The PMM Awards are back, celebrating the standout articles that defined 2024! Read on to discover who took home the top honours!
Every month, the PMM team works tirelessly to produce a magazine that is informative, instructive and entertaining for our readers. It is important to us that you remain as engaged, whether that’s with our social media channels, our digital newsletter, tuning into the podcast or even reaching out to us on the telephone or dropping us an email. We love hearing what you think about the magazine – what you liked and what you think we could improve.
Over the past year we have featured some fantastic articles, if we do say so ourselves, contributed from a huge range of sources. Every year, we round up the best ones and present the winners with that year’s PMM Award. As you can imagine, it’s no easy task! This year, we had a real struggle going through the articles we felt made the most impact and generated the most response among our readers. We weighed up the most popular articles on the e-newsletter each week, the most scanned QR codes, the most popular articles on our website and our social media platforms – in short, compiling this list now encompasses a wider range of media than ever before. Because of this, we are confident it represents every aspect of the automotive aftermarket, including the hottest and most contested topics.
We would like to thank our readers who remain loyal and we hope you agree that this year’s PMM Awards represents the best selection of articles available within the aftermarket. We would also like to thank the many companies who supported us both editorially and commercially over the past year. Your support is what enables us to put together the best magazine we can each month, something our readers will no doubt thank you for as well.
For now, let’s celebrate what makes this fantastic industry what it is and raise a glass to the winners! Here, news and products editor Freya Coleman takes you through the past year.
Bosch
Updated guidance
You might be thinking “hold on, didn’t the monthly guide to Bosch’s KTS ESI[tronic] 2.0 diagnostics software feature in last year’s PMM Awards?” And you would be right, but it’s testament to both the length and enduring popularity that the series has made the cut yet again! The fourteen-part series finished up this year in last month’s magazine, but the most popular instalment covered the benefits available when evaluating the ‘actual values’ of a system. If you want to make ‘ESI’ work of diagnostics, make sure to look back over our CPD zone from the year!
For more information, click here.
Ben Johnson
It’s like you’re there with him…
One of the most popular articles on our website this year came courtesy of our always entertaining diagnostic troubleshooter Ben Johnson. In his January submission, tackling some fault codes on a BMW E90, the fault-finder turns sleuth and brings out his very best shakespearian language to evoke the feeling of despair and foreboding that accompanied the “pitiful soul” that was this particular E90. To tell you the truth, we don’t think he’s ever been the same since being haunted by this particular fault code’s “nonsensical dance”. We never imagined our diagnostic troubleshooters could be so emotive in their forlorn descriptions!
But it’s not just Ben’s pensive prose that keeps readers coming back to the edge of their seats, he also seems to know a thing or two about diagnosing difficult problems and dealing with difficult customers!
For more information, click here.
Autodata
Solving head scratchers
Next up is is Autodata with an article from the February issue of the magazine, if you can cast your mind back that far! Inside, the company comes to the aid of a garage dealing with a Mercedes presenting with the engine malfunction indicator lamp (MIL) illuminated and various trouble codes stored in the engine control module fault memory. At PMM, we pride ourselves on the technical content in the magazine, and the fact that we’ve been CPD accredited for well over a year now. One big contributor to the CPD zone this year was Autodata and this article was one of many offering common solutions to common problems so we wanted to honour this by including the company in this year’s winners.
For more information, click here.
Draper
Step aside Kim and Aggie…
The next winner of a PMM Award is Draper Tools, the brand behind bunker storage, sharing some excellent advice on how effective storage solutions can transform your work environment in an article from the November issue. Investing in a modular storage system can result in a streamlined workflow, leading to profits on saved time, a safe environment for employees to work in and improved employee wellbeing as disorganisation can lead to frustration. As Draper points out in the article “a cluttered workshop isn’t just an eyesore – it’s a productivity killer.” Because after all, clean workspace, clean mind!
For more information, click here.
Carwood
Eliminating all the possibilities
Next up is another troubleshooter article, this time from remanufacturer and fuel systems specialist Carwood, examining a common fault on a VW Caddy. The vehicle came into the workshop with an engine warning light illuminated and the owner reporting long engine cranking, rough idling and exhaust smoke. Whilst these issues are typical of engine misfire, it’s never that simple and determining why is no easy feat. Inside, follow along from the very start of interrogating the vehicle’s fault code history, to performing a relearn plus everything in between.
With the amount of detail this technical article goes in to when troubleshooting this common fault, it’s no wonder our readers loved it, and that it made this year’s list of winners. I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again, sharing diagnostic solutions is caring!
For more information, click here.
Febi
Hot and cold
Another big contributor to our technical content this year was febi, and the most popular of these amongst our online readers was from the February issue, shining a light on a common cause behind not one, but three whole fault codes. The vehicle in question was experiencing a lack of power and poor performance when accelerating under load. The engine management warning lamp was also illuminated and a diagnostic tool revealed three fault codes involving particulate filter regeneration, air mass meter/malfunction and low air pressure.
The cause of this was constant hot and cold operating conditions under the bonnet causing the deterioration of the turbocharger intake hose. This led to the hose splitting, reducing the amount of boost the turbocharger could generate. The increased amount of unmetered air entering the combustion process causing the vehicle to experience a reduction in performance. And the solution? Well, you’ll have to head over to PMMonline to find out!
