22 Trend Lines Tell a Tale 52 Can You Drink Diesel?

28 Slime Trumps Grime 66 A Finger in the Wind

36 Consumer Protection 69 For Rapid Techheads
 The Phoenix

Things are Looking Up

If you peruse this month’s issue of ABR, you will find a golden thread running
through it. A golden thread of muted positivity. Things are looking up, not in a big
bang sense, but rather a cautious peep over the parapets, and the sense of a new
dawn. A new dawn that promises good things as long as we keep our heads down and
stay true to the precepts of hard work and the acceptance of smaller returns than
what was reaped during the whirlwind years from 2004 to 2007.

O
ur cover feature reflects the confidence that the big
groups have in the automotive aftermarket. The
Imperial Group is known for its business acumen, but
also renowned for its caution and its belief in organic
growth rather than big bets. Their investment in Midas, over and
above their previous investment in the automotive aftermarket a
few years ago, shows that they see this somewhat unglamorous side
of the automotive industry as having something going for it, and
something to cultivate and grow. The big advantage of this seg-
ment is that it is more predictable and stable when compared to its
new vehicle butch brother. The aftermarket does not behave like
the new vehicle market, so you won’t see the fireworks of the
2005/2006 era, but you also won’t see the crash and burn scenario
of 2008/2009. And don’t be surprised to see other peeps over the
parapet from other investors with cash in their pockets, because
everyone is now looking for less adrenaline inducing experiences.
The distribution landscape for the aftermarket is now in a state of
flux, and who knows what is going to happen. The forces at play
make for fascinating spectating, but only time will tell which way
the jigsaw puzzle pans out.
tongue in cheek allusion to current forecasting being like sticking
your moistened finger in the wind. All the other articles continue
with the theme of looking forward, and not looking back, except
for some hindsight guidance. Malcolm Perrie sums it up with his
analytical approach to the trends in the newly introduced Perrie-
Scope, and his perceptive comment that “maybe there is more rea-
son to be optimistic about 2010 than simply the Soccer World
Cup!” Prescient words and the voice of someone who has always
been a trendy sort of fellow. This is what it is all about – trends.
We are now in a mild upward trend phase, for which we should be
grateful. The past 18 months has been a true wake-up call, and we
must learn from this, and accept that unsustainable growth is more
dangerous than no growth. Let us set our sights on realistic growth
and live within our means. History teaches us that we all have
short memories, but it is now time for us to emulate the elephants
and never to forget the lessons we have learnt. We simply cannot
repeat this experience.

The articles from our other regular contributors also reflect the
theme of cautious optimism, with Tony Twine and Frank Beeton
weighing in with some insightful and heavyweight points of view,
Theo Calitz pointing the way forward for customer interaction,
and Giel Steyn outlining the need to always put quality first.
Marcus Haw reminds us of the safety issues and in addition, ABR’s
first issue of the year would not be complete without reference to
Brand Pretorius’ state of the industry address, and Brand’s years of Our wish is for 2010 to be a mildly stimulating year for
experience adds further credence to the golden thread despite his all our readers.

w w w. a b r b u z z . c o . z a
2 February 2010
 Contents

24 34 55

2 The Phoenix Things are Looking Up

6 What’s the Buzz

14 Cover Feature Powered by Midas

18 Tony’s Take How Big are the Really Big Boys?

20 Frankly Speaking VW and Suzuki – an Interesting Combination

22 The Perrie-Scope Trend Lines Tell a Tale

24 Burford on Brands Rolls-Royce Knows no Equal

25 Industry Update Citroën Here to Stay

26 Intelli-Driving Looking Back is Good

28 The Tipping Point Slime Trumps Grime

29 Show Time Stage set for bumper Tyrexpo

30 Auto Topical New Decade? New Market Cycle?

32 Frankly Speaking A Call for Action

34 The Chery Story Chery Conquers Dakar

36 Diamond Dialogues Consumer Protection

38 Top Class Topics Reflections from the Front Line

42 Tyre Safety A Message from Bridgestone

43 The Bengsch Mark This Film Stops Criminals

The publisher and contributors have done their best to ensure the accuracy of the articles and cannot accept responsibility for any
loss or inconvenience sustained by any reader as a result of information or advice in Automotive Business Review. The information
provided and opinions expressed in this publication are provided in good faith and do not necessaraly represent the opinion of the
publisher. No article may be reproduced in any form without the prior written permission from the publisher, except for the quota-
tion of brief passages in reviews.

Publishing Editor Intelli-Driving Editor Hogg, Gilbert Advertising Sales:

Graham Erasmus Eugene Herbert Keeg, Howard Stanton Porter Marketing
083 709 8184 082 941 3785 McCleery, Roger Tel: 012 654 2745
Twine, Tony e-mail: abr@stanport.co.za
Editor at Large Correspondents Wilde, Fingal
Alwyn Viljoen Beeton, Frank Marlene Erasmus
082 458 9332 Borlz, Baron Claude 082 837 2668
Burford, Adrian Published by: e-mail bigheart2@iafrica.com
Collings, Paul Trilogy Publishing
4
 Contents

58 67 76

44 Customer C.A.R.E. Customer Relationship Management

Trilogy Customer C.A.R.E. Programme

52 Fuel Matters Can You Drink Diesel?

54 A Glass Act Safety – a Fitting Approach

56 Personal Profile Renewed Vigour at Peugeot

57 AIDC Quiz
58 Robert Bosch The Golden Triangle

59 e-Car Lowveld Highlight

60 Capricorn Insights The Bigger the Voice

62 Industry Update erlemann’s gears up for growth

64 Show Time Automechanika News

66 Industry Comment Finger in the Wind

67 Wilde Things On Your Marx

69 Vehicle Evaluation For All Rapid Techheads

70 Show Time WATS and Heavyweight Expo

76 Corporate Conscience Positive Energy Gathers Momentum

77 Fast Wheels Formula S Redux

Changes in Formula One Coming Together

79 Hogg’s Wash Ménage du trios

80 The Last Writes

Editorial Office: Subscriptions and Data Design and Reproduction: Printing:

81 Alma Road Management: j. Kraft Information Design cc Business Print Centre, Pretoria
Wendywood Trilogy Trading & Promotion Tel: 012 997 6946
Tel 27 11 656 2198 P O Box 69 Fax: 012 997 6987 Official Mouthpiece of
Fax 27 11 802 3979 Wendywood 2144 e-mail: jackie@kraftinfo.co.za
e-mail: bigheart@iafrica.com Tel 27 11 802 6020
Website: www.abrbuzz.co.za Fax 27 11 802 3979
e-mail: bigheart2@iafrica.com
February 2010 5
5
 What’s the Buzz?

Building on a century of achievement

The RMI (Retail Motor Industry Organisation) celebrated its centenary in
2008, and the original intention was to bring out a high quality publication to
commemorate this auspicious occasion, but circumstances and insufficient
time led to the RMI opting for a series of centenary dinners instead, sponsored
by WesBank and Robert Bosch, which served as a celebration of the centenary
with many friends, colleagues and partners, in an appropriately collegial man-
ner. However, the RMI, upon reflection, deemed a more lasting memento as
being appropriate, and when Trilogy Publishing approached the RMI early in
2009 with a view to compiling a “RMI 101” publication, the RMI sanctioned
the endeavour; as such a compilation would serve many purposes in the cele-
bration of 101 years of service to the industry.

The resulting coffee table edition, which was presented to the sponsors at a
function at the Indaba Club, Illovo, Johannesburg, on 2nd December 2009,
has achieved this purpose, whereby the RMI together with the 54 participat-
ing companies, celebrate a century of achievement, whilst also informing the
automotive community of the role they play today. In addition, this sure to be
a collectors’ item in the years to come, serves as a forum for an historical
overview of the South African automotive industry over the past 101 years.
Jeff Osborne, CEO of the RMI, receives the first copy of the
Jeff Osborne, CEO of the RMI, comments that the RMI has achieved much RMI 101 from Graham Erasmus of Trilogy Publishing
in its one hundred and one years’ existence, through the good times and the
bad times, and that it has delivered on its vision of service, quality, and profes-
sionalism. He continues, “Our mission today and in the future is to extend and elevate these aspirations to the highest levels amongst our members,
and to broaden this dynamic reach to all corners of South Africa and to all segments of our society, from the multinational manufacturers, importers,
distributors and dealers, government and big business, right down to the customers and consumers who have sustained our industry for a century, and
will continue to sustain these valuable service providers for many years to come”.

8 000 copies of the RMI 101 edition have been printed, the bulk of which are to be distributed to the RMI members. The majority of these members
did not have the opportunity to participate in the RMI Centenary Dinners in 2008, purely for logistical reasons, so the RMI Board has decided to
make up for this by giving these members the RMI 101 book as a souvenir of the organisation’s history. The balance of the books shall be distributed
to the sponsors, NAACAM, NAAMSA, the dti, consulate offices, foreign trade offices, and other industry bodies. Jeff Osborne concluded by saying
that the immediate challenge for the RMI is to make the organisation as inclusive as possible, which will not only strengthen the organisation, but give
it a broader base on which to grow in the future, but to do this with circumspection and thoughtfulness; “We have a responsibility to transform the
industry into a more representative demographic without throwing the baby out with the bath water. Part of this process is to build up from the grass
roots level, as we develop the entrepreneurs of the future. Let us roll up our sleeves and prepare our industry for the next 101 years, side by side!”

CHEVROLET ANNOUNCES SPONSORSHIP OF THE CHEVROLET DIAMOND

EAGLES CRICKET TEAM
Brian Olson (left) General Manager: Marketing for General Motors South Africa with Johan van
Heerden, CEO of the Eagles Cricket Franchise and 2010 Car of the Year Finalist, the Chevrolet Cruze,
celebrate Chevrolet’s sponsorship of the Diamond Eagles Cricket Team.

(quickpic)
6
February 2010
 What’s the Buzz?

AVTS gets international thumbs up in quality

audit
Roadworthy testing company AVTS has obtained ISO
9001:2008 Certification for the seventh year running – AVTS
remains the only group of test stations with this international
quality standard in South Africa. According to Ferose Oaten,
Managing Director of AVTS, the ISO certification is an impor-
tant six-monthly assessment to ensure that the highest standards
are maintained – SABS/ISO is the most rigorous audit of quality
management globally. “Our industry is one which has an impor-
tant role in reducing the number of road fatalities each year in
South Africa – we are in the business of saving lives thus we take
great pains to ensure our standards are exceptional,” said Oaten.
She added that it was tempting for companies to compromise on
quality and safety during a recession, and not continue to main-
tain their ISO Certification, but while the motor industry has
experienced a tough year, AVTS was committed to maintaining
the highest safety standards. However, the ISO 9001:2008
Certification is not only about safety standards. Sales Manager at
the SABS, Mario Carelse says that having the certification sets
your company apart in many different areas of business. “When
you as a customer pay for a product or service that has this certi-
fication, you can be assured that you are getting your money’s
worth. It also means that the company with which you are doing
business is third party tested and with that comes added peace of
mind for the customer. For instance, if you are not entirely satis-
fied with a product or service you have purchased or if you have
any kind of complaint, not only can this be directed to the com-
pany, but through the SABS as well. The SABS will go to any
lengths to make sure you get what you paid for”.

ENTREPRENEURS HAVE A CHERY TIME

Local entrepreneurs are fleeting up in advance of the Soccer World Cup… and they aren’t only buying buses, coaches and people movers. According to
Darryl Jacobson, managing director of Burchmore’s, enterprising local businessmen are also snapping up well-priced sedans. Jacobson says that he is
noticing substantial demand for cars such as the Chery J5 – and the clincher in the deal is the sedan’s highly attractive price-tag. “We are selling demo
model J5s for a mere R75 000, which equates to about 50% of the retail price of a new model… and they are being purchased faster than mince pies
at Christmas,” he reports. The buyers anticipate offering a transport service to World Cup visitors. “They plan to use sedans such as the J5 to transport
fans within the host cities and also around the country. Its common knowledge that airfares are going to skyrocket – we have seen reports of economy
class tickets costing as much as R8 000 (for a return flight from Johannesburg to Cape Town). These local entrepreneurs are offering a meaningful alter-
native to thrifty soccer fans, who can enjoy a comfortable and affordable drive instead. Naturally, they can enjoy the sights and sounds of the country
en route to their destination too,” Jacobson points out. It also doesn’t necessarily make sense to fly to one of the host cities and then hire a car, because
car hire rates may be exceptionally high during this sporting spectacle. “It will be far cheaper to hire a personal driver, and your very own car. The entre-
preneurs have done their sums. If
they buy wisely, they can easily
make a small fortune during the
World Cup. Furthermore, if they
buy a used car at the right price,
they will hardly lose any money if
they dispose of the vehicle imme-
diately after the event,” Jacobson
notes. Of course, the World Cup is
still a long way off – so why are
they fleeting up now? Jacobson
says that these entrepreneurs
realise that the prices are lower
right now. “I can state with
absolute certainty that, the closer
we get to World Cup kick-off, the
more prices will rise. Furthermore,
we will see stock shortages,” he
predicts. In conclusion, Jacobson
says that it is a misnomer to believe
that the World Cup is only a shot
in the arm for manufacturers,
retailers and wholesalers of buses,
coaches and people movers. “The
car market is already being impact-
ed positively… and not only in
terms of rental car purchases,” he
concludes.

8
February 2010
 What’s the Buzz?

PREMIUM LOTUS 7 REPLICA

TO BE MORE READILY
AVAILABLE IN SA
The premium quality, South African designed and built Millennium 7
sports car is to be made available to more enthusiasts in the future. This
will follow a decision by the main driver of the project, Chris Carstens,
to put it on more of a business footing than has been the situation up
to now, where production has been very limited and all the cars have
vastly different specifications. The Millennium 7 is yet another take on
the original Lotus 7, designed and built by the legendary Colin
Chapman in England in 1957. This relatively simple, but highly effec-
tive design is probably the most copied car of all time. Records show
that more than 90 companies around the world have built variations on
the Lotus 7 theme. Several companies and individuals in South Africa
have been involved in these projects over the years, with varying degrees
of success; a high point is the fact that many locally-made Lotus 7 repli-
cas have found their way to foreign countries as exports. This
Millennium 7 project is the result of a number of people in the SA air- Roger Houghton at the wheel of the Lotus 7 Millenium
craft industry living their dream by producing a purpose-built two-seater
sports car on a Brentwood Park smallholding, north of Kempton Park.
Aeronautical engineer Chris Carstens and his long-time friend, Kobus van der Walt, of SAA Technical, both of Kempton Park, are the driving forces
behind this project, which has been under development for the past six years. Chris, who heads up Safair Technical, has been involved in building air-
craft, sports cars and even a trike over the years and the Millennium 7 was the result of a request by Kobus to design and build him a special sports car
and they hit on the idea of building a Lotus 7 replica for the 21st century. Chris and Kobus then attracted seven like-minded people from the aeronau-
tical world to join their team, which is housed in a novel, metal aircraft hanger “tunnel” factory on the smallholding. Interest in the car is so high that
Chris is already planning to erect a second, conventional factory alongside it to handle
increased production.
One of the powerplants for the Lotus 7

Jeff Osborne, CEO of the RMI, prefers something more

sedate

Pula Dippenaar and Philip Otto from South African

Show Services were there to discuss the 2010 Frankfurt
Automechanika Show and the 2011 Automechanika
Africa

10 February 2010
 What’s the Buzz?

Gullwing wins the "iF product design

award 2010"
The new SLS AMG has received an internationally renowned design award, the "iF product design award 2010". The iF product design award was first
presented in 1953, and ranks among the most important design awards of all. The 24-member jury chose 778 entries from around 2500 candidates in
16 categories; the SLS was up against numerous well-known competitors in the "Transportation Design" category. "This sought-after award for the new
SLS AMG is a great honour for us. It also reflects the extremely positive feedback on the design of the SLS that we have been receiving since the
September world premiere at the International Motor Show (IAA) in Frankfurt/Main," says Prof. Gorden Wagener, Head of Design at Mercedes-Benz.
All winners of the iF product design award are entitled to use the sought-after iF label for the entire lifecycle of the product receiving the award. The
award ceremony is traditionally held on the first day of the CeBIT fair in Hanover: on 2 March 2010 the winners of the iF gold awards for outstand-
ing design performance will also be announced. From then on, the Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG will also be on display until August 2010 as part of a
design exhibition which the organisers expect around 250,000 visitors from all over the world to attend. All the award winners can also be viewed in
detail at www.ifdesign.de. This website is one of the most popular design platforms on the internet.

Toyota, Volkswagen to end distributor contract in Japan

Volkswagen Group Japan KK (later VGJ, headquartered in Toyohashi City, Aichi Prefecture, President: Gerasimos Dorizas) and
Toyota Motor Corporation (later TMC, headquartered in Toyota City, Aichi Prefecture, President: Akio Toyoda) have reached
an agreement to terminate their contract for distributing Volkswagen cars in Japan at the end of 2010. The existing Volkswagen
dealers under Toyota distributorship (called DUO) will move to a new direct dealer contract with VGJ. The decision was ini-
tiated by the proposal of Volkswagen AG (VW AG), which has been reviewing its global sales structures since the economic cri-
sis in the autumn of 2008. As part of its strategy to rationalize sales structures, Volkswagen requested to move to direct con-
tracts with all dealers in Japan without a distributor, which has been agreed by TMC. With an aim to further enhance sales and
services in Japan, the shift to the new structure (contract) will be done without inconveniencing existing Volkswagen customers.
VGJ currently has 250 dealerships in Japan, making it the largest importer network. In July 1991, VGJ, VW AG and TMC
signed a distributor agreement on Volkswagen cars in Japan. TMC started DUO operations in 1992, and such operations have
grown to date to 134 dealerships run by 88 companies. In 2008, out of 45,522 Volkswagen cars sold in Japan, DUO dealers
sold 21,774 units, thus contributing to making Volkswagen the No. 1 import brand for nine consecutive years.

