counterman, december 2014

All Ceramic Pads Not Created Equal ● Get ASE P2 Certified ● How Swede It Is

December 2014December 2014

RussellParoff

2014 Counter Professional Of

The Year, Sponsored By WIX Filters

NAPA’s

The 2014 Counter Professional ofthe Year, Sponsored By WIX FiltersBy Mark PhillipsRussell Paroff of NAPA Auto Parts in Grand Rapids, Mich., was named the 2014 Counter Professional of the Year, sponsored by WIX Filters. ............................24Tech Features By Larry CarleyLoss of A/C cooling can be caused by many factors. ................................................32All ceramic pads are not created equal. ......34CJ joints and boots are used instead of U-joints. ..................................................36Engine sensors keep things in check. ..........38Mechanic ConnectionBy Gary GomsASE certifications show how intensive and concentrated most skill levels have become. ................................................40

COUNTERMAN (ISSN 0739-3695) (December 2014 Volume 32, Number 12): Copyright 2014 Babcox Media, Inc. All Rights Reserved: Published monthly by Babcox, 3550 Embassy Parkway, Akron, OH 44333U.S.A. Phone (330) 670-1234, Fax (330) 670-0874. Periodical postage paid at Akron, OH 44333 and additional mailing offices. POSTMASTER: Send address changes to COUNTERMAN, 3550 EmbassyParkway, Akron, OH 44333-8318. A limited number of complimentary subscriptions are available to individuals who meet the qualification requirements. Call (330) 670-1234, Ext. 275, to speak to a subscription ser-vices representative or FAX us at (330) 670-5335. Paid Subscriptions are available for non-qualified subscribers at the following rates: U.S.: $69. Samples and back issues - Domestic - $10, International/via air mail -$15. Canada: $89 for one year, $149 for two years. Canadian rates include GST. Ohio residents add 5.75% sales tax. Other foreign rates/via air mail: $129 for one year. Payable in advance in U.S. funds. Mailpayment to COUNTERMAN, P.O. Box 75692, Cleveland, OH 44101-4755. Visa, MasterCard or American Express accepted.

Editor’s Ink By Mark Phillips .......................................6Meet the 2014 Counter Professional of the Year.

By The Numbers By By Tom Dayton ..............46How Swede it is.

From The Publisher By S. Scott Shriber .........47Make mine ASE.

Guest Column By Carolyn Smith-Clark ..............48Customer service: easy to say, hard to do.

features

3634

24

columns

2 December 2014 | Counterman

DecemberVolume 32, No. 12

INSIDE

Speedville.com Tech SpotlightBy Sterling Shriber II.........................................................54Morgan cars use wood frames and handcrafted bodies.

Counter-tech By Mandy Aguilar ...........................56I’m still chatting away.

Cover photo by Joel Bissell

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

MarketPlace ....................................................................................................45Every month, MarketPlace showcases the newest automotive product and service innovations your customers are asking about.

Classifieds ........................................................................................................53

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C O R P O R A T EBill Babcox, PresidentGreg Cira, Vice President, Chief FinancialOfficerJohn DiPaola, Vice President-Group PublisherBeth Scheetz, Controller

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Founded 1983. Copyright 2014Babcox Media, Inc., All Rights Reserved

COUNTERMAN (ISSN-0739-3695) ispublished monthly by Babcox Media, 3550Embassy Pkwy., Akron, OH 44333. Periodicalpostage paid at Akron, OH and additionalmailing offices.

Member, BPA International

19

For the 29th year, Babcox Mediaand Counterman magazine have

recognized theCounter Professional

of the Year, sponsored byWIX Filters.

For 2014, the recipient isRussell Paroff, manager ofNAPA, Grand Rapids, Mich.The Counter Professional ofthe Year award recognizes aparts professional who goesabove and beyond the call ofduty and continually seeksout training and educational

opportunities for not only themselvesbut their colleagues.

In addition to all his duties as aparts professional for NAPA,Paroff is an active member of theKent Career Tech Center Automo-tive Advisory Committee in

Michigan, and has helped theprogram become

NATEF certified.He, along with

the other volun-teers on thecommittee, as-sists studentsby grading

their hands-on exams.

For hisnomina-

EDITOR’S INKBy Mark Phillips

Meet Russell Paroff, The 2014 CounterProfessional of the Year Sponsored By WIX Filters

tion for Counter Professional of the Year,Paroff wrote, “As a store manager, I take a

great deal of pride in what Ido. On a daily basis, I try toeducate both employees andcustomers equally. I do notbelieve in saying ‘I do notknow’ and leaving the an-swer at that. My philosophyis and has been to learn whatI do not know and pass thatknowledge on to employeesand customers alike.”

Paroff shared his thoughtson striking a good work-life

balance in his nomination. “In order toproperly service both retail and wholesalecustomers, one must not only keep up withthe times, but share your knowledge andinsight,” he wrote. “While family is a prior-ity in life outside of work, the customer isthe priority inside work. As a store manag-er, I take a great deal of pride in what I do.”

Paroff spoke about receiving the awardduring a special AWDA recognition lunch-eon held during the week of AAPEX in LasVegas. He also was guest of honor at theBabcox Night of Excellence, held thatweek, as well as being recognized byNorthwood University. This is not Paroff’sfirst recognition this year. He recently waschosen as NAPA’s Parts Specialist of theYear.

Read more about Russell, starting onpage 24.

■ ■ ■

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

The CounterProfessional ofthe Year awardrecognizes a partsprofessionalwho goes aboveand beyond thecall of duty andcontinuallyseeks outtraining andeducationalopportunities for not onlythemselves buttheir colleagues.


DES MOINES, Iowa – GCommerceInc., a provider of cloud-based so-lutions for electronic transactionsin the distribution industry, has an-nounced intent to partner with Ed-genet, a cloud-based datamanagement solution provider.

“GCommerce has been provid-ing cost-effective EDI and transac-tion services to the vehicleaftermarket for most of a decade.But, the fast-evolving world of e-commerce always demands morecontent, such as images and prod-uct information that informs buy-ing decisions,” said Steve Smith,president and CEO of GCommerce.“That is why we’ve partnered withEdgenet, a proven leader with vastexperience in structuring, cleansingand syndicating rich product con-

tent that contributes to increasedsales on and off-line.”

Steve Proctor, CEO at Edgenet,explained, “GCommerce is a lead-ing transaction company and Ed-genet is expert in product content.Together, we can deliver greatervalue to suppliers, distributors andretailers across the automotive af-termarket and industrial indus-tries. Our partnership is designedto provide the product content androbust ecommerce solutions need-ed by the retail and wholesale dis-tribution chains in a mobile,Web-enabled industry.”

Edgenet’s technology will be in-tegrated with GCommerce to makefull use of the rich product contentin support of GCommerce solu-tions.

AFTERMARKET NEWS

GCommerce Announces DataPartnership With Edgenet

NORTH CANTON, Ohio — The Timken Co. has again received the topaward for category management from Pronto, one of the largest U.S. au-tomotive buying groups. Timken supplies Pronto with a full line of auto-motive aftermarket products. T he company also received this award ofdistinction in 2013. The award recognizes Timken leadership in returningprofitability to the category by helping Pronto members understand andapply the various principles of this important science to the many facetsof their business.

The Timken category management system, Demand Insight, providesdistributors a quick and easy way to identify and stock an optimal inven-tory mix that corresponds with their local customers’ current and futuredemand. Timken introduced Demand Insight a few years ago to supportits distributors with valuable programs and technology designed to helpthem grow sales and profits.

“We are honored to receive this recognition again for a second year,”said Tom Tecklenburg, director of automotive aftermarket for Timken. “Itis especially rewarding to be acknowledged for the success of our propri-etary database that helps to identify premium aftermarket demand fordistributors based on local vehicle registrations, replacement rates, roadconditions and more.”

For Second Year, Timken Wins Top AwardFrom Pronto For Category Management

counterman.com 11

What vehicle does this picture represent? Ifyou think you know the answer, go towww.counterman.com and click “Guess theCar” on the nav bar. Submit your answer andcontact information. A winner will be randomlyselected by the Counterman staff from allcorrect answers. The deadline to enter is Jan.10. The winner’s name will appear in the nextissue. Stay tuned!

Subaru

Congrats to Kenneth Crowder

Last Month’s Correct Answer:

This Month’s Puzzle

Guess the Car Win $100!

#83

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“OK, kid, time to get in the game!”

“Well, I was bornin Oklahoma...”

AUSTIN, Texas – EpicorSoftware Corp. has intro-duced several new fea-tures available throughthe Epicor Parts NetworkB2B eStore, which con-nects more than 185,000registered serviceprovider accounts withapproximately 29,000 re-placement parts distribu-tor and jobber locations.The Epicor automotiveaftermarket eCommercebusiness, including theB2B eStore solution (for-merly Internet Au-toParts), facilitated inexcess of $1.8 billion intransactions over the pastyear, Epicor says.

The Epicor Parts Net-work B2B eStore now of-fers access to significantlymore content availablethrough the Epicor ePart-Expert electronic catalogsuite. In addition to morethan 10 million aftermar-ket parts available for do-mestic and importpassenger vehicles, Epi-cor Parts Network B2BeStore users can now ac-cess product informationfor thousands of popularpower sport (personalwatercraft, snowmobile,ATV/UTV and more) ap-plications. Also nowavailable are convenientthumbnail images em-bedded within the EpicorInterChange parts inter-change tool to help usersmore quickly and easilyselect the right part forvirtually any repair. Tofurther speed product se-lection, a new “MCL by

Make and Description”feature enables partici-pating wholesalers to pri-oritize displayed brandsand parts listings for spe-cific vehicle nameplates.

