Cleaning Up During AAIW

by Garrett McKinnon

A Last month’s Automotive Aftermarket Products Expo (AAPEX), which was held in Las Vegas in conjunction with the Specialty Equipment Manufacturers Association (SEMA) show, was a car lover’s dream. With everything from restored classics to exotic sports cars to slammed street racers — and everything one could possibly need to care for these vehicles — these two events, which together compromise the Automotive Aftermarket Industry Week, were crowd-pleasers.

One thing you can count on at AAIW are manufacturers eager to display their newest products. From super-quick vehicle lifts to new motor oil to wheels made out of glass (no, really), we came across a load of interesting products and services at AAPEX and SEMA. (You might have noticed some of these new products if you visited our Facebook page; if you didn’t, it’s high time you “liked” us so you can follow all the latest news and information about the fast lube industry in a social format.) You’ll find some of those products in our special feature here, plus a full recap of the AAPEX show here.

Of course, we also ran across more than our share of way cool cars. Like the antique Lincoln Zephyr with the Ferrari engine. Or the $350,000 Rolls Royce limo with 28-inch wheels.  Or the green-over-chrome “Hot Wheels” Camaro that GM displayed, along with replica orange track! (And in case you’re wondering, the big thing in custom automotive finishes is satin and chrome-over-color, judging by the numerous examples of these nontraditional paint jobs we ran across.) We definitely whetted our automotive appetites drooling over the hot cars on display.

We didn’t just attend AAIW for the heck of it, though. In addition to reporting on the latest and greatest in products and services that might benefit you, the lube operator, we were also there to collect some hardware.

For starters, we were honored to pick up a prestigious Automotive Communications Award from the Automotive Communications Council and the Car Care Council Women’s Board. The fun pictorial quiz entitled “Homonym Huddle” that ran in the fall issue of VehicleMD, our consumer education magazine, was honored as top magazine article in the business-to-consumer category. Kudos to Tammy Neal, our lead staff writer here at NOLN and features editor of VehicleMD, and the whole team at VMD for coming up with that fun feature, which had more than a few car- and sports-savvy guys and gals thoroughly stumped. (I’m man enough to admit I didn’t know there was such a thing as Southern Utah University, or that their mascot was the Thunderbirds!)

We also took home hardware of a different sort. Quaker State invited yours truly to participate in an “engine build off” competition with other automotive journalists. Led by a Shell engineer and coached by a professional engine-building team from Hendrick Motorsports, two teams of eight wags faced off in two-person shifts to build and fire a Chevrolet racing engine. As part of “Team Phosphorus,” I’m happy to report that I successfully helped install the heads, pushrods and rocker arms on the engine, which later fired up and ran like a top, as Team Phosphorus claimed the victory (in a combined 33 minutes and eight seconds) and the trophy. It was tremendous fun, and I’ll jump at the chance to ever participate in another engine build off in the future.

Finally, while we loved attending the product launches and awards banquets during AAPEX, we also took advantage of a few of the myriad educational sessions that were held throughout the event, several of which spoke to the future of the automotive aftermarket in 2012.

GARRETT MCKINNON is editor of National Oil & Lube News and is not afraid to get his hands dirty. Questions, comments, concerns? E-mail him: garrett.mckinnon@noln.net