BVRLA Technical & Operations Forum

Transcription

1 BVRLA Technical & Operations Forum 5 February 2015 Best Industry Practice Tyre Debate Peter Lambert Fleet Director Kwik-Fit GB Limited

2 Agenda Winter Tyres The proliferation of tyre sizes TPMS

3

4 Kwik-Fit Winter Tyres Policy Kwik-Fit s policy is to fit only full sets of Winter tyres for reasons of stability, safety and optimal control. Customers should be advised to check with their insurers that the fitting of Winter tyres is not considered a modification. The mixing of Summer and Winter tyres on a vehicle can unbalance the vehicle s handling, especially in poor weather and could in certain conditions lead to a loss of control. We do not recommend fitting only a pair of Winter tyres to a driven axle or fitting one Summer tyre to a vehicle equipped with Winter tyres. In exceptional circumstances and if there is no other choice, the fitting of one Summer tyre to a vehicle equipped with Winter tyres could be considered as a temporary solution. The driver must be made aware and their driving style modified accordingly.

5 Winter Tyres Many fleet whilst seeing the benefit of fitting Winter tyres have been put off by the cost. As well as the expense of purchasing an additional set of tyres there is also the cost of a twice yearly change and tyre hotel fees circa 200 per vehicle. To minimise the downtime impact of the twice yearly change a number of van fleets, including Kwik-Fit, are running some of their vehicles on Winter tyres all year round. The difference in the performance characteristics will vary from vehicle to vehicle and where in the UK the vehicle is based. The impact on tyre wear may be a factor to take into consideration, however this is less of an impact for van fleets where the majority of tyres are replaced due to damage and not wear.

6 All Season Tyres Increased OE fitment of All Season tyres across a number of manufacturers Details of vehicles fitted with Goodyear Vector tyres not known in advance. These tyres carry the snowflake symbol and meet industry standards of winter tyre construction As these tyres are currently sold in low volume they are not held in centre We recommended that drivers make an appointment.

7 All Season tyres

8 Good afternoon all, In the interest of customer satisfaction, and following further advice from General Motors European Product Engineering Technical Centre, General Motors UK Limited t/a Vauxhall Motors have revised our recommendation regarding the replacement of Insignia All- Season Tyres. If a driver is unfortunate enough to experience a damaged/worn tyre, Vauxhall Motors recommend that the damaged/worn tyre is replaced with a matching All-season tyre. Please be aware that that All-season tyres are readily available through the Vauxhall Retailer Network, and available through the majority of external tyre suppliers. If for whatever reason All-season tyres are not available with your preferred tyre supplier or you choose not to replace with All-season tyres, Vauxhall Motors recommend replacing all four tyres with standard tyres so at all times the vehicle has four matching tyres. Yours sincerely Barry Evans, Corporate Customer Care Manager Vauxhall Motors UK & Ireland. Regards Barry Evans Corporate Customer Care Manager Vauxhall Motors UK & Ireland

9 Goodyear All Season OE Fitment Latest Vauxhall All Season OE Fitments: Vehicle Pattern Passenger / LT / ULT / SUV / 4x4 Size REPL SAP CODE Adam, Corsa VECTOR5+ Passenger 185/65R15 88 T Meriva VEC4SEASON Passenger 195/65R15 91 H Meriva, Astra VEC4SEASON Passenger 205/55R16 91 H Astra VEC4SEASON Passenger 205/60R16 92 H Astra, Insignia, Zafira Tourer VEC4SEASON Passenger 215/60R16 95 H Vivaro CARGOVECT Light Truck 215/65R T Astra, Zafira Tourer VEC4SEASON Passenger 225/50R17 94 V Insignia VEC4SEASON Passenger 225/50R17 98 H XL Astra GTC VEC4SEASUV 4x4 235/55R17 99 V Do you know how many vehicles on your fleet are fitted with these tyres?

10 The proliferation of tyre sizes

11

12 Proliferation of Tyre Sizes 1997 Fleet Special lists of 19 sizes accounted for up to 90% of car fitments. Today Today the top 120 sizes make up 90% of fitment. Construction Speed rating Load Index Premium, Mid range and Budget Total of 2,875 SKUs across all brands. The tail of the Fleet usage (10%) equated to 1,030 sizes! 12

13 The Future The average centre stocks approximately 1,000 tyres which is roughly 250 SKUs Stapletons currently stocks 5,500 SKU s and the number is growing year on year Something has to change otherwise the number of drivers who have to make multiple journeys to source replacement tyres will continue to grow. Kwik-Fit are already working on a project to encourage drivers to book online. Via the leasing companies or Kwik-Fit website the drivers details are verified System will know the tyre size and preferred tyre brand

14 The Future Stock will be checked and the driver given details of all local centres with available stock. If the driver would like access to an alternative centre stock will be delivered overnight to the centre of his choice. Once location and time selected the following will happed:- Tyres will be reserved Appointment confirmed in centre diary Tyre technician allocated The incentive for the driver is that they will have: a confirmed appointment Tyres will be available. The work will be completed on the first visit and it will save time. Help from the industry When a new vehicle is delivered details of the OE tyre sizes and brand to be supplied.

15 TPMS

16 TPMS Majority of OE has opted for Direct TPMS Each wheel of the vehicle has a sensor fixed to it to monitor changes in tyre pressure. Each sensor sends a signal to the vehicle ECU using a wireless connection The ECU knows the required tyre pressure for each wheel If a low pressure or a leak is detected ( a reduction of approximately 20% ) the driver is alerted by the in-car system

17 Detection and Testing Before work is carried out on a tyre the technician will check for the presence of a sensor Check that the sensor is functioning correctly on all four wheels Kwik-Fit will replace the cap and core. Service kits are available if required I-Sensor alternative to OE TPMS Can be programmed to cover 99% of vehicles with Direct TPMS

18 TPMS Sensors Too early to identify any trends in sensor failure rates Top Driver Tip Whenever using an airline at a filling station, be gentle. The TPMS sensor and valve is a complete unit. It is less flexible that the traditional tyre valve. Pulling on the airline whilst stretching to see the digital readout could bend or even break the TPMS valve This can result in TPMS sensor needing to be replaced. An expensive accident as the I sensor costs 66.63! Or if you bought the OE equivalent from:- BMW 3 series Mercedes-Benz C Class Audi A4 2.0d