjumps time), the consequences of not

replacing a worn high-mileage timing belt can bevery expensive (bent valves at the very least, andpossibly cylinder head and/or piston damage). Be-cause of this, customers should be advised to followthe OEM-recommended replacement intervals fortheir timing belt.

Oil or grease contamination also can be groundsfor replacing a belt. Lubricants reduce friction andcan allow a serpentine belt or V-belt to slip. Thechemicals in oil or grease also can damage the rubberor synthetic rubber in the belt, too.

Belt slippage can also be caused by loss of tensiondue to misadjustment, or by a weak or broken auto-matic tensioner (serpentine belts and some timingbelts). Belt flutter when the engine is revved is a cluethat belt tension may be inadequate. CM



Cabin Air: The ‘Hidden’ Filter

Cabin air filters have beenincluded in many vehiclessince the mid-1980s, andare used in more than 90

percent of newer cars and trucks.Yet many motorists are unawaretheir vehicle has a cabin air filter,much less where the filter is orhow to replace it.

One of the reasons forthis lack of knowledgeis that cabin air fil-ters are hidden be-hind the glovebox or underthe base of thewindshield.They are out ofsight — andusually hard tofind unless youknow exactlywhere to look.Some hybrid vehicleseven have a separatecabin air filter for the hy-brid battery cooling system in theback of the passenger compartment.

The filter’s location, replace-ment procedure and recommend-ed service interval can usually befound in most vehicle owner’smanuals. But many motorists nev-er open the pages of their owner’smanuals so they remain unawareof these filters.

The cabin air filter’s job is tokeep dust, pollen and even manypollutants out of the passengercompartment. There are two types:dust and dust and odor. The dusttype cabin air filters can trap parti-cles as small as 0.3 microns, whichinclude things like pollen, bacteria,mold spores, even exhaust sootand smoke. Most dust filters willstop 100 percent of all particles thatare 3 microns or larger in size, and

95 to 99 percent of particles 1 to 3microns in size. The combinationdust and odor filters have a layerof activated charcoal or bakingsoda to absorb odors and air pollu-tants. Some of these filters mayeven be lightly scented to enhancethe driving experience.

The recommended replacement

ter will vary depending on operat-ing conditions. Driving on dusty,rural gravel roads will obviouslyclog a filter much faster than driv-ing in a relatively clean suburbanenvironment.

Counter displays can help edu-cate customers about cabin air fil-ters as can signage that promotes

filter replacement. Youshould always recom-

mend a cabin air filteras a related sales

item when a cus-tomer is buyingother mainte-nance itemssuch as motoroil, an engineair filter, sparkplugs or even an

interior air fresh-ener. Ask them

when they lastchanged their cabin air

filter. Chances are theymay have never replaced it. You

can then look up the application tosee if it has a cabin air filter, andwhich filter fits their vehicle.

Price can sometimes be a stum-bling block to making the sale.Many of these filters are more ex-pensive than an engine air filter,and dust and odor filters cost evenmore. Even so, if you can convinceyour customer of the importance ofchanging this filter, you should beable to make the sale.

On most vehicles, a cabin air fil-ter can be replaced in 10 minutes orless. Some disassembly may be re-quired to change the filter, such asremoving the glovebox liner or anaccess panel in the cowl area at thebase of the windshield. On a fewcars, the filter folds or comes out intwo pieces. CM

interval is typically every 15,000 to30,000 miles for dust-type filters, oronce a year for combination dustand odor cabin air filters.

What happens if the filter is neg-lected? With dust/odor filters, theability to absorb odors quickly di-minishes after a year of service.With dust-only filters, the filter me-dia will eventually become cloggedcausing a restriction in airflow thatmay adversely affect the operationof the heater, defrosters and airconditioner. Worse yet, a dirty cab-in air filter may become a breedingground for mold or bacteria in adark, moist environment. This maycreate an unhealthy situation forthe vehicle’s occupants as well asan odor problem.

The service life of a cabin air fil-



Wear Will Eventually TakeIts Toll On Chassis Parts

Chassis parts such as balljoints, control arm bush-ings, tie rod ends and evensprings all have a limited

service life. They can last for yearsand many thousands of miles, buteventually, friction and wear taketheir toll. One of the first signs ofworn chassis parts is usually a tirewear problem — uneven wear(such as shoulder wear or diagonalwear) or accelerated wear. Thevehicle also may exhibit a steering,handling or ride problem such asleading or pulling to one sidewhen driving straight, a change inride height or maybe some knock-ing or squeaking sounds whentraveling over bumps and roughroads. Any of these conditionsshould prompt the vehicle ownerto have his alignment checked andthe steering and suspension thor-oughly inspected for worn or dam-aged chassis parts.

