Category Archives: aftermarket

Nissan to Give Carfax VINS with Outstanding Recalls

Posted on 24 May 2011 by Ken Zino

Generally speaking, recall repairs are made on fewer than 70% of eligible vehicles unless they involve well publicized problems such as Toyota’s infamous stuck gas pedals, a situation that federal safety regulators are not comfortable with – particularly since many recalls involve life threatening defects. Continue reading →

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AAA Asks Congress Yet Again to Pass “Right to Repair Act”

Posted on 18 May 2011 by Ken Zino

Dealerships used to thrive on automaker-paid warranty repairs, paid for by the factory at reduced labor rates. In order to compensate technicians for this factory dictated lower rate, dealers charged higher rates for non-warranty parts and repairs. In effect, car owners were subsidizing the cost of poor quality at automakers if they went to a factory store. Continue reading →

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New U.S. Segment – Compressed Natural Gas Taxis?

Posted on 29 March 2011 by Ken Zino

Taxis running on compressed natural gas have been in use for decades in Japan’s cities. They are clean, quiet and to the surprise of visiting New Yorkers – meticulously maintained. Now there is a mini-movement of sorts underway in the U.S. as taxpayer subsidies and rising gasoline prices are increasing the demand for conversions of conventional gasoline engines to run on compressed natural gas. CNG is a fuel that has been in use in the U.S. for decades as well, but mostly in industrial applications. Continue reading →

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Continental Tire Tread Separation Recall on Ford F-Series. Explorer Firestone Tire Failure Drama Now in Sequel

Posted on 19 March 2011 by Ken Zino

Continental Tire is recalling 390,657 tires installed on Ford F-250 and F-350 heavy duty pickup trucks in the U.S. About 65,000 trucks are potentially affected by a tire tread separation defect – the same problem as the infamous Firestone tire recall on the Ford Explorer that dominated headlines a decade ago. Continue reading →

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Fight for Auto Repair Dollars Heats up at Ford and GM

Posted on 3 February 2011 by Ken Zino

Once upon a time in the new car business, dealers used the “back end” or the service bays to cover the entire cost of running the operation. Good dealers could have a “service absorption rate” of 100% or more, which … Continue reading →

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