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The Essential Two-Post Lift Buying Guide

The Essential Two-Post Lift Buying Guide

Looking to add another two-post lift to your workshop or replace an existing unit with a shiny new one? Even the more affordable units on the market still represent a significant investment, so it’s important to make sure you’re choosing the right one for your needs.

To help make the lift-buying process that much easier, we’ve prepared a handy buying guide for you to reference. Without further ado, here are the key considerations you should bear in mind before ordering a new lift.

Reputation and durability

Different brands have different reputations when it comes to quality, durability and longevity. Some can stand up to the rigours of constant use in busy garages for years on end, while others can wear prematurely in the same circumstances. Before you buy, make sure you’re choosing a model from a reputable manufacturer.

Lifting capacity

Some lifts have a limited 2.5-tonne capacity – and that might be fine if you only ever work on cars. But if you ever have bigger vehicles in the workshop, we’d recommend investing in a heavier-duty lift designed to support more weight. All of the two-post lifts we stock at Tyre Bay Direct can safely lift vehicles weighing upwards of 4 tonnes.

Price

Budget will always come into any purchase decision, and it’s no different with two-post lifts. You can get a lot for your money nowadays, but if you need specific features or more adjustability, it may be worth upping your budget a little. A lift is a vital part of any workshop, so it’s important to make sure that your new unit will tick all the boxes. Our Redback lifts represent exceptional value, making them popular for those on a tighter budget.

Dimensions

Two-post lifts aren’t all the same, standard size. If you have a more compact workshop, make sure you pay close attention to the dimensions of the lift you’re looking at buying. Some are able to lift wider vehicles and some can lift higher than others, so study the technical data carefully.

After Sales support

It’s all well and good getting your hands on a lift for a great price, but if you can’t get spare parts for it, or it’s difficult to maintain, you may soon regret your purchase. Make sure you’re buying from a reputable supplier with trained technicians and access to spare parts.

2 post vehicle lifts for sale

Explore our affordable, durable and feature-rich range of two-post vehicle lifts online and order yours today!

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What is the most popular car colour in the UK? The latest stats

Wondering what the most common new car colour is here in the UK?

New statistics from the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT) have confirmed that grey was the shade of choice during 2021 for a fourth consecutive year, with a 24.8% market share.

It was followed closely by black (20.5%), with white and blue lagging behind on 17.2 and 17.0% respectively.

Red had an 8.8% market share while silver, once the default choice for most new car buyers, has dramatically fallen from grace. In 2021, just 6.8% of buyers opted for the shade, down from 8.7% in the previous year.

Yellow and bronze were last on most buyers’ lists, with market shares of 0.5 and 0.3% respectively.

 

Prior to grey’s reign at the top of the sales charts, silver occupied the number one spot from 2000 to 2008.

It then gave way to black for four years, with white emerging as top dog from 2013 to 2016. Black returned to the number one spot in 2017, but since then grey has been most popular.

SMMT Chief Executive, Mike Hawes, said: “2021 was anything but normal, but British drivers stuck to their familiar favourites of grey, black and white cars.”

But while last year’s new cars might share the same shades as previous years, under the bonnet there has been a real shift, with one in six buyers choosing to go green.

With car registrations still low compared to pre-pandemic, helping even more drivers move to greener cars – whatever the actual colour – has never been more important.

“Incentives are helping move the market and should continue, but the speed of this shift to electric must be matched by an acceleration in the pace of charging infrastructure investment. Drivers should expect to be able to recharge irrespective of wherever they live, work or visit.”

Buy garage equipment online
Looking to renew or upgrade the equipment in your workshop? From tyre changers and lifts to consumables, we have everything you need in stock. Buy garage equipment online today at Tyre Bay Direct.

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40% of motorists don’t check their tyres often enough, study finds

A study by tyre manufacturer Continental has found that as many as four in ten British motorists fail to check their tyres regularly, putting themselves and other road users at risk.

Continental surveyed 2,000 motorists, 12% of whom admitted that they never check their tyres at all. 27% said they ‘didn’t know’ when they last checked them, and 18% said that they didn’t know whether their tyres were road legal or not.

Driving on tyres with an illegal tread depth (below 1.6mm) could land you 12 points and a £2,500 per-tyre fine, making these findings all the more striking.

Only 27% of survey respondents knew that the minimum tread depth was 1.6mm, and 2% of motorists incorrectly named 1mm as the legal limit.

“It is vital your car is in a roadworthy condition, and this means carrying out regular maintenance checks – particularly with an easy-to-do task like looking at the condition of your tyres,” said Continental’s Peter Robb.

“Driving around with worn tyres can not only be a dangerous experience, but also a costly one,” he continued.

“Tyres form the essential bond between your vehicle and the ground, with the tread gripping to the road as you drive, and if there isn’t enough tread your car loses traction and your braking distance increases.

