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AAPEX 2023 Review - DIESEL Motorsports!

I spent the first day at AAPEX (Tuesday) and into the evening at company VIP parties. AAPEX is quite different than SEMA, we used to call it the hard parts and fluid show. However, it is far from that today! Many companies have booths at both shows but the direction at AAPEX is all business for mass buying into chain stores or service centers on an international level.

There are many companies you would recognize there from the box stores such as Peak, Valvoline, Interstate Batteries, Mahle, CRC, StaBil, and many more! A lot of smaller companies looking to sell to the larger chain stores are there including, yes, foreign companies by country.

A different atmosphere is at the AAPEX show, business dress is expected for meetings with usually the decision makers of the companies. You need to have meetings setup with the right people in order to get business done at this show.

It is fun to look at the many different part options for hard parts and fluids at this show! Many new innovative options are available including many new fluids that make a mechanics life easier.

I looked at CRC's EvapoRust product which literally dissolves rust on all metal surfaces, a huge have to get for mechanics tearing apart older trucks and re-fabricating them.

Off to the side I sat down to rest at a small booth and found new brake pads and rotors for our HD trucks that are far superior to OEM equipment! NewTek which is headquartered only 15 minutes from my office. Again you never know what you are going to find at AAPEX.

I attended the MAHLE VIP Dealer Give-away which was a 1000 hp Corvette or a Crawler JEEP to their best dealer among many of their top management and dealers. Awarded with some of the top racers in the country such as John Force and Clay Millican among many others.

Later I visited Alliant Power to view their new products and met with many new people there including some old friends who they just hired from Diamond Advantage. Later they invited me to their VIP reception where I got to see some diesel shops/distributors I have not seen in years because of COVID. Always good to see people from the beginning of our DIESEL Motorsports years!

It was a very productive day at AAPEX seeing many new products that would help our diesel/gas HD pickup markets along with some very nice people. I did go downstairs to visit the Joe's Garage! A little disappointing to tell you the truth, it did not replicate any garage I know but they had a few vehicles setup with companies pushing their electronic monitoring devices. I thought it would be a real garage setting with problem solving accredited mechanics working on vehicles.

I have to say more people were at the AAPEX show than at the SEMA show if you are measuring all day attendance - very busy!

Always a pleasure to come to this show and view what many of us see at the box stores with many different products of hard parts and fluids. The displays and people working the booths are truly there to inform you of their products and/or services.

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