An optional new Epi-cor ServicePlus featuredisplays OEM-specifiedmaintenance intervals forthousands of vehiclemodels, assisting shopusers in identifying andrecommending appropri-ate additional services.Also available as an op-tion is the Epicor Buy-erAssist electronicbuyer’s guide, which in-cludes critical informa-tion on millions of partsto help speed the lookupprocess.

Users of the EpicorParts Network B2B eStorecan now use their iPhoneto scan and upload vehi-cle identification num-bers (VIN) toimmediately access corre-sponding product and fit-ment information,aftermarket technicalservice bulletins, part im-ages and other content. Inaddition, Epicor recentlyadded an optional “En-hanced Customer Quote”feature..

In addition to the Epi-cor Parts Network B2BeStore, the Epicor PartsNetwork comprises theEpicor Integrated ServiceEstimator (ISE) parts andlabor estimating solutionand the cloud-based Epi-cor Parts Network (for-merly AConneX) partstrading solution.


AFTERMARKET NEWS

Epicor Expands eCatalog Content,Other Features Of Its AutomotiveAftermarket B2B eStore

counterman.com 13

LAS VEGAS – Uni-Select Inc. hasannounced its American Manufac-turer Partnership Award winners.This collection of awards recognizesthe manufacturers’ achievements,innovations and outstanding serv-ice. Showing excellent creativityskills and accomplishing ground-breaking work in the automotive af-termarket, the honorees werecelebrated during the ManufacturerPartnership Awards ceremony heldtoday in Las Vegas during the Auto-motive Aftermarket Product Expo(AAPEX).

Uni-Select said it decided to offi-cially commemorate its manufactur-ers in order to show its partners thatthe company is truly appreciative

and grateful for the hard work theyput into providing the best service.

The Diamond Award is the mostprestigious prize of the Manufactur-er Partnership Awards. The prize isawarded in recognition of excellentsupport given to Uni-Select cus-tomers, sales strategies, fill rate,marketing campaign and service.This year, Dorman Products Inc. isthe recipient of the DiamondAward.

The Technology Award isawarded in acknowledgment of ex-cellent technology innovation. Thisyear’s winner is Delphi Productand Service Solutions.

Dorman Products Inc. won theProduct Innovation Award, which

is awarded for excellence in prod-uct innovation and the creation ofnew product categories.

The top-performing manufactur-er in sales growth is awarded theSales Growth Award. The recipientof this award is The Gates Corp.

The Training Award is given tothe top manufacturer in technicaltraining. This year, Standard MotorProducts Inc. receives this prize.

Tenneco Inc. was recognized forits excellence in marketing andcommunication and received theMarketing Excellence Award.

WIX Filtration was given theProduct Management Award forbeing the top-performing manufac-turer in product management.

AFTERMARKET NEWS

Scout the Trendiest Auto Products from 1,500 Firms

with 4,000 Booths in 2015!

Asia’s premier leading sourcing fair forauto parts, 2015 Taipei AMPA will expandyour horizons, in conjunction with AutoTronics, Motorcycle Taiwan, EV Tai-wan and Tuning and Car Care Taiwan by1,500 firms with 4,000 booths! This 5-in-1show will take place at TWTC Hall 1 andNangang Exhibition Hall from April 8-11,2015.First Tuning and Car Care Taiwan

Completes 5-in-1 Mega Show

Alongside setting stunning records in2014, the 4-in-1 Auto Show, Taipei AMPA,AutoTronics Taipei, Motorcycle Taiwan &EV Taiwan, successfully brought theworld the best Asia auto show for one-stop sourcingplatform.

To maximize the show’s effect, Taiwan InternationalTuning & Car Care Show is joining in 2015 to further ex-tend business opportunities by showcasing the tuned

cars, tuned motors, car painting and auto maintenanceproducts. The super Asia’s 5-in-1 auto assembly will

bring overwhelming impact to the motorindustry with top-notch and diverse choic-es of motor products.The Giant Auto Parts Events Set

Awe-Inspiring Records

In 2014, a milestone was set in successfullyinviting 7,017 international company CEOs,purchasing managers, including numerousheavyweight aftermarket automotive dis-tributors from all over the world and43,851 domestic professionals visited 4-in-1 show to trade with 1,346 quality ex-hibitors at 3,665 booths. They keep comingback, not only because of the show’s com-plete collection of products, but because

Taiwanese manufacturers offer high-quality products.

Taipei AMPA 5-in-1 Show Give You High QualityNowhere Else to Be Found in the World!

www.TaipeiAMPA.com.tw

PRODUCT SPOTLIGHT

Taipei AMPA, AutoTronics, Motorcycle Taiwan, EV Taiwan & Tuning and Car Care Taiwan, Asia’s Best 5-in-1 Mega Motoring Show to Overwhelm the Motor World

Uni-Select Announces Winners Of

The 2014 USA Manufacturer Partnership Awards


AFTERMARKET NEWS Over the Counter By Jerry King

Federated Car Care Contest Winner Picks His PickupSTAUNTON, Va. – Federated Car Care Center memberDoug Dugger chose classic over contemporary when he

picked a fully re-stored 1949 Chevypickup as hisgrand prize in theFederated CarCare “Pick YourPickup” Sweep-stakes. Dugger re-ceived his “new”pickup during areception heldNov. 4 at the Auto-motive Aftermar-ket Products Expo(AAPEX). (L to R): Willie B and Kevin Byrd, Two Guys Garage;

Don Sucher, Key Line Automotive Warehouse;

winner Doug Dugger, Custom Auto and Repair; and

Rusty Bishop, Federated Auto Parts

ATLANTA – NAPAAUTO PARTS announcedthat its “Get Back andGive Back” campaignraised more than $1.725million for the IntrepidFallen Heroes Fund(IFHF), a not-for-profitorganization that servesU.S. military personnelwounded or injured inservice to our nation, andtheir families.

NAPA AUTO PARTSPresident Dan Askey pre-sented a check to DaveWinters, president ofIFHF at the NAPA AUTOPARTS Annual Fall Man-ager’s meeting in Atlanta

on Oct. 23. NAPA is oneof the largest singledonors to the IFHF, rais-ing more than $3 millionto date, and this year’s“Get Back and Give Back”campaign surpassed itsfundraising goal by morethan 70 percent.

Campaign proceedswill benefit IFHF’s goal ofraising $100 million tobuild National IntrepidCenter of Excellence(NICoE) Satellite Centersfocused on the diagnosisand treatment of post-traumatic stress disorder(PTSD) and traumaticbrain injuries.

“All of us at NAPAAUTO PARTS take greatpride each July in wear-ing the red-white-and-blue T-shirts bearing theslogan, ‘NAPA: We Be-lieve in Heroes’,” saidAskey. “It is an honor tosupport the men andwomen of our armedforces who have sobravely served our coun-try, and to raise aware-ness and funding thatenable the Intrepid FallenHeroes Fund to providecare for the many service-men and women whosuffer from PTSD andother injuries.”

One hundred percentof all funds raised go di-rectly to the IFHF. NAPAAUTO PARTS donatedan additional $3 for everyT-shirt, 50 cents for eachbracelet and 70 cents foreach lapel pin sold.


AFTERMARKET NEWS

NAPA AUTO PARTS’ ‘Get Back And Give Back’ Campaign

Raises $1.725 Million For The Intrepid Fallen Heroes Fund

Registration Now Open For 11 UniversityOf The Aftermarket Online Courses ForIndustry Professionals

MIDLAND, Mich. – TheUniversity of the After-market, an operating unitof Northwood University,is now registering after-market industry profes-sionals for 11 onlinecourses that will beginJan. 12 and March 16. Theextensive offering of on-line courses enables in-dustry professionals toearn continuing educationunits (CEUs) that can beapplied toward their AAP(Automotive AftermarketProfessional) or MAAP(Master Automotive Af-termarket Professional)designation.

Registration is open

through Jan. 5, butprospective students areencouraged to registerearly to secure spots inthe classes of their choice.

Classes are offered intwo sessions: Five cours-es begin Jan. 12 and endMarch 8 and six coursesbegin March 16 and endMay 10. Each course is$600 and is approved for3.0 Continuing EducationUnits.

For detailed course de-scriptions and to registerfor a course, visit the“Course Calendar” pageat www.universityoftheaftermarket.com or call 1-800-551-2882.

(L to R): Jason Rainey, NAPA; Dave Winters of

Intrepid Fallen Heroes Fund; Arnold Fisher of

Intrepid Fallen Heroes Fund; and Dan Askey,

president of NAPA.

KENNESAW, Ga. — Uni-Select Inc. has launchedits U.S. brand, Auto-Plus.The announcement wasmade Nov. 4 from Las Ve-gas during the Automo-tive Aftermarket ProductExpo (AAPEX).

Uni-Select has grownrapidly in the past decadedue to more than 70 ac-quisitions, many withinthe U.S. Uniting the orga-nization’s warehouse dis-tribution, independentdistributors and corpo-rate stores under the sin-gular Auto-Plus brand iskey to offering superiorservice to professionalservice centers and in theAuto-Plus growth strate-

gy, the company states.This official launch of

Auto-Plus follows a five-year plan of multi-leveltechnology infrastructureinvestments. Accordingto Uni-Select’s Automo-tive USA President andChief Operating OfficerBrent Windom, this sin-gle-platform technologycombines an unparal-leled inventory of qualityparts from well-knownmanufacturers withspeed to market, compet-itive parts costs and ac-cess to experiencedtechnical employees forcustomers in each of Uni-Select’s distributionchannels.

