Ice & Snow Shoe Grips - No Falls This Winter!

We’ve brought back our best-selling ice & snow grips this winter just in time for the forecasted big freeze. Magic Spiker No Slip Rubber Grippers are a simple but effective accessory for adding some much-needed traction to any pair of shoes or boots you wear this winter. The Winter Feet are easy to attach to any type of shoe – just step on the durable rubber frame and pull it tight over the front and back.
You instantly have grip on slippery surfaces, no more precarious slipping and sliding on the icy footpaths, the short metal spikes helps you to grip no matter the conditions.
This could make all the difference between walking safely this winter, and taking a nasty fall.

These durable, rugged, well-made soles will look after you in the bad weather and handy and due to the rubber material fold compact so you can keep them with you in your car or bag.
They also attach easily right over your shoes making them quick to put on and take off when you’re in a hurry.

We have all tried them on a range of shoes here at LA and were pleased they fit over work boots, shoes - even Sallys high heeled boots! Our delivery is just in - get them now and stay upright when the freeze hits!

Ford Electric Heater Valve

At this time of year when you’re using your heater for the first time in a while, you may find that the heat stays the same no matter which way you turn the heater control knob – this is either because the valve that allows the hot water into the heater has seized, the electric motor that operates the valve has seized, or the pipes on the valve assembly have become brittle and broken off. The only way to remedy this is to replace the whole
valve assembly, which is normally located in the bulkhead underneath the windscreen.

We now have in stock replacement Genuine Ford electric heater control valves with Junior timer 2 pole connection to fit the following:

• Transit + Mini Bus 2000 – 2006
• Fiesta 1995 - 2002 
• Street KA2003 – 2005
• Puma 1997 – 2001

Contact us with your vehicle registration number and we will confirm correct part fit - 02890455877

Steel Mate Parking Sensors

Here at LA we are proud to add Steel Mate to our product range.  With their large range of high quality parking assist systems, Steel Mate is a welcome edition to our expanding product lines.



The Ex Series

• Available in Front, Rear and Complete 8 Sensor Kits:

Steel Mate PTS400EX - 4 Sensor

Steel Mate PTD800EX - 8 Sensor

• Adjustable 2 or 4 sensor option
• Suitable for metal bumpers when using rubber sensor housings (not included)
• Upgradeable with a choice of 6 visual displays:

• Dual intelligent functions ideal for vehicles with tow bars, spare wheels or other protrusions.
• Consumer 3 year warranty (when registered online at www.steelmate.co.uk)

Tyre Sealant for Bikes - New OKO Bicycle Puncture Prevention

Many bike riders experience frequent punctures and a fantastic solution is a bicycle tyre sealant - but conventional latex-based bike sealants are thin, dry out and need to be replaced very frequently.

After years of development and testing, OKO launched a ground-breaking range of Bike sealant products at Eurobike to rave reviews.

OKO Puncture Free All Purpose Bike and OKO X-Treme - an Off-Road Competition Sealant for bike tyres 'represent an advance in performance compared to any existing product' - both designed for tubeless conversions.

  The OKO solution is water based and so will not damage bike tyres unlike other latex rubber solutions.  Extremely easy to apply and comes with a valve core remover and Schrader valve size pouring spout.  

And following public demand, OKO Self-Sealing Bike Inner Tubes are now on sale in the most popular sizes, with a choice of valves.   Now it is even easier to obtain tyre protection for your bike. 

Another fantastic new product, the OKO Tyre Sealant Injector is a patented syringe device that can cleanly and accurately dispense sealant (or other liquids), plus it contains a double screw fitting for both Presta and Schrader valves.

We have received our first delivery of OKO Tyre Sealant for Bikes - check out the full range now!

OKO Tyre Sealant New Website Launched

The original Tyre Sealant manufacturers have launched a brand new website with a fantastic range of information about all the OKO tyre sealant products including features & downloadable application charts.  The launch coincides with the new OKO Puncture Free Bicycle Range after years of research - and demand. 