February 2010 13
 Tony’s
How Big are the
by Tony Twine
Really Big Boys?
O
ne of the most fascinating and
most easily digestible annual
publications that provide a
snapshot of the World’s econ-
omy and business environment is the
Pocket World in Figures, published by the
Economist group in London. The 2010
edition contains a list of the World’s largest
non-banking listed corporations, measured
by their market capitalisation rates, which
data is compacted on the left hand side of
the above table. By way of comparison,
the 24 largest market capitalisation corpo-
18
take
rations on the JSE securities exchange for
the corresponding period are shown on the
right of the table. The South African data
was obtained from the Bloomberg
Financial Information Service and con-
verted to Dollar values using an exchange
rate of R7.661 per US Dollar. The largest
market capitalisation on the JSE SE is that
of BHP Billiton, which occupied 13th
position in the Global rankings of June
2009. The second biggest company acces-
sible via the Johannesburg Exchange is
Anglo American PLC, which also has it
December 2009
primary listing outside of the RSA. But,
Anglo American PLC had a market capi-
talisation value of only one third of the
24th biggest company on World
exchanges, Switzerland’s Roche.
In 4th place in the South African league is
MTN, the largest company on the JSE SE
to have its primary listing here in the RSA,
but it should be remembered that MTN
has operations in 21 countries across
Africa and the Middle-East, as well as an
administrative centre in Dubai.
– January 2010

The country splits of the Global data are summarised in the first
of the three accompanying pie charts. The overwhelming leader
in terms of primary listing market capitalisation levels amongst
these top 24 non-banking corporations is clearly the United
States, which comes as no real surprise. Its dominance of the mar-
ket value of these super-sized companies certainly gives an indica-
tion of why world financial and capital markets have the habit of
following the behaviour of corresponding markets in the USA like
particularly obliging sheep! For the sake of compacting the graph-
ic information, the double primary listed companies of BHP
Billiton and Royal Dutch Shell have been allocated to the United
Kingdom, although the importance of their Australian and Dutch
listings should not be ignored.
A similar level of dominance displayed by the primary listings
within the USA of these 24 international giants (47.7%) is reflect-
ed in the values of the oil, gas and related companies, summarised
here under the grouping of petroleum. Not totally surprising is
the fact that information communications technology giants
occupy the second highest sector share of the market capitalisa-
tion of the global companies. The sole motor industry represen-
tative in the global list is Toyota Motor Corporation, which is also
the only player in the league with a primary listing in Japan. This
was not purely a feature of the recessionary pressure on the glob-
February 2010
Tony’s take
al motor industry during 2009 as Toyota was already the only
motor sector representative in this league as long ago as January
2007, when its market capitalisation enjoyed a 3.3% share of the
global giant market capitalisation, which declined fractionally to
3.2% by mid-2009. The segmentation according to predominant
economic activities of the rather more medium sized South
African giants is very clearly completely different to that of the
global league. After the mining sector’s 63.1% dominance of the
local non-banking market, manufacturing comes in at a very dis-
tantly placed second position (10.2%). This could conceptually
rise to 15.7% if the sole representative of the petroleum sector in
the SA listing, SASOL, is considered to be a manufacturing
company.
By June 2009, the worst of the recent bear market for equities was
over, both for South Africa and the World as a whole. At that
stage, three global giants present in the January 2007 listing for
non-banking companies, namely China Life, Pfizer and Cisco
Systems had left the league. IBM, Apple and Roche have risen in
prominence on the World equity market ladder. World econom-
ic recovery during 2010 will probably again produce a handful
of winners and losers in these rankings of truly enormous
companies.
19
 Frankly Speaking

Volkswagen and Suzuki –

Now There’s an Interesting
by Frank Beeton
Combination!
The announcement, on December 9th, 2009, that Volkswagen AG and Suzuki Motor
Corporation had signed a framework agreement establishing a long-term strategic
partnership between the two companies based on cross-shareholding, was not com-
pletely unexpected. This had followed a number of occasions, earlier in the year,
when very senior Volkswagen executives had spoken in glowing terms of the Japanese
manufacturer’s capabilities. Now, in the corporate world, such unsolicited compli-
ments to competitors are not a regular occurrence, and the global media soon smelt
a big fat rat lurking somewhere in the woodwork. Predictions of a developing rela-
tionship between the two manufacturers were not long in coming, and have subse-
quently proved to be well-founded.

T
he initial components of this relationship will
include the purchase, by Volkswagen, of a 19,9%
shareholding in Suzuki, who will, in turn, utilise
around 50% of the $US 2,53 billion proceeds to
make an investment in Volkswagen. It has been
emphasised in statements by both companies
that the strategic relationship will concentrate on areas such as the
development of environmentally friendly compact vehicles and
the exploitation of emerging markets, and that both companies
would continue to function independently in those activities most
visible to the outside world. Early co-operation is expected to cen-
tre on areas such as Suzuki’s proven expertise in very small vehi-
cles (the company is the leading Japanese manufacturer of sub-
660 cc minicars), and its dominant position in the Indian market
with Maruti Suzuki, while Volkswagen will bring its diesel expert-
ise and world-leading product development resources to the table.
tion of the two companies’ assets certainly has awesome potential,
bringing together a group that will boast nearly 100 global pro-
duction sites and more than 420 000 employees, and offering
products ranging from motorcycles, through all categories of light
passenger and commercial vehicles to the heaviest trucks and
buses. VW’s stated target is to eventually own 12 vehicle brands,
and it is due to hit double figures when it completes the much-
heralded Porsche takeover in 2011. Combined VW/Suzuki glob-
al market strength across Japan, Southeast Asia, India, Europe,
South America and China still has room to expand, most notably
by establishing the much more meaningful North American pres-
ence for which VW is currently preparing through production
and product actions. The resulting real potential for global indus-
try leadership is surely one of the most important reasons behind
the very positive media and stock market reactions to the
announcement of this liaison.

These will be used to assist Suzuki with hybrid and electric vehi-
cle development, two areas where it is currently seen as lagging
behind its rivals. An early project could be a jointly-developed
replacement for the best-selling Alto model in India. While this
all seems very neat and tidy, there is still cause for speculation over
Volkswagen’s ultimate aims for this relationship. Much of the
early debate surrounding a possible tie-up with Suzuki was
focused on the prospects for combining the two manufacturers’
global sales (Volkswagen sold 6,3 million vehicles in 2008, while
Suzuki’s equivalent volume was 2,3 million units), and their
potential for challenging Toyota as the World’s Number One
manufacturer – in recent times, the global leader has usually been
obliged to sell something more than nine million units to top the
rankings in any particular year. Volkswagen’s ambitions in this
direction have been well-documented, and the prospects of
pulling Suzuki’s global volume into the Group total seemed to
offer a tantalising short-cut on the road to world domination
originally planned to happen around 2018. However, the nature
of the relationship, as it initially emerged, does not provide for a
corporate merger enabling the consolidation of sales outputs, and,
at this point, Volkswagen is still talking about global leadership as
an 8- to 10-year target. Despite claims by Suzuki that it does not
envisage becoming a “VW-owned brand”, any future consolida-
The successful rolling out of the relationship between Renault
and Nissan has presumably put to rest the long-held theory that
Japanese companies, once foreign-controlled, become culturally
paralysed, and lose their innovative edge. It now seems highly
likely that a similar arrangement will develop between PSA
Peugeot Citröen and Mitsubishi, and the Volkswagen/Suzuki
alliance will become the third example of a European/Japanese
tie-up. Despite the considerable size of Volkswagen, and Suzuki’s
substantial global footprint, these two companies have relatively
small areas of product and geographic overlap, leaving consider-
able room to grow the sum of the two parts over a relatively small
timescale without, in any way, compromising the total size of the
marketing “cake”.
Many observers would not be unduly surprised if Volkswagen
eventually makes some kind of move to take full control of
Suzuki, given its global leadership ambitions, but it may well take
some kind of financial catastrophe to put Suzuki into a sufficient-
ly vulnerable position. It seems that VW’s “softly, softly” approach
with truck manufacturer MAN, which has led from an initial
30% shareholding to anticipated full ownership by around mid-
2010, is an example of the sort of patient progression that may
unfold in the Suzuki case. Time, alone, will tell!

20 February 2010
 The Perrie-Scope

Trend Lines Tell a Tale

Over the year end holiday period I could not help myself from
reflecting on the decade 2000 to 2010 and the changes that we
had experienced within the industry. A pedestrian start with new
vehicle sales until 2003, followed by sales doubling over the next
three to peak in 2006 and then the crash in the final three until
2009 bringing new vehicle sales back to virtually where they were
by Malcolm Perrie in the early 2000’s. A spectacular Bell curve in anyone’s view!

So what does that do for the aftermarket,
and what can we learn from some key
trends?
Some key points to ponder:
• Rising new vehicle sales did not just
bring unit growth. It brought greater
variety and increased consumer choice.
• Increased variety and consumer choice
translates into fewer (not more) sales
per model and an associated increase in
inventory (greater variety of part no’s)
to service this rapidly changing mar-
ket.
• In the early sales growth phase, new
vehicles simply replace tied old ones
with little impact on the overall
national fleet. Sustainable new vehicle
sales (greater than three years, in my
opinion) grows the national fleet on a
sustainable basis. Thus what we have
experienced is the reduction in the
average age of vehicles (period 2004 –
2006) and its reversal in 2007 to 2009.
• Younger vehicles consume fewer parts
(I would hope) and delays their
entrance into the true aftermarket as
the OES market is their first port of
call in the first 1 to 3 years.
• Similarly, therefore, older vehicles con-
sume more parts – provided that they
still travel the same distance as new
cars.
So what does all this mean to us in the
parts market? What are the key indicators?
I have chosen three key trend lines to drive
market demand. These are:
• Fuel consumption. This is directly
related to the mobility of the national
fleet and therefore growing fuel usage
should be an indication of growing
parts usage.
• New vehicle sales and the total
installed vehicle parc would highlight
the changing age of the vehicle parc.
By aggregating the data one can derive the
changing year-on-year growth or decline
in the parts demand. A simple tool but by
monitoring these key trends and using
what if scenarios for the future, we can
derive some useful planning tools.
In the example illustrated and indexing
fuel usage, new vehicle sales and the aver-
age age of vehicles at 2000 levels the math-
ematical model shows a growing parts
market between 2000 and 2004 followed
by a fairly lacklustre, sideways market of
no growth between 2005 and 2009 and a
predicted growth cycle starting in 2010.
Maybe there is more reason to be opti-
mistic about 2010 than simply the Soccer
World Cup!
Note: The Scale for Growth of Parts
Demand is on a different axis (right) to the
other three curves

22 February 2010
 Burford
Rolls-Royce
knows no equal
Ask any lay person what’s the best car in the world and the
response will almost invariably be the linked surnames of Messrs
by Adrian Burford Charles Rolls and Henry Royce, and that’s how it has been for the
last 103 years.
R
olls and Royce first met at
a Manchester hotel in
1904, the former already a
well-known car dealer, the
latter a respected engineer
who had just made his first
car. By December they had struck a deal
whereby Rolls would take all the cars that
Royce could build and that same month,
the first Rolls-Royce was unveiled at the
Paris motor show.
A little over a year later (March 1906)
Rolls-Royce Limited was formed and by
the end of a year 100 000 Pounds was
raised with a public share offer. By then the
car which would put them on the map was
already taking shape – a powerful six-cylin-
der model called the 40/50 hp. This soon
became the focus of the company’s atten-
tion and in 1908 was renamed the Silver
Ghost. Eventually more than 6 000 were
built up to 1925, with a further 1 701
being built at a plant in the USA. It also
formed the basis for a long-serving
armoured car. In the years of the Great
Depression, R-R stayed independent and
afloat thanks to the introduction of a small-
er and cheaper model called the Twenty,
and also acquired Bentley in 1931. The
first Rolls-Royce to come to South Africa,
was, predictably, a Ghost and according to
the late Fred Schnetler ‘s book, a Century
of Cars, that would’ve been around 1910.
With the brand’s reputation being what it
was, cars adorned with the Spirit of Ecstasy
were the first choice of the worldwide aris-
tocracy in the 20s and 30s. In the First
World War the company was commis-
sioned by the Royal Aircraft Factory to
build an aero engine. It was so good that
many military aircraft ended up being
powered by Rolls-Royce. This continued
after the war and the Merlin V12, intro-
duced in 1935 and subsequently fitted to
the Spitfire, Hurricane, Lancaster and
Wellington, is regarding as Henry Royce’s
24
on Brands
greatest engineering feat even though it was
only finished two years after his death in
1933. After WWII Rolls-Royce continued
to focus on aero engines and this was by far
the larger part of the business even though
the Silver Wraith, Phantom and Silver
Cloud reaffirmed its reputation as a builder
of fine cars.
In 1973 Rolls-Royce Motors was created,
with the car business separated from its
parent. Vickers, the owner of ‘RR Motors’
through the 80s and 90s then decided to
sell at the end of the century, with BMW a
popular suitor. As it turned out,
Volkswagen beat them to the draw and
acquired the company (which included
Bentley) for 430-million Pounds.
However, complications arose in that
another entity, Rolls-Royce PLC, still
owned the rights to the RR logo and the
Rolls-Royce name and they decided to
licence these to BMW, who were already
supplying various components – including
the engines – used in Rolls-Royce cars.
The upshot of all this is that from 1998
until 2002 BMW continued to supply the
engines to build cars which were part of a
company owned by Volkswagen, and
allowed Volksie to use the RR name and
logo. From the beginning of 2003 only
BMW would be able to label a car as a
Rolls-Royce, leaving VW to concentrate on
the Bentley brand – which is what they had
always claimed to want out of the purchase
of Rolls-Royce Motors. In the BMW era,
Rolls-Royce seems to be thriving, with sales
of the latest Phantom (available in standard
and long wheelbase as well as drophead and
coupe) climbing despite prices that would
buy a spectacular home in a spectacular
suburb. Still largely hand-made, this alum-
nium-bodied wondercar is powered by a
version of BMW’s V12. The Ghost, the
next generation smaller Roller, is expected
to go on sale early in 2010 and extend the
brand’s reach in the marketplace, where
even the super-rich are after a more agile
car. It has also required an increase in the
Goodwood workforce, which now num-
bers about 900.
Since 2007 the servicing and sales of new
Rollers locally has been handled by Rolls-
Royce South Africa, which is part of the
Daytona Group which also includes the
likes of Ducati and Aston Martin.
February 2010
 industry update

Citroën Here to Stay

The Peugeot Training Centre at the Linbro Business Park turned from blue to
red on the 30th November 2009, when the media was apprised of CITROËN
South Africa’s plans for 2010. Part of the plan is to share Peugeot South
Africa’s Linbro Park facilities, which explains the colour inference. Apologies
for the late reporting, but as luck would have it ABR’s December 2009 issue
by Howard Keeg
went to the presses the day before the announcement.

F
rom January 2010 CITROËN South Africa is a wholly
owned subsidiary of CITROËN France, and the inten-
tion of the press conference, apart from outlining
Citroën’s impressive pedigree, was to give a glimpse of the
exciting range of products which will reach our shores during
2010. Fortunately for this iconic French brand, it was Peugeot’s
miscalculation of the future size of the South African car market
that allowed for space at Linbro Park to absorb its Gallic cousin.
When the Linbro Park facility was planned, the talk was of a one
million unit market. This wish has now evaporated, so PMSA
(Peugeot Motors South Africa) has morphed into PCSA (Peugeot
Citroën South Africa), with two divisions and two colours; the
Peugeot blue and the Citroën red.
rliest days
S denoted innovation from its ea
The D
From 2001 to 2009, the Citroën brand was looked after by
Boundless Trade, which explains the paucity of models these past
few years, as Citroën kept its powder dry for the impending push
for a 2% market share. An ambitious target, but with the facelift
C1 arriving in February 2010, the C3 and C3 Picasso delighting
us in March 2010, and joining the C4, C4 Picasso and C5, things
are definitely looking up. But it is the DS3, arriving in haste in
May 2010 shortly after the French debut, which could set the cat
amongst the pigeons. As Frédéric Chapuis, Managing Director of
Citroën South Africa, says, “the new company will enable us to
play our own game in the segments”. PCSA has the advantage of
having established dealerships which now can be spread around,
and actually keeping some struggling Peugeot dealerships alive,
which as Chapuis says, “is a nice compromise”. With 10 dealer-
ships at launch, and six more in the pipeline, together with serv-
ice centres in areas where no dealers currently exist, and an accel-
erated technical training programme, CITROËN South Africa is
confident that its after service levels will meet expectations, and
current Citroën owners can also relax as warranty and service of
existing customers will be honoured.

The motor manufacturer that gave us the floating engine in 1932,

the traction avant in 1934, and the hydropneumatic suspension
in 1954 is back with a bang, and the South African motorist can
prepare to resume its love affair with this inventive vehicle.

South Africa
he sky’s the limit for Citroën in
T

25
February 2010
 Intelli-Driving

Looking Back is Good

While it may seem “common sense” to make use of the equipment fitted to
modern vehicles we often find that many drivers display little such
by Eugene Herbert sense even when it comes to proven safety features such as seat belts.

S
omething that is neglected frequently – unless the assess-
ment of personal appearance is included – is the use of
rear view mirrors, of which almost all vehicles are blessed
with three. In the interests of reminding drivers of the
benefits we will be featuring a “two part” series on just why the
proper use of mirrors is so important
Why Effective Use of Rear
view Mirrors is so important
A vehicle slamming into your car from behind, especially a large
truck or bus can do as much, if not more damage to you and
your passengers than a bomb exploding in your boot.
Imagine that the traffic ahead of you slows down and you need to
slow down and stop for it.
You may not be able to stop your car hitting the vehicle ahead if
you cannot prevent the vehicle behind from hitting you and push-
ing you along into it but it will be more difficult to control the
area ahead of you if you do not control the area behind you.
The sooner you use your mirrors, the more time you will have to
solve a problematic situation.
The Area Behind your
vehicle
While you are in Moving Traffic
The area behind your vehicle can be, open, closed or unstable.
If a vehicle is more than 3 seconds away from your rear bumper,
and not gaining on you, the area behind is open. If a vehicle is 3
seconds or less away from your rear bumper, and not gaining on
you, the area behind is closed. If a vehicle is closing on your back
bumper, the area behind is unstable and can become a dangerous
situation.

26 February 2010
 Intelli-Driving
Closed and unstable are both obviously poten-
tially dangerous, an open area is relatively safe
but has the potential to change quickly to either
closed or unstable. Therefore we need to use our
rear view mirrors regularly to keep ourself
updated and especially well before indicating
(signalling), changing direction, slowing down
or stopping.
After Seeing a Change in Traffic Pattern
When you see any change in traffic pattern, use
the rear view mirrors.
You can get control of the area behind by imme-
diately knowing what the condition behind is.
You need to know if the area behind is open,
closed or unstable.
In the next issue we will cover the remaining
important area.

Till next time safe driving.

February 2010 27
 The Tipping Point
A series of articles based on interviews with Klaus G. Langer, an inde-
pendent supply chain consultant and self confessed environmentalist
who proudly sees himself as a “Cultural Creative”, which is an influen-
tial group of new progressives who are disenchanted with materialism and
hedonism, and who are at the forefront of prodding mankind to move
from conventional to rational and responsible thinking, and to encour-
age participation in an ethical expansion, focusing on “balanced rather
than negative reciprocity”

Slime Trumps Grime

Anyone who has to contend with the vagaries of a koi pond will be the first to tell
you that algae is the enemy of man. Algae is fast growing, hardy, slimy and frustrat-
ing to anyone attempting to maintain a pristine pond. And yet, these are the proper-
ties that may be manna from heaven for our stressed planet. Because slime is better
than grime when it comes to fuel production.