These newest brand-ing efforts are part of theAuto-Plus dedication tosupporting the businessprograms of their mem-bers and partners.“We’re going to continueto invest in Auto-Plus,ensuring our independ-ent partners and manu-facturers are successfuland very profitable,”

said Windom. “The mostexciting aspect of thissingular and unifiedbrand under Uni-Selectwill be our entire teamoperating under one vi-sion, one culture andone group.”

For more informationon Uni-Select, visithttp://www.uniselect.com/eng.


AFTERMARKET NEWS

WORLDPAC, Autologic Partner ToCreate Integrated Diagnosis-To-Parts-Ordering Service

NEWARK, Calif. –WORLDPAC has an-nounced a global strate-gic alliance withAutologic Diagnostics, aprovider of comprehen-sive automotive diagnos-tics and expert technicalsupport. Autologic hasintegrated WORLDPACspeedDIAL online cata-loging functionality intoits diagnostic devices.Now, Autologic usersthat are also WORLD-PAC customers can diag-nose a vehicle, checkparts availability at anytime, confirm pricingand place orders directlythrough their Autologicdevices. This will createa seamless process frominitial diagnosis to partssourcing and vehicle re-pair, which they believeto be an industry first.The collaboration willenable independent re-pair facilities to bettermanage the ever-increas-ing complexity of Euro-pean vehicles. “Joining forces with

WORLDPAC is going tosave our shared cus-tomers a great deal oftime and money in manydirect and practicalways,” said John Cono-ley, CEO of Autologic Di-agnostics. “WORLDPACrepresents a fine fit for usand by integrating theirservice into our deviceswe will, overnight, ex-tend the value of our devices into new areas of the technician’s workflow.”

“The collaboration be-tween WORLDPAC andAutologic has been long-standing and this latestintegration of speedDIALwith Autologic will great-ly increase the customer’sshop efficiency alongwith vehicle through-put.We can now say that wehave a real solution foraccurate European andBritish vehicle diagnosisalong with providing theright part at the righttime,” said Mario Rec-chia, SVP of marketing atWORLDPAC.

Uni-Select Launches Auto-Plus Brand

MIAMI – National Per-formance WarehouseCompanies (NPW) willstart its 2015 FAST Expoweekend, taking place Jan.9-11, with a Fridayevening gala event at theStarlight Ballroom atopthe Miami Beach Hotel.

This event is held to recog-nize NPW vendors in themillion dollar-plus pur-chase category for their ef-forts to grow NPWrevenue.

The company seeksunique or historical venuesin South Florida for this ex-

perience. This year’s eventwill be held in the StarlightBallroom, known as “theDoral” for many years,where entertainers andcelebrities like the “RatPack” once performed.This year’s event includes

representatives fromAAM, Autometer, Bumperto Bumper, Centric, Dor-man, Edelbrock, Federal-Mogul, Holley, MSD,NGK, Standard MotorProducts and several otherindustry-leading brands.

counterman.com 19

AFTERMARKET NEWS

Aftermarket Auto Parts Alliance HoldsMicro-Convention At AAPEX And SEMALAS VEGAS – Last year,the Aftermarket AutoParts Alliance announcedit was bringing its nationalconvention to Las Vegas torun concurrently with theAAPEX and SEMA showsin 2015. In anticipation ofthat event, the Alliancelast week conducted a trialwalkthrough of the pro-gram at this year’sAAPEX and SEMA shows.

“The opportunity forour customers to interact

with our supplier channelpartners at these twoshows is a powerful op-portunity for both ofthem,” said John Wash-bish, president and CEOof the Alliance. “Evenwith a crew like ours, it’sa daunting task to bring3,000 techs to the showsin 2015. We feel that wehave a great plan, but itoccurred to us that a trialrun with a small groupwould be prudent.”

To that end, the Al-liance hosted owners andtechnicians from 30 shopsaround the country on

Thursday at AAPEX andFriday at SEMA, to testand refine the process for2015.

Scott Howatt, far right, of The Gates Corp., with Alliance membersat the trial walkthrough.

NPW’s 2015 Million Dollar Club Event To Be Held InMiami Beach’s Nostalgic Starlight Ballroom

PHOENIX, Ariz. – Lead-ing Edge Auto Refinishes,headquartered in Tempe,Ariz., has joined TheWESCO Group, head-quartered in Seattle,Wash. Servicing Arizona,Nevada, Washington,Oregon, Idaho,Wyoming, Montana andAlaska, WESCO is nowone of the largest private-ly owned paint distribu-tors in America.

According to JohnRang of Leading Edge,“This partnership allowsLeading Edge to main-tain our family ownedbusiness roots and retain

ownership in the com-bined companies. Thesynergies of Leading

Edge and WESCO createexciting opportunitiesfor our customers

and industry partners.”Roger Howe of

WESCO, added that thiswas the first time in 18years WESCO has addeda partner.


AFTERMARKET NEWS

Leading Edge Auto RefinishesMerges With The WESCO Group

ROANOKE, Va. – Ad-vance Auto Parts todayannounced its financialresults for the third quar-ter ended Oct. 4, 2014.Third quarter comparablecash earnings per dilutedshare (Comparable CashEPS) were $1.89, an in-crease of 27.7 percent ver-sus the third quarter lastyear. These third quartercomparable results ex-

clude 8 cents of amortiza-tion of acquired intangi-ble assets, integrationcosts of 14 cents associat-ed with the acquisition ofGeneral Parts Interna-tional Inc. and 1 cent ofintegration costs associat-ed with the integration ofB.W.P. Distributors Inc.

Total sales for the thirdquarter increased 50.6percent to $2.29 billion,

Advance Auto Parts Reports Third Quarter Results

as compared with totalsales during the thirdquarter of fiscal 2013 of$1.52 billion.Tthe sales in-crease was driven by theacquisition of GeneralParts, a comparable storesales increase of 1.5 per-cent and the addition ofnew stores over the past12 months. Year-to-date,total sales increased 49.6percent to $7.61 billion.

TROY, Mich. – Casite pre-sented its “InternationalRetailer of the Year”award to AutoZone Mex-ico during a ceremony onthe opening day of the2014 Automotive After-market Products Expo(AAPEX) Show in Las Ve-gas. This marks the thirdconsecutive year that Au-toZone Mexico has beenselected for its exception-

al work as an internation-al retail partner.

Casite also presentedAdvance Auto Partswith its Domestic Retail-er of the Year Awardduring AAPEX 2014.This marks the secondconsecutive year thatAdvance has been se-lected for its outstand-ing work as a retailpartner.


AFTERMARKET NEWS

Casite Presents AutoZone Mexico WithInternational Retailer Of The YearAward For Third Consecutive Year

Dorman Congratulates Its November Contest WinnersCOLMAR, Pa. — Dorman University has announcedthe winners of its November Service Technician andCounterperson of the Month contest. Both winnerssuccessfully completed Dorman’s new TransmissionElectro-Hydraulic Control Module (TEHCM) trainingmodule — earning them each $250.

Congratulations go to:● Jenn Daum, Dorman’s November Counter Person

of the Month. Daum holds an SAE certification, andhas worked at KOI’s Fairfield, Ohio, location for morethan four years. In total, Daum spent less than 15 min-utes learning all about Dorman’s new offering ofTransmission Electro-Hydraulic Control Modules,earning a perfect score and winning an easy $250.

● Brian Havener, Dorman’s November Service Techof the Month. Havener has been servicing vehiclessince he was a teenager. Fifteen years ago he openedhis Performance & Repair shop in Utica, Ky. Congrat-ulations to Brian on winning a quick $250.

Signing up for Dorman University is easy and free.After visiting www.DormanUniversity.com and en-rolling in the program, students can begin selectingfrom a wide variety of available course content.

CPOTYCPOTY NAPA’s Russell Paroff

Named 2014 Counter

Professional OfThe Year,

Sponsored By WIX FiltersWIX Filters, a global manufacturerof filtration products celebrating

its 75th anniversary, andCounterman magazine named

Russell Paroff of NAPA Auto Partsin Grand Rapids, Mich., the 2014

“Counter Professional of the Year”at the AWDA conference on

Nov. 3 in Las Vegas.

“Customers rely on the expertise ofcounter professionals to recom-mend the best parts to properlyrepair and maintain their vehi-

cles,” said Mike Harvey, brand manager forWIX Filters. “Professionals like Russell playa critical role in the automotive parts distri-bution channel and make customer interac-tion memorable and seamless.”

24 December 2014 | Counterman Photos by Joel Bissell

Paroff has workedthe counter at hisNAPA store since1995, but his love ofcars began in highschool when hepumped gas at afull-servicestation in1989.Fromthere, heworked his way into thegarage and has been a part ofthe industry ever since.

“It’s something that I live andbreathe,” Paroff said. “It’s not just ajob; it’s a passion for me. This is anever-changing industry where eachday brings me new challenges. To berecognized for my efforts and all ofthe hard work I have put into mycareer is an exceptional honor.”

Paroff holds ASE certifications inservice consulting, engine repair,suspension and steering, brakesand automobile parts. Earlier thisyear, he was recognized as theNAPA/ASE Parts Specialist of theYear, chosen based on his dedica-tion to the industry, knowledge,professionalism and continued ed-ucation. He also is an active mem-ber of the Kent Career Tech CenterAutomotive Advisory Committeeand helped the program becomeNATEF Certified.