Unfortunately, many motoristsignore such warning signs andkeep driving until somethingbreaks. A ball joint or tie rod endfailure can be very dangerous be-cause it results in a loss of steeringcontrol. Additional damage may becaused if the suspension collapsesas a result of a ball joint separatingfrom its control arm or the steeringknuckle.

Worn or loose steering linkageand suspension components cannotmaintain proper wheel alignment,so any worn, loose or damagedchassis parts must be replaced priorto realigning a vehicle. Likewise, re-placing any steering or chassis partsusually requires realigning thewheels after the new parts havebeen installed. If the wheels are not

aligned, uneven/rapid tire wearmay result as well as steering andhandling problems.

Ball joints, tie rod ends and otherchassis parts need to be replacedwhen play or movement exceedsspecifications. With springs, rideheight is the critical dimension. Ifride height is less than specifica-tions front and rear, and side toside, the vehicle needs newsprings.

Ball joints and tie rod ends areoften replaced in pairs becauseboth sides accumulate the samemileage. Piecemeal repairs mayseem like a cost savings in theshort run, but sooner or later, theworn companion on the oppositeside will also have to be replaced.Better to replace both sides at thesame time to prevent the need forfuture repairs down the road.

On many vehicles, the ball jointis part of a “unitized” control armassembly so the entire control armmust be replaced as an assembly.On others, it may be possible to re-place the ball joint without havingto replace the control arm if such apart is available. Some examplesinclude the unitized upper controlarms on 2005 to 2007 Cadillac STS,2004 to 2007 Cadillac SRX models,and late-model Dodge Caliber andJeep Compass models. For theseapplications, aftermarket replace-ment joints are available as a cost-saving repair option.

Another replacement option are“loaded” control arm assembliesfor applications that normally re-quire a separate control arm, balljoint and bushings. These pre-assembled parts are ready-to-in-

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The average late-modelvehicle today containsdozens of electronic controlmodules, with some hav-

ing up to 80 or more modulesthroughout the vehicle. Theseinclude:

● Powertrain Control Module(PCM) — Manages engine func-tions such as spark timing, fuel mixture, throttle position,variable valve timing, enginecooling, charging system output,exhaust gas recirculation (EGR)and other emission functions,also onboard diagnostic (OBD II)fault detection.

● Transmission Control Module(TCM) — If not integrated into the

PCM, it controls the operation ofthe automatic transmission.

● Body Control Module (BCM) —Handles climate control functions,onboard communications, entertain-ment and navigation systems, andoften serves as the gateway to thecontroller area network (CAN) com-munications bus that links all of theother modules together.

● Antilock Brake/Stability Con-trol module (ABS) — Oversees theoperation of the antilock brakes,traction control and stability con-trol systems.

● Airbag control module —Monitors the crash sensors and de-ploys the air bags in the event of acollision.

● Electronic steering controlmodule — Operates the powersteering system on vehicles withelectronic steering.

● General Electronic Module(GEM) — Functions may includeinterior lighting, door/seat beltwarning lights, horn, etc.

● Front and rear lighting mod-ules — Operates the headlights,tail lights, turn signals, backuplights, marker lights and flashers.

● Instrument cluster module —Controls the instrument clustergauges and dash warning lights.

● Fuel pump control module —Turns the fuel pump on and off,and provides variable speed opera-tion in some applications.

● Keyless entry module — De-tects signals from a keyless entry fobto unlock doors and/or a smart keyto make the engine ready for start-ing (or remote starting). May alsocommunicate with the Tire PressureMonitor System (TPMS) module torelay tire pressure information fromthe individual tire pressure sensorsto the TPMS module.

● Tire Pressure Monitor Module(TPMS) — Detects low tire pres-sure and alerts driver when tirepressure drops suddenly or belowminimum acceptable pressure.

● Power seat, power window,power lock, power door/liftgatemodules — Control their respec-tive system functions.

Electronic modules have nomoving parts, but they do ageover time and may fail at any timefor a variety of reasons. Heat, vi-bration, moisture contamination,corrosion and voltage overloadscan all cause module failures.Flood-damaged vehicles usuallyare totaled by insurance compa-nies because they know what wa-ter damage can do to electronicsand wiring connections.

Modern Vehicles Are Filled With

Electronic ControlModules


The average $24,000 vehicle today contains $8,000 worth of electronics,wiring, connectors and software. That’s one-third of the vehicle’s value!How important is electronic module reprogramming in today’s inde-

pendent auto repair business? Just think of how many times you update vari-ous programs on your home or shop computer. The same thought processapplies to the vehicles of today. Studies estimate indicate that 10 to 40 percentof all vehicles on the road today have at least one software update available toaddress a service issue. Today, module reprogramming addresses a wide arrayof service issues ranging from no code drivability problems to eliminatingsmelly A/C evaporator odors! Some vehicles with certain service issues simplycannot be repaired by any other method than module reprogramming.

