GM is testing lithium-ion batteries for future use in the Volt which will be released in about 2 years. The Volt is an extended range plug in electric vehicle. The tests are being conducted in Warren and the malibu is the test vehicle.The Volt can travel 40 miles and 150 miles with the use of a conventional engine to charge the batteries.The up side to this is that althrough no design elements have been released, they are using the Malibu for a test vehicle so this could be a decent size car, not the roller skate we have seen in the latest electric cars.
#00 Crash video
A link to McDowell crash It was a really hard hit watch it carefully I don’t think he broke something he just lost it the car does a slight wiggle he over corrects and looses it.[url”>http://msn.foxsports.com/nascar/story/7989364?MSNHPHMA
Fewer Auto Repair Shops
If you see fewer auto repair shops in your area then you are witnessing a trend that is spreading throughout the auto repair industry. The small independent auto repair shop is getting squeezed by both the dealers and the ‘backyarders’ creating shrinking margins and putting many auto repair independents out of business. The global problem is the auto repair and service market has been shrinking in the last ten or fifteen years. Technology has made cars much more reliable with fewer breakdowns, repairs and scheduled maintenances. Many manufacturers offer some sort of 100,000 mile warranty meaning that the independent will get little chance to work on that car for the first 5-10 years it is owned. As new car sales margins have gone down, VW, Chevrolet, Toyota and other manufacturers are looking to their service departments to make up the difference. Additionally many dealers such as Porsche and Saab have been adding other value added benefits such as a loaner car while repairs are being made. Independents are now being forced to give courtesy rides to customers in an effort to keep up with the dealers since customers now expect this service.Furthermore dealers such as Mercedes and Ford are now directly offering specials on services making their dealer prices comparable to independent repair shop prices.But it’s not just competitive pricing that is worrying the independents. The battle for skilled labor is also being won by the dealers: the dealers have always competed for skilled labor and now have become even more aggressive. With fewer young people entering the auto repair profession and opting instead for careers such as health and technology, the total talent pool of the top skilled auto technicians is shrinking. Increasingly it is becoming harder for independents to hire and retain these highly skilled employees. As an automotive technician, would you rather work for Audi or Joe’s Garage? The dealers are picking up the best ‘mechanics’ or as they are known today, ‘technicians.’ A top end dealer technician can make $100,000 a year with benefits while an independent shop owner would have to gross over a $1,000,000 a year to make that and still have to pay for their own benefits and social security. Because of these economic realities many independent owners are now closing their shops and going to work for GM, Nissan and other dealers. This puts the independent auto repair shop at a distinct disadvantage when diagnosing and repairing difficult drivability, fuel injection, electronic and computer related problems. Additionally, if a diagnosis is made and a part needs replacing the dealer will have it in stock, not only verifying the diagnosis but greatly speeding up the repair time and increasing customer satisfaction. Big advantage Cadillac and Mercedes.But it’s not just a skilled employee war. Techs cannot fix cars without information and there has been a long and ongoing dispute between the dealers/manufacturers and independents over technical information access and diagnostic tools. The manufacturers claim that their technical information is proprietary while the independents claim the information should be available to anyone that owns or fixes that make of car. If the dealers wanted to they could stop all outside repairs on their vehicles but the problem is are not enough dealerships to service all geographic areas, especially smaller towns and less populated areas. So the manufacturer/dealer gives out some information but not all, often charging the independent repair shops for this information. Not only does the independent have to buy some parts from the dealer, but also some of the technical information as well. Big advantage Honda and Dodge. Some independent owners simply watch their business steadily decline over the years as they go out of business. Younger independent owners are willing to work harder and for less financial reward hoping industry conditions will eventually improve. In essence the independent auto repair industry has matured and is now in a decline. Some consolidation is going on but much of the repair work has either disappeared or is now being done by the dealers, auto repair chains or one person ‘backyard’ shops. The opportunities are there for those that want to work hard but those opportunities are increasingly limited. In a declining market, only those independents that can develop new competitive strategies will survive and thrive. As with all mature and declining markets there will be new opportunities for those owners that can adapt and make the changes. Those independent auto repair shop owners that don’t modernize, strategize and compete will go the way of the Edsel and Model T. News source: thisisby.us
NASCAR Misc.
