Category Archives: aftermarket

OnStar Aftermarket Mirror – $299 – at Best Buy Next Week

Posted on 18 July 2011 by Ken Zino

OnStar is now offering its telematics services in the aftermarket for older General Motors cars and the most popular non-GM vehicles. It’s the first time owners of other makes of automobiles could subscribe to OnStar through a Chinese built electronic mirror. Continue reading →

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New Vehicles Overpriced, Sending Sales to Used?

Posted on 6 July 2011 by Ken Zino

About 8% of the people who bought a used vehicle in June were trying to decide between purchasing a new or used car and elected for the older one. This means that approximately 360,000 new-vehicle sales went to older vehicles. That’s two final assembly plants worth, and it doesn’t include supporting component parts plants at a time when unemployment is officially more than 9%. Continue reading →

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GM First to Offer Free Maintenance on Used Vehicles

Posted on 10 June 2011 by Ken Zino

The so-called Owner Care program, appears to be a first from an automaker in the U.S. It includes a two-year/30,000-mile maintenance program that covers oil changes based on each vehicle’s Oil Life Monitor system, tire rotations, and multi-point vehicle inspections. This is offered at no charge to the owner. Continue reading →

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Chevrolet to Sponsor 2011 Woodward Dream Cruise

Posted on 6 June 2011 by Ken Zino

Chevrolet will be the “presenting sponsor” for the 2011 Woodward Dream Cruise this year on 20 August as part of its on going 100th anniversary promotional events. It is the first in a new three-year sponsorship agreement between Chevrolet and the organizers. Continue reading →

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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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