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The Car Care Council’s Fall Car Care Month Tool Kit is now available to aftermarket companies and organizations. The kit has all the tools needed to celebrate Fall Car Care Month in October and can be found by visiting their website.

Federal-Mogul Corporation has released a new ANCO wiper blade master catalog featuring coverage of hundreds of additional automotive applications as well as a comprehensive new line of integral rear wiper blades. The ANCO brand is “The Clearest Choice in Wiper Blades.”

The National Institute for Automotive Service Excellence (ASE) recently announced that the organization has signed an agreement with Prometric to deliver ASE certification tests in their proctored computer-based testing centers. The move represents only the second time ASE has changed testing partners in its 38-year history.

New packaging for Raybestos Brakes – a member of the Affinia family of brands and the Official Brakes of NASCAR – will be released later this fall. The new Raybestos Professional Grade packaging was redesigned to unleash the power of clear communication. Compelling facts and attention-grabbing visuals provide the product validation technicians need to confidently sell a premium brake job.

Rotary Lift has an important message for technicians and shop owners: Remember to inspect your lifts. In addition to daily operator inspections, the Automotive Lift Institute (ALI) recommends that all vehicle lifts be inspected by a qualified lift inspector at least annually, “to ensure reliability and the continued safe operation of the lift.”

Mike Curtis, the manager at Sandone Tire in Scranton, PA, said that his shop performs between 100 and 150 vehicle inspections per month. The most frequently found problems involve worn brakes, ball joints and tires. If vehicle inspections were to be eliminated, safety advocates fear that vehicle owners may forgo necessary repairs.

In response to attendee feedback calling for more education and training opportunities at the Automotive Aftermarket Products Expo (AAPEX), the “Inside Track” Learning Forum has been expanded to include 28 education seminars. All sessions will be held over a three-day period in the Venetian in Las Vegas, NV, Tuesday, Nov. 2 through Thursday, Nov. 4.

Affinia Group Inc. has established a memorial scholarship fund through the University of the Aftermarket Foundation in memory of Larry W. McCurdy, a long-time leader in the industry and Chairman of the Affinia Board of Directors beginning with the company’s inception in 2004.

ASE (Automotive Service Excellence) offers many of its most popular tests in computer-based format at more than 200 secure test center locations. The testing window runs until August 23 and includes evenings and weekends, but available seats are filling up quickly.

Bosch has released an informative brochure intended to help the motorist understand automotive diagnostics and vehicle flash reprogramming, how they work and why they are very important when servicing most vehicles.

Federated member Berg Auto Supply recently held a grand opening ceremony on July 28 for its new location in West Fargo, ND. As part of the grand opening festivities, Berg also held its annual customer appreciation day.

Independent repair shop owners in the Bradenton, FL, area are concerned that vehicle owners will soon be forced to take their vehicles back to the dealerships because independent shops will no longer being able to service today’s high-tech vehicles. One shop owner estimates that he already sends 10 percent of his customers back to dealerships.