The Automotive Blog

aide automotive are to introduce a new Trailer Light Tester for the agricultrial and trailer market.

This tester is integrated with a 12 V power pack and air compressor.

With a cable long enough to move to the back of the trailer, a rotary switch will switch between each lighting circuit for a visible check. A self resetting trip if a short is found on a circuit this tester is a ideal cost effective tester for all 12 volt trailers.

Contact aide automotive for futher information.

Following many calls to protect cars from fuel theft, we can offer a solution as described below:

The Conical Spring has been used to great effect within the light commercial sector for many years, this device is the only reasonable solution we can offer the car market.

This email will in best describe the product  / system so that you can make your own judgemental view if the spring will suit your car or requirements. aide automotive do not offer any refund or returns policy if this product does not work for your particular vehicle.

We firstly advise you to review  with your local garage or manufacturer if the Conical spring can be fitted to the fuel neck  / entry to the fuel tank. The Spring is supplied 360 mm in length, this can be cut down to a required length.

As it’s a conical spring the end diameter is 55mm. See attached document for a picture.

The idea is that the spring is sent into the filler neck and lodges when the diameter is larger than the internal diameter of the filler neck, the spring will sit tight tin the neck making very hard to be removed. As it’s a curled spring fuel will be able to flow into the tank while re fuelling.

Once you have decided the correct amount of spring to be used any excess is cut off with a practical saw.

Examples of use –

Ford Transit – The whole spring is pushed into the neck until full compression, a small amount is cut off and the spring is lodged behind the entry.

Iveco Daily – A small amount of the spring was used to be situated at the entry to the fuel tank in the plastic pipe.

Landrover  Defender – Roughly half the spring was used and pushed into the entry, compressing and holding in place.

Once you have discussed this with a car garage or your manufacturer and if you wish to purchase we can take payment via credit  or debit cards.

We hope this helps and please if you do proceed offer feedback on fitting or use.

Contact aide automotive to discuss further.

Tyre Pressure Monitoring was one of his top tips to improve the efficent running of your vehicle.  Martin Lewis said

Lower tyre pressure increases the drag on a car meaning you need more fuel, so regularly check the pressures are correct and your car needs less oomph to keep it moving.

Investing in a tyre pressure monitor such as PressurePro or Air Alert means you can constantly monitor the tyre pressure of your vehicle, ensuring each tyre is the correct PSI for your vehicle.

Tyre Pressure Monitoring improves fuel efficency

ABS Tester Acquires Royalty

Following a trial purchase Royal Mail have since purchased 29 EBS/ABS Sensor Testers for use within each workshop.

Using the Sensor Tester to check a sensor, the gap and exciter ring Royal Mail found they were able to easily and cost effectively repair warning lights faults on trucks and trailers without the need for expensive diagnostics tools or dealer trips.

All workshops requires fast, accurate and effective tools to diagnose faults easily and quickly. A high percentage of brake EBS/ABS faults are around the sensor or the sensor itself.

Contact aide automotive ltd for further information on ABS Testing for Truck & Trailer.

Lee Lock secures Pallets whilst in transit

The recent FTA Safety In Transport conference in Coventry heard that VOSA is increasing their focus on checking load safety and security when operators trucks and trailers are stopped by the organisation.

Speakers from VOSA and the HSE explained how the two organisations have been working together on road-side checks to improve VOSA’s understanding of load safety and educate the industry’s front-line staff.

It is reported that 1200 people a year are injured during the loading and unloading of vehicles at the workplace: 64% of these accidents involved someone falling from height, while 17% saw the victim hit by a falling object or material. To give a comparison against other vehicle injuries, in contrast only 11% of casulaties were from someone being hit by a moving vehicle.

A substantial number of the incidents occurred when people had climbed onto the vehicles where loads had shifted in transit and were struck by falling objects. The majority of which were sustained when opening doors or curtains.

There is a simple solution to this health and safety issue, invest in a product like Lee Lock to secure pallets in a truck whilst they’re in transit. 

aide automotive has a range of automotive products to suit your needs.

February 14, 2011

A truck driver had up to 200 litres of fuel stolen from his vehicle while he was asleep in the cabin in Woodley Nr Reading overnight.

The lorry was parked in London Road on Monday, January 31, when the fuel cap to his vehicle was removed and between 120 and 200 litres of fuel was stolen.

February 3^rd 2011

POLICE have sent out a warning to lorry drivers in East Yorkshire after fuel was stolen from a vehicle. The theft happened between 9pm and midnight on Tuesday when a Scania heavy goods vehicle was parked in a lay-by on the A63 westbound, close to the South Cave slip road.  Thieves had removed both the lorry’s fuel caps and siphoned diesel from the tank. East Yorkshire Police officers are asking drivers to be extra vigilant and report any suspicious activity.

