The UK aftermarket has an uncertain future and it would face many challenges. The experts are fearing the 2023 block exemption renewal and data encryption. When you think of aftermarket, you might think of an expert who can tune imported Japanese cars or a workshop where you take the car if its warranty has run out. You might even think of the technician who got you out of trouble when your vehicle wasn’t starting, or you may think of the accessory shop at the end of the town, which has plastic wheel trims on the display.
Well, if you think any of this, you are right, but that’s not just what aftermarket is all about, there’s more to it. The sector has given jobs to 345,000 people across the country. And, many people are working in software engineering as well as component manufacturing, more than what you may think.
There’s an industrial estate in every market town, along with three or four trade-only motor factors. It’s likely a member of a much larger parts-buying group. But still, you can’t say that vehicle manufacturers, or at least the franchised dealers, don’t work with the aftermarket.
If the dealer’s expensive tools can’t provide a satisfying answer in the complex diagnostic jobs, it might be outsourced to a local specialist. Many jobs are now being regularly outsourced to specialist third parties, like glass replacement, which sometimes includes recalibration of advanced driver assistance systems (ADAS).
Most of the work in the aftermarket is done away from the dealership. You have the right to choose from where you want to have your car serviced and repaired. This right is called BER.
For the future of the aftermarket, we can say that a big change is likely over the next decade, just like for all parts of the car industry. There’s a battle with the manufacturers over the repairing right, as well as the challenges of electrification.