BAM Racing is skipping Texas & Phoenix. I really hate to see this; NASCAR cannot afford to keep losing teams. I thought the COT was supposed to help contain the costs. UPS also has said they are looking for a rock star type driver like Dale Jarrett. Carl Edwards has been mentioned among others. Loosing UPS could be the final nail in the coffin for Michael. AJ Foyt come out against Firestone in the IRL and said they are not much better than Goodyear. Dale Jr has really stepped up to the plate so far this year all he needs is a couple of breaks and he could have been in the winner’s circle a few times. There is so much talent and very capapable teams in NASCAR that you need more than skill to win.
NASCAR Big Bucks
TOP 5 NASCAR NEXTEL CUP SERIES PURSES FOR 2007Daytona 500 — Daytona International Speedway $18,386,023Allstate 400 at the Brickyard — Indianapolis Motor Speedway $ 9,449,587Dickies 500 — Texas Motor Speedway $ 7,255,977Samsung 500 — Texas Motor Speedway $ 7,253,642Coca-Cola 600 — Lowe’s Motor Speedway $ 6,559,628.(TMS PR)(10-24-2007)Now I see why the open wheel drivers were eager to leave and join NASCAR but they need to understand that to collect the big bucks you have to win or at least get in the top 10. I give Sam Hornish the best chance to collect some of the big bucks. Sorry couldn’t find a run down for open wheel purses.
Alamo & Chevy Uplander
Alamo Rent a Car has to be complemented on their service. I picked the cheapest rate I could find out of Las Vegas. That was Alamo. They have an on line check in service where you walk right by the desk pick out your car and leave it takes about 2 minutes at the drive through and you are on your way. The vehicle was a Chevrolet Uplander, an impressive ride, good mileage (22+) nice interior excellent sound for a GM radio (not Bose) but a few drawbacks. – The rear seat is difficult to enter I am sure the mid seats fold forward but with difficulty and not worth the time and energy.- The gear shift indicator has a red light which bugged, me make it yellow or blue or even green but not red that means trouble.- The mid seats do not have inside arm rests which make them uncomfortable as they are fairly narrow.- The throttle response had a lag off idle I tried one at the dealership same result.- I don’t like vehicles with a long nose I assume if I was still wrenching for a living I would but they are hard to park.- Sliding doors are hard to close. – Off the subject but the add ons to the rental were a 1/3 of the cost, but it was Vegas.
GM Loses Dex-cool Lawsuit
General Motors Corp. has agreed to settle a series of class-action lawsuits claiming a faulty engine coolant damaged thousands of customer vehicles.Under the settlement, GM would reimburse class members between $50 and $800 for repairs linked to Dex-Cool, an orange coolant that GM included in cars and trucks beginning in 1995.The total cost to GM will depend on the number of customers claiming damages, but the plaintiffs’ attorneys estimate the settlement could cover up to 20 million initial and secondary buyers of GM vehicles that used Dex-Cool. They also say the price tag could reach the hundreds of millions of dollars.A California state court gave preliminary approval to the settlement last week and a Missouri court plans to consider it Friday.”We fought for about five years to recover monetary damages for people that would be meaningful and I think we achieved that,” said San Francisco plaintiff attorney Eric Gibbs, who estimated most people spent between $600 and $900 for repairs. “The recovery for most of the people will be pretty good.”GM spokesman Tom Wilkinson said the company was not admitting any wrongdoing but is settling the case to cut down on legal bills.”Our experience with Dex-Cool is that when the cooling system is kept full and properly maintained we haven’t seen any problems,” he said. “These kinds of things appear to be issues of low coolant, which isn’t unusual with high-mileage vehicles, so we decided to agree to the settlement.”GM owners have filed a dozen breach-of-warranty lawsuits in state and federal courts across the country, including California and Missouri, where one of the earliest cases was filed in April 2003.The cases all claim vehicles with Dex-Cool often damaged the engines or created a rusty sludge in the radiators that caused the vehicles to overheat.Under the agreement, GM will reimburse some of the cost for intake manifold gasket replacements, cooling system flushes and heater core repairs sought during the first seven years or 150,000 miles, whichever came first, that the class member owned the vehicle. Considering that some vehicles may have been sold and the new owners also paid for repairs alleged to have been caused by Dex-Cool, individual vehicles may generate more than one settlement.Negotiations on a settlement began shortly before the Missouri case was scheduled to go to trial in November. They culminated with the agreement being filed in Alameda County Superior Court in Oakland, Calif., on March 20. That settlement covers 49 states.A separate Missouri