T
he quest for the holy grail of environmentally friendly
fuel may soon be over, because algae fuel is the only
fuel that can truly claim to be carbon neutral. All the
other fuels, be it fossil based, plant based, synthetic
based, you name it, all have their issues. Even the much hyped
fuel cell technology, whilst far better than the others, cannot be
described as carbon neutral. Only algae can make this claim,
because during photosynthesis algae and its photosyn-
thetic organism helpers capture carbon dioxide
and converts it into oxygen and biomass,
and 99% of the carbon dioxide in solu-
tion can be converted. When the bio-
fuels are burned, the CO2 taken out
of the atmosphere is returned, but at
least it is not increasing CO2 levels,
such as fossil hydrocarbon fuels.
All biofuels are good from this per-
spective, but when farmers in Brazil
cut down forests for sugar cane produc-
tion, they are harming the planet, and
when sugar cane or soybeans or other exotic
alternatives are grown for biofuel, they are cramping
the space and production inputs for food production. Algae does
not have these issues, because it can be produced on barren land
using ocean water and waste water, thus not affecting fresh water
resources. And as those koi pond owners will tell you, algae real-
ly is an efficient grower. It has been claimed that you can produce
more algae fuel from a 40 square metre area than biofuel from a
soybean farm the size of Ellis Park. Based on this fact, the United
States Department of Energy has estimated that to replace all the
petroleum fuel in America, 40 000 square meters would be need-
ed. Sounds a lot, but not impossible, as this space is avail-
able, without impacting on existing commercial
farmland.
Cost issues are still a factor, but when oil
prices return to US$ 150 per barrel (and
it’s coming), algae fuel will definitely be
on the front burner, both literally and
figuratively. So next time you clean the
koi pond, take a more respectful look
at that slimy growth. ABR shall revisit
this subject, but in the interim, go to sites
such as www.greenfuels.co.uk for more
information. Those with a thirst for fermen-
tation and conversion can even diversify from
wine production, and with a burning desire even man-
ufacture their own biofuels. There are books available at
www.making-biodiesel-books.com to help you with this.

28 February 2010

Stage set for bumper Tyrexpo
Africa in Johannesburg
More than 140 domestic and international exhibitors for
leading tyre and equipment exhibition Imperial Logistics join
tyre industry conference line up
V
isitors to Tyrexpo Africa in
Johannesburg in early March
will have more than 140
exhibitors to talk business with
as they look to take advantage of exclusive
brand opportunities with tyre suppliers
and improve the efficiency of their busi-
nesses with the latest workshop equip-
ment, consumables and services. A late
surge of exhibitor bookings has taken the
show to near stand space capacity, guaran-
teeing a wealth of opportunities for tyre
and equipment dealers from southern
Africa and beyond. Paul Farrant, managing
director for exhibition organiser ECI
International, says the stage is set for a very
positive show: “Tyrexpo Africa will have
something to interest visitors from all sec-
tors of the tyre and fast fit aftermarket,
especially those looking for new and exclu-
sive tyre brands to distribute or retail, and
business owners looking to upgrade or
replace their workshop equipment and
consumables. “There has been very
healthy interest in the exhibition from
domestic southern African companies as
well as from international suppliers, partic-
ularly Chinese tyre manufacturers, who see
great export potential in South Africa and
neighbouring countries. This is the only
exhibition in South Africa that caters
exclusively for the tyre and associated
industries so it’s a great opportunity for the
trade to take time out to see what’s new in
their business and to meet like-minded
people”.
Among the many tyre companies present
in the Sandton Convention Centre will be
Stamford Tyres (Africa) Pty, who will be
using the event to build on their increasing
presence in the tyre and wheel markets of
February 2010
Show
South Africa. The main focus of attention
on the company’s impressive stand will be
an extensive selection of tyres for the PCR,
LTR, TBR, OTR, ORR and wheel sectors
of the market. Mr Wee Kok Wah, presi-
dent of the Stamford Tyres Corporation
says, “Our presence in South Africa con-
tinues to gather momentum with estab-
lished bases in Johannesburg, Durban and
Cape Town and we welcome all visitors to
our stand at the show to discover the excel-
lence of our products.” The message from
Dereck Knight of Beissbarth, a Bosch
Group company, is similarly upbeat:
“We’ve invested in a major presence at
Tyrexpo Africa to showcase for our latest
ranges of wheel alignment, tyre changers,
wheel balancers, brake testers, air-condi-
tioning testing and vehicle test lane equip-
ment. I’m confident that garage and work-
shop owners will be impressed by the
sophistication, accuracy and ease of use of
our equipment. More importantly, it can
save them time and improve labour-related
profitability which is extremely important
in a highly competitive tyre and wheel
market place.”
For the first time, Tyrexpo Africa will fea-
ture a high profile tyre industry conference
alongside the main exhibition. Among the
well-known speakers recruited by ECI
International are Georg Schramm, head of
marketing for Apollo SA (Dunlop), who
will present a paper on the macro-econom-
ic impact of the BRIC economies on the
South African tyre business environment.
Sir Tom Farmer, CVO CBE KCSG DL the
founder and former chief executive of the
Kwik-Fit retail empire, will explain the
Kwik-Fit success story and cover the chal-
lenges facing today’s tyre retailers, while
Time
Francois Ehlers from Imperial Logistics
will oversee an interactive panel dialogue
on the issues facing South Africa’s fleets,
with special focus on roads, diesel and tyre
costs, the importance of tyre maintenance
and how the tyre sector can assist them in
achieving their business goals. Other
speakers include David Wilson of the UK
Retread Manufacturers Association, who
will speak about Chinese tyres and their
impact on the retreading sector and Dr.
Etienne Human, Lead Consultant of
South Africa’s National Waste Tyre Project
and CEO SATRP, who will provide an
overview of the waste tyre situation in
South Africa and announce world-class
plans to address the challenges being faced.
The one-day conference will take place on
the middle day of the exhibition, Friday
March 5.
ECI has sought to make it easy for visitors
to attend the show after working hours,
with 5 March designated for extended
opening hours up to 8.00 pm. The compa-
ny believes that Saturday opening will also
appeal to office-based workers who find it
difficult to take time out Monday to
Friday. Paul Farrant explains further:
“We’ve listened to previous visitors and
consulted with many of our local
exhibitors in coming up with these open-
ing times. We’ve been as flexible as we can
and hope that the late-night on Friday as
well as Saturday opening will draw in the
visitors who would otherwise have strug-
gled to make it to the show.”
The third staging of Tyrexpo Africa will
take place at the Sandton Convention
Centre, Johannesburg (SCC) on 4, 5 and
6 March 2010.
29
 Auto Topical

New Decade?
by Tony Twine,
New Market Cycle?
There is some argument as to whether 2010 is the last year of the first
Senior Economist,
decade of the 21st Century, or the first year of the second decade (remem-
Director –
ber the Y2K debate?). If we remember that there was no year 0 AD or BC,
Econometrix (Pty)
Ltd then this year is the end of the decade, which began in 2001. But let us
not allow the niceties of simple arithmetic to interfere with the motivation-
speak of marketers and other business leaders across the global economy, who all need
to divert attention from the at least the past two years.

A
ll around the world, motor sectors present as being growth, rather than the concept of seasonally adjusted annualized
amongst the most cyclically volatile of all sectors within growth, which was in negative territory between quarter 4 of 2009
individual economies. Within the wide ranging activi- and quarter 2 of 2009. A return to positive rates of production
ties of the sector, this statement is particularly true of the growth in the domestic economy during 2010 provides a promise
new vehicle or original equipment supply chain, stretching from of a return to positive growth for new vehicle sales for the first time
component production through to retail sales activities. The used since 2006 for passenger vehicles, and 2007 for light commercial
vehicle markets also suf- vehicles. But, it is wise to
fer from the pressures of imagine that the growth
economic cycles, and are profile for new vehicles
not automatically count- may not replicate the pre-
er cyclical to develop- vious cyclical upturns that
ments in the new vehicle we have been used to see-
markets. More accurate- ing, with this caveat being
ly, it can be suggested based on lessons learned
that the ratio of used to around the world since
new vehicle unit sales the end of 2007. The big
rises during economic lesson of the financial sec-
downturns, and falls dur- tor melt-down was the
ing economic upswings, economic penalties of
but severe downswings ignoring, camouflaging
can produce reductions and ultimately miss pric-
in both new and used ing risk, which came
sales, while economic home to roost as Fanny
upswings can simultane- Mae, Freddie Mac and
ously benefit both these Lehman Brothers crashed
markets. Automotive and burnt. This global
after markets for service, lesson is likely to be
repairs and replacement reflected in the processing
parts tend to be far less of local applications for
cyclical than both the wheels credit – bigger risk
new and used vehicle markets, their performance trends relying on clients are going to have to pay more for vehicle finance, relative to
the ongoing accumulation of vehicles on the planet, and how busy both the better risk applicants and also what they might have paid
those vehicles are on average at any point in time. The second of by the way of a risk premium in years and decades gone by.
these drivers is inevitably relating to the economic cycle, so even
after markets are not totally immune to rises and falls in economic We therefore expect a slower upturn in new vehicle sales during
prosperity. The steadily rising number of vehicles needing replace- 2010 than was the case in the two previous upturns of 2000 and
ment parts and ever-increasingly skilled labour does act like a shock 2003. The LCV sales cycle is currently lagging the car sales cycle
absorber damper to the cyclical swings of this part of this section of by about three months, and will probably only really start moving
the auto sector, however. convincingly upwards late in the first quarter or even during the
second quarter of 2010. The affordability of used vehicles is likely
The South African Economy has shown declining levels of eco- to remain more to the liking of the banks than the higher priced
nomic production growth since the late months of 2006, which new vehicle equivalents, so even if Econometrix’ prediction of a 5%
ultimately became negative rates of annual growth by the first quar- rise in new vehicle sales during 2010 occurs, used vehicle
ter of 2009, and which will probably only become positive annual sales appear unlikely to be under any downward pressure during
growth in this, the first quarter of 2010. Note that this is annual the year.

30 February 2010
 What’s the Buzz?

CONTRADICTORY FIGURES HIDE ROAD DEATH RISE

Rob Handfield-Jones, MD of driving skills company, driving.co.za, says that the Department of
Transport’s claim that the December 2009 road death toll was lower than that of December 2008
is invalid and based on contradictory figures. He said the DoT’s latest pronouncements under-
mine the credibility of South Africa’s road safety data. “We don’t have an official death toll for the
year 2008 / 2009, and the authorities haven’t released an annual road safety stats bundle for almost
two years,” he commented. “The last credible and comprehensive data was released in 1998. Even
the NIMSS reports compiled by researchers from UNISA and the Medical Research Council refer
to the official death toll as an ‘...uncertain subgroup of motor vehicle collisions...’.” Handfield -
Jones said the DoT could not continue to justify its failures by blaming the road user. “Across the
world, people only drive as badly as their governments permit them to,” he said. He called for a
moving violations-based enforcement regime and a new driving licence system, as well as a
Professional Driving Permit which included a driving skills test. He described the existing system
as producing poor drivers who routinely committed moving violations which could be fatal even
at low speeds. “The Parliamentary Portfolio Committee on Transport should urgently investigate
how the DoT came to use contradictory data in road safety comparisons, and also whether this
was an unintentional error, or a deliberate attempt to hide an increased death toll ahead of the
Soccer World Cup,” he concluded.

FOTON LAUNCH NEW 15-SEATER INKUNZI TAXI

Foton South Africa has announced the launch of its new 15-seater minibus taxi, the Inkunzi,
which will be available for under R200 000. The Foton Inkunzi, meaning Bull in Zulu, is pro-
duced at the Beiqi Foton Motor Company in China, which was founded in 1996 and currently
employs around 26 000 people. Foton is China’s largest commercial vehicle maker and the sec-
ond largest in the world and is now set to make an impact on the South African market with some
exciting products in months ahead. The first of which is the Inkunzi, a genuine long wheelbase
15-seater minibus that balances style with the practicality that is so important in the taxi sector
of public transport. It meets the very latest standards that require an escape hatch to be fitted in
the roof and it has undergone a full complement of tests, including rollover tests, to ensure it pro-
vides passengers with the highest level of safety. “The minibus taxi industry is going through some
major and very positive changes and here Foton is set to provide a new standard in comfortable,
safe and affordable transport solutions that meet the demands of the taxi recapitalisation process,”
said Brett Soso, managing director of Foton SA, a division of Amalgamated Automobile
Distributors.

February 2010 31
 weighty issues

by Frank Beeton
A Call for Action
In my last “Weighty Issues” column, I expressed concern that the early signs of more
enlightened leadership emanating from the latest incumbents of South Africa’s
Transport Ministry, appeared to be evaporating. Just before Christmas, South
Africans could have been excused for thinking that some unparalleled new level of
insanity had permeated the corridors of this august body. Newscasts carried reports
that high cube containers, filled with urgently-needed consumer goods, were piling
up in Durban harbour, because Provincial traffic authorities, on the instructions of
the Department of Transport, had suddenly decided to rigidly enforce the 4,3 metre
vehicle overall height limit which made the conveyance of these “boxes” on standard-
height platform-bodied semi-trailers an infringement of the law. The impounding of
vehicles found to be in contravention of this limit threatened to paralyse the flow
of goods from harbour to consumer, just days before Christmas.

T
he immediate reaction from the
business community was justifi-
able outrage that over-zealous
petty-minded officials were
being allowed to sabotage a national econ-
omy that was still reeling from the effects
of the global financial meltdown.
However, accusations and counter-accusa-
tions soon emerged over responsibility for
this action, with the result that the
kwaZulu-Natal Road Traffic Inspectorate
was increasingly singled out as the villain
of the peace. They were accused of upset-
ting the status quo in which the authori-
ties, applying some kind of ill-defined
moratorium on prosecutions, had effec-
tively turned a blind eye to the (technical-
ly illegal) conveyance of these containers
for at least ten years. In the midst of this
confusion, it soon became clear that the
situation had never been formally
addressed by the Department of Transport,
and that the Road Traffic Regulations were
being contravened whenever a high-cube
container was transported on a public road
using a flatdeck truck or trailer.
Recognising the potential for economic
disruption inherent in this situation, it
could be reasonably asked why John
Schnell and his merry khaki men did not
take a more pragmatic approach, by, for
instance, strictly invoking the existing
Abnormal Load provisions? This would
have given them authority to regulate
speeds, and thus address their alleged con-
cerns over the safety of the overheight
combinations, while at the same time cre-
ating a legitimate opportunity to earn per-
mit fees. However, it must be stressed that
no real blame in this matter should be
ascribed to this group of officials, who
were only doing their job properly. The
real problem was lack of leadership from
Central Government, or, to be more spe-
cific, the Department of Transport.
It now emerges that freight forwarders
were being continuously confronted with
consignments too tall for legal conveyance
on general-purpose goods vehicles, and
they had proceeded to transport these
items on the assumption that no prosecu-
tion for exceeding the overall height limit
would follow. However, recent develop-
ments have served to demonstrate the
fragility of this “informal” arrangement.
Once it had become patently obvious that
high cube containers were here to stay, it
was imperative that the Road Traffic
Regulations should have been amended to
facilitate their conveyance. The argument
has been put forward that lower height
skeletal trailers could accommodate these
containers without exceeding the overall
height parameter, but it must be recog-
nised that most transport operators are
unwilling to invest in expensive single-
purpose equipment that removes their
operational flexibility to secure return
loads, or perform casual work.
To allow this situation to prevail for so
long, could only lead, eventually, to the
kind of disruption that manifested in
December, once one of the parties decided,
for whatever reason, to step away from the
“agreement”. This has highlighted, once
again, the regrettable absence of any effec-
tive communication mechanism between
the road transport industry and the
Department of Transport. From the direc-
tion taken in DoT policy statements, it is
quite clear that this body does not look
with favour on road transport, and would
like to see its role in the national freight
“mix” considerably diminished. This
shows a total lack of understanding of both
reality, and the extent to which the coun-
try’s economy is dependent on road
haulage. No amount of wishful thinking
will suddenly make the rail network cost-
effective as an alternative transportation
mode, and efforts to improve its perform-
ance need to be first demonstrated in the
linehaul movement of bulk commodities,
such as coal and iron ore, before any efforts
to force a modal choice change among
general freight forwarders is contemplated.
Unfortunately, the South African road
transport community is highly fragmented
and hugely entrepreneurial. As a result, it
has not been able to organise its own fully
representative lobby mechanism to interact
with government, and frequently finds
itself having to react to nonsensical legisla-
tive initiatives such as the recent proposals
to reduce axle mass limits on secondary
roads. In the interests of securing the
country’s economic future, the
Department of Transport needs to urgent-
ly set up a forum within which it can effec-
tively communicate with road hauliers,
and “test” its ideas before going public
with unsustainable and impractical pro-
posals. If Mohammed will not come to the
Mountain, it’s about time that the
Mountain sought out Mahommed!

32 February 2010
 A series of articles on the rise of the Chery automobile

Chery Conquers Dakar on

First Attempt
The Dakar Rally is the ultimate test for crew and machine, a chance to pit yourself
against some of the most inhospitable terrain in the world. It tests the limits of
human and mechanical engineering over more than 9 000km across Argentina and
Chile. It is never to be underestimated.

M
ore than 350 000 people witnessed the crews set off
over the start ramp in Buenos Aires and for the first
time there were a number of Chinese manufactur-
er entries, eager to pit themselves against the best
off-road teams in the world. One of these teams was the Chery
team, which was run by well known Dakar stalwart, Giuliano
Airoldi and the Tecnosport operation. After more than 2 weeks of
total endurance the two Chery Rely SUV entries, driven by Lu
Ningjun and Jiang Yaohuan arrived back at the finish in the
Argentinean capital in a very respectable 28th and 29th place
respectively.
Both crews arrived consistently on time at the bivouac at the end
of each stage, impressing many with their clear headedness in
crossing the many obstacles and challenges in their path each day.
The Chery Rely SUV too proved its mettle against many more
established rivals that left the start line on the 1st January. Faced
with daily distances that sometimes exceeded 600km, mechanical
reliability is a key factor in reaching the finish. The Chery crews
not only firmly established themselves in the numerous rally style
stages of Argentina, but conquered some of the highest and most
treacherous sand dunes in the world.

It was a result beyond the expectations of team boss Airoldi. “The
first thing you have to reach is the finish,” he said at the rest day
in Antofagasta, Chile half way through the event. “I never
through we would be this high up at this stage,” he commented as
the crews arrived at the bivouac in 34th and 35th places.
For Chery it may have been a new challenge, but Ningjun has
actually been racing with the Tecnosport team for 4 years, show-
ing continuous improvement. This is even more impressive given
the obvious language barriers between himself and his Italian co-
driver Tepercio, who previously navigated for the famous Dakar
driver Shinozuka. Even the young Yaohuan in his first ever Dakar
showed a “good approach”
said the team boss.
They crossed the Andes mountain range at an altitude of more
than 4 750 metres and survived the bleak Atacama Desert where
no rain has fallen since records began over 150 years ago.
The Chery Rely SUV definitely proved itself when it comes to
reliability and endurance in what is without doubt the toughest
motorsport event in the world. The team is already making plans
for Dakar 2011 and will return with more vehicles and more
crews in a bid to move even higher up on the finishing podium.
“Chery wants more cars to grow young Chinese drivers in the
Dakar,” concluded the team boss. The established factory teams
will definitely have to watch closely as Chery sets its sights on the
top places when the Dakar Rally gets underway again in Buenos
Aires on the 1st January 2011.