The new bike features all purpose and mountain bike sealants and a range of self sealing bike inner tubes.

Check out the new site here: www.oko.com

LED Autolamps Interior Strip Lamps

This July LED Autolamps introduced a range of four interior LED strip lamps to complement its existing interior strip lamp ranges.

The latest addition of interior lamps offers a 3-year warranty and 12/24 dual-voltage versatility whilst being fully ECE certified. These unobtrusive, slim-line designed LED lamps measure just 10mm deep by 25mm wide and are available in 100mm (p/n 1016), 150mm (p/n 1031), 300mm (p/n 1061) and 600mm (p/n 1021) lengths.
They are easy to fit and are cost-effective as they provide a long service life.

Maurice Bibb, Commercial Director Europe, LED Autolamps said, “We are very excited about this latest series of LED interior strip lamps. They have been specifically designed for applications in fleets as well as for van converters, mobile workshops and utilities’ vehicles, where their minimal power consumption will prove invaluable.”

The lamps utilise cool white colour LEDs to simulate a fluorescent tube light and advanced optical performance to deliver maximum brightness for their minimal power consumption. 

New Traffic Guide Lighting from Vision Alert

Direct traffic around a safe working zone on the road with the new traffic LED modular device guide from Vision Alert

Available in both amber and blue, with a choice of three cable lengths containing up to 15 four head LED modules, the powerful LED lights can clearly signal and direct traffic around a working zone from up to 1000m away.  Perfect for many on-road applications, from Recovery and Maintenance to the Emergency Services.  Easy to use, the convenient cable wrap is ready to use in a few seconds, fully rechargeable with a standard cigarette plug adapter in just 3 hours and has a battery life of up to 30 hours.

• Tough: designed to bear the weight of heavy traffic
• Waterproof: IP65 rated
• Long-life 4 head LED technology
• Visible at distances of up to 1000m
• Standard cigarette plug adapter
• Charges in 3.5 hours
• Long battery life
• 12V

We are impressed with this new product and now have it in stock available to order.  We have been busy testing the battery life and lighting up the warehouse aisles with it since it arrived!

The New Cobra 4 Eye Rear Park Master

Cobra's new 0258 Park Master is a noticeable 3mm smaller in diameter than the 0158 - providing a sleeker low profile fit. The evolution of the Cobra Park Master improves the aesthetics and provides an OE style solution whilst maintaining the easy installation procedure and high quality level.

Now in stock at LA.  For more advice on this product contact us on 02890455877 prior to installation

MaXilamps - New products from LED Autolamps

LED Autolamp have announced news of the latest addition to their MaXilamp range.

The latest addition to the ‘Maxilamp’ family of LED modular lamps feature: sealed for life electronics, 5 year warranty, 12/24 dual voltage versatility and is fully European Certified.


The lamps are fully submersible, rust proof, shock resistant, dust proof and feature incredibly bright LED illumination. The circuit board is fully encased in resin and cannot be penetrated by air or water, the high impact acrylic outer cover has a high resistance to the chemicals in
cleaning fluids and enhanced UV protection against fading.

These lamps are now ready to order from LA Distribution Online. 

Ring Automotive Dual Function LED Day/Night Lamp

We're pleased to announce we've received stock of the new Dual Function LED Day/Night Lamps from Ring Automotive. 
The next generation of day time running lamps the pack includes daytime running and night-time styling function providing 24 hour vehicle lighting.  This unique dual function lamps offers safety and styling from the same lamp. 

Day time running lamps improve vehicle visibility and reduce accidents in day light hours. Night time styling lamps offer reduced brightness when compared to the daytime running lamps and are designed to be used at night or when you operate your sidelights.  An automatic switching unit allows the lamps to be illuminated as soon as the engine is switched on, then once the sidelights are switched on the lamps will reduce in brightness to create the night styling function. All this - and a massive 18 ice white LED's per lamp.