Counterman’sCounter Professionalof the Year awardrecognizes an auto-motive aftermarketparts professionalwho goes above the

call of duty;continuallyseeks ad-vancedtraining; is

an example of the consum-mate parts professional; and is

an ambassador for the aftermarket.In winning Counter Professional

of the Year, he received an all-ex-penses-paid trip to Las Vegas to at-tend AAPEX and SEMA.

Nelson Piquet Jr., driver of theNo. 07 SH Racing Rallycross FordFiesta ST, was the keynote speakerat the “Night of Excellence” dinnerhosted by Babcox Media on Mon-day, Nov. 3 during the 2014 AWDAconference in Las Vegas, whereParoff was recognized.

In addition, Babcox Media andWIX Filters announced the recipi-ents of two other automotive excel-lence awards – Tomorrow’s Tech’sSchool of the Year and the WIXDriving Performance Award forShop of the Year.

During his keynote, Piquet dis-cussed his passion for automotiveexcellence, including the impor-


CPOTY // Russell Paroff

tance of mentoring the next gener-ation of motorsports competitors.

“We ran an action-packed seasonthis year with WIX as a primarysponsor of SH Racing Rallycross,and whatmakesthis part-nershipevenmore spe-cial is thatwe havelong usedWIX Filtersin our FordFiesta ST,”Piquet said.“I am proudto represent the brand both on andoff the track and am honored to joinWIX and Babcox for the Night of Ex-cellence program.”

Piquet started his career in SouthAmerican karting and soonswitched to car racing in the SouthAmerican F3. He later moved toEurope, where he took top honorsin the 2004 British F3 Champi-onship. The Brazilian graduated toGP2 in 2005 and finished as run-ner-up in the 2006 series after aseason-long battle with LewisHamilton.

Piquet graduated in 2008 to a seatin F1 racing, where his performanc-es, including a second-place podiumin the German GP, helped his teamsecure fourth position in the con-structors’ championship.

Counterman recently sat downwith Paroff to interview him abouthis career and what makes a suc-cessful parts professional.

How did you find yourself in the

automotive aftermarket?

I would like to say by accident.When I moved to Michigan, I founda job working at a full-service gasstation/garage. I would watch thetechnicians repairing cars and theytaught me how to do light service.As I learned, they would have mehelp and they would teach me more.

In less than a year, I was state-certi-fied in brake repair and engine re-pair. A position opened up and I

moved up to be-ing a mechanic.

I had alwaysadmired theparts people (thegood ones) Idealt with. Istarted to thinkI would like tosell partsrather thanwork on cars.Being youngand carefree,

I decided to try it. I start-ed to apply with parts companiesaround town. It wasn’t long and Iaccepted a position the NAPA storethat serviced the garage I worked at.

I started as a driver and quicklymoved up. Counter sales, wholesalesales, wholesale store manager, as-sistant store manager and, for thepast 13 years, store manager. Theonly two positions I have not heldtitle to are cashier and machinist.

What are the most satisfying

parts of your job?

Diversity. Every day is different.Helping people, whether it’s a cus-tomer or an employee. As a man-ager, I can spend my time in theoffice doing paperwork, out on thecounter helping a retail customer,training an employee or even lend-ing a hand in our machine shop.Every day seems to be unique.While some things are done ona routine basis, something new al-ways seems to arise every day.

How you keep up-to-date on the

latest technologies?

Training, and that doesn’t alwayscome from a class. I listen to cus-tomers both retail and wholesale. Italk to technicians about trends theysee. The Internet has become a greatresource for learning as well as read-ing trade publications. When I sell apart, I always open the box and look





at it. As new items come out, if I donot know their purpose, I will re-search and find out what that widg-et does.

What advice would you give

someone who may be new to

this industry?

Hang on and get ready for somefun! I would have to encouragethem to never let their guarddown, not just to be ready forchange, but to be prepared and ex-pect it. It has been just shy of 20years that I have been in the after-market parts side of the industryand I have seen more changes inthe past six years than in the previ-ous 14 years. Technology changes,supplier changes, the way the re-pairs are performed. It is an excit-ing industry to watch evolve. Notonly do we need to embrace thechanges, but we have to educate

our employees and our customersto the changes as well.

What qualities are most impor-

tant in running a successful au-

tomotive aftermarket parts

operation?

Flexibility, confidence, honesty andtrustworthiness, pride, dedication,hard work, willingness to help andpatience also all come in to play. Iam certain I missed others.

Flexibility jumps out the mostthough — you never know whatthe next customer might want,need or expect. You have to beready and be ready to react.

Why is it important to you to be

ASE certified?

Being certified has different mean-ings to everyone. To me, I takepride in what I do. By being certi-fied, I am showing that pride and

dedication to my customers, co-workers and employees. Noteveryone understands what beingASE certified is, but it is an ac-knowledgement of my knowl-edge. It is showing that I careabout what I do and that I amproud of what I do. ASE does notstop with the passing of a test.They promote continuing educa-tion and seek ways to keep currentand up-to-date themselves. CM

Counter Professional Of The Year Finalists

Josh Race

Advance Auto PartsFort Myers, Fla.

Brian Dermody nominated JoshRace for Counter Professional ofthe Year.

“Josh has shown a continuouscommitment to beating the goals ofour company while employing histalents in the exceptional executionof his job,” Dermody wrote. “Josh isthe kind of team member we allhope to get when we decide to hiresomeone. Not only is he profession-al, but also he works well with hiscolleagues and through his exampleencourages them to be better team

Continued on page 50


By Larry Carley, technical editorTECH FEATURE

Loss Of A/C Cooling Can Be Caused By Many Factors

It may be hard to think aboutA/C refrigerant this time ofyear, but when warmer weatherarrives, the demand for refriger-

ant always jumps.Refrigerant is the working gas

inside an A/C system. Refrigerantsare gases that condense and changeto a liquid at a certain temperatureand pressure. They are normally agas at room temperature and pres-sure. Compressing and cooling therefrigerant causes it to turn from agas into a liquid. As long as therefrigerant is held under pres-sure, it remains in the liquidstate. But as soon as the pressureis relieved, it immediately evapo-rates and turns back into a gas —absorbing heat in the process thatproduces a chilling effect.

In an automotive A/C system,the refrigerant travels in a continu-ous loop. The belt-driven compres-sor compresses the refrigerant toseveral hundred pounds persquare inch. The high-pressure hotgas then flows into the “con-denser,” which is a heat exchangermounted in front of the radiator.Air flowing through the condensercools the refrigerant and causes itto condense into a liquid. The high-pressure liquid then flows througha pipe or hose to the “orifice tube.”This is a metering device that has asmall hose through which the re-frigerant passes as it enters the“evaporator” (located inside theHVAC unit under the dash). As therefrigerant enters the evaporator, itexpands, absorbs heat and coolsthe air flowing through the evapo-rator into the passenger compart-

ment. The refrigerant (now gas) isthen sucked back through a hose orpipe to the compressor to begin itsjourney over again.

A lot of things can cause a lossof cooling in an A/C system, butobviously loss of refrigerant is one

of the most common. Leaks any-where in the system can allow thegas to escape, reducing the A/Csystem’s ability to blow cold air.Common leak points include thecompressor shaft seal, hose andpipe connections, or pinholes inthe condenser or evaporator.Leaks can be found with ultravio-let leak detection dye or an elec-tronic leak detector. Leakycomponents must be repaired be-fore the A/C system is rechargedwith more refrigerant otherwise itwill just leak out as before. Federallaw also requires any residual re-frigerant that is still inside theA/C system to be recovered be-fore the system is opened to re-place parts. This is something

professional technicians are awareof but most DIYers are not.

Equally important is hooking upa vacuum pump to evacuate airand moisture from the A/C systemafter parts have been replaced. Ifthis is not done, residual air willdisplace refrigerant reducing thecooling capacity and performanceof the system. Residual moisturecan form acids and sludge that cancause additional part failures.Again, this is something profes-sional technicians should know butmany DIYers do not.

Since 1995-1996, all vehicles haveused R-134a refrigerant. R-134a canbe purchased by professionals orDIYers, but pros must be certified tobuy it in bulk containers. Pros alsoare required to have the proper re-frigerant recovery/recycling equip-ment to service customer’s vehicles.

Alternative refrigerants areavailable for older vehicles that useR-12 refrigerant. Alternative refrig-erants are for older R-12 systemsonly (if R-12 is unavailable) andmust not be used in R-134a appli-cations. Older R-12 A/C systemscan often be retrofitted to R-134a,which usually only requires chang-ing the compressor lubricant frommineral oil to PAG or POE oil (onsome vehicles, o-rings and sealsmay also have to be changed).

Lately, a new more environmen-tally friendly refrigerant called R-1234yf has been introduced in ahandful of vehicles, and will even-tually replace R-134a. These newerapplications with R-1234yf shouldonly use R-1234yf, never R-134a orother alternative refrigerants. CM



All Ceramic Pads Are Not Created Equal

When a customer asksfor a set ofreplacement brakepads, what are they

really asking for? Quality? Value?The least expensive pads that will fittheir vehicle? The bestreplacement pads? Like mostautomotive product categories,there are usually good, better andbest options from which tochoose. Price is often a factor inmaking a buying decision, but so isperformance, brand recognition,reputation and warranty.

Availability also can make orbreak a sale. If you don’t have their

first choice (or your first recommen-dation) on the shelf, many cus-tomers will settle for the next bestoption that is available — whichthey may regret later if they opt fora cheaper set of pads.