34 February 2010
 Diamond Dialogues

Editorial
Partnership
Giel Steyn

In this series of articles ABR discusses with Giel Steyn of Grandmark International the four significant factors that should be taken into
account when purchasing automotive parts - Technology, Quality, Safety and Value for Money. These four characteristics are inter-related, and
each cannot stand on their own, and together they become a motorist's best friend. Similarly, diamonds are also judged on four characteristics,
known as the “four c's” - carat, clarity, colour and cut; and of course, diamonds are a girl's best friend. Grandmark International, as a dis-
tributor of automotive parts, is keenly aware of the need to source only the best in Technology, Quality, Safety and Value for Money, and
therefore it is appropriate that this series of articles is titled Diamond Dialogues.

Consumer Protection
In the December 2009/January 2010 issue of ABR, we promised to revisit compulsory
specifications in the February 2010 issue and to look at how responsible companies
such as Grandmark International go about following the procedures as laid down in
the importation of product that meets and even exceeds these standards and at ben-
eficial prices. This is very important for the consumer, and will remain important for
the foreseeable future, and beyond. However, we have decided to hold back on this
aspect of customer protection for a couple of months, because the Consumer
Protection Act comes into effect on 28 April 2010, and we wish to discuss this and
related issues while the iron is searing hot.

T
he Consumer Protection Act
will be phased in over six
months, until full implementa-
tion by the end of October
2010, and there is still uncertainty as to
how the regulations relevant to the Act will
be phased in, and to what extent. On the
contrary, what is certain is that product
covered by compulsory specifications will
not be covered by the Act because there is
already an Act in place and a national reg-
ulatory body – the National Regulator for
Compulsory Specifications Act (Act 5 of
2008) was promulgated in Government
gazette 31216 on 4th July 2008 and took
effect on 1 September 2008. This Act basi-
cally protects the consumer by controlling
what comes into the country, so the
Consumer Protection Act is debatably not
required for these products.
What the Consumer Protection Act brings
to the consumer is the right to complain,
and the mechanism will operate similarly
to the Competition Commission. Another
advantage of the Consumer Protection Act
is that the consumer will now be afforded
equal protection vis a vis quality of prod-
uct, irrespective of who is the supplier.
This has a double beneficial impact, as
both legislation and self regulation will
change the ways of industry from top to
bottom. Firstly, the high prices at the
upper end of the market will be exposed as
unrealistic by the excellent prices offered
for equally good quality by operators such
as Grandmark International, and for this
good news to properly take effect will
require acceptance and co-operation by the
insurance industry and ironically, the con-
sumer. More on this in the March 2010
issue of ABR. Suffice to say that the
Consumer Protection Act will have a pro-
found effect on the behaviour of both
industry and consumer alike. Secondly, the
Consumer Protection Act will inexorably
force low quality product out of the mar-
ket, through a combination of fear and
consumer activism. The fear of legal retri-
bution will go up exponentially, as the
Act starts to take effect and high profile
cases make the news (highly regarded and
influential magazines like ABR have a very
important role to play in this regard), and
consumer activism will ratchet up as the
good news gets round and confidence
levels increase.
All good and well, but the Consumer
Protection Act, as well as the National
Regulator for Compulsory Specifications
Act, can only be truly effective if the means
to the end are adhered to. These Acts
require observance both in law and in
spirit, and the consumer also needs to
accept his/her responsibilities. ABR shall
illustrate this graphically in the next
edition of Diamond Dialogues, with a real
life scenario.
The news that the RMI is to hold a series
of workshops on the CPA around
the country for its members during
February 2010 is to be welcomed, and
illustrates the importance of belonging
to such organisations. Grandmark
International is a proudly RMI member,
and intends to make full use of these
workshops.

36 February 2010
 Top Class
Reflections from the
Front Line
Richard Pinard talks to ABR about the issues facing
the aftermarket in 2010
2009 was a tough year for the automotive
industry, with practically no one spared
the ravages of the worst economic reces-
sion in the past 50 years. But this scenario
has many pluses, and the good news has
been twofold. Firstly, most companies sur-
vived the turmoil, and came out leaner
and meaner. Secondly, 2009 was a wake-
up call, reminding everyone that nothing
can be taken for granted, and that for the
foreseeable future it will not be business as
usual, and no longer can organisations
simply rely on fate and go with the flow.
The era of reflection, and intense analysis,
has arrived. Strategies, plans, initiatives,
whatever, will all need to be scrupulously
sliced and diced, before implementation.
The margins for error will be paper thin,
and no longer will the wild and adventur-
ous have the luxury of second guessing the
market. The front line will be particularly
harsh for those who rest on their laurels,
and Richard Pinard, Managing Director
of Top Class Automotive, understands this
critical fact better than most.
Top Class Automotive has always under-
stood the importance of customer service
and delivering on its promises, but it also
understands that to keep its reputation at
the highest level, it needs to develop its
base, with a wider range of its existing
38
Topics
TopClass MD, Richard Pinard
product, and to look at expanding its
product offering. Thus the market can
look forward to a bigger range on cylin-
ders, brake parts, wheel bearings, timing
tensioners, and further enhancements on
the incredible range of Permatex work-
shop products. Richard emphasises that
the key dynamic is quality, and the gearing
up to source intelligently and cost effec-
tively. Thus, Top Class Automotive wel-
comes the Consumer Protection Act,
which will make life difficult for those
purveyors of inferior quality parts, as the
ramifications will be extremely detrimen-
tal to those on the wrong side of history.
Richard says that the business environ-
ment is becoming increasingly complex
for the participants in the automotive
aftermarket, with the modern motor vehi-
cle now a sophisticated transport steed –
smaller, environmentally friendlier as
emission standards are ratcheted up, and
increasingly dependent on alternative
power sources, and in reality a computer
on wheels, with sensors and electronic
gizmos all over the vehicle.
Richard also says that the pending intro-
duction of the Consumer Protection Act
will encourage the importation of quality
parts, and even boost the local component
manufacturing sector as traders look to
source high quality parts. To this end, the
country needs to actively improve local
content, and this will require higher pro-
ductivity, increased investment, infra-
structural improvements and enhanced
government support. For those with a
commitment to quality and safety, the
future is bright, and the era of modern
motoring may be upon us.
February 2010
 Tyres and Their Contribution to
Safety in Motoring
www.bridgestone.co.za

A Message from Bridgestone

While ruminating on how 2009 flew by and 2010 was here before we knew it, our thoughts were interrupted by Marcus Haw
a radio announcement on the shocking road accident death rate for the holiday season. This once again reaffirms the need to continue
educating drivers to the dangers they face on our roads. Bridgestone S.A. is in general a safety conscious company and in particular we
are intensely concerned with road safety. We are busy with many road safety projects and have initiated many more, including having
Marcus Haw educating and informing the motorists, through the media, of the role tyres play in their safety on the roads. Over the past
few years we have enthusiastically written many technical and educational articles to this end. At times though, seeing the condition of
tyres on various vehicles, we wonder if anyone is reading these pieces or when trying to explain a tyre concern to someone in the industry
and to be met by a blank stare, we wonder if we will ever win. Now, at this time of the year we are one hundred percent convinced that
we must never stop trying to get the message through and we are adamant that the fight must go on.

D
uring December 2009
Marcus participated in
two road blocks, with his
focus on the tyre condi-
tion on the vehicles. At
the first roadblock the tyres in general
were all in reasonable condition, but a
week later on a very different route, his
enthusiasm was dampened somewhat
when he found that 75% of the tyres he
inspected were in a dangerous condition.
the fleet operator who, through taking the
cheap route by fitting second rate tyres
wipes out a group of soccer fans. Simply
because the operator chose to ignore the
safety side of tyres. No-one can take
chances with tyres during this period or
any other for that matter. Human lives are
important! Whether a visitor or a local,
you should always be driving on safe tyres.

Educating the user on the fact that tyres

are their primary safety feature on any
vehicle is one of the most important fac-
tors in road safety training. Changing per-
ceptions of the product will take time, and
in some cases may seem repetitive to the
reader. But all training is by its very nature
repetitive. And continued training is the
only way we will ever change those per-
ceptions. And continue we will! So we
welcome you to 2010, the year we host
the Soccer World Cup, the year where
hundreds of thousands of international
visitors will be transported around our
beautiful country on tyres. The year that
some say will be the resurgence of eco-
nomic stability; whilst others say that
things will still get worse before a later
resurgence. But one thing is certain. Tyres
are going to be needed, and they are going
to be used in bigger numbers than usual.
An even more important certainty is that
the tyres must be in good condition, well
maintained and definitely not cheap junk
that is underrated for the required work.
Contemplate for a moment the future of
Why have we had so many bus accidents
reported recently? Why are these operators
allowed to carry on transporting people?
The recent action taken against a bus
company was an example of what should
happen to the bus operators. They should
be taken off the roads until every bus has
been certified by an independent and
objective certifier and every driver is
retrained to respect the rules of the road
and recognise the responsibility they carry.
And the MDs of these companies who
come on radio and make statements in the
papers which are no more than excuses for
their own incompetence and lack of lead-
ership should be banned from ever run-
ning a company operating vehicles other
than wheel barrows! They should in fact
be criminally charged. Passing on their
condolences to the bereaved families is
insulting not only to those families, but to
every member of the public who knows
these companies are negligent.
And so we begin this promising year with
another promise: We will carry on with
our road safety campaign and we will be
nagging you all to learn more about tyres.
While the above mentioned accidents
were not all tyre related, the tyres on those
vehicles were not all they should have
been. Remember too that tyres are an
excellent indicator of the total mainte-
nance and care in a fleet. Happy New
Year, and let’s make it a safe one. We are
looking forward to talking to you all in
the coming months. Please learn from our
articles, and travel safe.

42
 The Bengsch Mark
This Film Stops Criminals
On any given day in South Africa, scores of motorists are attacked by so-called
‘smash-and-grab’ criminals, their car windows shattered by all manner of implements
including hammers, bricks and the ‘grabber’ tool of choice, a sawn-off ceramic spark-
plug. Thwarting these attacks is possible with the application of a superior polyester
window security film called Profilon, writes Paul Collings.
A Defcon1 technician applies Profilon to a customer’s car with-
out having to remove the glass.
O
ur country has one of the highest rates of road crime
in the world, where outlaws brazenly smash the win-
dows of unsuspecting motorists in order to steal their
belongings and often, the vehicle itself. It is not over-
dramatic to state that our country’s roads are virtual battle zones
where not only property is at risk, but life and limb too. The good
news is that there is an affordable high-end vehicle window secu-
rity film available in South Africa called Profilon that can prevent
penetration of vehicle side-windows, effectively halting a would-
be smash-and-grab attack dead in its tracks. Originally developed
in Europe to protect people and property from terrorist attacks,
Profilon is rated by both EU and US quality standards authorities
as the world’s strongest security film. Supplied locally by Defence
Concepts SA, a subsidiary of Diesel-Electric (Rand), Profilon is
the only BMW factory-approved and Mercedes-Benz factory-rec-
ommended aftermarket window laminate in South Africa.
According to Fred Bengsch, sales director, Diesel-Electric (Rand),
“Profilon is the best product available to give people and proper-
ty the best chance of surviving smash-and-grab attacks, hijackings
and robbery. With the backing of Diesel-Electric, Defence
Concepts SA has grown from strength to strength and has
increased its local distribution network and official approvals sev-
eral times over.” Boasting a full pass to the Underwriters
Laboratories UL 972 “Burglary Resistant Glazing” and DIN
52290 Class A specifications as well as a 100% rating as an AA-
accredited window laminate, Profilon is in a league of its own
when it comes to preventing lethal attacks. Max Waspe, manager,
Defence Concepts SA in Kramerville, Sandton states: “There is a
huge difference between a window tint, a safety film and a secu-
rity laminate. Car owners need to be properly advised on these
differences and given a choice to ensure they are properly protect-
ed.” While vehicle window tints are typically about 50 microns
thick, they provide no real resistance to even accidental
glass breakage and should only be sold as a glass ‘colourant’,
advises Waspe.
“A so-called ‘safety film’ is a single-ply polyethylene terephthalate
polyester (PET) film designed to increase the security strength of
glass. Safety films are generally between 75 and 150 microns and
February 2010
Max Waspe explains the shock absorption properties of Profilon.
their primary function is to hold tempered glass (fitted to vehicle
side-windows) in place under impact,” Waspe explains. “A securi-
ty laminate, on the other hand, is a multi-layered (2 to 4 ply) PET
laminate composite and would generally be between 150 and
375 microns thick in automotive applications. Due to its thick-
ness and multilayer composition, it creates superior resilience
to the glass providing far greater resistance to breaking and
penetration.”
Recognised internationally as the world’s best window security
laminate, Profilon has continually set new standards in vehicle
security since first coming to market in the late 1970s due to its
multi-layered proprietary composition, non-hardening bonding
adhesives and combined thickness.
“Profilon is available in 130, 250 and 375 micron thicknesses and
once bonded to the inside of a vehicle’s windows, has the ability
to withstand not only the initial impact but several subsequent
strikes as well.” adds Waspe. “Profilon acts as a shock absorber and
while the tempered glass did shatter while undergoing extreme
impact testing, Profilon held the glass in place and proved itself to
be impenetrable against a wide range of glass-shattering imple-
ments.” As crime statistics continue to rise in South Africa, our
vehicle parc is increasing, adding more ‘sitting ducks’ to the crime
syndicates’ buffet table. Consequently, car dealers must make it
their duty to educate their customers on the value of fitting a gen-
uine window security laminate like Profilon. “Over the last
decade, Profilon has not only prevented smash-and-grab inci-
dents but actually saved the lives of hijack victims in South Africa
by stopping live rounds from entering the vehicle,” Bengsch says.
“We have the testimonials to prove it. Driving in this country
gets more risky by the day and survival means taking every
preventative measure possible. Profilon is one such avenue,
affordable and effective!”
The proof of the pudding is in the eating, so to speak, and in the
months ahead, ABR will run Profilon’s ‘life, limb and property-
saving’ stories from the survivors’ perspective, where fact was
indeed ‘stranger than fiction’...
43
 Customer C.A.R.E.
CRM in the Automotive industry –
Customer relationships is serious
business!
One element of CRM that has come to the motor industry
Theo Calitz has been and has been a huge influence is CSI or Customer
working in or involved Satisfaction Index. This is basically a measurement of how
in the motor industry satisfied and happy the customer is.
for the last 16 years.
A Mechanical
Engineer by
C
SI has become increasingly
profession, he is pas- important during the last
sionate about customer
care and his company, 15 years and the motor
T-R-M specialises in industry, through NAAM-
automotive CRM for SA, syndicated a regular measurement
the automotive indus- (monthly) of customer satisfaction,
try and has been doing called the Competitive Customer
it for nine years.
Satisfaction Index or CCSI. This was
done by the OEM’s providing infor-
mation of customers who had recently purchased a vehicle or had
it serviced (Sales and Service CSI). At first the results were not
made known publicly but this all changed in 2002 when the
companies belonging to NAAMSA decided that it should be pub-
lished. I still remember the Toyota ad that appeared immediately.
They were clearly on top and there was enough merit in this fact
to justify a ad on national TV!
I suspect that maybe these results became more important to the
OEM’s than to the customers themselves and became a very strate-
gic focus of the companies, especially the bigger ones. Dealers
became incentivised and soon, big money started to flow to
reward good CSI results. This focus from the industry did drive
satisfaction levels up which are great for the customers.
Sometimes, however there are unintended consequences. Let me
provide you with some examples:
When I bought a car a few years ago, the salesman was applying
pressure on me to fill in a CSI questionnaire right there in front of
him with a very pertinent message that his job was on the line
should I score him anything less than 90% on any point. Talk
about pressure! I refused to complete the form in front of him,
wanting to protect my objectivity. I also had an incident after
I had my car serviced where I was informed that I can expect a
phone call... (nudge, nudge).
It has almost become an industry, this desire to measure customer
satisfaction. First it was the CCSI (national, with all the OEM’s in
NAAMSA), then it was the CSI measurements done by the
OEM’s in order to gauge and ‘pre-empt’ the CCSI, then it became
the dealer CSI which is another step closer to the customer to pick
up problems. It has not happened to me yet but I guess it is theo-
retically possible to be phoned by the dealer after the service, then
by the OEM and lastly by the company syndicated to do the
national research. Looking at the length of the latter call, this
could be really irritating – I have been on the phone with these
people for over 30 minutes!
44
Then there is also the mystery shopping, where an actual customer
experience is simulated and measured. Some motoring magazines
also do their own mystery shopping. This is a very real measure-
ment but, once again, has it downsides. It tends to be a very small
sample if it is a comprehensive mystery shop evaluation (and
believe me, it can become very comprehensive with hidden cam-
eras, microphones, etc. Sometimes the planning to create an
‘authentic experience’ is very elaborate, involving changing details
on warranty databases, etc.) and, especially if it is measured by an
outside party like a magazine or radio programme, a Service
Advisor having a bad day can impact the measurement of a whole
brand! I have also noticed that the dealers are pretty good at pick-
ing up when it is a Mystery shop, especially the rural dealers. They
know their customer base well. In spite of this I have seen that
dealers still get it wrong in spite of the fact that they realise that it
is a mystery shop! In some cases big incentive payouts hinge on
these results and can cause a lot of pressure on some poor front-
line staff. No wonder some dealers are rewarding their service
advisors with bigger salaries and company cars!
It does not stop here though. The next thing that appeared is web-
sites where customers can complain as well as publications that are
keen to publish complaints letters, something that the OEM’s are
keen to engage and remedy. Multiple blogs also made their appear-
ance – giving the customer a modern version of the soapbox.
With the recent economic slump the OEM’s have had to tighten
their belts and have reduced spending in this arena substantially.
This is not necessarily a bad thing in the sense, although it remains
very important (maybe now more than ever), it is time to measure
customer dissatisfaction more cost effectively and without the big
bucks being spent to achieve this.
So, what can we conclude from all this? Firstly, the customer is
more empowered than ever before, especially with the more estab-
lished brands. Secondly, this has become an industry in its own
right with big money involved and maybe the focused has shifted
ever so slightly away from the customer to the business of
customer satisfaction!?
www.t-r-m.co.za
T 0861 TRM TRM
F 086 686 8382
February 2010
 Customer C.A.R.E. Programme
– sponsored by Federal-Mogul

Module EIGHT - STEP #

TWO: THE DI PHENOMENON
Greetings and felicitations to all my readers. I feel that I am slowly
getting to know you, and that a bond is developing between us. I also
know that you have feverishly turned to this page, after excitedly and
impatiently waiting to continue with this programme, to find out how we
can manipulate people’s minds, so that your smelly, cheating, back-
stabbing, horrible little customers can become KINGS in the minds of
your employees. You didn’t? Oh well, one can but dream.........