settlement, with the same terms as the California one, is scheduled to go before a judge Friday in Jackson County, Mo. Missouri had a separate settlement as it was the first states to grant class-action status to the claims, said Jack Brady, a Kansas City-based attorney and co-lead counsel.”It could be multiple nine figures; it depends on how many people make the claim,” Brady said. “I think it could be a huge settlement.”Gibbs said the attorneys will receive up to $23 million in fees and $2.8 million for expenses.The settlement covers GM vehicles with 3.1-liter or 3.4-liter V6 engines for model years 1995 to 2003; those same brands with 3.8-liter V6 engines for model years 1995 to 2004; and small trucks and sports utility vehicles with 4.3-liter V6 engines for model years 1995 through 2000.The deadline for submitting claims is Oct. 27 for states outside Missouri and a week later in Missouri, assuming the judge grants preliminary approval Friday.Crew Chief Note How many times have I preached this. Took 5 years and 16.5 million (another source 20mil) in attorney costs. News source: Forbes.com
Maintance not to Skip
Too busy to change the oil? You might want to think twice next time you let those 3,000 miles pass you by.That’s because replacing an engine, which relies on oil for lubrication, costs about $2,000 to $5,000 to repair or replace, depending on the vehicle, and that doesn’t include the cost of labor.Costs like this go to show that car owners would be wise to stay on track with even the smallest upkeeps, like replacing worn wiper blades or monitoring power-steering fluid levels. Forget the former and you’re looking at poor visibility in a downpour. The latter? You may get caught in traffic unable to turn the steering wheel.Checklist: Car Maintenance You Don’t Want To Skip Those are some of the headaches that contribute to shortened vehicle life, compromised safety, decreased gas mileage and an array of pricey repairs. Even worse, an unchecked failing part that needs replacement could be the cause of an accident. Worn breaks may not allow you to stop suddenly, causing your car to collide into another vehicle. Though maintenance checks require little time, issues like these are common. The Car Council, an organization promoting the benefits of regular maintenance, inspected vehicles of motorists who attended car care events last April, during National Car Care month. It found that eight out of 10 vehicles had at least one component that failed the vehicle inspection process.The council estimates that more than $60 billion in vehicle maintenance and repair is not performed every year, evidence that there is considerably more that consumers should be doing to protect their automotive investments.Chief Checks Topping the list: Oil, fuel filter, spark plug and coolant fluid changes. All are necessary to keep an engine running. Auto technicians say about 2 million engines are replaced, rebuilt or repaired each year. You also want to avoid neglecting tires, and make sure to inspect your battery and your timing belt so you are not suddenly and unexpectedly unable to drive. What’s more, being diligent about these checks will likely save you at the pump. “Taking the preventive maintenance steps will help insure the reliability and safety of your car, and they’ll also help improve gas mileage,” says Jennifer Ortiz, a Car Council spokeswoman. Cars are designed and built to run for more than 100,000 miles, remain in service an average of 16 years and serve four to five different owners, according to the National Institute of Automotive Service Excellence, an organization that certifies auto technicians. It also claims that regular service and maintenance can extend the life of a vehicle by 50%.Not sure where to start? Consult [url”>www.carcare.org, where you’ll find a general schedule for vehicle maintenance and information specific to your car. Your vehicle, for example, may have extras that are not included in a generic schedule. Vehicles with turbo-charged engines or hybrid systems may have additional maintenance requirements.A car can live a long life with a little care and love, but it will surely die a costly death without it. News source: Forbes.com
Torque Lug Nuts
We keep hearing that we need to “torque those lug nuts” But Why?In my years of service as an Automotive Professional, I have seen too many reasons as to why you should torque those lug nuts. I’ve seen wheels come off, brakes damaged, broken/stripped lug nuts, bolts and studs, etc., and I have seen this repeatedly by Technicians as well as the Do-It-Your-Selfers for one simple reason – they don’t properly torque the Lug Nuts on their vehicle…Lug Nut, and Lug Bolts, are designed with a specific grade of bolt/nut with a certain amount of “stretch.” Why do they Stretch? Through proper torque, which stretches the bolt, stretching is what allows the threads of the stud/bolt to tightly mate and secure to the counter part nut or threaded hole (the axle or wheel mounting hub) without working themselves loose. It’s almost like mechanically welding the