What investment is required to get into the programming? Education and asurprisingly modest tool investment will allow you to reprogram a very largepercentage of modules found on vehicles today. Only a few years ago, tooltechnology limitations allowed mainly OEM dealers to reprogram electronicmodule software on vehicles. Delphi offers a course that examines the oppor-tunity and return on investment for J2534 universal reprogramming equip-ment that will bring your shop into the profitable field of electronic modulereprogramming. We cover the different types of programming, various stan-dards of SAE J2534 equipment, demonstrate how to determine if a module isa candidate for updated software, how and where to obtain OEM softwarecalibrations along with step-by-step instructions to help bring successfulmodule reprograming into a reality for your shop.

Don’t be caught sending your customers down the road to someone else’sbusiness for this growing repair opportunity. Don’t be left behind in the auto-motive cyber world of ‘1’s and ‘0’s. Educate and equip your business with thetools needed to repair today’s vehicles. Call 877-550-TECH (8324).

counterman.com 41

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Delphi Product & Service Solutions Provides Four-Hour Training CourseIncludes Use Of Delphi Diagnostics Scan Tool During Training

For more information, visit delphi.com/am.

PCMs are covered by an 8-year/80,000-mile federal emissionswarranty, but most other modulesare only covered under a new ve-hicle’s basic warranty (typically 3years/36,000 miles). Once a vehi-cle is out of warranty most mod-ules are not covered.

The aftermarket has expandedits module coverage significantlyin recent years to keep pace withthe proliferation of modules. Still,some modules may only be avail-

able from a new car dealer. But ifan aftermarket replacement mod-ule is available for a customer’sapplication, there’s no need tosend them back to the dealer.What’s more, most “remanufac-tured” modules cost much lessthan a new module. Some mod-ules require reprogrammingwhen they are installed, or mustundergo a special relearn proce-dure before they will functionnormally. CM

Tech Tip


NEWS EXTRA

What application advice is avail-able for counter people to learnmore and share with their shopcustomers?

Since the rules for installing aCalifornia-approved converter vs.a Federal aftermarket convertersare slightly different in New Yorkthan California, I suggest thatcounter people start by askingthree basic questions to help deter-mine the correct and legal part forthe customer:

1. Does the vehicle’s emission labelstate that it meets or complies to Fed-eral EPA emission standards?

If yes, then the customer is legal-ly allowed to install a federal after-market catalytic converter thatmeets EPA guidelines, regardless ofthe vehicle’s year/make/model. Ifthe label states that the vehicle isCalifornia emission compliant or50 state legal, then the counter per-son needs to ask question No. 2.

2. What model year is the vehicle? If the customer has a Califor-

nia/50-state emission vehicle frommodel year 1975 to 1992 or 1995,they can legally install a Federal af-termarket catalytic converter thatmeets EPA guidelines. If they havea California/50-state emission sys-tem for model years 1993, 1994 or1996-newer, then they will need to

go to question No. 3 to get addi-tional information in order to de-termine the correct and legalconverter.

3. What is the Engine Family Num-ber or Test Group number, and what isthe Emission Type of the vehicle?

This information can be foundon the emission label located in theengine compartment. It mustmatch the manufacturer’s cataloginformation for the part numberavailable for that vehicle.

What can parts professionals do ifthey believe they’ve found a phony converter?

All legal aftermarket catalyticconverters will have certificationmarkings on the heat shield orbody of the converter.

Federal/EPA-approved converterswill have the manufacturers IDalong with the series number anddate of manufacture. California le-gal converters will have the manu-facturer’s Executive OrderNumber, the part number, date ofmanufacture and exhaust flow di-rection arrow. Parts professionalswith questions about the legality ofa product or who have discovereda phony converter should contact:

New York State Department of

Environmental Conservation

Division of Air ResourcesBureau of Mobile Sources625 BroadwayAlbany, NY 12233-3255Tel: (518) 402-8292Email: [email protected]

Henry Hippert is the executive sales director at Eastern Catalytic.He joined the company in 2003 and has been a major contributor tothe dramatic and consistent growth Eastern Catalytic has demonstratedover the past several years and continues to enjoy today. As executivesales director, Hippert is responsible for managing all sales, marketingand customer service activities for both its domestic and export busi-nesses. Prior to his appointment with Eastern Catalytic, Hippertserved as account manager for Johnson Matthey Catalytic SystemsDivision, where he was in charge of the aftermarket and JapaneseOEM accounts. Hippert holds a BS in Business from Villanova University.