B
ut I am not going to give up;
I shall go on and on, until you
concede that C.A.R.E. will
always stand for CUS-
TOMERS ARE REALLY
EVERYTHING! In module seven, I said
that the secret of superb customer service
in your organisation is to get your employ-
ees to be totally fascinated by your cus-
tomer. Not only fascinated, but to be total-
ly besotted, and more importantly, they
must LOVE the customer. Not physical
love, but spiritual love. The Greeks have
the correct perception of this love with
their word, “agape”. This love can also be
described as a form of twisted loyalty, in
that no matter how badly your customer
behaves, you stick with them through
thick and thin, and you will not counte-
nance any criticism of them. If the truth be
told, and you really want to split hairs, this
is not really a spiritual love, because with
spiritual love, forgiveness is at the core of
accepting faults. The love that you want to
inculcate in your staff ’s bosoms is one of
one-sided loyalty. A loyalty akin to that of
a fanatical sports team supporter. They will
hear nothing wrong about their team, and
if they lose, God forbid, it is always the
fault of the referee, or the touch judge, or
the conditions, or that fickle Lady Luck, or
the alignment of the constellations. This
fanaticism was taken to new heights after
the 1995 Rugby World Cup, when the
New Zealand rugby team was comprehen-
sively beaten by the South African team in
the final, and unfortunately for them there
was very little to carp about. They could
not complain about the refereeing, nor the
conditions. So, guess what? They invented
a story about being poisoned! Maybe it
was the third force. They had been so con-
ditioned that they were going to win, that
when their inflexible strategy of shovelling
the ball to Jonah Lomu at every conceiv-
able and inconceivable opportunity, was
ruthlessly exposed by Kitch Christie’s
cover defence strategy, their minds just
could not accept the reality of the situa-
tion. An excuse had to be found, and from
the depths of their devastated sub-con-
scious, a fairy tale of comical proportions
was conjured up, and it bubbled to the
surface, to be told falteringly at first, and
then repeated over and over again, with
more and more conviction, until it became
an established fact in the majority of the
minds of the normally level-headed New
Zealanders. Goebbels’ theory of propagan-
da, that a lie told repeatedly, eventually
becomes the truth, had been comprehen-
sively proven.
This is the twisted loyalty for which you
must strive. “Whoa”, I hear you say, “I
have some serious bad debts because of
this crazy thinking”. I am not saying that
you have to accept customers that do not
pay their accounts. My definition of a cus-
tomer is that of “someone who pays your
salary” (we’ll come back to this concept
later). But if your customer fits that
description, then it is important that each
and every member of your staff does
become fanatical about that customer.
How do you get your employees to
become raving customer care nuts? *
We can’t make all of our employees raving
sports fanatics, but we can brainwash them
into adoring the customer. To do this suc-
cessfully, we HAVE to make an icon out of
the customer, to be worshipped at the
shrine of the workplace.
How do we do this?
STEP # 2
We follow the example of the most suc-
cessful icon creating phenomenon in
recent history, and most probably of all
time. I call it the DI PHENOMENON.
This is aptly named, because what hap-
pened with Princess Di was no doubt a
wonder; the creation of an icon in a mat-
ter of years, which is unusual but not
unique in history.
continued on p48

46 February 2010
 Customer C.A.R.E. Programme
from p46 – sponsored by Federal-Mogul
However, what I do believe to be unique is the incredible altering of
perceptions that her life, but more particularly her death, created.
ING:
What do I mean? Well, the perceptions and emotions about the * NOTE OF WARN
royal family had been built up over centuries, and these centuries-old
nuts, then as sure as
come customer care
feelings were inexorably altered in the short space of a decade. Not If your employees be ll bankrupt you in
a very
by a Shakespearean giant of the literary world, nor a politician of een apples, they wi
God made little gr is m y point? My po int is th at like
Churchillian mould, nor a reformer like Martin Luther. No, by a e. So wh at systems
short space of tim pe rso n, you have to create
mere slip of a girl (apologies for the conscious use of a chauvinistic king bu siness s-
any sound thin , that restrains exce
ces in your business
term). Or, more correctly, she was merely the vehicle that was used and checks and balan an en viron m ent th at
must aim to create
by the media. And therein lies the story, a truly incredible story, sive behaviour. You ser vice, an d gives employees th
e
customer
which I promised to tell you in this chapter. Unfortunately, this story encourages superb gs th at delig ht, sur-
ions and to do thin
needs time to tell, and I have run out of space. Thus, you will have latitude to take decis sto m ers, bu t do not give them
nd your cu
to wait for module nine. I apologise for this, and I am embarrassed, prise and even astou ver. We shall come
e away the family sil
because I have committed the first TRILOGY CARDINAL CRIME carte blanche to giv er stage.
OF CUSTOMER C.A.R.E. This is the crime of over-promising, back to this at a lat
and under-delivering.

DISCUSSION POINTS
1. The Greeks have 3 words describing LOVE. Discuss these.
2. How can a score-line of 15-12, in extra time, be considered a comprehensive victory?
3. The pen is mightier than the sword, or the TV tube is stronger than a tank. Discuss.
4. Give an example of how you can delight, surprise or even astound your customer

Partinform Powers On

T
he well known and increasingly iconic series of Partinform road shows will once again grace the cities and towns of
southern Africa in 2010, spreading the word on the benefits of branded quality parts versus the dangers of low quali-
ty white box parts, and once again the format of edutainment, one on one discussions, and prizes galore will be the
order of the day. The chance to win a flip in a Ferrari will be the highlight of the shows, and Automotive Business
Review will be there from start to finish, reporting on the activities and events.

The dates to be diarised are:

GEORGE/MOSSEL BAY TOWN HALL 11 FEBRUARY
MTHATA TBA 9 MARCH
GABORONE GRAND PALM HOTEL 20 APRIL
WITBANK CITY HALL 11 MAY
NEWCASTLE TBA 17 AUGUST
POLOKWANE CITY HALL 14 SEPTEMBER
RUSTENBURG CITY HALL 19 OCTOBER
JHB/SOWETO NASREC 9 NOVEMBER

48 February 2010
 Fuel Matters

Can You Drink Diesel?

NO! Not suprising then that your engine chokes on water.

D
onaldson’s Fuel Filter Water Separator provides clean, filtered fuel that prevents
pump and injector wear. Armed with a media that is hydrophobic, emulsified
water and other contaminants are trapped and therefore prevented from enter-
ing and damaging your engine. Contamination of fuel can occur in numerous
ways. Particulate and debris can enter when the fuel is transferred between storage tanks,
water can ingress due to condensation on the inside wall of the fuel tank and by being
pumped in from storage tanks where condensation and leaks are prevalent.

Fuel Filter Water Separators remove contaminant and debris from the fuel just as a regular fuel
filter would, however they have special filter media designed to remove water from the fuel. This
water coalesces and drops to the bottom of the filter into the sump. Coalescing occurs as small
water droplets collect and merge into larger droplets. Eventually, they become heavy and gravity
causes them to fall to the bottom. This is better illustrated if you think of how water accumulates
on your windshield as it rains. Eventually, the smaller drops merge with others to form larger droplets
that run down the windshield.

The Fuel Filter Water Separator is easy to install, has a longer life than standard fuel filters and reduces
maintenance costs and downtime. It has been proven that correct filtration extends engine life and reduces
fuel consumption.

For more information about our complete line of spin-on and cartridge –style filters please visit our website:
www.donaldson.co.za

What’s the Buzz?

Volkswagen Citi Mk1 003

New PR Manager for Toyota South Africa Motors
handed over to its highest bidder
Volkswagen Citi Mk1 003 – the third last Citi Mk1 off the production line - was
officially handed over on 4 December 2009 to its highest bidder, Dolf Jonker
(right), the owner of the Auto Trust Body Repairers in Port Elizabeth. Dolf Jonker’s
bid of R300 100 on BidorBuy website was nearly three times the listed retail price
of the limited edition Volkswagen Citi Mk1. Dolf Jonker said: “My main motives
for the highest bid were to own a piece of history associated with the Volkswagen
Citi as well as to support the local charity organisation, Ubuntu Education Fund. I
am delighted with the outcome.”

Toyota South Africa Motors has announced the appointment of
Leo Kok as Manager: Corporate Public Relations at the group.
Leo joined the group on 18 January 2010. Leo joins Toyota
from a career in media, having held positions as senior financial
reporter and motoring editor at Beeld, the daily Afrikaans news-
paper in the Northern region of South Africa. Leo will act as key
media liaison between Toyota and the South African media.
At the same event, a cheque from the proceeds of the bid was handed over to
Ubuntu Education Fund, a community based organisation in Zwide, Port
Elizabeth.
Also in the photo (from left), Mildred Dindala, Public Relations Officer: Auto
Trust; Weza Moss, Corporate and Government Affairs Manager: Volkswagen of
South Africa Community Trust and Gcobani Zonke, Vice President: Ubuntu
Education Fund.

52 February 2010
 A Glass Act

Safety - A Fitting Approach

Automotive safety is a broad subject, and covers many facets. Quality of product
plays a key role in vehicle safety, and the onus for this falls on the manufacturer.
But quality of product is only the first line of defence. The correct fitment of parts
is also vital. You could have the best brake pads in the world, but if the technician
has fitted them incorrectly, your life is at stake. This applies to most vehicle parts,
and the industry and the consumer have an important role to play in ensuring that
fitment and maintenance of high quality parts are always top of mind. An oversight
role is also critical, and this is where the SABS plays an important role.

W
indscreens are a case in point. Most motorists are
aware of the importance of fitting a quality wind-
screen. They may not be aware of all the aspects
behind windscreen safety, but they are sufficiently
safety-conscious to insist on automotive glass approved by the
South African Bureau of Standards (SABS). For the lucky few that
never have to replace a windscreen the glass in front of their faces
is little more than a means to keep out the elements, a surface on
which to stick their license disk – and an expensive item to replace
should it get cracked or broken. When replacement is necessary,
motorists tend to go to their nearest glass fitment centre, or fol-
low the advice of their insurers. But how often do they consider
the quality of the workmanship that goes into fitment of the new
windscreen? This is the second line of defence for the safety con-
scious motorist, and they need guidance as to where they can get
this assurance. Not many people know that the SABS also certi-
fies service and fitment, but Gilo Da Silva, Managing Director of
Commercial Auto Glass, has always been ahead of the curve.
“The quality of the glass is but one aspect of the replacement. The
windscreen must also be fitted correctly,” Gilo emphasises. “That
involves several factors such as the beading, the cowling, the qual-
ity of the polyurethane glue and the competence of the workmen
themselves. If the replacement windshield is not fitted correctly,
the glass will be under stress. So when a stone hits the windshield,
it will be more likely to crack. In the event of an accident, a poor-
ly fitted windscreen can pop out under impact. As the windscreen
forms an important part of the vehicle’s structural integrity, this
obviously has serious safety implications.” Since founding
Commercial Auto Glass in 1999, Da Silva has pursued a policy of
ensuring that his company offers materials and workmanship to
the highest standards. He was the first auto glass importer in
South Africa to have his products tested and approved by the
SABS. In August 2006, Commercial Auto Glass became the first
vehicle glass fitment centre certified by the SABS to SANS
10240:2005, the National Standard that addresses the installation
of replacement auto glass in motor vehicles by the direct glazing
method.
“The standard addresses four main areas: Building and Site,
Equipment, Quality Manual, and Procedures and Personnel,”
explains Gerrie Kriek, Managing Director of the SABS
Transportation cluster. “Certification to the standard means that
the product or service is fit for purpose and offers redress.
Certified companies are audited annually to ensure continued
compliance and the certification must be renewed every three
years. It is an ongoing process to ensure that quality management
is sustained for the customer’s peace of mind.”
Da Silva agrees that the aims of the standard are carried through
into practice. “Due to the procedures written into the standard, I
now have a comprehensive and effective job card system. So if
there are any comebacks from the customer, I can trace and cor-
rect the fault quickly. My workers undergo training twice a year
to upgrade their skills, and there is a tangible commitment to pro-
fessionalism and quality management throughout the chain. ”
Commercial Auto Glass currently has nine branches in South
Africa, located in Johannesburg (Selby), Pretoria, Boksburg,

54 February 2010
 A Glass Act

Left to right: Thinus Rautenbach (Shop Manager Commercial

Auto Glass), Johan Gouws (Vehicle Test Station Manager
SABS), Desmond Govender (Transportation Manager- SABS),
Danie Liebenberg (Lead Auditor-SABS) & Gilo da Silva
(Managing Director Commercial Auto Glass).

Vereeniging, Springs, Durban, Rustenburg, and Bellville and

Salt River in Cape Town. In addition, there are two
Commercial Auto Glass branches across the border in
Gaborone and Francistown in Botswana. Da Silva plans to
open further branches in Polokwane and Nelspruit during
2010, and then to expand to other major cities in South
Africa.

“All of my branches are certified to SANS 10240:2005, and

all of the new branches will undergo certification as well. Of
approximately 500-600 vehicle glass fitment centres in
South Africa, we are proud to be the first and, so far, the only
fitment centres to be certified,” explains Da Silva. The truly
inspiring story within the story is that Da Silva is not afraid
to lose his unique competitive advantage when it comes to
glass fitment. He encourages other glass fitment centres to
follow his example and seek certification. “I’m all for it, in
the bigger picture of national safety,” says Gilo. “In fact, I’ll
go further and help them by advising them, based on my
own experiences and learning curve during the certification
process. More fitment centres becoming certified means bet-
ter service that we, as an industry, will be providing to the
South African public. That’s good for everybody. I’d also like
to see insurance companies making SANS 10240 certifica-
tion a requirement. Currently, they insist only on certified
glass being used. But the best quality windscreen also needs
to be fitted correctly. Quality management must apply
throughout the whole process.”

Leading from the front, Commercial Auto Glass successful-

ly renewed its SANS 10240:2005 certification during
August 2009. “The SABS congratulates Commercial Auto
Glass on its commitment to quality management. The
SANS certification offers customers the assurance that they
are receiving not just a safe and approved product, but a
quality service as well,” Gerrie Kriek enthusiastically states.
For further enquiries regarding SANS 10240:2005 certifica-
tion, interested parties may contact Desmond Govender,
Manager Transportation Certification, SABS at 012 428
6697. Cell 083 789 8834, e-mail govendd@sabs.co.za

February 2010 55
 Personal profile

Q&A RENEWED VIGOUR AT

by Roger McCleery
PEUGEOT
The oldest surviving motor company in the world is Peugeot. Peugeot has built cars
since 1889. It has survived many wars and world recessions, including the current
one. The company has exported cars from the start and is well established here in
South Africa. They have been selling cars here since the late 50’s and early 60’s
through dealer groups. Peugeot as a company has now established themselves in
South Africa, bringing their latest very chic, distinctive and elegant models into our
market. They have also brought a whole new feel and energy to the brand. Heading
the renewed vigour at Peugeot in South Africa is Jean Francois Bacos,
the MD of the company.

HOW DO YOU WANT TO CHANGE
PEUGEOT IN SOUTH AFRICA?
We want to increase the share of business
we have in this market place. Not only
with our range of innovative small to
medium size cars but with our growing
number of commercial models as well.
Our prices in a price sensitive market are
realistic and offer good value with
renowned Peugeot quality. We will be
launching three new cars this year.
Improved customer satisfaction and after-
sales support for customers and dealers is
top of our list. This will be a key part of
our strategy now and into the future.
To this end we have 8000m² of parts ware-
housing. The price of our parts is very
competitive in the country compared to
other manufacturers. We are also providing
ongoing service training to mechanics. The
intention is to increase our dealer organisa-
tion from the current 26 dealers to 31 in
key areas of South Africa.
Customer satisfaction will be surveyed and
monitored on a regular basis to see if we
are achieving our goals.
HOW LONG HAVE YOU BEEN IN
SOUTH AFRICA?
Since April 2009, when I saw the country
for the first time. I must say I appreciate
everything about this country and feel it is
easy to be motivated here and to do well
for our customers and products.
HOW LONG HAVE YOU BEEN
WITH PEUGEOT?
Thirty years.
WHAT ATTRACTED YOU TO PEU-
GEOT?
It is a successful company with employees
and colleagues who have a passion for their
products. They are also innovative and not
just a run-of-the-mill motor company.
WHERE DID YOU WORK
BEFORE?
After obtaining my degree at a French
Business School I worked at Air France
with my father who was in Sales and
Marketing.
WHAT DID YOU WANT TO BE AT
SCHOOL?
Funnily enough, I wanted to be involved
in economics and sales and marketing.
That is all I ever thought about.
SPORTS?
Soccer and now getting into golf and get-
ting my handicap down.
YOU HAVE GAINED GREAT
EXPERIENCE AT PEUGEOT?
Yes. I ran a large dealership in France for
three years where we sold 2000 cars a year
and a spell as Fleet Sales Manager to big
fleet owners, rental companies and
Government Departments in France.
After that I was Export Manager for
Northern Europe where 70% of our
exports are sent. Then back to Head Office
as Product Manager for mid-size and
luxury cars.
WHAT DOES A PRODUCT
MANAGER DO?
At Peugeot he feeds Engineers and
Designers on worldwide customer require-
ments for our products and the market as
we see it in the future. Cars of course start
their design four years before they see the
market place for the first time. It is a very
complicated business and involves a lot of
input from a huge number of people.
MARRIED?
Yes. To Marie Pierre, who has been sup-
portive and an inspiration to me. We have
two children. A daughter, Fanny, of 22,
who lives in France and is going to teach
handicapped children. Our son, Niels, is
18 and has just finished school, and will be
going to University.
HAVE YOU HAD A MENTOR IN
YOUR CAREER?
Yes. Bruno de Guibert, one of the passion-
ate top product people at Peugeot, now
retired, who had a long history at the com-
pany and had far-reaching vision. He was
the man in charge of the 205 and 206
models and was “Man of the Year” in
Peugeot for his successes.
WHAT DO YOU WANT TO DO
WHEN YOU RETIRE?
I have been too busy to give it a thought
and too involved with Peugeot and getting
things in top shape. My feeling is, although
you need more youngsters coming in to
the motor industry, you must not let the
experienced people go too easily.

56 February 2010
 Q&A

by Roger McCleery

Roger McCleery asks the questions

See how many of these 20 Questions you can answer.
1. Which company published RMI 101?

2. Where was South Africa’s first International Airport?

3. How old would Elvis Presley be this year (if he lived)?

4. Which South African came 2nd in the 2009 Dakar? (He was a navigator)

5. Who invented the pneumatic tyre?

6. What make of car won the 2007 South African Production Car Championship?

7. Who has won four WesBank V8 Championships in a row?

8. Who designed the VW Beetle?

9. Which lady racer competing in South African today had an uncle who won Le Mans in 1924 in a Bentley?

10. Who is the only man to have won World Championships on 2 and 4 wheels?

11. Name the MD of Volkswagen South Africa.

12. How many finalists are there in the 2010 Car of the Year?

13. Greece produced a famous car designer. Who?

14. Who heads up Toyota’s Motorsport in South Africa in 2010?

15. Who made the first gas turbine car?

16. Name the only American rider to have won the 250 and 500 World Motorcycle Championships in the same year.

17. How many Formula 1 Grands Prix are on the 2010 calendar?

18. What does CKD mean?

19. Name the MD of Nissan South Africa.

20. Who makes the i20 model of car?

Answers on page 68

February 2010 57
 Robert Bosch
A series of articles on the versatile FSA 720/740/754 series

The Golden Triangle – KTS,

ESI[tronic], and FSA
In the October and November 2009 issues of ABR, we followed in the detective wake
of Carlo du Plessis of Cencar, Centurion, as he applied the golden triangle proce-
dures to identify why a five year old BMW 535i (e39) had hard starting and lack of
power. Carlo had at his disposal the KTS Compact Control Unit Diagnostic Tester,
the ESI[tronic] Service Information System, and the FSA Engine Management System
Analyser. Our apologies for skipping a month, but the December 2009/January 2010
issue was jam packed, so we decided to leave out the Workshop Diagnostic Feature,
and to renew it from the February 2010 issue.

