Transmission Tech: DCT Operation Part 2
This is the second part to Mike Riley’s series on DCT operation.
Bendpak Opens Distribution Center in AL
Bendpak opens new facility for better east coast service.
How Does the Original Toyota Prius Plug-In Stack up to the New Prius Prime?
The Prius family (Prius Hatchback, Prius C, Prius V and the new Prime) is still popular. When the engineers changed the plug-in model technically, did they make it easier or harder to service and repair? We’ll find out.
Serviceability Report: Honda Fit
This month, we will examine the 2015 Honda Fit and see what happened when it was redesigned recently. The Fit went on sale in the U.S. on April 20, 2006 as a 2007 model-year car. The first-generation Fit was replaced after only two model years by a new 2009 model and again in 2014 as a 2015 model. We will compare a 2009 to the new 2015.
Serviceability Report: Toyota Highlander
Once more we will examine a new model that has just been re-engineered. Is fixing and maintaining a 2014 Toyota Highlander less difficult than fixing and maintaining the earlier model? Were technicians considered at the design stage? Let’s find out. Let’s examine the 2008 Highlander V 6 all-wheel-drive (AWD) system and compare it with the current 2014 model.
GM’s Silverado: Did Redesign Make the Truck More Tech-Friendly?
This month I will take a second look at the Silverado. If you have been a reader for a long time you may remember that nine years ago I reviewed the 2003 Silverado. We compared it with the 1996 model.
This time, we compare a 2007 Chevrolet Silverado 1500 LT with 5.3L V 8 and automatic transmission with a 2014 Chevrolet Silverado 1500 LT with 5.3L V 8 and automatic transmission. Starting in 2014, the Silverado has joined other brands to include electric power steering as standard equipment.
Serviceability Report: Chevrolet Impala
Tech to Tech Author: Craig Van Batenburg Subject Matter: Serviceability Vehicle Application: 2014 Chevy Impala Issue: Service comparison After GM went through a public bankruptcy, did its cars get better to service? This month, we focus on the Chevy Impala for the second time. Back in 2005 I compared the 3.8 four-door sedan with a
Ram: A New Era of Trucks
The Dodge name has been around as long as any technician can remember. Chrysler Corp., as you know, was bailed out by the U.S. government and then a buyer was sought. When Sergio Marchionne, CEO of Fiat, made the best offer in 2008, Fiat was given the keys to Chrysler. The automaker was in the throes of a financial meltdown and Marchionne had already rescued the Italian automaker and turned it into one of the fastest-growing companies in the industry, so Fiat looked like it could save Chrysler.
Trusty Accord Gets Better with Time
Honda revamps 2012 model; it’s better than ever
This time, let’s focus on the Honda Accord and compare the current 2012 LX with the 1997 model.
Corvettes: Easy to Service?
I have been reporting on serviceability of motor vehicles from the viewpoint of a technician for many years now. I normally pick a car, truck, van or SUV that sells 100,000 or more units per year – cars you will almost certainly see in your service bay.
Corvette is not in that category, but every boy or girl growing up after WWII remembers a Corvette as the coolest car in the world. They certainly have a mystique about them that made many of us, at some point in our lives, want to buy or at least get behind the wheel of one. But when they need service or repairs, do the technicians love ’em or hate ’em?
Serviceability Report: Honda Insight Hybrid
Honda introduced the first hybrid to America in December 1999, a month that changed a lot of what we thought we knew about cars. That was the past century. Since then Honda has produced a hybrid that flopped, the Accord HEV (2005-2007), and a Civic hybrid electric vehicle (HEV) that sells well. The first generation of the Insight was discontinued in 2006 and the Civic HEV was on its own, holding the hybrid flag for almost two years until now. In April of this year, another Insight was offered as a 2010 model.
