The Automotive Blog

DVSA Recommend 4 Brake Tests Per Year!!

Document :Guide to maintaining road worthiness
Commercial goods and passenger carrying vehicles (Revised 2014)

Section 5: Safety inspection and repair facilities

Extract –
“Therefore it is normally expected that the vehicle or trailer should complete at least three successful brake efficiency tests spread throughout year in addition to the annual MOT test.”

BrakeCheck is a portable brake tester that works from the principle of measuring deceleration or Brake Efficiency, BrakeCheck has been proved to be a good indication of brake performance and cost effective for any workshop. Over 15,000 BrakeCheck’s have been purchased since it’s introduction in January 2003, and is now a standard tool for any vehicle workshop.

In addition to BrakeCheck Standard which is marketed towards Car, Van Truck and Bus / Coaches, BrakeCheck For Truck &Trailers is ideal for trailer operating companies.

aide automotive also recommend the use of an Infra Red Thermometer to check individual wheels via temperature. This in conjunction with a decelerometer print out would be the perfect 3 times a year brake test for any commercial vehicle.

To discuss how BrakeCheck or the Brake Testing Equipment works or to review pricing please call us on 0115 8456471.

Brake Tester Using Brake Efficiency to Report On Truck Brakes

More & More Commercial Vehicle Operators Purchase BrakeCheck To Complete Their Inspection Sheets.

Roger Jackson of Ensign Bus said “We have now purchased Bowmonk BrakeCheck for all our depots and find it a valuable addition to our workshops. To have the ability to carryout positive testing and to record actual results on an inspection sheet is very beneficial.”

Decelerometers have moved on significantly from the old mechanical brake testers such as Tapley Decelerometer. Being electronic there is a much higher accuracy and additional information such as average deceleration, a left/right pull measurement, speed at braking and stopping distance. All tests are time and date stamped.

BrakeCheck has been proven to be an excellent inspection sheet Bowmonk brake tester for all commercial vehicles, over 14000 testers sold since 2002. With many operators using the BrakeCheck to conduct a VOSA accepted brake test on every inspection.

BrakeCheck Truck & Trailer will brake test tractor units, rigid trucks and also incorporates a 99 test memory on the service, hand and trailer brake test, a total of 297 tests. The trailer brake test feature enables repairers and internal maintenance workshops to conduct an inspection sheet brake test of a commercial trailer.

Brake Tester Using Brake Efficiency to Report On Truck Brakes

Transport Operator’s annual Brake Testing feature in Truck & Bus Product Focus went out on 6th Of March this year.

With three Brake Testing Product adverts added by aide automotive, the email focus is am ideal marketing platform for transport related products.

Truck & Bus Product Focus is live and online for a full 12 months. Now having an 11,500 email database compared to 7,500 when we launched. Truck & Bus Product Focus is achieving an average open rate of 22.3%. The average for business to business is 5%-15%.
Our average click thru rate to company websites is 107 clicks per entry, which again is above average for business to business.

aide automotive advertised the BrakeCheck portable brake tester, approved by VOSA for many vehicles; in the commercial sector VOSA accept BrakeCheck for testing all commercial type vehicles on every inspection.

Also advertised under the focus as the EBS/ABS Sensor Master. Easy truck & trailer brake faults repaired with this excellent cost effective tester.

Finally Trailer Brake Testing using the TrailerCheck product range, testing of the ABS or EBS CAN Lines of a trailer.

You can see the Product Focus by clicking on Brake Testers.

Contact aide automotive to review and price any of our brake testing products.

Brake Tester Using Brake Efficiency to Report On Truck Brakes

BrakeCheck approval by National Express

National Express is ordering the BrakeCheck system following a successful demonstration at its Walsall depot. Nick Sorrill, head of quality assurance, explains: “National Express takes every step to ensure our duty of care policy and high safety standards are constantly adhered to. To this end, there is no exception or compromise where our bus and coach Brake Testing programme is concerned.