T
his particular BMW was proving to be a hard nut to crack, because Carlo had already tested the power supply, gone
through the trouble code procedures, and had confirmed that the fuel pressure was okay. Even the lambda sensor signals
to the ECU had passed muster, so Carlo had a real head scratcher on his hands. This is where the senses and skill of the
technician come into play. Something unusual was on
the go, and Carlo had to dig deep to find the prob-
lem. It was Carlo’s olfactory functions that gave him the clue – there
was a strange smell emitting from the exhaust!! Carlo brought out
the big gun, in the form of the FSA Engine Management System
Analyser, to do the final test. Unscrewing the lambda sensor, and
utilising the custom made adaptor, Carlo hooked up the FSA to the
exhaust and tested the pressure. The well trained technician will
even take altitude into account with this test, and Carlo knew that
in Pretoria the correct pressure would be in the region of 850 kPa.
The FSA was giving a reading of over 1000 kPa, so now Carlo knew
where the problem lay. The exhaust was blocked! The funny smell
that Carlo’s nose had picked up was the unusual odour of a “burn-
ing” catalytic converter, caused by the back draft of hot air and fuel
mixture. The simple procedure of cutting the exhaust pipe with a
hacksaw confirmed the prognosis, with the pipe blocked with soot.
Problem solved, through a combination of the golden triangle and
Carlo’s cognitive skills, which he says is the secret to solving all
problems. He even goes as far as to say that a good technician will
always have a sense of pride in his equipment and in his abilities,
and that this attitude is what is needed to be a top rate technician.

A happy Carlo with his big gun, the FSA Engine Management
System Analyser

This is what a blocked catalytic converter looks like, next to the

lambda sensor to indicate relevant size.

58 February 2010
Lowveld Highlight
At 3 Kykoedie Street, Valencia Industrial, Nelspruit, you will find a profession-
ally run, fully BEE compliant establishment run by Wayne and Stella Masher.
Wayne is the technical mastermind at Performance Auto, while wife Stella is the
administrative boffin.

W
ayne Masher is a BMW trained techni-
cian, who had the good fortune to be
mentored by BMW in all the aspects of
an automotive dealership, from sales to
parts to service, the whole gamut. It was on this solid
foundation that Wayne started his own business in
2000, building up a formidable reputation as a one
stop shop in Nelspruit, with various divisions comple-
menting each other and in many cases adding value for
the customer. Performance Auto’s workshop area has
23 work bays, and yet is just one facet of an impressive
array of services, offered by a dedicated team that in
turn is mentored by Wayne, who has learnt from the
BMW experience. This ensures an excellent working Performance Auto’s welcoming
environment, buttressed by extra curricula support reception area
such as adult education, plus subsidised housing.

Despite being a household name in Nelspruit, Wayne Performance Auto has all the
equipment to offer a one-stop
realised that to replicate the OEM dealership model, he
shop experience
needed something extra to offer his customers. The
e-CAR workshop concept fitted the bill like a glove,
because it is nationally recognised, and thus very simi-
lar to the OEM model. Wayne can now offer the
Lowveld community a national warranty and provide
the same familiarity that a new vehicle owner experi-
ences, at “a lesser price and equal quality”. Wayne is a
meticulous man who likes to get his house in order and
his ducks in a row before shouting from the rooftops.
Thus he has held back on an e-CAR launch whilst he
has been dotting the i’s and crossing the t’s. Everything
is now in place, and an official e-CAR launch will
shortly take place, with the requisite pomp and cere-
mony. Wayne also has other expansion plans in the off-
ing, so watch this Lowveld highlight take to the stars. The dedicated Auto Performance Team

February 2010 59
 Insights

THE BIGGER THE VOICE

THE BETTER THE OFFERING
Capricorn Society Limited is fast becoming a southern hemisphere automotive after-
market icon and is no stranger to regular ABR readers. The organisation, launched
in 1975 as a co-operative to service the automotive repair and servicing industries
now has over 12 000 automotive enterprises as members, including paint and panel
shops, mechanical workshops, auto electrical and auto transmission workshops,
mobile mechanical services and tyre and suspension stores. In Cape Town, two auto
service centres are riding the recession trough with confidence, thanks to the busi-
ness benefits Capricorn unlocks, reports Paul Collings.
“Capricorn members are able to source offer quality service to their customers
the necessary auto parts and workshop because of Capricorn’s streamlined
equipment at discounted rates from over approach to parts sourcing and consoli-
1300 preferred suppliers in Australia, dated invoice management. “Apart from
New Zealand and South Africa. This is instant credit and great prices on spares
because Capricorn has the buying power and equipment, being a Capricorn mem-
to negotiate competitive prices for bulk ber cuts out a lot of our admin work
purchases from its suppliers,” says Rob which enables us to focus on what we do
Mildenhall, South Africa’s business devel- best - execute first-rate auto servicing with
opment manager, Capricorn Society Ltd. an integrity that keeps our customers Disa Auto Services’ slick shop-front in
Strand, Cape Town
But price is hardly an issue for service ori- coming back for more,” says Goode.
entated businesses, and it is the other
Doné Thompson, Disa
range of benefits available to Capricorn Disa Auto Services was established in Auto Services’ co-owner
members that appeals to two Cape-based 1994 and services around 170 vehicles per
Capricorn members, Mace Group and month. “We employ five fully qualified
Disa Auto Services. These members focus auto technicians, four workshop assistants
on offering quality service to their cus- and an additional eleven staff members.
tomers before punting lower prices on Our workshop is equipped with a com-
labour and spares. prehensive range of up to date diagnostic
equipment, such as Bosch, Launch,
For Mace Group boss, Hammy Goode, Autoboss, and includes a Mercedes-Benz
Capricorn membership augments a high- HHT Tester,” says Pieter Oosthuizen,
Disa Auto Services’
ly skilled and specialist team of techni- Disa Auto Services’ co-owner (along with Pieter Oosthuizen
cians who service everything from passen- Doné Thompson). “We do exactly what
ger cars to light delivery petrol and diesel the customer asks for and do precisely
workhorses to racing cars. “We’ve been in what the customer needs. We became a The best workshop equipment and skills keep
Disa Auto Services on top of its game
operation since 1995 and are now one of Capricorn member in February 2004 and
the leading high-performance auto service have never looked back. We get a better
centres in the Western Cape,” says Goode. price on spare parts for our customers and
“Mace’s workshop services five to six cars when we have problems with supplier
a day and employs seven qualified accounts, Capricorn comes to our aid,”
mechanics and three apprentices. Our says Oosthuizen. “We only use tested
combined staff totals 25 people. Our quality parts to prevent negative come-
workshop has all the latest diagnostic backs. With the help of Capricorn, we are
equipment and we specialise in turbo looking forward to growing our business
conversions, dyno tuning and the supply in 2010 without compromising quality. It
of high-octane racing fuel.” Both Disa really is a matter of the bigger the voice
Auto Services and Mace Group are able to the better the offering”.

To join Capricorn Society Limited call Rob Mildenhall on

083 654 2094 or e-mail him at
rob.mildenhall@capricorn.com.au or visit their website on
www.capricorn.com.au

60 February 2010
 Industry Update

erlemann’s gears up for growth

erlemann’s Gearbox Engineering has been focusing on all things transmission since
its establishment in 1972, and today it is a thriving business, situated at 33 Laub
Street, New Centre, Johannesburg. To mark the implementation of its Automatic
Transmission Programme, erlemann’s held an official launch function on Thursday
10th December 2009.

Stan Roberts, General Manager (left) and Richard Erlemann,

Managing Director, say that erlemann’s is now in a position to expand
and diversify, which is good news for the automotive aftermarket

I
n its 37 years of operations, erlemann’s has focused on VW
and Audi exclusively, which resulted in it becoming an
accredited supplier to Volkswagen South Africa of recondi-
tioned gearboxes and differentials. erlemann’s is also the
only company nationwide which can service and supply all
types of VW and Audi gearboxes and differentials for all
local and overseas models of these motor vehicles, with the unique
ability to supply 172 out of a variety of over 250 different types of
gearboxes, ranging from the 1954 Beetle to the latest Audi electron-
ic gearbox.

But the times they are a changing, and the demand from the mar-
ket for this expertise to be applied to all the other brands available
has forced erlemann’s to rethink and diversify. But it was not a deci-
sion taken lightly, nor was it a Quixotic rush to muscle into other
markets. It took three years of research and development, investigat-
ing, intensive feasibility studies and rigorous testing before the man-
agement of erlemann’s was ready for its foray into non VW brands.
It’s going to be an exciting year, with the Inglestone Road operation
At the launch to present and discuss the new Hydra Test Equipment
being readied for non VW brands, whilst the Laub Street operation
was Dr. William Henney PHD F.I.M.I., an internationally
will remain as the VW and Audi hub. renowned transmission specialist. Bill Henney (on the right) also
had the opportunity to catch up with old friends, such as Rob
More on this in future editions of ABR. Mildenhall of Capricorn Society.

62 February 2010

A very important certificate
Behind every successful function are some
ladies
What’s
SA FUEL SUPPLIES WILL BE ADEQUATE DURING THE
2010 FIFA WORLD CUP
The South African petroleum industry
will be ready for the 2010 FIFA World
Cup when demand is expected to spike
significantly across the entire supply
chain of petrol, diesel, and particularly,
jet fuel. That’s the assurance from
Maurice Radebe, incoming chairman of
the South African Petroleum Industry
Association (SAPIA), the representative
body of manufacturing and wholesaling
companies in the petroleum industry.
Radebe says a major programme is being
developed by a World Cup Fuel Task
Team chaired by the Department of
Energy to ensure that about 2.7m specta-
tors are able to travel to the 64 matches
scheduled over the approximately 40 day
period beginning on June 11 at stadiums
around the country.
“Visitors and teams will start arriving
two to three weeks prior to the tourna-
ment and many will stay on afterwards to
holiday in the country, so from a fuel
supply perspective, this will be a major
logistical exercise, the likes of which we
may never see again” says Radebe.
SAPIA, Transnet, ACSA, the
Department of Energy and various other
stakeholders are co-operating to ensure
February 2010
Industry
A tour of the facilities with relevant demonstrations
was conducted by
Wynand Cronje, Trainee
Gearbox Technician (Valve
Deflection Vacuum Testing)
Werner Vickers, Workshop
Foreman (Diagnostic
Equipment)
the Buzz?
all petroleum products will be available
he said. “Stock levels are the key.
Refineries will be producing at top capac-
ity ahead of and during the event and
import, distribution and storage facilities
will all be optimally utilised.
“We will be ready to meet the needs of
transport operators, airlines, tourist des-
tinations, industry and commerce in the
run up to the FIFA World Cup and
beyond when South Africa will be show-
cased to the world.”
The massive fuel supply build-up for the
event also focussed attention on the issue
of continuity of supply in the fuel indus-
try into the future he said – something to
which he would give considerable atten-
tion during his tenure as Chairman.
“Importantly the FIFA World Cup has
provided a basis for co-operation by all
stakeholders in the petroleum industry
which will be invaluable over the next
five to ten years as critical supply and
production issues are tackled. It is for
this reason that the industry has applied
for exemption from the Competition
Commission. This exemption will allow
the necessary co-operation.
Update
Martin Hoffmann, Senior
Foreman (Hydra Test Equipment)
“Supply disruptions have probably been
avoided to date and in part, because of
the economic slowdown and the inland
areas, the industrial and economic heart-
land of the country, are the most vulner-
able in this respect.
“There is a close link between the petro-
leum industry and economic growth. In
order to increase production to fuel
South Africa’s growing economy and
meet the demand for cleaner burning,
more efficient fuels, large investments
will be needed by the industry. Issues of
timing, funding and cost recovery mech-
anisms for the refineries and other stake-
holders to meet the multi billion Rand
cost of these developments have to be
taken into account.”
“The basis for working together
in preparation for the FIFA
World Cup should be taken for-
ward to meet these challenges,
working within the framework of
the Energy Security Master Plan
agreed to by Cabinet in 2007.”
63
 Show Time

Automechanika News
DATES SET FOR NEXT AUTOMECHANIKA TRADE FAIR IN SA

T
he organisers of Automechanika South Africa , Dogan Trading, have
agreed on dates with brand owner Messe Frankfurt for the second
staging of this world-renowned international trade fair for the auto-
motive aftermarket. It will take place from March 9-12, 2011 at
MTN Expo Centre, Nasrec, Johannesburg. The city last year became
the 13th in 12 countries in the world to stage an Automechanika
trade fair. The first local expo was held in March last year and the intention was to
stage the the event annually.

However, the economic downturn and the World Cup Football tournament, which
will be making use of Expo Centre for its International Broadcast Centre, has meant
a postponement of the second event until 2011.

“This means that the second edition of Automechanika

SA will benefit from being staged at a venue that has
undergone a R30-million rand revamp, with much-
improved facilities to the benefit of both exhibitors and
visitors,” said show director Philip Otto.
”We have once again received support from major industry organisations for the 2011
fair, including the National Association of Automobile manufacturers of SA (NAAM-
SA), Retail Motor Industry organisation (RMI), Automotive Industry Export Council
(AECI) and the National Association of Automotive Component and Allied
Manufacturers’ (NAACAM), while we now also have backing from Automechanika’s
global partners, the Motor and Equipment Manufacturers Association (MEMA) and
the European Garage Equipment Association (EGEA). “We have already updated the
local website – www.automechanikasa.co.za – and this includes an attractive, down-
loadable calendar featuring photographs taken at all 13 of the global Automechanika
trade fairs; the calendar goes from January 2010 – where three South African models,
posing at the MTN Expo Centre, are featured – to January 2011,” added Otto.

ABR gives
its r
SPECIAL AWARD FOR
INAUGURAL MTN Exp eaders a sneak previ
o Centre – ew
AUTOMECHANIKA SA a stunning of the new
renaissanc
e
The achievement of loc
al exhibition organisers,
Trading, in successfully
staging the inaugural, int
Dogan
E W IN T E R N E T WEBSITE
Automechanika South Afr ernational N
ica trade fair for the aut
CHANIKA
FOR AUTOME
aftermarket has been rec omotive
ognised by the Exhibitio
Events Association of SA ns and
FRANKFURT
(EXSA). The event was rec
with a Certificate of Excelle ognised
nce for 2009 trade shows
of more tomotive after- for the au
than 12 000m2 floor spa e global trade fairs
function, held at the
ce at EXSA’s recent annual
awards Automechanika, th we bsite, almost a year
before the
nc he d a ne w
Gallagher Convention market, has lau ber 14-19,
Midrand. Automechani Centre, in
hi p fair in Fr an kfurt from Septem
ka SA show director, Ph start of its fla gs for visitors to:
said he was delighted to hav ilip Otto,
“firew or ks fo r the eyes and ears”
e the event honoured by EX 2010. There are urt/en The
it had been his long-held SA as
ha ni ka .m ess efr ankfurt.com/frankf
dream to bring the intern http://autom ec through a
Automechanika trade ational
e vie we r on an interactive road show
fair brand to South site will take th visual for
“Johannesburg is now the Africa,
m ob ili ty – the new key
13th city in 12 global cou metropolis of ck music. The
stage one of these events ntries to
ka – to th e ac companiment of ro
and we are proud that the Automecha ni ty – has been
another boost for the city success is
kn ow n as th e M etropolis of Mobili
that will be in the world stylised city – s and items of
as it plays host to the ope
ning and closing games of
spotlight
va rio us m ot or vehicle component
built from ve.”
FIFA World Cup”. the 2010 t which all “come ali
workshop equipmen
64 February 2010
 Show Time

Brityrex News
Brityrex reaches 70% of floor space sales with 9 months still to go!
Event organiser ECI International has confirmed that Brityrex International 2010 is already 70 per cent sold in terms of stand space
at Manchester Central. Confirming the positive take-up from exhibitors, ECI managing director Paul Farrant says: “We continue to
make very good progress with the exhibition and I can put everyone’s mind to rest by confirming that Brityrex will definitely be tak-
ing place as planned in Manchester in October. “Reaching the 70 per cent milestone at this relatively early stage means we go forward
with confidence and in the knowledge that the industry is firmly behind the exhibition.” Since the turn of the year ECI has contin-
ued to register a wide variety of international exhibitors for the UK’s only dedicated tyre and equipment show of the year. They include
companies from the UK, Europe, south Asia, China and New Zealand.

What’s the Buzz?

KenKen 3 x 3
How to Play:
Like Sudoku, even though difficulty may vary from puzzle to puzzle, the rules for
playing KenKen are fairly simple:
For a 3 x 3 puzzle, fill in with the numbers 1-3.
• Do not repeat a number in any row or column.
• The numbers in each heavily outlined set of squares, called cages, must combine (in any
order) to produce the target number in the top corner of the cage using the mathe-
matical operation indicated.
• Cages with just one box should be filled in with the target number in the top corner.
• A number can be repeated within a cage as long as it is not in the same row or
column. Answer on page 68

Latest CV-joint technology in SKF drive shaft

range (VKJ) for Renault Megane and Grand Scenic
SKF has extended the drive shaft range
with the latest CV-joint technology based
on an eight ball design that reduces the
weight and the volume of the transmission,
striving for reduced fuel consumption.

The latest design innovation consists in CV-joints with

eight balls instead of six which allows for the usage of
smaller balls resulting in a more compact unit with a
higher level of performance than the traditional six ball
design. This evolution is in line with the car industry’s
requirements for solutions that reduce consumption.

Most new applications, mainly on the wheel end side,

are now equipped with the eight ball construction. The
range extension covers 25 new items for Renault
Megane and Grand Scenic .

For more information, see SKF’s Vehicle Service

Market website: www.skf.vsm.com.

February 2010 65
 Industry Comment

Finger in
the Wind
The CEO of McCarthy Limited, Brand Pretorius, in his annual state of the
industry presentation to the media at the OR Tambo Airport in the first
week of the year, said that 2009 was the most dramatic year he had ever
experienced in the motor industry, and that any prediction he made for
2010 was akin to licking his finger and testing the wind.

