Klarius Products’ Head of Research and Development, Doug Bentley, highlights how the company is prepared to support an ageing UK car parc.
Recent data released by the DVLA and Department for Transport (DfT) has illustrated that the UK car parc is older than it has ever been. Older cars are undoubtedly popular, and as a result, aftermarket support will be required for these vehicles long into the future. Klarius Products has reiterated that in terms of replacement exhaust systems, the support is already there.
According to data, the number of cars on UK roads aged over 13 years has grown from 6.3% in 1994 to 19.1% in 2019, an increase of roughly 3,781,900 vehicles. This effective tripling of older vehicles on our roads shows that motorists are willing to operate older combustion powered vehicles despite scrappage schemes and financial subsidies from the Government designed to incentivise EVs.
There are a number of reasons for this. The overall build quality of vehicles steadily improved from the 1990s into the mid-2000s, ensuring that cars from this era have an increased service life compared to cars that were more common in 1994. This has naturally resulted in a higher proportion of older cars on the road in 2019. Additionally, car enthusiasts are drawn to models that may deliver a more traditional or involving driving experience. Typically, these owners will maintain their vehicles to a high standard, further increasing service life.
To keep these cars on the road long after manufacturer support has expired, owners often rely on the aftermarket to provide high quality replacement components. However, with such a variance across older cars, it can sometimes be difficult to source an optimum component that fits and preserves the original performance of the vehicle.
Doug Bentley, Head of Research and Development at Klarius Products, has helped to build an extensive range of emissions control components to meet this need, and he commented: “While developing replacement exhausts, catalytic converters and diesel particulate filters for modern vehicle applications is important; our range of over 11,000 components has also been designed to support older models too. By analysing market data, we can identify older vehicle models that are popular or lack replacement parts.
“We then develop a new component with a test vehicle of corresponding marque, model and production year. This means we have replacement components in stock for older sports cars, saloons, MPVs, SUVs, hatchbacks, estates and vans. Every component features a two-year warranty and ‘fit first time’ guarantee. We make this possible by fitting new parts to real cars during our development and testing process, which means less time on the ramp for garages. 90% of all orders received by 5:30pm will be delivered before 12pm the next day, 60% of which may be delivered by 9am.”
Klarius attributes the availability across its range to the dynamic stocking procedures it has implemented. Components are manufactured in Staffordshire to meet current market demand. Extensive stock warehousing ensures that a replacement exhaust system for an old Mazda MX-5 offers the same lead time as a system for a newer Nissan Qashqai. Therefore, older cars do not spend longer on the repair ramp waiting for a component, despite their age.
“At Klarius, we are passionate about older vehicles,” concluded Doug. “Many of us are enthusiasts, so we are very proactive in offering like-minded vehicle owners access to quality components that provide OEM levels of performance. As this data illustrates, it is clear that the aftermarket will need to provide this replacement support for many years to come.”