“For those brake tests carried out where there is no rolling road available or on the rare occasion they break down, we must have confidence that we have a viable alternative for providing an accurate recording of the service, secondary and hand brake. After some research into what products were available to achieve this we found BrakeCheck to be the one.

“BrakeCheck proved to be 100 per cent accurate when compared to a previous test on our roller brake tester. This and the fact that BrakeCheck is VOSA-approved sealed the deal for us. Consequently, we are now rolling them out to our other depots across the bus and coach businesses.”

Brake Tester Using Brake Efficiency to Report On Truck Brakes

aide automotives Brake Efficiency Tester BrakeCheck is the ideal way to test vehicle brakes.

VOSA are continually advising operators, commercial repairers and in house workshops to complete regular inspection sheet brake test.

Being electronic there is a much higher accuracy and additional information such as average deceleration, a left/right pull measurement, speed at braking and stopping distance. All tests are time and date stamped.

BrakeCheck can be used and is accepted by VOSA for many vehicles, in the commercial sector VOSA approve BrakeCheck for testing all commercial type vehicles on every inspection. Within the MOT centre this device is used as back up to the roller tester but used in principal on 4×4 vehicles.

Gary Moir of MSK Waste said ” Using a Brake Efficiceny Tester such as a BrakeCheck has saved this company hundreds of pounds as taking vehicles to rollers testers for an inspection brake test is unecessary.”

Contact aide automotive for a Brake Efficiency Tester question by clicking on BRAKE EFFICIENCY 

Brake Tester Uisng Brake Efficiency to Report On Truck Brakes

BrakeCheck 2 Year Warranty!

aide automotive are now pleased to offer a two year warranty on all BrakeCheck’s & Accessories

aide automotive have improved our customer service by increasing the warranty from 1 to 2 years on the BrakeCheck family & accessories!

BrakeCheck is the number one brake tester for commercial vehicle inspections sheets and with over 13,000 testers sold BrakeCheck is now the number one reliable tester on the market.

Matthew Burke Sales Director Said “Since the launch of BrakeCheck in 2001 we have been continually looking at way to improve the tester for reliability and operational, with BrakeCheck Series 2 we now have the over whelming confidence to offer a two year warranty, operationally the BrakeCheck product is at the very top of its product sector and now we feel its top for reliability.”

BrakeCheck is a portable battery-powered device that can be used by vehicle workshops, government traffic authorities, testing and inspection stations to test and report on vehicle brake efficiency. BrakeCheck is VOSA & MOT approved.

If you have any questions on why a BrakeCheck is used on commercial vehicles or within the MOT test station please click on Brake Tester to enquire or phone 0115 8456471.

aide automotive can report on a Rear Truck Brake Fault Solution!
DAF & Scania trucks fitted with Electronic Braking Systems (EBS) could have the same fault but for different reasons. The fault occurs after the vehicle has been driven for a few miles, when the rear brakes slowly start to apply by themselves and in some cases the brakes are on so much that the vehicle is un-drivable.
There are two reasons this fault can appear, the first one is quite simple. On the rear of the vehicle there is a EBS modulator valve which controls the brake pressure to the rear brakes, one of these pipes connected to this valve is from the redundancy valve. This is a saftey back up for the brakes, if in event the EBS fails the truck is left with some brakes to stop the vehicle.

If the redundancy valve starts to leak the air pressure can build up in the pipe connected to the rear modulator valve and start to apply the rear brakes, at the same time the EBS system which constantly monitors the brake pressure when you press the brake pedal sees that there is pressure in the modulator but knows the driver dosnt have his/her fott on the brake so assumes the rear modulator is faulty and puts the EBS warning light on in the cab.

This means there is two faults being caused by the one leaking valve, the EBS causedlight on and the rear brakes applying. The easiest way to identify this fault is by removing the pipe which comes from the redunacy valve when the brakes are on, you will hear the aire pressure being released from the pipe and hear the brake come off.