DeLorean 30th anniversary festival in Northern Ireland

Sports car enthusiasts from all over the world will be arriving in Northern Ireland this week to celebrate the 30th anniversary of the DeLorean.

Back to Dunmurry

Held every 5 years, the convention for fans and owners of the DeLorean gather together for a global conference to celebrate the car made famous by the ‘Back to the Future’ movies.  This year Eurofest 2011 festival will be held in NI from 26-29 May and will feature 80 DeLorean models from 21 different countries around the world.  Thousands are expected to attend a range of events, which include a time trial race and a special exhibition of DeLorean memorabilia. 

John DeLorean with the DeLorean 

built in West Belfast

The DeLorean, which began production in Dunmurry in 1981, shot to fame as a sports car time machine by the BTTF Movie Franchise but by that time the company had already gone bankrupt, just one year after beginning production. About 9,000 vehicles were sold between 1981-83 & the DeLorean Motor Company employed about 2,500 people.


For more info on Eurofest 2011

How to fit DRL - Daylight Running Lights

A guide on how to fit Daylight Running Lights 

made by Ring Automotive

How to wire a Cigarette Lighter Plug

We made this quick video in response to a customer enquiry of how to wire a cigarette lighter plug! If you would like a demonstration of any auto - electrical wiring or installation guide let us know!

Choosing a Power Inverter

What does a Power Inverter do?

A power inverter converts your car's DC battery power into conventional AC power which can then power & charge a range of household products such as power tools, TVs, mobile phones, laptops etc when an AC outlet is not available. This is particularly useful for camping or long road trips when the standard battery power on your device won't last long.

12v Power Inverter -
Handy when your laptop runs out!

How do I use a Power Inverter?

Just connect the inverter to your car battery, and plug your AC devices into the inverter and you've got power on the go. (Smaller inverters will connect directly via the car's cigarette lighter)

How do I know which Inverter to use?

Power inverters which run through your car cigarette lighter are designed for lower wattage devices - laptops, phone chargers etc.  If you try to pass more than about 400 watts through a cigarette lighter connection, it will fail - it may even start a fire in your vehicle so it is important to ensure you have the right inverter to match your requirements.


The first step in selecting a power inverter is to match the inverter to the voltage of the battery you'll be using for power. In most cases, you'll be using a standard 12-volt car battery, so you would want to select a 12-volt inverter.
The next step is to identify which devices you plan to power with the inverter. Each device should have a label which tells you the wattage it requires to function. The wattage rating of your inverter must surpass the wattage of the the total wattage of all the devices you plan to run at the same time, or of the wattage of the largest device.

Some devices draw a higher wattage than their normal operating wattage rating when they first start up.  This is known as peak or surge, and this information should also be listed on the device's label. Most power inverters also have a peak rating, so make sure the inverter's peak rating is higher than the peak wattage of the device you intend to power. 


*Note: Microwaves are a special case. For example, you may know that your microwave is a 400-watt microwave. This is actually the cooking wattage. The power wattage might be twice that amount. Again, check the label on the device to make sure.

High Temperature Thin Wall Cable

In the 1970’s we were driving around in cars like the Austin Allegro, Vauxhall Viva and the Ford Cortina. These and all other vehicles were manufactured with simple wiring systems produced using low voltage automotive PVC cable.  In the mid 80’s manufacturers started to specify more electrical components and features in their vehicles and as a result the wiring harnesses were getting heavier and were starting to take up too much space.  A new type of cable was needed to meet the ever increasing requirement to fit even more electrical components in the
future. The new cable needed to meet the following requirements;

• 30% Lighter in weight
• Save Space
• More resistant to abrasion
• Have a higher temperature rating (105°C)
• Resistant to Petrol, Diesel, Oils and diluted acids
• Good resistance to moisture
• Meets European “End of Vehicle Life” directive.