“Reduced tread depth makes it harder to control the vehicle in wet weather and the chance of aquaplaning increases, putting lives at risk inside and outside of the vehicle.”

These statistics further illustrate the importance of speaking to your customers about their tyres and educating them on the risks of driving on illegal rubber.

Buy tyre changing equipment online

Need to stock up on consumables or invest in a new tyre changer? Explore our vast range of tyre changing equipment and order online today.

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An expected Electric Vehicles sales boom in the next 12 months!

Regardless of your views on the automotive industry turning electric, the inevitability of Electric Vehicles (EVs) becoming increasingly popular will soon turn to a reality. It has always been a question of when, not if, but now it seems that consumers are beginning to think more environmentally for their next car purchase.

A recent Mobility Consumer Index (MCI) survey of more than 1,000 consumers across the UK and 9,000 globally, shows that more than four in ten (41%) of those looking to purchase a car say they would like to buy a Zero Emissions Vehicle (ZEV) – compared to November’s MCI, that is an increase of 16%.

And 7 in 10 (71%) of those buyers say they are looking to purchase a ZEV in the next 12 months.

Because of these findings, EV car sales in the UK are expected to soar as we head into 2022 with the best part of potential EV buyers willing to pay premium prices for these ZEVs.

The survey also reveals that:

  • Ongoing environmental concerns is one of the top reasons for buying an EV (47% of respondents), with 68% also stating that the COVID-19 pandemic has heightened awareness and concerns about environmental issues.
  • 48% of those looking to buy a ZEV feel that it is their responsibility to reduce their personal environmental impact, and 45% feel that buying an EV is one way to achieve this.

A statement from UK Future Mobility spokesman…

EY-Parthenon Partner and UK Future Mobility Lead, Charlie Simpson, commented: “The rise of the EV across the UK and the globe is gathering pace, with our latest reports showing that a significant number of UK consumers looking to buy a car will actively consider an EV, up 16 percentage points from November 2020. Rising EV sales have been one of the stand outs for UK car sales over recent quarters and this rise is set to increase.”

“What’s interesting here is that, for the first time, a significant number of consumers claim they are willing to pay a premium for an EV, either due to environmental concerns or an understanding that the long-term costs will likely be lower. This would be a fundamental shift in customer attitudes in what is a mature UK auto retail market and one that will be critical if emissions targets are to be achieved.”

“The rising demand for EV’s in the UK brings a significant challenge for all those stakeholders involved in the successful roll-out of the EV infrastructure – without a cohesive plan there is a risk that car manufacturers, energy companies, government and infrastructure players will all be playing different games. It would be a huge setback if EV adoption in the UK were to be hindered because the key pieces of the jigsaw were not in place to meet consumer demand. There has been significant progress so far in terms of infrastructure roll-out but much more needs to be done to meet likely demand. Driver experience of vehicle charging has to become consistent, convenient and cost effective for the positive momentum to continue.”

 

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ISN Group: Garage Equipment Services from ISN Garage Assist!

Did you know that Tyre Bay Direct is an integral part of an elite group of automotive aftermarket companies that together make up ISN Europe, the European division of US based Integrated Supply Network. And while our specialism is the manufacture & supply of budget garage equipment, the group offers many more products and services.

Since its introduction into the UK market in 2015, ISN Europe has been an industry-leader in supporting the automotive aftermarket, acquiring businesses across the country to provide specialist garage equipment, tools and consumables, plus equipment installation and maintenance services.

The service portion, provided by ISN Garage Assist, is now making waves across the UK. The importance of maintaining your garage equipment can never be understated, especially as we continue to make our way out of a pandemic.

It’s time you got your garage equipment the maintenance plan it deserves.

What services do ISN Garage Assist offer?

No matter the scale of your operation, we are able to assist in all manner of ways.

  • Maybe you require a routine maintenance contract or a reliable way to ensure all your tools are calibrated correctly?
  • It could be an ad-hoc service that better suits your style of work?
  • Maybe you want to build a brand-new workshop and need help planning the layout?

TOOL CALIBRATIONS

Accurate testing & adjustment from our trained experts for compliance & reliability on every job completed

MOT BAY MANAGEMENT

Our engineers will ensure that your ATL MOT equipment is never out of action & compliant with DVSA requirements

EQUIPMENT MAINTENANCE

You advise your customers to service their car, right? Your garage machines need the same treatment

EMERGENCY BREAKDOWN

A dedicated and friendly service team can assist with a variety of common issues to ensure you are not left stranded

SERVICING CARE PLANS

Maintaining your workshop equipment is a necessity if you want to protect your valuable investment

For more information, check out our garage equipment services or visit www.garage-assist.com to dive into the services on offer!