P
retorius is not alone, and most
economists would admit that
forecasting vehicle sales for 2010
is an extremely difficult exercise,
and mostly in thumb suck territory. Now
that we have got all the digit references
out of the way, let us turn our attention to
what the sage of Northcliff had to say.
Despite the “wrenching” emotions that he
experienced in 2009, Pretorius lifted the
mood by saying that he “is filled with
excitement for the new year. As a commit-
ted South African I look forward to the
2010 World Cup.” Pretorius also admitted
that the downturn of 25,9% in 2009 was
significantly worse than his prediction of a
10% slump, but added that most econo-
mists had not even predicted a 10%
decline.
Pretorius also added that this was the
biggest year-on-year decline in history,
with the previous low point having been a
24,8% fall in sales between 1984 and
1985. He said there were a number of rea-
sons for the decline over and above the
main reason, namely the South African
economy going into a recession for the
first time in 17 years. Pretorius said major
contributors to this situation were low lev-
els of business and consumer confidence,
the ratio of household debt to disposable
income being close to a record high.
Pretorius expects an increase of 7% in
total vehicle sales to 422 800 units this
year, with all segments showing an upward
66
trend. His forecast will still make this
year’s expected vehicle market the smallest
since 2003, apart from 2009. Pretorius
said he anticipated that sales of passenger
cars will rise 8% to 278 800 units, with
light commercials up 4.9% to 124 000
units, medium commercials growing
4.0% to 7 500 units and heavy commer-
cials increasing by 6.7% to 12 500 units.
“We see 2010 as a year of consolidation
for the local motor industry as it recovers
from last year’s financial crisis which saw
the biggest year-on-year drop in sales in
history”. He said there were a number of
factors which should influence sales posi-
tively this year. These included enhanced
vehicle affordability through price stabili-
ty, higher trade in prices due to a strong
used vehicle market and more added value
from manufacturers and dealers. The rel-
atively favourable interest rate environ-
ment should also assist on the affordabili-
ty front. Other positive factors include a
projected GDP growth rate of at least
1.5%, an anticipated higher credit appli-
cation approval rate and the positive
impact of the Soccer World Cup on both
consumer and business confidence.
Stronger buying by the rental companies
in the first quarter in preparation for
demand during the World Cup should
also boost the market, as well as improved
vehicle supply and the fact that fleet-own-
ers should start renewing their fleets this
year. However, Pretorius cautioned that
there were several negative influences that
could affect vehicle sales this year.
Pretorius summed up by saying that there
are a number of key issues that will affect
vehicle demand this year.
These include the sustainability of the
global and local economic recovery, the
levels of business and consumer confi-
dence, and the willingness of financial
institutions to extend credit to corporate
and private customers as well as the ques-
tion of vehicle affordability.
“We are not expecting any fire-
works, but rather a period of
consolidation and modest
growth in sales of both new and
used vehicles,” he concluded.
February 2010
 Wilde Things

On Your Marx, Get

by Fingal Wilde
Set, Do Not Pass Go
During a recent sojourn in the UK, I did my customary cemetery visits, with West
Brompton and Highgate Cemeteries in London on my itinerary. Ever since my namesake
was interred in the Père Lachaise cemetery in Paris in a hideous Eastern Bloc type
mausoleum, I have developed a morbid interest in cemeteries, headstones and the like,
which South Africa does not sate one iota. The first thing that strikes you when com-
paring old cemeteries in South Africa to their Europe equivalents is the markedly dif-
ferent approach to maintenance. South African municipalities tend to let cemeteries
go to the dogs, whereas in Europe everything is kept in pristine condition. All about
culture and civilised behaviour, I suppose.

W
est Brompton Cemetery is really beautiful,
with delightful Victorian architecture, which
has made it the cemetery of choice amongst
filmmakers. Highgate is not so grand, but
what distinguishes it is the fact that it is the
resting place of one Karl Marx, the great promoter of commu-
nism, and one of the most hypocritical fellows to “grace” our
planet. This parasite on society hardly ever did a day’s work,
unless you define journalism as hard labour, leeching off handouts
from fellow freak Friedrich Engels’ family business and an inheri-
for posterity, the paper on which it was written perfect for the
posterior, “Capital is dead labour, which, vampire-like, lives only
by sucking living labour, and lives the more, the more labour it
sucks.” What absolute drivel, exemplified and amplified by the
behaviour of our modern Marx clones. This came home to me
when on New Year’s Day I complimented the rubbish removal
“wukkas” for working on a public holiday. They complained that
they were having to play catch-up on a backlog; obviously self-
induced; but my generous compliment on a work ethic opened
the door to strenuous entreaties for additional payment from

The grandest tombstone at the Highgate

cemetery belongs not to an industrialist,
but a communist. Tony Twine of
Econometrix reminded me of the old
chestnut that this particular site is a
The beautiful West Brompton cemetery communist plot.

tance from his wife’s uncle. Interestingly, these sources of income
came from capitalist swine, but why look a gift horse in the
mouth, even when your whole philosophical being is dead set
against the basic tenets of this gift horse. Irrespective, Herr Marx
spent his waking hours procreating (even putting his housekeep-
er – a communist having a housekeeper!!! – up the communist
pole, or more indelicately, hoisting her on his own petard), writ-
ing, philosophising, politicising, pontificating, stealing oxygen,
and when capitalist funds were available, bourgeoising. Thus, the
following quote must go down in the annals of history as the
biggest load of hypocritical and self-serving crap ever to be kept
good old gullible me, based on hand wringing and heart wrench-
ing cries of poverty. But hold on. These guys are being paid for
this, and most probably double time, but are still looking for extra
moola. Not the behaviour of wukkas, rather capitalists, which
obviously explains the behaviour of the razor sharp Blade
Nzimande, who if offered a twenty million Rand jet, to be paid
for by the taxpayers, would accept with alacrity. The conclusion is
that fundamentally there is no difference between capitalists and
communists. Human nature is an all encompassing blanket, of
many hues. The communists are just a little more hypocritical
than the others.

February 2010 67
 Wilde Things
Another prescient quote from the bearded wonder: “Anyone who knows anything of
history knows that great social changes are impossible without feminine upheaval.
Social progress can be measured exactly by the social position of the fairer sex,
the ugly ones included”. Unfortunately, over a century later, just a few metres
from Marx’ grave, one wife’s death was an afterthought and another wife apparent-
ly did not have the universal love that her husband enjoyed. Thank goodness for
all concerned that she was not around to correct the oversight.

What’s the Buzz?

Answer from page 65

Answers From page 57
1. TrilogyPublishing 12. 8
2. Deneysville 13. Alec Issigonis (the Mini)
3. 75 14. Glyn Hall
4. Ralph Pitchford 15. Rover
5. John Dunlop (an Irishman) 16. Freddy Spencer
6. Audi 17. 19
7. Hennie Groenewald 18. Completely knocked down
8. Ferdinand Porsche 19. Mike Whitfield
9. Claire Vale 20. Hyundai
10. John Surtees
11. Dave Powels

68 February 2010
 For All Rapid Techheads
I had many options for the title of this article, but I plumped for the
rapid tech head angle. I could have also used rabid tech heads, but For
All Rapid Techheads will suffice. Simply because the Scirocco is
designed for those who know cars, and those who like speed. I had this
by Howard Keeg
vehicle for a week, and it is an impressive package, but maybe with just
too much grunt for an old fart like me.

The new a
ggressive S
cirocco raring to g
o

The old u
nderstated

I
n the seventies Volkswagen went through what we in the VW clique
Scirocco at the time called their flatulent period. It was a juvenile joke about all
the cars named after winds during that frenetic era, and many of those
names are still with us, like a severe case of colic. Not that the owners
of Jettas, Golfs, Passats and Sciroccos would agree, but these cars do tend
to give the competition painful indigestion. These are all great cars, and
the longevity of their names attest to that. But those of us who worked in
Uitenhage but stayed in Port Elizabeth were convinced that all those
windy names were a cruel reference to our very flatulent city. Parochial,
I know, but you would only understand if you were there at the time.
For those who weren’t around in the 70’s, let me elucidate. Passat is the German
word for trade wind, Golf is named after Gulf Stream, Jetta logically after Jet Stream, and the Bora,
which did not see the light of day in South Africa, was guess what, named after the Bora wind which whips up the Adriatic. Oh
yes, the Scirocco was a nod to the Italians and the hot Sirocco wind which blasts Libya and its neighbours. It is also not confirmed that
the Sirocco is responsible for Muammar Gadaffi’s hairstyle.
Okay, enough of the windy geography lesson. Let us get back to what has the rapid techheads in a froth. The Scirocco first came out in
the seventies, and was based on the A1 Golf (at that stage still in design stage), but in a very clever sports coupe disguise, thanks to that
styling genius Giorgetto Giugiaro. It was the replacement for the venerable Karmann Ghia, but unfortunately has never reached the
iconic status of its predecessor, but not for lack of trying. The Scirocco has gone through many redesigns, and today it is truly a very
impressive car, with space age styling. Its 147kW two litre mill is very aggressive, and even in electronic traction mode, it bucks like
a bronco and leaves rubber on the road if you’re not careful. The tricky teutonic tiptronic box, also known as the semi-automatic
twin-clutch DSG transmission, tripped me up, and the manual paddle mode just put me into a spin. Perfect for a boy racer or a rapid
techhead, but just a little too much too handle for the hirsutely challenged. Not for the old farts, but perfect for the young with strong
sphincters.

February 2010 69
 Show Time

WATS Exhibitor Registrations Soar

in January 2010!
WATS exhibitor registrations absolutely TOOK OFF in January 2010! So much so, that
by the third week of January only 30% exhibitor space was left over. The Show is now
70% sold out! It has become absolutely clear that much more optimism & enthusiasm
is being felt in our industry and in our country for 2010.

W
ith a spotlight on Training &
Technology in this year’s WATS
show and with the
Heavyweight Expo taking place in con-
junction with the WATS show, together
with the extended show hours and an addi-
tional day, the feet through the 2010
WATS show is expected to way surpass pre-
vious years. The close relationship between
WATS & the RMI is clearly evident year
on year, but never more than this year
where RMI Northern Region Manager
Angela Calogero has brought some ground
breaking initiatives to the show with the
purpose of firstly, proving that “Belonging
to the RMI is better business” and second-
ly putting additional actions to many
words spoken on urgently required training
in our industry by exposing more students
and people interested in taking up a career
in the Motor Industry to aspects of the
trade, as well as encouraging FET’s to visit
the show. Angela has taken it upon herself
to involve the 16 constituent bodies of the
RMI to take stands at WATS Pretoria so
that each have something interactive on
their stand that anyone showing an interest
in the trade, visitors, teenage school chil-
dren and school leavers, can get a hands on
feel of what that sector of the Motor
Industry is about. Angela has gone so far as
to team up with a Panel Beating Company
in Pretoria to look into setting up a
Demonstration spray booth where visitors
and especially students can have a go at
actually spraying something, without being
arrested for doing graffiti. WATS will hold
four 30min short informative talks each
evening of 24th & 25th March covering a
range of subjects such as: Generic Fuel
Injection, Diagnostic Scanning, Testing &
Fault Finding, Importance of using correct
brake components, correct testing of new
generation Alternator Voltage Regulators
& “Introduction to the Electrolog &
Electrolog Advanced Training” to name a
few. Everyone at WATS is extremely excit-
ed to host a Show in 2010 which will mark
one of the greatest years in South African
History. 24-25th March 2010, Hall L of
the Pretoria Show Grounds. 10h00 to
21h30. For further information visit
www.wats.co.za where you can register
on-line or contact Miranda on: 082 9680
214 & admin@wats.co.za or Johann on:
082 5515 061 & info@wats.co.za
The WATS Expo’s are fully endorsed by the
RMI (Retail Motor Industry Organisation
of S.A.)

HeavyWeight Expo To Feature Workshops By

Omega Investment Research
Omega Investment Research, a Cape Town-based international trade and investment promotion
and event management firm will be presenting workshops tailored to the needs of the heavy vehi-
cle industry over the four days of the inaugural HeavyWeight Expo 2010, which will be held at the
Tshwane Events centre in Pretoria West from March 23 to 26, 2010. Established in 1990 by Dr
Denis Worrall, Omega has conceptualised, initiated and managed over 200 events in 20 countries
and 30 major cities around the world. Omega specialises in business-to-business events with the
accent on trade and investment. “We see huge potential for a highly focused event such as the
HeavyWeight Expo,” said Denise Spaull, Omega’s General Manager: Corporate Strategy. “The
heavy vehicle industry, which serves and supports many sectors that are crucial to the regional econ-
omy, is a very specialised sector that has not had its own dedicated event platform in Southern
Africa until now.” Apart from the exhibition that will showcase latest products and concepts, the
HeavyWeight Show will offer five three-hour workshops that will feature topical and industry spe-
cific themes developed in close consultation with independent stakeholders. There will be top class
speakers who will discuss current topics and trends relevant to the sector and Q&A sessions will be
an important element. The workshops will be of interest to all of the industry’s stakeholders from
manufacturers and suppliers to financiers and end users in the construction, mining, agricultural,
logistics and transport industries as well as government. “We hope to attract at least 500 delegates
HH@headhonchos to attend the workshop sessions, which will run parallel to the exhibition,” said Spaull.

70 February 2010
 Show Time

ASA pulls NACE, CARS shows out of AAIW

A
utomotive Service & Repair Week (ASRW) 2010 will take place Oct. 11-13 at the Mandalay Bay Convention Center in Las
Vegas as a stand-alone event, no longer during Automotive Aftermarket Industry Week (AAIW), which includes the SEMA
and AAPEX shows. 2010 marks the third annual ASRW, which features the International Autobody Congress & Exposition
(NACE) for collision repairers; the Congress of Automotive Repair & Service (CARS) for auto service professionals; and Auto
Glass Week for automotive glass professionals. All three shows are sponsored by the Automotive Service Association (ASA), which made
the decision to cut ties with AAIW and the SEMA show. ASA said more industry segments might join under the ASRW umbrella. “ASA
is very pleased that our plans to produce a dedicated event for all automotive service and repair professionals, regardless of their indus-
try affiliations, business models, specialties, or disciplines, have finally come to fruition,” says Ron Pyle, ASA president and chief staff
executive. “At ASRW, the shop owner and the technician are welcomed, respected and listened to, because they are the decision-mak-
ers”. The relationship between ASRW and the SEMA show has been on the decline for several years and reached a new low this year
when SEMA launched a paint, body and equipment section to its show, which runs during the NACE show. The two shows have run
concurrently for five years. Paint and body exhibitors are a pillar at the NACE show.

New Owners Breathe New Life into Rand Show

T
he Rand Show, the 115 year-old South African milestone, will take a new direction in 2010 under new ownership by return-
ing its focus to family entertainment and to provide the largest consumer interaction platform in Southern Africa. New own-
ers, the Johannesburg Expo Centre, have appointed South African Show Services (SA Shows) who pioneered Auto Africa to
manage the show after purchasing the brand from Kagiso Exhibitions. "We have already made a considerable investment to
ensure that the 2010 Rand Show will be a unique event which everyone will remember. To demonstrate their commitment the owners
of the Rand Show have already invested more than R30 Million in upgrading the old Nasrec Show Grounds. "As management of the
Rand Show we have further invested over R3 Million to attract world-class entertainment that will ensure an exciting experience for fam-
ilies. The investment by the owners of the Rand Show demonstrates their long-term commitment towards the brand. The 2010 Show
serves as the kick-off for a three-year plan to ensure the show becomes a consumer interaction platform that will once again be a high-
light on the business calendar," says Ms Pula Dippenaar, Show Director and CEO of SA Shows.

What’s the Buzz?

Bridgestone
Retail Gets
New Head
Bridgestone South Africa has
announced the appointment of
Romano Daniels as Managing
Director of Bridgestone Retail
with effect from 1st March 2010.
Romano brings a wealth of
experience and significant
Bridgestone DNA to the portfolio,
having joined Firestone in 1996 as
Human Resources Development
Manager. He was appointed
General Manager, Group
Training and Development in
2002, GM of Human Resources in
2003, GM of Group Public
Relations in 2006 and added the
important position of GM
Marketing in 2008. He takes over
the reins from Gavin Kockott,
who has been Chief Executive
Officer of Bridgestone South
Africa Retail and its franchise
system of Supa Quick, Speedy’s
and Autoquip since its inception.

February 2010 71
 What’s the Buzz?

TWO NEW HAL FEDER

APPOINTMENTS TO
BOARD OF
McCARTHY LIMITED
Two new appointments, as non-executive
directors to the board of McCarthy Limited,
have been announced by the company’s Chief
Executive Officer, Brand Pretorius. The new
directors are Bongi Thwala, the Commercial
Director for Bid Industrial and Commercial
Products, and Gillian McMahon, the Group
Transformation Executive at the Bidvest cor-
porate office.
Bongi Thwala Gillian McMahon
Pretorius says they are both well qualified and
experienced executives in the Bidvest Group
and he believes they will make a valuable con-
tribution to the ongoing success of McCarthy
Limited, one of the largest retail automotive
groups in South Africa.
NAMED GENER-
AL MANAGER,
FORD AND LIN-
COLN MERCURY
SALES IN DEAR-
BORN
Former President and Chief Executive
Officer of Ford Motor Company of
Southern Africa (FMCSA) Hal Feder, has
been appointed General Manager, Ford and
Lincoln Mercury Sales. The appointment
comes concurrently with the announce-
ment of Randy Ortiz’s intention to retire
effective March 1, 2010 to pursue other
interests. Until his retirement, Randy will
work with Hal to ensure the smooth transi-
tion of the Field Sales organisation. Feder
will report to Ken Czubay, Vice President,
(quickpic) U.S. Marketing, Sales and Service. Feder
will be charged with delivering and improv-
ing retail sales and market share during a tumultuous time in the industry. He will aim to strength-
en the distribution channel and improve dealer profitability for Lincoln, Mercury and Ford while also
improving employee and dealer satisfaction. Many challenges lie ahead for Feder in his new role,
however he is looking forward to the opportunity. He brings with him a wealth of experience gained
through varying assignments with the company. Most Recently Feder made a strong impact on the
South African market as President and CEO for Ford Motor Company of Southern Africa, a posi-
tion he held from October 2006 to December 2009. He oversaw Ford's entire business operations in
the country, including product development, purchasing, material logistics, manufacturing, market-
ing, sales, and customer service activities. He was responsible for growing the Ford, Mazda, brands,
directing day-to-day operations of Ford's manufacturing sites in Port Elizabeth and Pretoria, as well
as working with key partners in government, media, suppliers, and the union.