March 2011

Kent Police reckon they arrested a Lithuanian gang last week for stealing diesel, they were flogging it back to the own countrymen to save them filling up over here.

Contact aide automotive today to see how our Anti Syphon Devices can help protect your fuel.

Tyre Pressure Monitoring is an essential part of your vehicle maintenance routine because statistics prove that you’re more likely than not to be driving on under-inflated tyres!  One company  checked the tyre condition of 38,000 cars in nine European countries, the results showed a staggering 71% of participating motorists were driving on tyres inflated to a lower than recommended pressure.

The majority of these under-inflated tyres were admittedly less than 0.5 bar under pressure, yet 7.5 per cent of motorists’ tyres were more than 0.5 bar under pressure and half a percent of motorists were driving on tyres at least 0.75 bar under pressure.

By checking the pressure of your tyres, you’ll be preventing the chance of blow outs, which could result in a serious  or fatal accident.  Also by maintating the correct tyre pressure of your vehicle you’ll run a mnore efficient vehicle too.

Check out tyre pressure monitors such as PressurePro or Air Alert.

Trailer Brake Testing is becoming an essential element of vehicle maintenance as VOSA puts more pressure on operators to not only brake test the truck but also test the trailer as well!

Brake Testers such as BrakeCheck are excellent tools to test brakes and demonstrate their efficiency for both the truck and the trailer, but it won’t allow you to test each individual wheel. To identify which wheel is defective you’ll also need to use a tool such as a Infra Red Thermometer. Using this device in addition to a brake tester is a very useful way of checking individual wheel disks or drums to determine brake activation. VOSA recommend the use of Infra Red Thermometers and see them as good practice in any workshop, in fact they’re also using themsleves for road side tests. With the ease of just pointing the gun at the wheel hub from the outer edge of a trailer or truck and without removing wheels this device is ideal to complete a brake check.

aide automotive have also introduced another new product in response to this growing demand, The BrakeCheck TT. This new brake tester tests both the Truck and the Trailer! It allows operators to use the report produced to demonstrate brake effiency on the vehicle. Using a decelerometer to test trailer brakes is a positive method for any operator to achieve further regular testing that can be recorded and used as evidence if required. In today’s world of “Duty Of Care” all management staff need to increase their awareness of reporting and detailing what best they can do to achieve a safe working environment for employees and the general public. BrakeCheck TT will conduct a tractor unit and then tractor and trailer test, reporting both tests on one simple report. With the option to download the test to a PC or print out through a portable printer, hard copy evidence of trailer braking can be recorded with ease and at a cost effective solution.

Brake Testing for trucks and trailers

The majority of transport companies require a pallet truck to manoeuvre goods when they’re delivering to customer’s premises. This presents a few concerns to the operator, as the pallet truck could damage the goods in transit or damage the truck curtains. Also there is concern for the operator if a tyre is used to secure the pallet truck there is a risk of injury to the operator through lifting it into the tyre

One European operator was so concerned with these issues that they have used Lee Lock on their entire fleet of vehicles.

Lee Lock is a device that locks the pallet truck in place at all times, so there is no danger of the truck slamming into other pallets, slashing the curtain side and as the pallet truck slots into the lock there’s no chance of any back injury from lifting.

Lee Lock addresses all of these issues in a simple but effective way! As fleet managers are now faced with demonstrating they are addressing health and safety issues, the modest one-off price for the Lee Lock is an attractive solution. For a small investment these managers can secure a pallet truck in transit and avoid costly repairs to damage the truck could cause in the vehicle. As this European Operator found for a small investment in Lee Lock, they reduced repair costs and insurance claims on damaged goods, not to mention having a driver off work recovering from a back injury.

aide automotive sells a range of automotive products

Pallet Truck Lock, Lee Lock

Following Mercedes Dealer interest in the Mis fuelling Device Diesel Key, aide automotive are please to announce two new dealers to purchase  Diesel Key for their customers.

Orwell Truck & Van in Ipswich and Sharshatts of Kent have recently purchased a number of Diesel Keys.

With major fleet orders taken by aide automotive to fit the Walkers Snacks and Ginsters Sprinters there is an opportunity for any Mercedes dealer to offer this product to their customers and help against the FLEET HEADACHE OF MIS FUELLING!

aide automotive can help with marketing or promotional activities and with a free sample offer, Mercedes Dealers have an excellent opportunity to offer customers a major cost saving and a less hassle product to help keep a fleet on the road.

PRODUCT UPDATE!
Diesel Key Approved by Mercedes Australia.

PRODUCT FEEDBACK:
Following some driver feedback, we have been informed by some drivers that they believed the red cap needed to be screwed on as tight as virtually possible.

This is not the case; this cap needs to be screwed on with no excessive force and with one hand until the cap cannot be turned anymore.

Click on Diesel Key or Mis Fuelling to read more.