Hippert continued from page 32

counterman.com 43

By Gary Goms, commercial accounts editorMECHANIC CONNECTION

Understanding And SellingCatalytic Converters

When selling to the pro-fessional or retail mar-kets, it’s important tohave a basic under-

standing of how catalytic convert-ers are sold and serviced.

To begin, an internal combustionengine creates heat energy by ignit-ing a mixture of gasoline and atmos-pheric oxygen with a high-voltagespark. Unfortunately, a residualquantity of hydrocarbons (HC), car-bon monoxide (CO), and nitrogenoxides (NOX) are left over aftercombustion. Consequently, a cat-alytic converter uses precious metalslike platinum as a catalyst to convertharmful pollutants like HC, CO andNOX into harmless gases like oxy-gen (O2), carbon dioxide (CO2) andwater (H2O). Since a catalyst will ac-celerate a chemical reaction withoutbeing consumed by the process it-self, the catalytic converter will theo-retically last forever. In reality,catalytic converters eventually suc-cumb to heat stress and contami-nants from coolant and engine oiladditives.

Converter types

“Direct-fit” catalytic converters areof three basic types: two-way, three-way and three-way plus oxidationconverters. Two-way “oxidation”converters are used up to 1980 andare designed to eliminate hydrocar-bons (HC) and carbon monoxide(CO). Three-way converters are de-signed to eliminate nitrogen oxides(NOX) as well as HC and CO. AThree-way plus or “dual-bed” con-verter allows atmospheric air to beinjected between the three-way cat-alyst and an extra oxidation bed to

further clean the engine exhaust.The precious metals used as cata-lysts are distributed in molecularform over a rough-surfaced ceramicwash coat covering the metallichoneycomb substrate. The effec-tiveness of the converter is basicallydetermined by the amount of precious metals present on the hon-eycomb substrate. Consequently,it’s very important for supplier

and technician alike to meet EPArequirements by selecting the correct catalytic converter for theapplication.

The catalyst monitor

The catalyst monitor or self-testruns only once after the engine isstarted and driven. Basically, theengine control module (ECM) usesa mathematical algorithm pro-grammed into the ECM software tocompare the electrical activity ofthe upstream oxygen sensor (beforethe converter) with that of thedownstream oxygen sensor. Whenthe electrical activity of the up-stream and downstream oxygensensors doesn’t meet programmedparameters, a diagnostic trouble

code (DTC) P0420 and/or P0430 isstored in the ECM’s diagnosticmemory and the orange “CheckEngine” warning light is illuminat-ed. Because the catalyst monitor ismathematically-based, attemptingto diagnose a converter by compar-ing inlet and outlet temperatures orby using an exhaust gas analyzerwill not yield valid test results.When a P420/430 diagnostic trou-ble code (DTC) is present, the pro-fessional technician should checkfor related ECM calibration updatebulletins before replacing a catalyt-ic converter. In many cases, repro-gramming the PCM might solve astubborn P420/430 DTC issue.

Causes of catalyst failure

An ignition system misfire is themost common cause of catastrophicconverter failure. When a misfire oc-curs, the catalytic converter over-heats because combustion takesplace in the converter rather thanthe engine. When the converter ex-ceeds an operating temperature ofabout 1,300 degrees F, the convertersubstrate begins to melt and causeexhaust restriction. Common fail-ures also include a catalyst sufferingfrom an external impact or beingcontaminated by coolant from leak-ing cylinder head gaskets.

When to sell catalytic converters

The auto manufacturer ‘s originalequipment (OE) catalytic convert-ers are initially covered by an EPA-mandated 8-year, 80,000-milewarranty. A new aftermarket cat-alytic converter can be installedonly if the original is missing, fails

This honeycomb substrate has brokenup and clogged the catalytic converteroutlet.



By Gary Goms, commercial accounts editorMECHANIC CONNECTION

The Valve Train Timing Market

Because valve train timingrepairs are becoming a pri-mary part of your profes-sional technician’s engine

service market, it’s important tounderstand the basics of valve traintiming. To illustrate, the camshaftcontrols the opening and closingevents of the intake and exhaustvalves in most four-cycle gasolineengines. The camshaft drivesprocket contains twice as manyteeth as the crankshaft sprocket,which allows the camshaft to rotateat one-half crankshaft speed. Thisgearing ratio allows the intake andcompression strokes to occur on thefirst crankshaft rotation and thepower and exhaust strokes to occuron the second rotation. A balanceshaft might also be included in thevalve train timing assembly todampen engine vibration or an aux-iliary shaft to drive the oil pumpand distributor. Since the intake orexhaust valves can collide with thepistons when a timing belt or chainfails, it’s important to ensure a pro-fessional repair by selling timinggears, chains, or belts as completereplacement sets.