The MINI Countryman

MINI is adding a fourth model to the family, opening up a new dimension of that
unmistakable MINI feeling. As a genuine Crossover, the MINI Countryman
bridges the gap between the classic concept of the MINI and a modern Sports
Activity Vehicle. Boasting enhanced opportunities in urban mobility and beyond,
the MINI Countryman offers that unique driving pleasure so typical of MINI to
new target groups requiring extra space and flexibility. As the first model in the
MINI range with four doors and a wide-opening rear lid, the MINI Countryman
provides even greater freedom of space for truly versatile use, a slightly elevated seat-
ing position, and optimised driving comfort. Full integration of the passengers with-
in the vehicle creates that driving experience so typical of MINI. And at the same
time the MINI Countryman maintains that go-kart feeling likewise so characteris-
tic of MINI, optional MINI ALL4 all-wheel drive offering an additional highlight
for the genuine connoisseur. In a nutshell, therefore, the MINI Countryman offers
all the characteristic features of the brand in terms of design, premium quality,han-
dling, efficiency and customisation in new, fascinating style. (quickpic)

Mitsubishi Motors' i-MiEV electric car has been

voted "Ecobest 2009"
Mitsubishi Motors Corporation (MMC) has announced that ahead of its forthcoming European launch
during FY2010, Mitsubishi Motors' i-MiEV electric car has been voted "Ecobest 2009" by the AUTOBEST
Jury: a further acknowledgment of its "real life" pioneering technology. Reflecting on the vote, AUTOBEST
Jury concluded: "i-MIEV is the first production electric vehicle on sale in Japan and soon to be sold in (quickpic)
Europe. ECOBEST award founded by AUTOBEST Jury 10 years ago was one the very first worldwide to prize the
efforts in the green field." AUTOBEST's President Ilja Seliktar added his own comments, saying: "For us it is a great pride to award i-MiEV.
There are many statements in this exciting sector coming from almost any manufacturer. But - so far - Mitsubishi is the only one with a real EV for any
customer." As homage to Mitsubishi Motors' long standing efforts in the area of electric drivetrain and technology, this ECOBEST award also
vindicates the long-term strategy MMC and its local partners initiated successfully in the Balkans, Central Europe, Russia, Turkey and the Ukraine from
the early 90's. Founded in 2000 in Romania, AUTOBEST is the motoring organization in the emerging markets of Europe. Today, its Jury includes
leading journalists from 15 countries, including: Bulgaria, Cyprus, the Czech Republic, Croatia, Greece, Hungary, the former Yugoslavian Republic of
Macedonia, Poland, Romania, Russia, Serbia, Slovakia, Slovenia, Turkey and the Ukraine: an area representing over 300 million customers. This year,
Russia will host the award ceremony, scheduled for February 11th, 2010 and to be held in Moscow.

72 February 2010
 Corporate Conscience

Positive Energy
Gathers Momentum
Ever since ABR’s first issue in September 2008, we have been
discussing how one company can be a positive influence and real-
ly make a difference not only in its area of business activity, but
also in the lives and ambitions of its employees, and even more
exhilaratingly, in the lives and hopes of the immediate communi-
ty. Sparepro has been the role model for this series of articles
and after 18 months of observing this with admiration and envy
ABR has decided to step back with respect and to reflect on the
philosophies behind this motivational approach.

T
o buttress this argument, we
need to ponder on four
insightful quotes, lifted at
random (but maybe proof of
divine intervention) from
the 2010 Carpe Diem Business Diary.
Before we get to the quotes, let us reflect
on the meaning of Carpe Diem, which
translated starkly means Seize the Day. To
fully appreciate this meaning, we are
required to delve into what Horace was
really saying in his exaltation, “Even as we
speak, envious time is running away from
us. Seize the day ….”. This has a very deep
and profound meaning, but put simply, it
is a call to arms to not waste your time and
to grab life by the throat. Procrastination
is the thief of time, and if you can put
your time to good use, your competitors,
your colleagues, your friends, your ene-
mies, and even time itself will be envious.
Yes, friends can be envious, but in a more
empathetic way than enemies. Now to the
four quotes, all in the January section of
the Carpe Diem Business Diary:
1. “Live one day at a time emphasising
ethics rather than rules” – Wayne
Dyer
2. “Hold yourself responsible for a high-
er standard than anybody expects of
you. Never excuse yourself ” – Henry
Ward Beecher
3. “Management is efficiency in climb-
ing the ladder of success; leadership
determines whether the ladder is lean-
ing against the right wall” – Stephen
R. Covey
4. “If you don’t have integrity, you don’t
have anything. You can’t buy it. You
can have all the money in the world,
but if you are not a moral and ethical
person, you really have nothing” –
Henry Kravis
Each quote is philosophical and thought
provoking, but even more inspiring is that
all this is sensible and sound advice, which
can be acted upon, and put into practice,
at very little material cost. It does require
a moral effort, but what a wonderful
return in so many areas of one’s life. The
real benefit is that everyone involved in
this effort become better people, and each
convert starts contributing, and once you
have critical mass in a business, you have a
powerful wave of positive energy, with
everyone working as a team rather than
individuals. This equals less conflict and
more focus on the important things such
as service, efficiency and individual atten-
tion to the customer. The end result is
loyal customers and revenue growth. It is
like throwing a positive stone laden with
energy into a pond, and this positive ener-
gy ripples in waves right through the
pond.
This is what Sparepro has achieved, and
now the company is ready for phase two,
to build on this positive energy and to
take this momentum to even greater
heights. ABR simply cannot wait to report
on the unimaginable.

76 February 2010
 Fast Wheels

Formula S
Redux
In the previous two issues of ABR, we gave our readers an overview of the Formula S
racing competition to be held at the famous Hochenheim race circuit in Germany in
August 2010. We also highlighted the fact that NMMU (Nelson Mandela Metropolitan
University) will be flying the South African flag, and we appealed to our readers to
get behind the project. Over the next few issues, we are going to give some technical
specs and general requirements for this competition designed for students, and to
follow the progress of our Port Elizabeth lads and lasses.

S
peed is not the only element in this competition. Points
are also allocated to design, performance, financial
planning and sales planning. The students are chal-
lenged to go through the whole process, and to deliver
on these requirements, from start to finish. The SAE
rules and regulations stipulate the following:
General Requirements
• Four wheel configuration
• Wheel base of at least 1525mm
• Track width with the smaller track front/rear not less than
75% of the larger
• Minimum chassis ground clearance of 25,4mm
• Minimum wheel diameter of 203,2mm
Engine/Power Train Requirements
• Four stroke engine with displacement not exceeding 610cc
• Throttle body of any size/design via mechanical (cable/rod)
actuation using at least two return springs located on the
throttle body
• Intake system restrictor (to limit power capability) between
the throttle body and engine of 20mm maximum
Reliability is the name of the game, because the weighting of
points is significantly skewed towards this aspect. Therefore,
whilst speed does give an adrenaline rush, with Formula S the
wise and patient tortoise may have the edge on the foolish and
impatient hare. Whilst the adjudicators in Germany may take
great care in evaluating the technical aspects of the completed car,
they will also seek to evaluate the effectiveness of the marketing
and sales plans of the competing teams. Thus, a multi-disciplinary
approach is prudent, and NMMU has roped in students from
many faculties, which makes for a heady mix of science and art.
The important thing to remember is that NMMA Racing will be
the only team from Africa to participate in August 2010, thus the
whole of South Africa needs to put its weight behind these
intrepid and adventurous youngsters.
Anyone who wishes to assist in putting South Africa on the
Formula S map may contact the project leaders of the
NMMU Racing team, Howard Theunissen or Trevor
Stroud, at howard.theunissen@nmmu.ac.za or
trevor.stroud@nmmu.ac.za. Alternatively, they may be
contacted at 082 775 8536 or 083 419 3707.
Mphathisi Colwana
and Alison Richter
are two of the stu-
dent engineers on the
Formula S team.

February 2010 77
 Fast
CHANGES IN FORMULA 1
COMING TOGETHER
There is no doubt who runs Formula 1
racing in the world. Not Max Mosley
or Jean Todt, the new President of the
by Roger McCleery
FIA.
Bernie Ecclestone runs it – that’s who.
Months before the end of 2009 Bernie said it would be nice to
have Michael Schumacher back in Formula 1. Guess what? He
is back in the new Mercedes Grand Prix car (formerly Brawn).
When Flavio Briatore was sentenced to a lifetime ban by the FIA
from ever returning to Grand Prix racing again after taking the fall
for the Nelson Piquet Jnr crashing scandal in Singapore, Bernie
said, “The sentence was a bit harsh”. Guess what? Flavio has
had the sentence overturned and he will be back in one or anoth-
er. That is if he wants to join the other schemers in Formula 1
racing again.
With Toyota, despite assurances that they weren’t withdrawing,
leaving the scene with BMW to join Honda, who had withdrawn
the year before from Formula 1 racing, the prophets of doom said
that Formula 1 is kaput. Bernie for sure has been changing rules,
points scoring systems, getting a new engine supplier on board
and stopping refuelling during GP races. There have been a few
incidents of fuelling pipes following the car up the track. He has
ended up with 13 teams instead of the 10 racing in 2009.
Maybe the days of the big manufacturer teams are over.
Besides Mercedes Benz there is the regular Red Bull, McLaren,
Ferrari, Renault, Torro Rosso, Williams and Force India still in
the line-up. In comes Lotus Formula 1, Campos, Virgin GP, the
US F1 and Sauber instead of BMW, all using Cosworth 2.4 litre
V8 engines.
Kimi Raikkonen has departed for World Rallying in a Citroën,
which is a shame, but he has his own agenda and has got a good-
ly little package not to be seen in a Formula 1 Ferrari this year.
Kazuki Nakajima, the super-quick Japanese driver, is probably
going to Sauber. I am not sure what is happening to Fisicella.
Newcomers include some great young talent. Nico Hulkenburg,
the German, who shines in a single seater, having won the F2
Championship in 2009, and the A1 GP Series in 2008, is in the
Williams, whilst the equally talented Bruno Senna, nephew of the
great man himself, is in a new Campos.
What is going to happen?
We have to start with the top four or five. Mercedes Benzes has
an all German line-up, Nico Rosberg has to get used to a team
after swopping from Williams where he put in some top drives.
Michael Schumacher I reckon will still drill them all. He has
nothing to prove or lose with seven world championships to his
78
Wheels
credit. If he wins people will say they expected it. If he loses,
they will say he is over the hill and shouldn’t have come back.
Wait till you see.
Red Bull with Sebastian Vettel and Mark Webber are the same
driver line-up and have to be one of the favourite teams for the
championship. They work very well together. The Renault
engine they used was put to better use than the Works Renaults
and their pilots both won Grands Prix convincingly last year.
McLaren? Have two world champions with MBE’s. Both Lewis
Hamilton and Jensen Button are British. Both have grown up in
karting and are mates. But as the expression goes “Jolly good
friends in the clubhouse until they are put to sea.” One is going
to dominate whilst the other one is going to say he has not been
given the equipment. Wait till you see this as well.
Ferrari? With no Michael Schumacher to look after Massa, the
new signing and twice World Champion, Fernando Alonso, who
can really sort out cars, will be the top dog. This plus the fact that
the Italian team normally are fraught with politics with Brawn
gone. With a Portuguese and Spanish driver in the line-up, life
could be fun. All have their own temperaments.
Renault with a new manager, Eric Boullier, at the helm despite an
experienced line-up led by Robert Kubica, will battle - despite a
new investment partner. Renault always suffers from top man-
agement threatening to pull out, despite winning two titles with
Alonso. They took that for granted. Probably did the same with
the road cars as far as their similar design for all models went.
The CEO thinks it is easy to win F1 Championships as long as
you threaten all the time and pay money into the team. Try
Toyota – gone without a trace or a GP win in 6 years and billions
poured into its existence.
Williams? Good driver line-up with Rubens Barricello and von
Hulkenburg but we will have to see how the new Cosworth
engine performs.
As for the others. They will fill the rest of the positions. Having
said that, did we expect to see Ross Brawn bring a 2 week old
team into Formula 1 and clean up in its debut year?
Force India with Sutil and Luizzi and Torro Rosso with Buemi
will slide into the top ten during the season.
The middle of March in a hot Bahrain will give us all a good idea
of who has done their homework during a freezing winter in
Europe after limited testing that is enforced these days.
February 2010
 Hogg’s Wash

Ménage du trios
I was recently in the UK, and I thought that I would share
some predictions by James Corrigan in his Last Word col-
by Gilbert Hogg umn in the Independent on Sunday 27th December 2009.
All tongue in cheek stuff, and very entertaining:
January: England take the final test in looking up for the world number one – no shots. “He’s even better than before”, says
Johannesburg to clinch a 1-0 series win mistresses have come forward in the last Phil Mickelson, “he seems to have so
over South Africa. Centuries come from two weeks. much more energy”.
Strauss (born in Johannesburg), Pietersen May: Michael Owen named as England’s September: Usain Bolt becomes the first
(Maritzburg), Trott (Cape Town) and captain for the World Cup. “He’s always human to jump more than nine metres in
Prior (Johannesburg). “What a day for our been my number one”, enthuses Capello. his first ever long jump event. “Er, I was
country” says an evermore desperate going so fast that I didn’t even see the
June: At Wimbledon, Roger Federer
Gordon Brown. “It wasn’t exactly a bad board. No, I didn’t jump, that’s just my
beats Rafael Nadal in epic final that finish-
day for ours” counters Jacob Zuma. stride”.
es at 2.32am. Only the Duke of Kent and
February: In Six Nations Opener, Amy Whitehouse are still awake. October: Europe wins Ryder Cup,
England beaten 25-9 (Wilkinson three
July: France beat Brazil to win the World although Colin Montgomerie’s moment
penalties) by Wales at Twickenham.
Cup as Henry punches the ball into the of glory is cheapened by Woods’ non-
Martin Johnson refuses to be despondent,
net in the 119th minute. “It was instinc- appearance. “I’m taking a seven day break
“there were actually positives to take. For
tive, FIFA should replay” he says five from golf ”, said the lover of the team for-
starters, I thought our national anthem
months later. Tiger Woods announces his mat.
went better than theirs, and the Welsh
return at St Andrews for the Open and
boys can really sing”.
also reveals he has a new caddie – his wife November: Manchester City resign from
March: Stablemates Denman and Kauto Elin. “When it comes to clubbing me, she the Premier League and join the County
Star link horseshoes on the run-in and trot has no equal” he says. R&A bends its rules Championship.
over the line together in the Gold Cup. to allow Elin to use a distance-finder. Says
“Life’s not all about winning” says the a spokesman, “Elin has assured us it isn’t December: England take a winning 2-0
trainer, “we leave that to Thierry Henry”. for yardages but just to ensure her hus- lead to retain the Ashes. David Cameron
April: Tiger Woods misses his first band is never out of sight”. announces a national day’s holiday, declar-
Masters in 16 years, although things are August: Woods wins USPGA by 10 ing that “cricket is our new national sport”

I noticed that Tiger Woods got four mentions. A cheap shot from Corrigan? Here’s my cheap shots:

• Tiger’s new sponsor is Titlust • Tiger regularly misspells golf cleats,

• GUR now means Get Your preferring golf clits
Rocks off • Tiger told his wife that he needed to
• Proshop suddenly has a new join a Swingers Club
meaning • Forget the history books, Tiger
• Tiger told his wife an definitely has got his Grand Slam
unplayable lie • Tiger actually likes to drive his balls
• Back nine and front nine is the deeply into the rough
new request at Teasers • Tiger’s female caddie was very con-
• Nineteenth hole no longer fused when Tiger showed her how
means a drink in the clubhouse to select a club
• Tiger declines to play at
Leopard Creek, but he has
Tigershark •
•
Tiger loves to shout Fore…play
Tiger definitely takes the honours
shown interest in Beavers when it comes to club speed and
Creek, and he could be lured to Sun City by describing it as head speed
Sin City • Tiger just hates it when the red flag goes up
• Forget Mashie Niblick, Tiger wants a Mashie Nibble and a • And finally, Tiger’s behaviour can all be laid at the feet of his
Nip Lick late father Earl, who was very possessive, and whenever Tiger
• It was the foursomes that first attracted Tiger to golf, and he sank a long putt used to shout from the gallery, “Who’s Your
also wanted to know more about the better ball format Daddy!”

February 2010 79
 The
ABR readers’ Nuggets:
Why men
shouldn’t wrote
advice columns:
From an American newspaper:
Dear John,
I hope you can help me. The
other day, I set off for work,
leaving my husband in the
house watching TV. My car
stalled, and then it broke down
about a mile down the road,
and I had to walk back to get
my husband’s help. When I
got home, I couldn’t believe
my eyes. He was in our bed-
room with the neighbour’s
daughter! I am 32, my hus-
band is 34 and the neighbour’s
daughter is 19. We have been
married for 10 years. When I
confronted him, he broke
down and admitted they had
been having an affair for the
past six months. He won’t go
to counselling, and I’m afraid I
am a wreck and need advice
urgently. Can you please help?
Sincerely, Sheila
Dear Sheila,
A car stalling after being
driven a short distance can be
caused by a variety of faults
with the engine. Start by
checking the fuel line. If it is
clear, check the vacuum pipes
and hoses on the intake man-
ifold and also check all
grounding wires. If none of
these approaches solves the
problem, it could be that the
fuel pump itself is faulty,
causing low delivery pressure
to the injectors.
I hope this helps, John.
80
Last Writes by Baron Claude Borlz
Some alternative humour:
Jurie Els gaan ook nou 'n boek skryf: "101 Maniere Om Met Klay Te Speel"
Brooklax verkoop nie meer in Bloemfontein nie, jy skree net BULLS dan bekak almal
hulle!
My bure se kindertjies het my netnou uitgedaag tot `n watergeveg. Ek dog ek laat weet jou
terwyl ek vir die ketel wag om te kook!
Wat noem jy `n non op `n treadmill? Virgin Active…..
Dokter sê vir Koos hy’t hondsdolheid en gaan definitief sterf. Koos vra pen en papier. Dr:
Wil jy `n testament maak? Koos : Nee, ek wil `n lys maak van almal wat ek gaan byt!!
A teacher gave her class of 11 year olds an assignment: To get their parent to tell them a story with
a moral at the end of it. The next day the kids came back and one by one began to tell their sto-
ries. Ashley said, 'My father's a farmer and we have a lot of egg laying hens. One time we were tak-
ing our eggs to market in a basket on the front seat of the car when we hit a big bump in the road
and all the eggs got broken. 'What's the moral of that story?' asked the teacher. 'Don't put all your
eggs in one basket!' 'Very good,' said the teacher.
Next little Sarah raised her hand and said, 'Our family are farmers too. But we raise chickens for
the meat market. One day we had a dozen eggs, but when they hatched we only got ten live chicks,
and the moral to this story is, 'Don't count your chickens before they're hatched'.' 'That was a fine
story Sarah.'
Michael, do you have a story to share?' 'Yes. My daddy told me this story about my Aunty Sharon.
Aunty Sharon was a flight engineer on a plane in the Gulf War and her plane got hit. She had to
bail out over enemy territory and all she had was a bottle of whisky, a machine gun and a machete.
She drank the whiskey on the way down so it wouldn't break and then she landed right in the mid-
dle of 100 enemy troops. She killed seventy of them with the machine gun until she ran out of
bullets. Then she killed twenty more with the machete until the blade broke. And then she killed
the last ten with her bare hands.' 'Good heavens,' said the horrified teacher, 'what kind of moral
did your daddy tell you from that horrible story?' 'Stay the %^*$ away from Aunty Sharon when
she's been drinking.'
10 Rules for Men
1. It's important to have a woman who helps
at home.
2. It's important to have a woman who
cooks from time to time.
3. It's important to have a woman who keeps
the house clean.
4. It's important to have a woman who has a
job.
5. It's important to have a woman who likes
you.
6. It's important to have a woman who can
be your very best friend.
7. It's important to have a woman who can
make you laugh.
8. It's important to have a woman who you
can trust, who doesn't lie to you.
9. It's important to have a woman who is This street leads off White Hart Lane
good in bed.
10. It's very, very important that these nine
in Tottenham, London. I hear that
women do not know each other!!!!!!! the ANC has written to the London
Sincerely,
council requesting that the street be
Tiger Woods renamed as Tshwane Road.
February 2010