A new cable was developed and 20 years later is now used extensively 

throughout Europe. The international standard is ISO6722 and is known as “Thin Wall High Temp Cable” or “Thin Wall Hard Grade Cable”.

Frequently Asked Questions

Q. How can Thin Wall carry more Amps but is thinner?
A. Modern Thin Wall Cables are produced using high performance insulation compound that allows a thinner wall yet gives a higher Amp rating.

Q. Is Thin Wall Cable More Expensive?

A. When Thin Wall Cable was developed it was more expensive but in recent years increased demand has brought the price down to a level where all Thin Wall Singles, Twins and Multicores are now cheaper than the old style PVC Cables.

Q. Can I get all the old style PVC Cables in the equivalent Thin Wall?

A. Yes, all the Old Style Cables have a Thin Wall equivalent.

Q. Is the Thin Wall Cable suitable for use at low and high temperatures?

A.Thin Wall Cable has a much greater temperature range than the Old Style PVC Cable. Thin Wall will operate down to -40°C and up to 105°C with excursions up to 120°C.

Q. Is the sheath on the Twins and Multicores 105°C?

A. The sheath on Twins and Multicores has no electrical properties, its main purpose is to resist abrasion, help in cable routing and therefore for reasons of cost is only rated at 70°C.

Q. Can I get Thin Wall Cable in smaller reel sizes?

A. All Thin Wall Cable is now available in smaller reel sizes suitable for aftermarket use.

Q. Can I crimp my existing Terminals on to Thin Wall Cable?

A. Most crimp tools are suitable for use with Thin Wall cable.

Motorola TK30 Bluetooth Car Kit Installation

LA Distribution have been appointed authorised Motorola TK30  bluetooth car kit suppliers & installers!  The TK30 is a pretty nifty little gadget, made for iPod,®  iPhone® and other bluetooth enabled phones!  It has built in alert feature so remind you not to forget your phone or iPod before you set off in your car!  It also helps you to keep your eyes on the road as it reads out your text messages!

We passed all our installation exams so if you need your kit installed get in touch! 

Ring RBS300 Borescope Wins Award

Classics Monthly magazine has awarded the new RBS300 Borescope from Ring Automotive not only their Recommended Award, but also their Pro Choice Award.
The RBS300 was tested in their latest March edition. 

The Inspection Camera is ideal for difficult to reach areas or areas that are inaccessible by normal means.

The detachable 5.5mm camera can squeeze through narrow gaps and pipes, making it easier to inspect, diagnose and then fix potential faults - ideal for engines, gearboxes and other mechanical parts.  It makes the job of identifying an alternator part number for example much easier!

The review stated that "the degree of visual inspection, images and video capture has a myriad of uses that could save you a fortune without dismantling parts. 
Thoroughly recommended for Pros and DIYers alike.


We have tested it out here at LA for checking alternator numbers and were impressed at its manoeuvrability. 


The Ring Borescope is now in stock at LA Distribution - contact us on 02890455877

Eurolec appoints distributor for Northern Ireland

Eurolec Components are pleased to announce the appointment of

LA DISTRIBUTION as distributors in Northern Ireland for their range of

Rotating Electrics.

Eurolec based in the West Midlands stock a vast range of re-manufactured vehicle components, new starter motors and alternators for a wide range of fitments.  Passenger vehicles, commercials and plant equipment are all covered in their product portfolio. 

"We are proud to be different to other Auto Electrical companies, we are genuine electricians and are here to offer expert sales and technical advice.  LA Distribution have vast experience in the Northern Ireland motor trade, and their company is ideally suited for this new joint venture. Their pedigree and experience in the automotive aftermarket and in particular their knowledge of vehicle electrics will be invaluable for the success of this new enterprise."  

LA Distribution welcomes all new enquiries for this exciting new range of products – so if you have problems starting or charging your vehicle, please contact us