Push-rod engines

Because of their extreme reliability,meshed timing gears are generallyused on push rod-type industrialand truck engine applications.Matching timing marks indicatewhen the crankshaft and camshaftgears are timed correctly. Somecamshaft gears are made of a fi-brous composite material designedto reduce gear noise. Many replace-ment gears are made of aluminumalloy, which normally produces amild gear whine at idle speeds.

Most domestic push-rod V8 en-gines manufactured through the1980s use a short timing chain to

couple the camshaft and crankshaftsprockets and the service life onmost is approximately 100,000 miles.Timing marks drilled or embossedon the gears allow the camshaft andcrankshaft sprockets to be alignedalong a vertical line drawn throughthe camshaft and crankshaft centers.As an exception, some older enginesare timed by counting the numberof timing chain pins between thetiming marks embossed on the twosprockets.

Overhead camshaft engines

With advent of mass-producedoverhead camshaft (OHC) enginesduring the 1970s, longer timingchains are now used to couple thecamshafts with the crankshaft.Some engines use a primary timingchain to drive an intermediateshaft located just above the crank-shaft. The intermediate shaft thendrives a secondary timing chain at-tached to the driver’s sidecamshaft and a rear chain attachedto the passenger side camshaft.

Many OHC engines use timingchain guides to align the timingchain (or chains) with the camshaft

The timing chain at the top center of thisphoto is typical of many V-block, chain-driven double overhead-camshaftengines. Note the timing mark on theright-hand gear.

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a state or local emissions inspec-tion program or is plugged, leak-ing, or has sustained physicaldamage. Most vehicles require cat-alytic converter replacementswhen an illuminated “Check En-gine” warning light indicates aconverter failure or if the engine it-self has failed an exhaust emissionstest. To pass an exhaust emissionstest, the converter must meet theexact configuration and capacity asspecified by the original equipment

(OE) manufacturer. Due to adopt-ing more stringent emissions stan-dards, many other states arenow requiring catalytic convertersthat meet California specifications.When selling any catalytic convert-er, remind your professional cus-tomer to fill out the paperwork asrequired by state and local agen-cies. (Additional information onselling aftermarket catalytic con-verters can be obtained atwww.epa.gov/otaq/cert/factshts/catcvrts.pdf) CM


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MECHANIC CONNECTION

and crankshaft sprockets. A springor hydraulically loaded tensionercompensates for normal wear in thetiming chain links. A hydraulic ten-sioner uses engine oil pressure totension the timing chain. In mostOHC applications, the first compo-nents to fail are the timing chainguides. In any case, the chains,guides, tensioners and sprocketsmust be replaced as a complete setto ensure maximum reliability. Dueto the reduced emissions-relatedmaintenance that’s being mandatedin some states, timing chains areonce again becoming the preferredmethod of synchronizing the en-gine’s crankshaft with its camshaftsand balance shafts.

Timing belts

Rubber timing belts have domi-

nated the valve train timing marketsince they were popularly intro-duced on domestic vehicles in the1980s. Due to the use of modern,crack-resistant EPDM rubber, visu-al inspections aren’t indicative ofimminent failure. To ensure relia-bility, timing belts should be re-placed according to theautomaker’s recommended serviceintervals. While recommended re-placement intervals on older appli-cations often begin at 60,000 miles,that interval has generally been in-creased to 100,000 miles unless oth-erwise stated in the owner’smanual or professional service lit-erature. To increase reliability, tim-ing and balance shaft belts aregenerally sold as sets, completewith idler pulleys, and (if drivenby the timing belt) a new waterpump as well. CM

Catalytic continued from 43

Valve Train continued from 44

Torque-To-Yield (TTY) fasteners toattach ball joints and other compo-nents. TTY fasteners stretch whentightened and are designed to beused only once. Reusing a TTY fas-tener increases the risk of the fas-tener coming loose or breaking, soalways recommend new fastenersfor any application that uses TTYbolts. CM

TECH FEATURE

stall, which saves time and trou-ble. Some of these also feature re-engineered components for improved durability over theoriginal parts.

A related item not to overlook isthe need to replace certain chassisfasteners when parts are replaced.Many late-model vehicles use

Chassis continued from 38


Question: How do you manage phonecalls while waiting on a walk-in customerin front of you? What are some good tech-niques I can use? Gerald: This is a great question! Thereare many ways to deal with the phonecall, however, each scenario is different.

In our stores, we’re trained to answerthe phone by the third ring and mosttimes, we do. But this is where thequandary begins, I am sure.

Is it about the customer in front of you?Or the one on the phone? It’s both. Youhave to read the customer in front of youand see if that person is in a hurry. It’s im-perative that you take care of that customeras they are captive in your store and readyto spend money, so you can ill afford forthem to walk away.