For more information, click here.
Matt Cleevely
What’s it really like servicing EVs?
Two years ago we told you EVs are coming – and we weren’t wrong! Anyone who tells you EVs haven’t made their arrival yet must be living in a cave on Sark… Whether they’ll stick around for long or be replaced by hydrogen is another matter. Following his appearance on the PMM Podcast back in March we thought it would be a great idea to get Matt Cleevely to write a regular column all about EVs, from finding the right customers, to preparing for the rise of EV work and servicing and repairing EVs. The amount of heated Facebook comments under anything we post on electric vehicles proves that Matt is a worthy winner of a PMM Award. His work does a lot in dispelling myths around EVs and what goes into servicing them.
For more information, click here.
Schaeffler
Clutching pearls
Technical articles on Land Rovers and Range Rovers always prove to be popular among our readers. Luckily for us, there is no shortage of problems for us to cover! This year’s most well-received Schaeffler clutch replacement saw REPXPERT Alistair Mason replacing the clutch on a 2014 Range Rover Evoque 4×4 fitted with a 2.2 D engine. This step-by-step guide covers everything from the workshop equipment you’ll need, to tips on removing the clutch assembly and flywheel, with helpful pictures to get you through and you don’t need to keep rewinding if you miss something – bonus! A special shout out also goes to Schaeffler for this particular article as it was the most viewed on the website this year, testament to the quality of this clutch clinic!
For more information, click here.
Ring
Get MOT ready
This next PMM Awards 2024 winner is Ring, with an article issuing advice for technicians surrounding lighting and batteries as the MOT season hits its peak. This article was actually an online exclusive and was posted on PMM online in early October to help workshops prepare for the influx of customers needing MOTs this time of year, hence its popularity among garage readers.
The advice inside includes Ring stressing the need to offer bulb alignment as a paid service, keeping a range of bulbs in stock in case replacement is needed and checking every battery entering the workshop despite this not being a requirement in the MOT.
For more information, click here.
Morris Lubricants
Oil on the big screen
When companies come to us with exciting ideas for articles, we usually jump at the chance to include it in the magazine. Enthusiasm is infectious, after all. So, when Morris Lubricants phoned us up and suggested taking a behind-the-scenes look at their latest oils video series with Guy Martin, we couldn’t say no! Engine oil, as you all know, is no dry subject – if you know what to ask. Luckily, the team behind this series know exactly what you need to know.
In the article, Morris’ technology manger Adrian Hill joined Guy in his workshop to share some oils knowledge and dispel a myth or two on the way. This included a whole episode dedicated to antifreeze coolant and the role Moneothylene Glycol plays and the common misconception that electric vehicles don’t require any oil. With how colourful this article made the October issue, we were more than happy to include it in this year’s PMM Awards winners.
For more information, click here.
Snap-on
Are you falling behind on ADAS?
Whilst the industry and the general public at large has been getting itself into a tizzy about electrification, car makers and legislators have been busy quietly preparing for an autonomous future, starting with ADAS. What’s becoming clear is that modern vehicles containing features such as lane assist and automatic emergency braking aren’t being calibrated in independent garages as much as they should be. In fact, just last month we featured an IMI article revealing a dangerous shortfall in the number of technicians qualified to repair and maintain vehicles featuring ADAS. Currently, only 2 per cent of technicians are IMI TechSafe registered and qualified to work safely on servicing, repairing and maintaining these complex and potentially life-saving systems.
But where is the best place to start when it comes to ADAS? Well, in our May issue Snap-on provided workshops with a comprehensive guide to achieving OEM-level calibration for ADAS systems. So comprehensive in fact that we dedicated three whole pages to it! It covers everything from steps to perfect calibration to preparing your workshop space. Therefore, we believe it to be a worthy winner!
For more information, click here.
VLS
Test case
Last but certainly not least we have an article from the VLS from the June issue of the magazine which brought our readers up to the speed on the latest lubricant investigations. If you didn’t already know, VLS was launched in 2013 by lubricant blenders and manufacturers and is an independent organisation providing a credible and trusted means to verify lubricant specifications, bringing transparency to the lubricant marketplace. On its 10th anniversary in 2023 the organisation received an influx of cases that have now been settled, so what a great time for them to update us all!
For example, a complaint that concerned a product’s low temperature properties and its compliance with SAE J306 viscosity standard. VLS independently procured a product sample within the UK and tested it for low temperature viscosity characteristics against ASTM D2983. The results indicated that the product was not compliant. The named party informed the VLS that they believe the issue was due to batch contamination, and since the sample was produced it had changed its procedures. VLS undertook a six-month review, during which a new sample was testing and found to be compliant – case closed! The positive work the VLS do in protecting workshops and making the lubricant industry a level playing field for all participants is a great note to end this year’s awards on, bravo!
For more information, click here.
If you want to see your favourite article on the 2025 list of winners, please reach out to me at fcoleman@hamerville.co.uk. Are you a fan of our technical articles, or do you prefer skipping to the back of the issue to read all about what new products are out? Either way, we’d love to hear from you.
