( SOURCE: NEW STRAITS TIMES DATED FRIDAY, OCTOBER 7, 2016 )

KUALA LUMPUR: Autobacs Seven (AB7) – one of Japan’s largest suppliers of aftermarket automotive parts and services – including tyre-related services and car accessories has acquired a 20% stake in local tyre distribution and retail company Kit Loong Tayaria (KLT).

The strategic partnership between the two companies will allow KLT – a passenger car tyre division of Kit Loong Tyre Group and authorised distributor of Pirelli, Kumho, Corsa and Jinyu tyre brands in Malaysia, to tap into AB7’s expertise in automotive parts.

This includes services and retailing, and will allow KLT to gain access to a vast range of some 30,000 different types of products as well as share best retailing practices between the companies.

“The purpose of our partnership is to develop (KLT) more and strengthen our Tayaria Alliance outlets,” said KLT chief executive officer Jacob Chen.

From left: Chen with Autobacs Seven senior executive – overseas business Yugo Horii.

On a cool Sunday morning of 16 October, 2016, the inaugural TAYARIA Run was flagged off at 7:30 a.m. at Taman Botani Negara, Shah Alam.

Organized by Kit Loong Tayaria Sdn Bhd, the 10 km run attracted more than 500 participants who were registered under 4 categories, i.e. Men Open, Men Veteran, Women Open, and Women Veteran.

All finishers received a custom designed medal each. In addition, the top 10 finishers of each category were each awarded a trophy, with the top 3 of each category also receiving prizes of Tayaria cash vouchers.

TAYARIA Run 2016 is the first run in Malaysia to be organized by a tyre company, and was held within the green and natural ambiance of a botanic park.

The route was carefully chosen to provide a challenging course over undulating terrain, including a “killer” uphill stretch towards the end, which tested the resolve of even the more seasoned runners.

Participants of TAYARIA Run 2016 also had opportunities for photoshoots around the special display of an actual Pirelli F1 tyre.

Events for that day included lucky draws for 100 prizes of a special-edition Pirelli motorsport podium-design cap each, and 50 prizes of an exclusive box-set of four Pirelli F1 tyre replica keychains each.

In addition, every participant received a Kumho Tire cap as a token of appreciation for their participation.

When the event came to a close after the prize giving ceremony, the general mood was one of festivity and a sense that it was a memorable day well spent for a healthy activity.

Already there are positive feedbacks in the social media, and enquiries and suggestions for next year’s instalment of TAYARIA Run.

We’ll be back!

KUALA LUMPUR: Japanese giant Autobacs Seven Co Ltd has acquired a 20 per cent stake in tyre retailer Kit Loong Tayaria Sdn Bhd.

Autobacs Seven, a Japanese listed company and Kit Loong Tayaria declined to reveal the monetary value of the 20 per cent stake.

Under the deal, Malaysian consumers will have direct access to Autobacs Seven’s range of Japanese automotive parts and accessories at Kit Loong Tayaria’s 80 outlets nationwide.

The deal was signed by Kit Loong Holdings Sdn Bhd chief executive officer Jacob Chen and Autobacs Seven’s director and senior executive officer for overseas business Yugo Horii here today.

Kit Loong Tayaria is a subsidiary of Kit Loong Holdings.

A check on the Bloomberg Market website reveals that Autobacs Seven’s range of products include batteries, car stereos, and both interior and exterior car accessories. 

The Japanese giant also has a presence in Taiwan, Europe and the United States.

Read more: Japan’s Autobacs Seven buys stake in tyre retailer Kit Loong Tayaria

So now that you know this, you should be a little nicer to your transmission. First of all, it is recommended that you change your fluid every 30,000 to 40,000km. In a manual transmission, the problem is not so much the fluid degradation, but rather fluid contamination. This contamination occurs over time as the synchronizers, bearings and gears in the transmission wear out. The resulting metal particles then float around in the lubricant.

And we all know that oil with microscopic particles of metal in it does not lubricate as well as clean oil does. So if these contaminants are not drained out, they will shorten the life of your transmission. Automatic Transmission: Because more heat is generated in an automatic transmission, automatic transmission fluid actually degrades and breaks down with use.

In addition, like in a manual transmission, automatic transmission fluid will also become contaminated with worn bits of the transmission. If these contaminants are not drained out, they will shorten the life of your transmission.

So if you don’t change the transmission fluid on schedule, you’ll be lubricating your transmission with metal shavings and other contaminants. This will shorten the transmission’s life and as mentioned above, this will lead to a hefty bill later.

To avoid that, schedule a visit to your local neighbourhood Tayaria service centre.