However, over the years, many com-panies have put heavy emphasis on the

KEEPING IT SIMPLEBy Gerald Wheelus

A Reader Asks, How Do You Manage PhoneCalls, In-Store Customers?

phone-in customer. I’m sure your com-pany has a but, in reality, that policy isjust a suggestion, right? Here’s the an-swer as I see it: Politely ask the in-storecustomer to excuse you while you an-swer the phone. The customer on thephone should be informed you are withanother customer and you will be backwith them shortly. If you are going to bedelayed and there is no one else to assistthem, you might ask for a number to callthem back.

Most customers who frequent ourparts stores understand that we haveboth on-phone and in-store demandsfrom customers. If a customer agrees tobe placed on hold, be sure and go backabout every 45 seconds or so and letthem know you have not forgotten aboutthem.

We also play favorites as well. A cus-tomer who spends $2,500 a monthwith us will get top billing andget helped before the customer atthe counter.

Hope I helped with the quandary.Thanks for the question. CM

Gerald Wheelus isgeneral manager of

Edgewood Auto Parts,Edgewood, Texas.

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For this month’s column, Gerald answers a question from a reader on phoneetiquette that was posed at Counterman’s Ask The CounterPro feature on thewebsite (http://www.counterman.com/CounterPro).

Most customerswho frequentour parts storesunderstand thatwe have bothon-phone andin-storedemands fromcustomers.

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CLASSIFIED

Track Talk

So long, single-car qualifying. In 2014, NASCAR is ramp-

ing up the pre-race excite-ment level with a new knock-out Coors Light Pole Awardqualifying format for itsthree national series — amove designed to make qual-ifying more compelling andmore like actual on-trackcompetition.

“We believe the timing isright for a new qualifying for-mat across our three nationalseries,” said Robin Pemberton,

v i c ep r e s i -dent for

competition and racing devel-opment. “This style of groupqualifying has all the makingsof being highly competitiveand more engaging to our fansin the stands and those watch-ing on television and online.”

The new qualifying formatwill not apply to the firstNASCAR Sprint Cup Seriespoints race of the season – theFeb. 23 Daytona 500 – whichfeatures single-car runs and twoqualifying races to set the line-up for The Great American

Race. Heat racesto determine thelineup for theJuly 23 NASCARCamping WorldTruck SeriesM u d s u m m e rClassic race atEldora Speed-way will still beused as well.

At racetracksless than 1.25miles, the CoorsLight Pole Awardnew qualifyingprocedure will be as follows:

The first qualifying sessionwill be 30 minutes longand include all carsentered in the race. The12 cars that post thefastest single lap time inthis session will advanceto the second and finalround. The remainingcars will be sorted basedon their times posted inthe first round of qualify-ing in descending order.

There will be a 10-minute break betweenthe two qualifyingrounds.

The second and finalqualifying round will last10 minutes, with thefastest single lap timeposted by each car settingthe top 12 spots on thegrid.

At racetracks longerthan 1.25 miles, there willbe three Coors Light PoleAward qualifying rounds.

Before the start ofqualifying, cars or truckswill be lined up on pitroad based on a random

draw and may exit pit road atany time while the green flagis displayed. Each driver maycomplete as few or as manylaps as he or she chooses dur-ing the allotted time periodfor each segment. Pit roadspeeds will be enforced dur-ing each session.

Drivers will be allotted just asingle set of tires during qualify-ing, which means fans will see alot of different strategies.

“For the drivers and teams,we believe this new qualify-ing will fuel even greatercompetition leading into theevents,” said Pemberton.“Additionally, it provides ourtracks, broadcasters and otherkey partners with a greateropportunity to develop moreentertaining content for ourrace weekends."

NASCAR previewed theconcept of group qualifyingwith its national series teamslate last fall and expects the newformat will be a well-receivedimprovement by its fans, com-petitors, tracks, sponsors andmedia partners.

NASCAR Adopts KnockoutQualifying For 2014 Season

Overhauling the Coors Light Pole Award qualify-

ing format, NASCAR says, underlines the sport's

ongoing commitment to innovation.

Follow NASCAR Performance on Twitter and Facebookwww.twitter.com/NASCARauto ■ www.facebook.com/NASCARPerformance


Ithought this month I would share withyou something very interesting in thecar world that I ran across. In the mid-1960s, I had and have continued to have

a strong interest in a vehicle called theAmphi-car. It was a very stylish little carwith a convertible top and seating for four.It had a Triumph power plant and came incool bright colors. But if that was all, thecar would not be very remarkable. What isremarkable are the two propellers stickingout of the rear valence.

You could actually drive the car into thewater and motor around. It was very inno-vative but the vehicle was hindered bytechnology of the day and was prone to

FROM THE PUBLISHERBy S. Scott Shriber

Do You Have One Of These?

leaks. It rusted quickly and would only goabout 6 mph in the water. Still today, youcan see incredible restored versions ofthem at car shows.