Ceramic pads are often one of thetop choices that many brake sup-pliers offer in their product lines.Yet, due to their higher cost, sometop-of-the-line products mightnot always be in stock. If a cus-tomer doesn’t want to wait for

pads to arrive from your ware-house, he’ll probably opt for some-thing else simply because he canbuy it now. Your job is to convincehim it’s worth the wait if their firstchoice is really the best choice fortheir vehicle.

One of the most common mythsis that all ceramic pads are the sameand therefore, the brand or price re-ally doesn’t matter if it says “ceram-ic” on the box. Not true!

There are many different ceramicfriction materials available in the af-termarket today, and each formulahas its own unique combination offriction, performance, wear andnoise characteristics. Some ceramicfriction materials stop better thanothers, some resist fading betterthan others, some wear better thanothers, some are quieter than othersand some are less abrasive on rotors.That’s where brand, quality and rep-utation come into play. Brand “A”may be much better choice for a par-ticular application than Brand “X”regardless of any price differenceone way or the other. So stress theimportance of choosing Brand “A”over Brand “X” even if it requireswaiting for an order to arrive.

Some brake suppliers use a widevariety of friction materials in theirceramic product lines to match thefriction characteristics to each appli-cation. Others use a “one-size-fits-all”approach to economize and stream-line their product line, which meansthey have to make a lot of compro-




CV Joints & Boots

Constant Velocity (CV)joints have been aroundsince the 1980s whenFront-Wheel Drive

(FWD) came into widespreaduse. Although some Rear-WheelDrive (RWD) and All-WheelDrive (AWD) vehicles also useCV joints, most are found onFWD cars and minivans.

CV joints are used instead ofU-joints because they allow thejoint to bend at a wider angle with-out inducing driveline vibrations.When a U-joint operates at an angleof more than a few degrees, it causesthe speed of the shaft to vary. The

larger the angle, the greater thecyclic vibrations. CV joints can han-dle joint angles of up to 47 to 54 de-grees depending on the applicationwith no such vibrations.

Various types of CV joints areused, but most outer joints are aRzeppa design with six balls thatride in races between the innerand outer joint housing. As thejoint bends, the balls always bi-sect the joint angle, rotating in aplane that is half the joint angle.A steel cage holds the balls inposition. Over time, the win-dows in the cage can becomeworn allowing the balls rattle

and pop when the vehicle issteered to the left or right. Thisproduces a clicking or poppingnoise that is a classic symptom of aworn CV joint. Wear or damage inthe ball grooves or on the polishedballs can also produce noise andplay in the joint.

CV joints are lubricated withspecial high-temperature CV jointgrease, similar to wheel bearinggrease. The joints can last a longtime provided the protective rub-ber or plastic boot that surroundsthe joint remains intact and doesn’tleak. The No. 1 of premature CVjoint failure is usually a torn,cracked or leaking boot. Even asmall pinhole or hairline crack willallow grease to be lost from thejoint due to the centrifugal forcegenerated by the rotating joint.Loose, broken or missing bootclamps also can allow the boot toleak. Dirt and water also can entera leaky boot and cause wear andcorrosion. By the time the leakyboot is discovered, many CV jointsare badly contaminated or wornand need to be replaced.

CV joints and boots can be re-placed individually, but most pro-fessional technicians and evendo-it-yourselfers prefer to replacethe whole halfshaft assembly with




Engine Sensors Keep Things In Check

Late-model engines with elec-tronic fuel injection, com-puterized fuel managementand ignition have a lot of

sensors to keep tabs on everythingthat is happening under the hood.Most sensors produce a digitalvoltage signal that corresponds tothe function they are monitoring.All of this sensor data is fed backto the Powertrain Control Module(PCM) so it can make the criticaldecisions that are necessary tokeep the engine running at opti-mum efficiency. Among all thesensors, these are usually the fivemost critical:

● Crankshaft position (CKP)sensor — Engines with distributor-less ignition systems have a Halleffect or magnetic crankshaft posi-tion sensor to generate both a trig-ger signal for the ignition system.The signal also tells the PCM howfast the engine is turning (RPM sig-nal) and keeps the PCM informedabout the relative position of thecrankshaft. Crank position is essen-tial to calculate fuel injection andignition timing. On vehicles withVariable Valve Timing (VVT), thecrank sensor and cam position sen-sor signals are used to adjust camtiming as well. If the crank sensorfails, the engine will not start orrun. The sensor is usually locatedon the front of the engine by thecrankshaft pulley/balancer, or inthe middle of the engine block.

● Engine Coolant Temperature(ECT) sensor — This sensor moni-tors the temperature of the en-gine’s coolant so the PCM canadjust the fuel mixture and ignitiontiming as the engine warms up.Engine temperature also is used as

a cue for various emission controlfunctions. If the coolant sensor isnot reading accurately, it may pre-vent the engine from going into“closed loop” operation where thePCM uses signals from the oxygensensors to adjust the fuel mixture.This can cause a rich fuel condi-tion, increased fuel consumptionand emissions. The coolant sensoris usually located near the thermo-stat housing on the engine.

● Mass Airflow (MAF) sensor— This sensor tells the PCM howmuch air is flowing into the engine.Airflow is a critical perimeter be-cause it is used to calculate theair/fuel mixture. Most MAF sen-sors use a heated wire or filamentto sense airflow. Dirt or fuel var-nish contamination of the sensorelement can cause faulty readingsthat may set codes and/or upsetengine operation. Cleaning theMAF sensor with an aerosol elec-tronics cleaner can often restorenormal operation. The MAF sensoris located between the air cleanerhousing and throttle body. Someengines do not use a MAF sensor,but use inputs from the crank, am-bient temperature, coolant temper-ature, throttle and manifoldabsolute pressure (MAP) sensors toestimate airflow.

● Oxygen (O2) sensor orAir/Fuel (A/F) sensor — An O2 sen-sor monitors unburned oxygen inthe exhaust and generates a “rich”or “lean” voltage signal that thePCM uses to control the air/fuelmixture. An A/F sensor is a smarterversion of a standard O2 sensor thattells the PCM the exact air/fuel ra-tio. O2 sensors or A/F sensors are



By Gary Goms, commercial accounts editorMECHANIC CONNECTION

ASE Certifications Show How IntensiveAnd Concentrated Most Skill LevelsHave Become

Thanks to changing technol-ogy, the words “auto tech-nician” no longer have ageneric definition. If you’re

doing outside sales, you mightnotice that the profit center for oneshop might be undercar serviceswhile in another shop, it might bedriveability and emissions systemdiagnosis. And don’t overlook thefact that while one shop is servic-ing and repairing heavy-dutytrucks, another might be dabbling

in the emerging hybrid/electricvehicle market.

In any case, it pays in the mostliteral sense to know where yourdealer accounts and service techni-cians are focusing their service ef-forts. One very quick method forlearning who your customers are isto observe the types of ASE certifi-cations displayed in customer wait-ing rooms and around the shop’sservice desks. Most shops not onlyproudly display their owner’s and

service writer’s ASE certifications,but those of their technicians aswell. And as you might suspect,some new and unfamiliar ASE cer-tifications will be displayed. Withthat said, let’s take a look at whatyou might see on the walls of yourwholesale accounts.

Automobile Maintenance and

Light Truck Repair

The ASE A-series AutomobileMaintenance and Light Truck Re-pair Certification Tests form thefoundation of ASE’s automotiveservice testing. To better explain,let’s take a look at the A1 throughA8 mechanic’s certifications whichinclude engine repair (A1), auto-matic transmission/transaxle (A2),manual drive train and axles (A3),suspension and steering (A4),brakes (A5), electrical/electronicsystems (A6), heating and air conditioning (A7) and engine per-formance (A8). As you can see,ASE has arranged these certifica-tions into skill sets that reflect industry practice.

To illustrate, an undercar techni-cian might certify in suspension andsteering (A4) and brakes (A5) whilean engine diagnostic specialistmight certify in electrical/electronicsystems (A6), engine performance(A8) and light vehicle diesel engine(A9). Since the A9 light diesel test is-n’t required for Master status, atechnician certifying in the first eightskill sets would qualify as an ASECertified Master Automobile Tech-nician (CMAT). Additional certifica-tions in these skill level categoriesmight include the ASE UndercarSpecialist Exhaust System (X1),

which also requires a passing scoreon the A4 suspension and steeringand the A5 brake tests as a prerequi-site. The technician must offer proofof two years of relevant work expe-rience to earn the above certifica-tions. A technician might also certifyas an Automobile Service Consult-ant by successfully completing theASE C1 test and meeting the two-year work experience requirement.

Auto Maintenance and

Light Repair

As you might know, modern au-tomobiles are now more reliable ona per-mile basis when comparedwith previous models. And, due tothat estimated vehicle reliability, ap-proximately 70 to 80 percent of allautomotive service now consists ofroutine maintenance and repairs.Consequently, ASE has respondedto this trend in shop workflow by

devising the G1 test, which repre-sents entry-level skills typicallyfound in many routine engine,transmission, suspension, steering,brake, electrical and heating, venti-lation, and air conditioning services.The test includes 55 questions withthe majority focused on suspension,steering, and brake services. Unlikethe A-series certification, the G1 cer-tification requires only one year ofrelevant work experience, 50 percentof which can be vocational training.

