Automatic Choice, Choice Tech 2009 UK Seminar Front Page

	Automatic Choice presented its 8th technical seminar to the industry recently on the 16th of May at the Holiday Inn at Bristol in the U.K. The event was fully subscribed with over 110 delegates from throughout the U.K. and Europe. As usual we held an informal gathering on the Friday evening
preceding the seminar to give the delegates a chance to share experiences with old friends and meet new people from the industry, over a few drinks and a complimentary buffet. A roving magician who amazed everyone with his skill and slight of hand provided entertainment. The evening was well attended and judging from the feedback a good time was had by all.
Saturday’s main event was started with a presentation on the history and development of modern Torque Converters, presented by John Mackie the founder of Mackie Automatic Transmissions Ltd., based in Glasgow, Scotland. His company has been rebuilding Torque Converters for over 25 years and they are well respected throughout Europe as a leading
remanufacturer, having many car and industrial OEM clients. Comparisons were made between older Fluid Couplings, Torque Converters and the latest electronic systems with emphasis being made to using the correct fluids and ensuring that systems were free from Glycol and water contamination. The seminar continued with sessions presented by ATSG’s Wayne Colonna, starting with an in depth look at the Asian Warner TF-60SN unit found in the BMW Mini and many of the VW group variant vehicles He then continued with an update session, revisiting transmissions featured in past Choice Tech seminars, giving additional information not available previously. Transmissions covered included the VW/Audi DSG and 01J, ZF 6HP26, GM 5L40E and AW 5550SN, all of which have issues in their remanufacture. Topics on each were varied but the Valve Bodies on the 5L40E and 5550SN were especially singled out, as these two are proving difficult to rebuild successfully and very little printed information is available.
	Finishing with a session on electrical diagnosis, Wayne briefly stressed the importance of carrying out basic tests to diagnose or repair problems before jumping in and removing transmissions only to find nothing wrong with them. Wayne continued with a thorough and stimulating session providing many examples of how accurate diagnosis can be achieved with relatively inexpensive equipment, if used logically and in conjunction with the basic electrical checks that should be made.
The day concluded with Automatic Choice offering thanks to both speakers and finally ending the session by praising all the attending delegates for their support in making this and previous seminars such a resounding success. We would like to take this opportunity to thank all those delegates that took the time to fill in their questionnaires. The results were very positive and it seems that we have managed to get the overall format for the event about right. The comments section is also a very useful source of information for us when planning future events, giving us an insight to your requirements. We have noted that a number of you asked for a more in depth seminar based around the use of Scanners and specialised test equipment, this type of theme is not very practical in a Hotel conference centre and is more suited to a workshop environment where a hands on approach is possible. We are looking at the possibilities of setting up this type of event at a future date and will keep you posted with details as they become available.