Dave March from Fountain Valley Body-works shared that same interest with me.Dave owns the very successful repair facili-ty in Fountain Valley, Calif. He’d done sev-eral restorations on the originals and knewthere had to be a better way. Having the re-sources of the state-of-the-art repair facility,Dave embarked on an almost 20-year jour-ney to create the ultimate car/boat.

Hence, the Water-Car was born. It is theworld’s fastest and most versatile land am-phibious vehicle in production. It uses

state-of–the-art materials and thelatest technology. All this allows theoperator to literally drive into thewater at speed and motor off to wa-ter ski, tube or wake board for theday. The vehicle is capable ofspeeds in excess of 40 mph on thewater and can be enjoyed all dayout there. It recently completed atrip from the mainland to CatalinaIsland in the Pacific.

Dave’s fascination and drive tocreate this vehicle is an example ofwhat makes our industry so inter-esting and exciting to work in —constant innovation and thoughtcontinues to push the aftermarketto new heights. CM

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For more information:www.counterman.com

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All this allowsthe operator toliterally driveinto the waterat speed andmotor off towater ski, tubeor wake boardfor the day.


Welcome to 2014! Brand newyear, brand new calendar.Time to wipe clean theproverbial slate and over-

commit and under-deliver on all those res-olutions we seem to pile on as the yearturns. There was a time when I did not careabout calendars. Early in my career, I wasable to simply commit to memory everyappointment, deadline and reminder thatcame my way. I never, ever used a calendaror agenda. I recall that everyone else who Iengaged in business with carried anagenda, but never me. Those were the glo-rious days of full memory recall — nothingescaped my neurons. But, Father Time kepton ticking, and my grey matter slowly letmany appointments, deadlines and impor-tant dates slip through, like grains of sandsin an hourglass.

This story is one where technology mayhave actually pushed me into forgetful-ness. You see, for many years I had the hy-potheses that as long as I never wrotedown any appointments on a calendar, Iwas always going to be able to rememberthem; and I did! Then I had to go and buymy first PDA (Personal Digital Assistant).The early versions of what we now callsmartphones were called PDAs, and thePalm Pilots made by Palm quickly ruledthe techie world in the mid-1990s. I was anearly adopter and have been holding a mo-bile computer in my hand ever since.

These PDAs were very limited in thenumber of apps they ran, but calendarapps were the anchor feature they offeredfrom day one. Soon, I changed my waysand decided to log my appointments, re-minders and to-dos on my Palm Pilot. Tomy utter surprise, my memory started togive way, and no sooner than me jottingdown an appointment would I erase itfrom my memory. It was a dramatic

COUNTER-TECHBy Mandy Aguilar

Calendar App To-Dos

change, and one to this that day I stillstruggle with. Did I lose my ability to re-member all my appointments from memo-ry because I actually wrote them down, ordid I just grow older? Not sure I’ll everfind out, but one thing is for sure — I havebeen a digital calendar junkie ever since.

These days I keep several calendars, notonly to track down my work commitments,but for all events related to family andfriends. Now friends don’t call me if theywant to go out for a beer — they send me acalendar invite instead. My kids’ social cal-endar is oh-so-busy (I don’t ever recall be-ing that busy at their age); they, too, sendme invites to their parties and sportsevents, just so that I remember they needme that day (or more so, they need me togive them a ride to their event!) Not sure Icould keep up with their social calendarwithout having the ability to share theirevents digitally on my smartphone.

What amazes even a techie guy like meis how well digital calendars interact andsync with each other. I have become so ad-dicted to calendars and the ease by whichthey connect to each other that I now useseveral calendar apps to manage my day-to-day flow; but, my go-to apps currentlyare Google Calendar on the Web and Fan-tastical on my smartphone.

Google Calendar

This is my central depository for all ap-pointments and reminders. I love the wayyou can parse an appointment on GoogleCalendar by simply entering phrases like“dinner with vendor tomorrow 6pm.”Google will turn that into the proper cal-endar entry, on the correct day and theright time. Google further manages timezones for me; this is great, for I live in thelittle-known Atlantic Time Zone, but of-ten engage with folks on the Eastern

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

The Parts House.

These days, Ikeep severalcalendars, notonly to trackdown my workcommitments,but for allevents relatedto family andfriends.

counterman.com 55

seaboard. Invites also flow flawlessly toand from Google Calendar, making it anessential tool for managing our hecticschedules, especially when collaboratingwith others.