The L1, L2 and L3 Tests

Although advanced diagnosticsdon’t comprise a majority of work-flow through most repair shops,advanced diagnostic skills are re-quired for solving problems relat-ing to advanced gasoline engine,diesel engine and hybrid or electri-cally-powered vehicle electronics.The Advanced Level Specialist L1

test is composed of questions fo-cused on electronics diagnostic is-sues related to engine performanceand exhaust emission problems.The L1 test is very intensive andfairly represents an individual tech-nician’s ability to diagnose and re-pair difficult or unusual on-boardelectronics problems. The A8 En-gine Performance test is the prereq-uisite for the L1 certification test.

Reflecting the impact of moderntechnology on diesel engines, theL2 Electronic Diesel DiagnosisSpecialist test certifies techniciansworking on diesel enginesequipped with electronically con-trolled fuel injection and tur-bocharging systems. Prerequisitesinclude two years of documentedexperience and the technician hav-ing passed one of the A9, H2, S2,or T2 ASE diesel tests and one ofthe Electrical/Electronic Systems


MECHANIC CONNECTION

LAS VEGAS — The Taiwan External Trade Development Council(TAITRA), the non-profit trade and investment promotion organ-ization in Taiwan, led a business delegation of 45 Taiwanese enterprises to participate in AAPEX 2014.

The 45 participating companies showcased their best and mostinnovative products on level 1 in the Sands Expo Center. Amongthe items on display included: chassis parts, CV axles, LED, bodyparts, rotor, sprocket, light/lamp, oxygen sensor, O2 sensor, EMS

components, hand tools, sockets, window regulators, door lock, air tools, engine parts, oil seals, rub-ber parts, suspension & steering parts, truck parts, seat belt, buckle, repair tools, power puller, winch-es & jacks, cable ties/clip, wiring accessories, grease guns, fuel tanks, O-rings, wrenches, tensioners &pulleys, brake parts, gaskets, valves, fuel pumps, pistons, relays, switches, drive shafts, fan motors,tire inflators, jumping starters, digital tire gauges and more.

Taiwan serves as the gateway to Asia and the Pacific, offering flexible manufacturing services andcompetitive costing to help generate more business opportunities across the region. With efficientmanagement skills and strong R&D ability, Taiwan also has gained a global recognition.

For more information on TAITRA, visit http://www.taitra.org.tw/index.asp.

PRODUCT SPOTLIGHT

TAITRA: Forty-Five Taiwanese Parts Suppliers ParticipatedIn AAPEX 2014

counterman.com 43

MECHANIC CONNECTION

tests including the A6, H6, S6, orT6 ASE tests.

The ASE Light Duty Hybrid/Electric Vehicle Specialist L3 test isdesigned to provide evidence ofcompetence for safely servicing orrepairing vehicles that typically runon nearly 300 battery volts. As pre-requisites, the technician must docu-ment two years of experience andhave passed the A6 Electrical/Elec-tronic and the A8 Engine Perform-ance tests. While the hybrid andelectric vehicles represent only asmall percentage of total vehiclepopulation, every world-class auto-mobile manufacturer is now mar-keting these vehicles. As batterytechnology advances, we’re going tosee more growth in this specialtymarket.

Alternative Fuels

Thanks to expanded naturalgas recovery efforts, vehiclespowered by Compressed NaturalGas (CNG) are becoming morepopular for short-range publicfleet, taxi cab and truck trans-portation operations. The ASEAlternate Fuels (F1) certificationtest is designed for techniciansservicing CNG vehicles. The F1test study guide includes ques-tions from the A1 through A9 re-pair series, the C1 serviceconsultant test and the X1 exhaust system test.

Truck Certification Overview

In brief, ASE offers several heavy-duty truck certification tests. The E-series tests include a TruckEquipment Installation and Repair(E1) Test. The E2 test includes Elec-trical/Electronic Systems Installa-tion and Repair, and the E3 includesAuxiliary Power Systems Installa-tion and Repair. A Medium-HeavyTruck certification includes the T1-T8 tests, which include skill areasinvolved with diesel and gasolineengines, drive train, suspension andsteering, brakes, electrical/electron-ic systems, heating and air condi-tioning, and preventivemaintenance for technicians servic-ing Class 4 through Class 8 heavy-duty trucks. A passing score on theT2-T7 is required for Master status.A School Bus certification series (S1-S7) also is available that covers thespecific issues involved with schoolbus maintenance and repair.

The Only Constant

As you might conclude, the onlyconstant in automotive service ischange. While the above ASE certi-fication classifications are but asmall part of what ASE offers, theyrepresent not only how the auto-motive service industry is chang-ing, but also how intensive andconcentrated most skill levels havebecome. As tooling, training andinformation costs increase for the

average shop, the more efficientand cost-effective it becomes forthe average small shop to focus oncore services. If you’re workingoutside sales, you probably knowthat many of your dealer accountsspecialize in core services like sus-pension, steering and brakes or inspecific vehicle types like four-wheel drive trucks or in name-plates like Toyota or Volkswagen.

Beginning with the A1 throughA8 series tests first offered in 1972,ASE’s certification tests indeed re-flect the changes in our industry. Ibegan taking ASE tests in 1973 andhave since continued to re-certify orupgrade as required. My latest ASEL1 re-certification was administeredthrough Prometric, which is a com-pany specializing in computer-based testing. Despite some initialbad publicity, my testing sessionwent very well in large part to thehelpfulness of the Prometric staff.Personally, I like the look of an ASEcertification hanging on the wall.When I walk into my favorite jobberstore, I have greater confidence inthe parts professional who has hisor her Parts Specialist P-series certi-fication displayed behind the serv-ice counter. If nothing else, ASEcertification is all about confidence— confidence inspired by the partsor service professional who has tak-en the time and effort to earn his orher ASE Certifications. CM

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TECH FEATURE

mises across the range of vehiclesthey try to cover with a single frictionformula. Better to choose a brand thatputs a strong emphasis on tweakingtheir formulas for each applicationthan those who use the shotgun ap-proach.

If a vehicle was originallyequipped with ceramic pads (which amajority of late-model cars, SUVs andlight trucks are), the replacementpads also should be ceramic withsimilar (or better) friction, perform-

a remanufactured shaft. Remanshafts are preassembled and readyto install. Some shafts have newCV joints while others have re-ground joints with oversized balls.Either way, a reman shaft is a muchfaster, easier and less messy way ofreplacing a bad boot or CV joint.There’s also less chance for in-staller error and comebacks with apreassembled shaft.

On a high-mileage vehicle witha bad CV joint or boot, it’s often agood idea to replace both shafts at

located in the exhaust manifold(one or sometimes even two foreach cylinder bank). On 1996 andnewer vehicles with OBD II, a“downstream” O2 sensor is locatedin or behind the catalytic converterto monitor converter efficiency. O2sensor or A/F sensor problems willnot prevent an engine from run-ning, but they can cause fuel mix-ture problems that increase fuelconsumption and emissions.

● Throttle Position (TPS) sensor— This sensor is mounted on thethrottle body shaft to monitor therelative opening of the throttle. ThePCM uses this information with in-puts from the MAP and/or MAF

ance, noise and wear characteristics.Downgrading to less expensivenonasbestos organic (NAO) padsmay compromise braking perform-ance, noise and wear.

If a vehicle was originallyequipped with semi-metallic pads,most brake suppliers recommendreplacing same with same. Switch-ing to ceramic pads may reducenoise and dusting, but often at thecost of wear and fade resistance.Semi-metallic pads are generallybetter for high heat applications andheavier vehicles. CM

Ceramic Pads continued from page 34

CV Joints continued from page 36

Engine Sensors continued from page 38

the same time. Often, the right(passenger side) shaft fails firstbecause right turns are at a sharp-er angle than left turns, and rightturns are more common than leftturns. Consequently, the rightouter CV joint and boot are thefirst to go.

Special tools that may be need-ed to replace a shaft include a hubpuller to separate the outer CVjoint from the steering knuckleand wheel bearing and/or a hy-draulic press for older Asian carapplications with press-fit wheelbearings. CM

sensor to estimate engine load forfuel enrichment and timing adjust-ments. A worn TPS sensor maycause a flat spot or hesitationwhen accelerating.

On vehicles with electronic throt-tle control, there are usually twoTPS sensors as well as a pair of po-sition sensors on the acceleratorpedal. The position sensors on theaccelerator pedal tell the PCM howmuch throttle opening to give theengine when the driver steps downon the gas. The TPS sensors on thethrottle tell the PCM how far thethrottle is opening or closing ascommanded by the PCM. Problemshere may prevent the throttle fromopening or even cause unintendedacceleration. CM

counterman.com 45

New Universal Drone-Free DynoMax VTMuffler Added

DynoMax has added a new universal part numberto the drone-free DynoMax VT muffler series. Thenew configuration – ideal for trucks, larger sport util-ity vehicles and custom fabricated systems –includes DynoMax VT patented valve technologyand an innovative, high-flow stainless steel perform-ance design. The new DynoMax VT 100-percentwelded muffler (p/n 17966) is 3-inch single inlet/3-inch outlet 25-inch overall body length. The newmuffler will be available Jan. 1 at performance retail-ers across North America.

Ken-Tool introduces theValveCapperPRO — 29999

The ValveCapperPro removesvalve caps and valve cores onhard-to-reach dual wheels.Ken-Tool, known worldwideas a leader in automotive andtire service tools, announcesthe release of its ValveCapper-PRO (pn 29999). The Valve-CapperPro is four tools in one;a valve cap remover and in-staller as well as a valve coreremover and installer. Thevalve core end features apatent-pending design that grips and holds the valvecore to keep it in the tool safely until it is ready to bereinstalled. The cap end of the ValveCapperPRO islong enough to accommodate popular double seal,flow-through valve caps. Originally designed by atrucker, Ken-Tool is proud to report that the Valve-CapperPRO is completely manufactured in the USA.