nut to the bolt – except that you can remove and re-tighten it repeatedly. Yet, most bolt grades for this purpose, will retain it’s original size and properties (un-stretched) when torqued to spec. and then loosened – the properties of the bolt have a slight spring affect when loosened.Some other results of improper lug nut/bolt torque are as follows:Warped Brake Rotors – brakes grabbing, pulsating or overheated.Damage to the lug nut seating surface of alloy wheels.Wheel hub damage – threaded wholes stripped out.etc. It’s very important to tighten lug nuts, incrementally, to the final torque spec. There are specific tightening sequences depending on what lug nut/bolt pattern you have – 4, 5, 6 or more… The below example shows the 3 typical bolt patterns and tightening sequences for most automotive applications. Moreover, It is always a good idea to test drive the vehicle, then recheck your wheel lug nut/bolt torque – especially with alloy or painted wheels. I have seen too many times when you have a “false torque” due to paint, debris, corrosion, or a tight and binding centering hole over the wheel hub that allows the bolt or nut to come loose after driving. The wheels of a vehicle is probably the “MOST IMPORTANT” safety feature of the vehicle. Don’t take a chance of improper lug nut/bolt torque causing serious injuries to yourself, your family or other opposing motorists.Below are a couple of great Internet sites to obtain free torque specifications for your vehicle. Additionally, most (probably all) Owners and Repair Manuals have these specs as well. So please, “Torque Those Lug Nuts!” Lug Nut Torque Spec Sites:TorqueSpec.comAutoZone.com
Tire Repair
Ah, the slow leak. It’s infuriating when you constantly have to stop at gas stations to keep your tire properly inflated. Since the roads are full of hazards, it’s easy to pick up nails, screws, or other objects that puncture your tires and create slow leaks.Luckily, there’s a quick and easy way to fix your tire without having to go to a tire repair shop. Most good auto parts stores will carry a small kit (here’s an example of one brand) for tire repair, which includes a rasp, a needle, and several thick, sticky black threads. The tools have either a T-handle or a screwdriver-type handle (T-handles are best, in my opinion).Get the kit, and get ready to fix your tire. First, block the other tires for safety. This should be done every time you raise your car, to prevent accidental slippage.Remove the tire, and inspect it for “foreign objects.” Double-check the tire once you think you’ve found the puncture point, just to make sure you don’t have more than one.Once you have found the object, pull it out with pliers. You might need to work at it for a while, especially if the nail is between the treads of the tire, or if you have driven for a while and the outside part has been ground down. Don’t give up!Once it’s out, you’re ready to repair the tire. Let the air in the tire drain out, so it’s easier to work with. Get the rasp from the kit (it’s like a file, designed to be pushed into tire holes). Force the rasp into the hole and work it in and out for about 20 to 30 seconds. This will remove any bits of metal or whatnot that might still be in the tire. It also prepares the hole to be plugged. Some kits have rubber cement or vulcanizing fluid, and if so you can apply some of it to the hole. I’ve never used that, and I’ve plugged many tires successfully.After filing the hole, take a thread from the kit (about 5 inches long, sticky and black) and work it onto the needle (the other part of the kit). Pull the thread about halfway through the needle. Knead the end of the thread so that it will go through the eye of the needle.Once the needle is threaded, force the tip into the tire’s hole. It will take a bit of work, but if you twist and maneuver the needle, it will go in. DO NOT force the thread all the way into the hole; you will need to leave about a quarter to a third outside the tire so it will plug properly.Now that the thread is in the tire, you’ll need to pull the needle out. Give it a firm tug. Don’t yank it; it should come out with a bit of effort. It must leave the thread in the hole.Now, trim the thread that remains outside the tire. Just clip it even with the tread of the tire.Inflate the tire to the proper psi, re-mount the tire, and, just for good measure, once the car is down from the jack check the pressure again. All should be well, and now you are good to go. Keep an eye on the pressure for the next few days, just to be sure you got the leak.Voila! You just fixed your tire and saved yourself a bit of money, and you can brag to your friends about your new mechanical skill. Beware, if you do it right, your friends may demand you do it for them, too…A last word: I’ve been told that newer tires don’t accept the threads to plug holes, and that this technique only works for steel-belted radials.Crew Chief does not recommend this type of repair for any tire and do not put a plug in the sidewall. It may also void your tire warranty. News source: DIY LIfe