The Automotive Blog

Towbar Testing will be an essential part of the MOT tests from next year, VOSA regulations will come into force on 1st January 2012 and all towbars will need to be tested. aide automotive are stocking a 13-pin Towbar Tester to check the 13-pin electrical towing sockets fitted to vehicles with tow-bars. If the sockets are faulty, then trailer or caravan lights may not work. This device checks the output from each pin on the socket and determines if it’s working or not

The device enables the owner to test if all the lights are working and specifically if they;re not to determine which socket isn’t working so you can determine if it’s the fog lights, indicators, brake lights,

So if you have a caravan or trailer with a 13-pin, you’ll need one of these devices before the end of the year so you can ensure the lights are working correctly before you take your vehicle in for a MOT test otherwise it may fail!

Contact aide automotive for more details

aide automotive ltd have introduced an ideal workshop tool for liquid transfer from tanks or barrells. Mis fuelling a diesel tank can be costly and expensive, with the Eco Pump you can quickly transfer the fuel or other comidity to a container.

Designed for transferring fuel oil and similar structural properties of fluid. The product is easy and safe to use by battery power. The Eco Pump has transfer capacity of 30 litres per minute, with a 12 or 24 volt supply required.

Eco Pump is small and simple, just drop the Eco Pump into a fuel tank and a usually messy or dangerous job can be done quickly and cleanly.

Priced at £44.00 + vat, Eco Pump is an easily affordable workshop tool.

                                       Eco Pump Pointers

1-     Use maximum 5 metres of hose to pump fitted tightly by a hose clamp.

2-     Place the pump into liquid.

3-     Fit battery clamps to + and – poles.

4-     After working for 30 minutes, rest for 20 minutes.

5-     Do not approach with naked lights during transfer process.

6-     After transfer process, be sure liquid completely empty from the pump.

Please Note

Not for the use of transferring combustible and flammable liquids like gasoline, thinners, acid and gas.

Contact aide automotive ltd to order.

Testing a caravans electrics is of major importance for road safety.

Following the winter holiday break caravans should be serviced and checked before starting out for the Easter holidays.

With the CET Caravan Electrical Tester you can check your electrics prior t starting out on the road.

Make sure your caravan is legal and road worthy.

Contact aide automotive for pricing and supply.

Misfuelling a petrol car with diesel is a common problem, so much so Coronation Street used it as a storyline recenty.  Many drivers put petrol in a diesel car, so Coronation Street used it as a story line for taxi business owner Steve Mcdonald.  He was so distracted by other things going on in his life that he put petrol in the tank of his diesel vehicle. This cost him money in terms of repairing the car and the vehicle downtime!

Many drivers make this costly mistake, especially ones that switch between petrol and diesel vehicles for work and personal use. A cost effective device such as Diesel Key is the answer.  The device fits on the neck of your petrol tank and will not allow a petrol nozzle to be inserted.

aide automotive offers a range of automotive products

Misfuelling Device

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.