Standard Motor Products Launches New Standard eCatalog

Standard Motor Products (SMP) has introduced a new and im-proved Standard eCatalog, featuring a redesigned interface andnew search and filter tools. An integral component of thecompany’s new Standard brand website, the eCatalog utilizes re-sponsive architecture and is mobile-optimized so it performsequally as well on the desktop, tablet and mobile phone.

The award-winning eCatalog delivers content in oneeasy-to-access catalog screen and features an eCat Widget that provides a convenient eCatalog search por-tal right on the home page. Other new features of the Standard eCatalog include:

MARKETPLACE

• Multiple search options in one easy-to-use interface• Extra-fast returns on all searches• All results and expanded rich content delivered inone easy-to-read screen, with multiple-view images,installation instruction, product videos, productfeatures and benefits, live-link related parts, partspecifications and a buyer’s guide• Keyword and part number search with autofillfeature

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Other than IKEA and ABBA, Saaband Volvo are two of the mostpopular Swedish imports here inthe U.S. Both are known for their

reliability and longevity, but we stillreceive our fair share of calls for these cars.So, in the interest of looking more like aSwedish Superhero than the Swedish Chef,let’s take a look at some of the numbersand names you are likely to encounterwhen cataloging parts for these vehicles.

But first, a little history ...

Saab is actually an acronym for SvenskaAeroplan AB (translation: Swedish Air-plane Company), and refers to thecompany’s origin as an aircraft manufac-turer. Volvo was originally a subsidiary ofSKF bearings, and the name is Latin for “Iroll.” Both companies were sold off in the1990s (Saab to GM, Volvo to Ford), only tobe abandoned again at the beginning ofthis decade. Volvo survives today as partof the Chinese company Geely. Saab con-tinues to struggle for solvency, but stillmaintains parts and service centers.

Volvo “rolled out” its alphanumeric modeldesignations in 1997, introducing the S90and V90 models, and adding the C70 ayear later. C, S and V are designations forCoupe/Convertible, Saloon (sedan), andVersatile (wagon). Along with this bodystyle prefix, Volvo assigns each model a se-ries number from 40 through 90, indicatingtheir relative size. (An S60 is larger than anS40, but smaller than an S80, for example)All-wheel drive wagons received an XC(Cross Country) suffix after the modelnumber (V70XC, for example). Starting in 2003, AWD wagons became the “XC” series.

Volvo identifies their engines with aseven-digit code, telling a parts specialistseveral things about the engine design. Gasengine designations begin with a “B” forbensin, the Swedish word for gasoline. Thesecond digit is the number of cylinders,

By Tom Dayton

“How Swede It Is ... ”while the third and fourth digits call outthe displacement. The fifth digit tells us thenumber of valves per cylinder, and thesixth position is the letter T (turbo) or S(non-turbo). The seventh character indi-cates a design change or “generation.”Example: B5244T5 is a gasoline 5 cylin-

der, 2.4L, 4-valve, turbocharged engine,fifth generation.

Saab has a similar, but simpler convention,also starting with B, followed by displace-ment, generation and turbo design. Turbodesignations are as follows: E=low pres-sure turbo, L= mid-range turbo, R=highoutput turbo. The letter “I” indicates non-turbo applications.Example: B207R is a gasoline 2.0L, sev-

enth generation, with a high-output turbo.As for model numbers, Saab has been

partial to the number “9” for many yearsnow. The 900, 9000, 9-3, and 9-5 have beenwell-known models for years. In 2005, Saabbuyers were offered the Subaru-designed9-2X, as well as the GM-built 9-7X, whichwas a Trailblazer clone. 2010 saw the intro-duction of the all-wheel-drive 9-3X.

Saab’s submodel designations aren’tvery well-known outside of enthusiast cir-cles, but occasionally, they are required foraccurate cataloging. The names are a refer-ence to the company’s heritage in the air,with names like Linear, Arc, Vector, Aero,and Viggen. (Named after a Saab fighter jetwith a Volvo jet engine, viggen is Swedishfor “thunderbolt.”)

When required, these 9-3 and 9-5 sub-models can be decoded from the fifth digitof the VIN as follows:

Saab’ssubmodeldesignationsaren’t very well-known outsideof enthusiastcircles, butoccasionally,they arerequired foraccuratecataloging.

Tom Dayton is operationsmanager for JS Auto Supplyin Jamestown, N.Y., andwas Counterman’s CounterProfessional of the Yearfor 2009.

BY THE NUMBERS

B= LinearD= ArcF= Vector/SE

H= AeroP= Viggen

Hopefully, Saab and Volvo aren’t quite soforeign, now that we all speak a little bit ofSwedish. Maybe someday we’ll even figureout the instructions that came with thosebookshelves from IKEA. CM

counterman.com 47

Irecently attended the yearly ASE recognition dinner, held in Floridathis year. Top test scoring technicians and counterpersons werehonored from all around the nation. Babcox Media sponsors a winnerevery year in the collision category and this year the winner was from

Ankeny, Iowa.Darin Morrison has been in the body business since he was 18. He started in

the trade at a new vehicle dealer body shop and then migrated to an inde-pendent. It was then he decided to buy his own shop and he purchased Fisch-er Auto Body. Darin’s score on four different components ranked him thehighest in the nation for this year. It is an outstanding achievement and onethat is only given out by us once a year. It takes lots of experience and study-ing to achieve certification at this level.

We are fortunate in this industry to have training opportunities from theAuto Care Association, AASA and ASA. These organizations provide a verywide variety of training possibilities and keep the industry up on all the latestin trends and technologies.

ASE is then there to certify everyone on a fair and unbiased playing field. Itis a huge undertaking and requires much thought and commitment to quality.If you have not studied or taken the ASE P2 certification for counterpersons, Istrongly suggest it. It makes you more qualified to serve your customers.

Whenever I travel, I am reminded of the hectic pace with which our indus-try is moving. Nothing remains the same. It is good to know that there arecounterpersons and technicians out there committed to keeping up with thepace.

So, take the plunge and get certified, if you haven’t already.And, Happy New Year to all of you. CM

FROM THE PUBLISHERBy S. Scott Shriber

Make Mine Certified, Please.ASE P2, That Is.

■ ■ ■

For more information: www.counterman.com

If you have notstudied or takenthe ASE P2certification forcounterpersons,I stronglysuggest it. Itmakes you morequalified toserve yourcustomers.


All businesses havecustomer service andprofit at the top of theirobjectives, because indi-

viduals and organizationsunderstand thelink between thetwo constructs.They are twosides of the samecoin. Of the twovery importantbusiness needs,profitability is aneasier concept tograsp because it isa mathematicalnotion that’s notemotional bynature. However,customer service is avery subjective ideabetween the receiverand giver.

We each spend most of our livesbeing a customer and if we arehonest, and much of our experi-ence as a customer is not positive.That is why a positive customer ex-perience is such a big deal. For thebusiness, it is challenging to figureout what will make the customer’sexperience a positive one. Every-thing from product pricing to rest-room cleanliness, from the clerk’sproduct knowledge to personality,dress, voice, smell, impact the cus-tomer experience in a positive ornegative way.

My first store manager TomCiechoski presented me with anexcellent vision of customer serv-ice. He emphasized that corporatepolicy is to greet customers as soonas they enter the store. But, Tom’sbehavior went beyond just a verbal

“hello.” Whenever possible, hecame out from behind the counterand escorted the customer to the

location of thepart, not justpointing the di-rection to the cor-rect aisle. Tombegins a relation-ship with thecustomer tohelp him solvehis automotiveproblem, notjust sell a part.When the cus-

tomer is rungout, whichleads to prof-itability,they havehad a posi-tive cus-tomerexperiencebecause ofTom’scustomerservice behavior.

My second store manager LukeReeder also is a people person. Heengages with the customers in afriendly, easy manor regardless ofhow busy he is with paperwork,inventory or personnel matters.

Both Tom and Luke alwaysmade me feel comfortable when Ineeded help finding a part for acustomer. And, they never embar-

rassed me when I didn’t knowsomething. After all, employees arealso customers.

So this is what I do to achievethe vision of customer service:Greet customers when they comein. Take them to the aisle wheneverpossible. Talk to them about whatthey are working on. Show interestin solving their automotive prob-lem. This all sounds easy but doingit 100 percent right 100 percent ofthe time takes work. When I amnot in direct contact with a cus-tomer, I am still providing serviceby stocking shelves, cleaningfloors, keeping the counter neat,

taking out trash, andyes, even clean-ing bathrooms.

As a mobile proout of the store oron the phone inthe store, I try totreat all customersas family, friends, orneighbors becausemany times they are.

As the futurist JoelBarker says, “Visionwithout action is justa dream, action with-out vision just uses uptime, but vision withaction can change theworld.”

Vision and action can help usmake sure, “Service is our bestpart.” CM

Carolyn Smith-Clark, of Advance AutoParts, Mt. Airy, Md., has been a part-time mobile pro for five years. She alsois a contract instructor at the NationalFire Academy where, among many topics,she teaches customer service.

GUEST CONTRIBUTOR

Customer Service: Easy To Say, Hard To DoBy Carolyn Smith-Clark

members. He is able to work underdifficult, high-pressure situationsand still attain excellent results.

