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!