Promising market : workshops can profit from motorhomes
To ensure that motorhome and campervan owners can travel safely on holiday with their mobile home, regular servicing and maintenance are a must. The ‘staycation’ boom is continuing to rise above pre-pandemic levels, with many UK consumers opting to travel domestically rather than abroad, with a recent survey finding that over a third [36 per cent] of respondents are planning to take a short break of one to four days in the UK over the next 12 months.
With this in mind, TMD Friction sees a lucrative additional business for workshops that equip themselves for this booming market in addition to their usual passenger car business – especially since the technology of campers is not much different from that of passenger cars.
Caravanning is all the rage at the moment. A total of 16,608 new motorhomes were registered with the DVLA in the 12 months from 1 July 2020 to the end of June 2021, which is an 8.25 percent increase on the previous record of 15,342 in the same period in 2018/2019 (pre-COVID). There are already millions of these vehicles on the roads in the UK, all of which will have to be maintained or repaired sooner or later.
It offers an attractive market that automotive businesses can tap into with manageable investments in workshop equipment. TMD Friction, one of the world's leading suppliers of disc brake pads and drum brake linings in the original equipment and aftermarket, provides independent workshops with the appropriate spare parts for maintenance and repair in this vehicle segment with its Textar brand.
In principle, workshops entering the motorhome business have an easy game: The technology is familiar territory for them, as a large proportion of motorhomes and campers are based on common van models, including Fiat Ducato, VW Transporter and Ford Transit.
“I’m convinced this vehicle segment represents a lucrative business for the workshop. Not only are we dealing with a rapidly growing market, but also with a very quality-conscious clientele who willingly and regularly invest in their mobile home”, explains Scott Irwin MIMI, Head of Technical Training at TMD Friction. “Due to the high vehicle weight and centre of gravity, safety and quality aspects play a major role for this class of vehicle – so regular checks and maintenance are to be expected. A larger lifting platform can quickly pay for itself.”
Quality parts for maximum safety
Safety-relevant parts, such as tyres, axle parts and brakes, are exposed to high loads in motorhomes, camping buses and vans, not only when driving, but also through longer periods of standing. Compromises in quality can have fatal consequences – especially as these vehicles are often loaded to the limit or beyond – and the high centre of gravity quickly pushes the chassis to its limits.
The spare parts used should therefore have a certain safety reserve. At friction lining specialist TMD Friction and the Textar brand, a lot of time and budget goes into developing a safe brake lining – from the right compound to extensive testing on test benches and road trials. To ensure maximum braking safety, for example in the OE sector, only self-developed formulas are used from up to 43 raw materials that are precisely matched to the respective vehicle and its braking system.
Textar’s product range not only includes the necessary brake spare parts for the most popular models such as the Fiat Ducato III (Type 250), Peugeot Boxer, Citroen Jumper or Ford Transit, but also for less popular or larger motorhomes over 7.5 tonnes up to truck chassis.
As one of the leading manufacturers of brake pads, Textar also supports the shift towards sustainable mobility. For example, the portfolio already covers more than 99 percent of the European vehicle population of e-vehicles and hybrids, which also includes the electric-powered base vehicles for motorhomes.
To consistently improve its ecological footprint, TMD Friction uses environmentally friendly materials free of copper and antimony in its brake pads. Thanks to TMD Friction’s development expertise, the pads ensure stable friction values under a wide range of operating conditions, very good wear behaviour, and at the same time a reduction in noise as well as a pedal feel that is easy to control, which contributes significantly to safety.
Seeing through the parts jungle
TMD Friction sees one of the biggest challenges for workshops in the large variety of spare parts – due to the different tonnages and types of drive train. To ensure that the workshop does not lose the overview and can quickly identify the right part in the common catalogue platforms, the manufacturer attaches great importance to the best possible data quality.
This is also confirmed by TecAlliance, Europe’s leading information, service and communication platform in the independent automotive spare parts and repair market, by awarding TMD Friction the title of “Premium Data Supplier” (PDS) for the high-quality standard of its data.
The Brakebook – the company's web-based online catalogue – also reliably leads to the right spare part. It includes helpful features such as a barcode scanner or the analysis of a photographed brake pad. For optimal support, TMD Friction has a technical team in place in many countries and regions to assist workshops with technical questions.
For workshop owners looking for new sales opportunities, the quality-conscious – and with good service loyal – camper clientele has great potential. With motorhome repairs specifically scheduled for the rather quiet winter months, low-turnover months can also be easily bridged. This means that the lucrative orders do not fall during the tyre-changing season, which is already very busy.