Fantastical 2

The original Fantastical mobile app for iOSwas the first app that allowed you to parsecalendar events in straight, naturally-writ-ten language like Google did on the Web.This was a killer feature for a calendar appon an iPhone. Now updated to version 2,the app is currently my favorite calendarapp. The interface is clean, and the abilityto parse events in natural language is awe-some (especially when combined with iOS

Siri dictation). It seamlessly integrates youriOS reminders into the right dates. Eventscan be viewed in daily, weekly or monthlyformats, or they can be viewed as a list inchronological order (my favorite way tosee what’s next in a quick glimpse). Ease-of-use has made this app a staple on myever-changing home screen.

Gone are the days of committing every-thing to memory. Time seems to movefaster in business and life today; thankfullywe can all carry personal digital assistantsin our hands to remind us of what’s next.Managing time is key, and just like thefamed Pink Floyd song says, “The time isgone, the song is over, thought I’d some-thing more to say.” CM

■ ■ ■

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 PageAdvance Auto Parts 25Advics Cover 3Airtex Corp. 2, 3, 46APA Management Group 33Arnott Industries 9Raybestos Brakes Front CoverRaybestos Brakes Cover 2, 1Central Automotive Products LTD 20Clore Automotive 52Contitech Antriebssysteme GmbH 45Dayco Corp. 35Delphi Product/Service Solutions 7ExxonMobil Cover 4Moog Steering & Suspension 38,39Federal Process Corp. 41Interstate Batteries Inc. 11KYB Americas Corp. 17

MAHLE Clevite 37Mann + Hummel 18NGK Spark Plugs 19Nissan North America 15Nucap Industries 14, 26, 30, 48Packard Industries 12Raybestos Chassis Products 47LuK 13Solv-Tec 44TechSmart 5Standard Motor Products 27TYC/Genera Corp. 53US Motor Works 16Walker Products 29WIX Filters 21Wizards Products/RJ Star Inc. 31


As we start working our way into2014, a few things come to mindthat deserve mention. The firstinvolves our inventory levels.

You know, those thousands of part num-bers we have on the shelf?

We always believed in the philosophythat you could not sell from an emptyshelf. However, it is challenging to thinkthat our professional customer generallyexpects us to have every part in stock (onthe shelf) even though they do not yetknow whether or not they need it.

Today, with the continued growth ofnew car models and technology, parts pro-liferation has become not only a biggerchallenge, but also a good deal more ex-pensive. Fortunately, today’s computerprograms fairly accurately dissect and di-rect us toward those new parts that willhave the quickest failure rates and thus be-come our first sales for the newer cars.

While we may hesitate to invest our in-ventory dollars in parts that are for thecurrent model year, let’s not forget thatthe filters, new-style lighting and brakesare usually the first to go. Having theselate-model items in stock contributes to-ward making you the go-to store in yourneighborhood.

Internet buying, as popular as it is, willnot replace the value of a local jobber whohas the part on the shelf and is immediate-ly available for a technician who has a caron the lift. Even in the retail arena, whilethe Internet is playing a bigger part, haveyou ever had to return a starter purchasedonline? Not as easy as going to the localparts store and simply getting the rightpart the first time.

By Allen Markowitz & Allan Gerber

Are You The ‘Go-To’ Store?Another thought on making your store

that “go-to store.” I ran into an interestingsituation the other day involving a jobbercounterman who told one of his profes-sional customers that they did not have thepart needed in stock. The technician thencalled a second jobber who, while they didnot have the part either, looked up the partnumber in the first jobber’s brand and gaveit to the technician. The technician then re-called the first jobber, gave the part num-ber and guess what? They had the parts instock all along. The technician actually toldthe first jobber he should hire the secondparts pro.

Now, we all know how difficult it is tofind competent technical counter profes-sionals. By that, I mean those counter pro-fessionals who care about what they do,believe in the product and actually use theproducts they sell.

Put yourself in your customers’ place.Has your company ever put you on hold?Building and sustaining a viable businesssometimes requires waiting on many cus-tomers at the same time, while makingthem think they are the only one.

Knowledge is a powerful tool as long asyou know what to do with it. The only an-swer is that as a counter professional youhave to know your stuff.

Training is as important for counter pro-fessionals as it is for techs — updates onmethods to speak to women, phone eti-quette, better ways to place customers onhold and on and on.

It takes all of this for your store to be-come that, “go-to store.” You know the onethat is referred to as, “go there they willknow what you need”? CM

It is challengingto think that ourprofessionalcustomergenerallyexpects us tohave every partin stock (on theshelf) eventhough they donot yet knowwhether or notthey need it.

■ ■ ■

For more information, go to: www.autobizsolutionsllc.com or e-mail [email protected].

Allen Markowitz and AllanGerber operate Auto BizSolutions, which providestraining, marketing, man-agement and businessconsulting services to boththe automotive jobber andindependent repair shop.

ALLEN & ALLAN

counterman, february 2014

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