SHOP TALK
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in In the fiercely competitive market of vehicle maintenance the workshop manager must look for every conceivable way of cutting costs, and this might include the use of non-OE spare parts. But when does a non-OE part become a spurious part?
Spurious is defined by the Oxford English Dictionary as non genuine; not being what it pretends to be; not proceeding from the pretended source. So parts made by independent manufacturers are not automatically spurious. But even good-quality parts may present problems if the manufacturer is not traceable in the event of a product liability claim.
Legislation is putting pressure on workshops in other ways. On the plus side the proposed emissions legislation will put more work into the workshop, but the Environmental Protection Bill may increase the difficulty of disposing of used tyres.
In the future legislation on all these fronts will only get tighter, but don't despair, because the high price of equipment needed to check and set engines is eliminating the casual user and putting more work through the professional workshop.
Things may be tight at the moment, and new legislation an added burden, but properly run workshops could turn the changes to their advantage.