The Second reason this same fault can appear is a faulty foot brake valve. On a EB System when you press the foot brake on, the foot brake valve not only supplies air pressure to the rear modulator and applies the brakes, it also sends a CAN signal to the rear modulator to apply the brakes. The CAN signal is basically an electronic signal telling the rear modulator to apply the brakes. Inside the foot brake valveare switches which knowhow far you have pressed the pedal down, if these switch’s work incorrectly they can think you have pressed the pedal down when you havent and tell the rear modulator to apply the brakes.
The easiest way to see if the fott brake valve is causing the fault is by removing the electrical connection from the foot brake when the fault appearsand you will hear the brakes release. In both cases the rear brakes usually only apply a small amount but in both cases the EBS light will come on.

aide automotive offer products to test ABS or EBS Sensors or offer brake testers for inspection sheet brake testing.

Trailer testers are available in portable format of wrokshop / van monuted testers.

Brake Faults Most Common At the Roadside, says VOSA
Defective braking systems and components top the list of reasons for prohibitions issued by VOSA at the roadside and depot checks last year.

Nine percent of prohibitions for trucks and 20 percent of prohibitions for trailers were issued because of defective brakes.

The use of a regular deceleration test such as a BrakeCheck could help reduce brake faults and keep inspection sheet paper work in order.

BrakeCheck (decelerometer) can be used and is accepted by VOSA for many vehicles, in the commercial sector VOSA approve BrakeCheck for testing all commercial type vehicles on every inspection. BrakeCheck can be used on vehicles such as, fork lifts, construction / quarry vehicles, tractors and trailers.

This device has moved on significantly from the old mechanical testers such as Tapley Meters. Being electronic there is a much higher accuracy and additional information such as average deceleration, a left/right pull measurement, speed at braking and stopping distance. All tests are time and date stamped.

aide automotive ltd are a leading supplier of brake testing devices for Truck Inspections sheets Brake Tests.

Click on DECELEROMETER to enquire how a BrakeCheck can help you.

January has seen a good start to BrakeCheck sales for aide automotive.

Since the return after Christmas and New Years holidays enquirys and orders have been flowing for us, BrakeCheck is ideal for any truck operator to carry out an inspection sheet brake test with ease or at a cost effective manner. says Matthew Burke of aide automotive ltd.

BrakeCheck is a portable battery-powered device that can be used by vehicle workshops, government traffic authorities, testing and inspection stations to test and report on vehicle brake efficiency. BrakeCheck is VOSA & MOT approved.

If you require an inspection sheet brake tester for your trucks or trailers call aide automotive ltd on 0115 8456471 or click on www.brake-tester.co.uk to read more or contact us.

BrakeCheck the UK’s Number 1 MOT Brake Tester (Decelerometer) is in the aide automotive’s January Sale !!
Used as a back up to the roller tester the BrakeCheck is an electronic tester that can be used to test vehicles that cannot go on the rollers or Quad, Trike bikes and Motorcycles.
Each MOT Garage requires a back up brake tester and aide automotive would like to offer this great deal to those who don?t have a tester or require upgrading their old mechanical meter such as a Tapley. Having the latest tools within the garage will be of benefit when VOSA carry out inspections.
BrakeCheck is easy to use and can also be downloaded to a PC or connected to a supplied printer for hard copy test reports at an optional cost, also for motorcycles a mounting clamp is required.

In the last year we have also seen garages part exchange the Auto Stop Mini, this is an electronic tester supplied by Tecalemit. As this tester is expensive to recalibrate and by reports hard to use, part exchanging to the BrakeCheck should pay back within 2 years.
To read more click on BrakeCheck for the main website page or click on www.brake-tester.co.uk for the dedicated website.

If you would like to purchase a BrakeCheck then call 0115 8456471 or send an email to shoponline@aideautomotive.com and we will call you back.