“About two years ago, I askedJosh to take over the program atthe Advance hub store in Fort My-ers where Josh had to get to knowall of the customers, turn the pro-

Randy Layton

Fisher Auto PartsMilford, Del.

Chris Walrath nominated RandyLayton for Counter Professional ofthe Year.

“With Randy’s leadership, wehave built the Milford store into abooming business. Randy has re-peatedly stressed service above allelse and as a result, we are thefirst call for more and more cus-tomers each year,” Walrathwrote. “We are fastest to marketin our market, even in a neighbor-ing town. We are perhaps themost experienced parts store inthe area (130 years experienceparts and service between fivecounter people). We may get out-priced occasionally. We may beout-advertised. But we will notbe outworked.”

“Randy will not hesitate totake care of a customer both onand off the clock. He has made a habit of dropping parts to acustomer on the way home, oreven take home the order anddrop it off early on the way in.And as a result of this example,everyone in the store will do the same.” CM



gram around and beat the target.Josh hit the ground running andnever looked back. In a short time,his program was winning and hiscustomers really enjoyed workingwith Josh.

“The customers don’t just callAdvance Auto Parts, they call JoshRace for parts.”

Continued from page 30

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It’s a month later, time for a newCounter Tech column, and I’m stillchatting. Some of you have reachedout after last month’s column on

chatting apps, and I thank you for mak-ing me feel a little better by sharingyour own addiction to communicatingvia short, written messages. By yourown comments, wecan all concur thatthe messaging appthat seems to be tak-ing a permanentparking spot on ourpeers’ smartphonesis WhatsApp. Themagic of WhatsAppis twofold: one partlower-cost and onepart higher-function-ality — the killerrecipe for a true cate-gory disruptor.

While SMS messaging still remainswidely popular, messaging plans costlots of money. In the USA, an unlimitedtexting family plan can cost as much as$30 per month, with international per-text rates even higher. The costs are al-most punitive when we travel abroadand roam on other carriers networks.Texters will do anything to save moneyon their monthly cellular bills, andWhatsApp has become so ubiquitousthat many are actually snipping SMSservice altogether. This could eventuallybe a $120 billion per year haircut for car-riers that generate that much income onSMS charges. The days when manysmartphone users won’t have SMS ontheir phone are coming.

From a functionality point of view,WhatsApp is like the Swiss Army knife

COUNTER-TECHBy Mandy Aguilar

I’m Still Chatting Away

of communication. It opens up the op-portunity to communicate with othersbeyond just text. Within the same chat-ting screen, you can use the app to sharepictures, videos, geo-locations on a map,hyperlinks and voice messages; all ofthis while using a higher level of en-cryption. Actually, for Android users,

the app just upgrad-ed to “end-to-end”encryption, virtuallyguaranteeing thatno one can readusers’ messages oreavesdrop on themalong the way. Theupgrade is alreadyavailable to hun-dreds of millions ofusers, and soonmore will join theprotected rankswhen the update

rolls out to IOS phones.Another way WhatsApp seems to out-

shine SMS, particularity on iOS phones,is group chats. Creating a group withinthe app is very easy, and you can evencustomize the group by adding a groupphoto or logo so that users can easily re-late. Today, I actively chat with four dif-ferent groups composed of family,friends and customers.

The group chat feature lets you con-nect with up to 100 people at once.Groups need to be created by one per-son who becomes the administrator, andthen invites other to join. Members canalways control their participation ingroup chats by staying in or leaving thegroup as they wish.

These groups become like forums,where members can share information

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

The Parts House.

Within the samechatting screen,you can use theapp to sharepictures, videos,geo-locations on a map,hyperlinks andvoice messages;all of this whileusing a higherlevel ofencryption.

ADVERTISEHERE!Jennifer Hazen

Classified Sales Mgr.330-670.1234 ext. 224

Fax 330.670.0874 • [email protected]

CLASSIFIED

Today’s automotive market is

marked by mass production and

growing uniformity. In fact, many

today even view the car as becoming

somewhat of a commodity. However,

Morgan Motors is a manufacturer that still

views building cars as an art form. Quietly

operating in England for the past 104

years, the low-volume manufacturer’s cars

are as unique as they are artistic. Known

for their three-wheelers and sporty,

vintage-looking roadsters, this company

sets itself apart through its manufacturing

process, as well as some of the unique

components it uses.

The manufacture of Morgan cars still takes

place in the same area it did a century ago.

For those of you familiar with the historic

Morgan brand, you may already know that

they manufacture the frames out of an

increasingly uncommon material for today’s

cars – wood. All Morgan cars are

constructed with an ash wood frame. This

process begins in the wood shop, where

English ash is shaped and formed into the

proper shape and dip-treated for rot. Ash is

the wood of choice due its straightness and

uniform grain, which makes it easy to sculpt

and form. Its texture also allows for ideal

shock absorption, in contrast to other woods

or components.

Curved pieces of the wood frame are bent

into shape and multiple layers of ash are

molded together by a series of jigs and

clamps. Presses, including traditional

wood presses and vacuum presses, also

help form the wood into shape, while glue

is heat-cured. The final wood frame used

consists of a bonded laminate material

that is durable yet absorbent. When

asked about their unconventional decision

to use wood, Morgan representatives

remarked that the wood components in

their cars last forever. The strength and

durability of Morgan’s wood frames have

led to the saying, “A Morgan never dies.”

In fact, Morgan cars dating back to the

1950s and older have been disassembled

to show their wood frames still perfectly

intact and structurally sound. Morgan also

views the wood components, which

hearken back to the earliest Morgans

built, as being integral and indispensable

parts of the brand’s history – something

which makes the cars “uniquely Morgan.”

Apparently, environmental concerns play

a factor as well; according to Morgan

representatives, using wood encourages

people to plant forests.

Body panels and bonnets are made of

aluminum and are treated with a similar

degree of craftsmanship. As one of the

pioneers of aluminum technology, Morgan

makes nearly the entire remainder of the

car – with the exclusion of the wood

frames – out of the lightweight metal. The

only exception to this is the galvanized

steel chassis, steel firewall and steel inner

wings. The rest of the body is aluminum,

much of which is pressed and formed by

hand at the Morgan factory. The

combination of the lightweight aluminum

frame body and wood frame makes the

cars exceptionally light – another

advantage of using wood.

Morgan cars are full of heritage and

personality. Despite their somewhat aged

and classic feel, the cars haven’t dipped in

popularity over the years. In fact, their

numbers are growing steadily. With more

than 40,000 Morgans on the road today, the

company has ramped up production to

around 700 units per year, and the waiting

list is over six months. If you get lucky, you

may even see one at a local auto show or

car club.

For more information about the Morgan

manufacturing process or about the models

offered under the Morgan nameplate, visit

www.morgan-motor.co.uk.

A life-long automotive enthusiast, Sterling

Shriber remains committed to covering the

automotive industry, with a particular

interest in topics relating to high

performance and racing.

To read and view more great content, visit www.speedville.com

Morgan Cars Use Wood Frames And Handcrafted BodiesBy Sterling Shriber II

and all be informed at the sametime. It’s just great to garner ourideas, questions and concerns andshare them collectively to stay intouch, almost like a hive. One ofthe groups that I enjoy the mostwas created by several of mycousins after a recent family wed-ding. Cousins from all over Spain,the Dominican Republic and theStates came to Puerto Rico for thegreat event. One of the cousins cre-ated a group so we can all shareour wedding pictures; however,long after the wedding we all re-mained in contact, almost daily. Asa matter of fact, I have never beenas close to them as I am now thatI’m able to share a picture or a

quick message with all of them in aflash, from my phone, anywhere,and for free.

But it is not all fun and games;the group chat phenomenon hasentered our company in a big way,and we use it to communicatewith customers daily. On What-sApp we have a group with morethan 20 members, all of them affil-iates of our Parts Plus NationalProgram Group. The customersthemselves asked us to create thegroup as an alternative to themany email communications wewere sharing with them. They feltmessaging was way more immedi-ate. Soon, our own employees andsupport staff from Parts Plus

joined the group, and today it hasbecome the defacto forum for allprogram business issues; plus, weall get to share a joke or two alongthe way.

Now, every member is as in-formed as the next guy. Membersare taking the lead and sharingbest business practices, as well asmarketing and merchandisingideas. Any question posted by amember gets an almost immedi-ate response curated by thecrowd. It’s also an extremely effi-cient way to locate parts withinthe group: a veritable SwissArmy knife of communication tokeep the group slashing ahead ofthe pack. CM


COUNTER-TECH

■ ■ ■

Visit Mandy’s blog: www.mandyaguilar.com

AAPEX 7ADVICS Cover 3Airtex Corp. Cover 2, 8, 9, 28Aisin World Corp. 50Auto Care Association 37, 49Parts Plus 39AutoZone 41Rislone 40Campbell Hausfeld 18Central Automotive Products, LTD 20E3 Spark Plugs 38eBay 26ExxonMobil Cover 4Federal-Mogul Motorparts 21Federal Process Corp. 10Federated Auto Parts 15Gates Corp. 22GMB North America 17

Huf Group 23Interstate Batteries Inc. 5JohnDow Industries 36MAHLE Clevite 3NUCAP Industries 30, 34, 47Packard Industries 16Bosch 29LuK 12Solv-tec 44Litens Automotive Group 19Tri Star Engines & Transmissions 14TYC/Genera Corp. 31Uni-Select 33UPS 1WIX Filters 25Wizards Products/RJ Star Inc 35Zep Inc. 11

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