Guess the Brake: Win free tools!
If you can identify year, make and model for the rear brakes pictured below you can win a set of quick disconnect tools for transmission, fuel and AC lines. This one is easy.
Why do Automotive Ball Joints, Tie Rods and Suspension Links Wear Out?
The ball and socket joint has been around on animals and humans for millennia. This simple design has been used on vehicles since the turn of the century because it works. But, just like our hip joints, ball and socket joints like ball joints, tie-rods and sway bar links wear out.
Brake Job: Chrysler 300 + 300c, Dodge Magnum/Challenger/Charger Brakes
What do you get when you mix the front suspension from an Mercedes S-Class, the rear suspension from a E-Class and the transmission from a C-Class? The 2005-current Chrysler rear-wheel-drive LX-Platform.
The LX platform includes the 300, Magnum and Charger. In 2008, the platform was shortened for use in the LC-platform that was used in the Challenger platform. All have rear disc brakes with the parking/emergency brake mounted in the hat of the rear rotor.
Standards and Certifications: Can We Regulate Replacement Brake Parts?
You have probably heard the stories about brake rotor manufacturers taking metal out of the castings to save money, or brake pad manufacturers using a single formulation across an entire line of pads. It starts to get even scarier when you realize there are no enforceable government or industry accepted regulations for replacement brake parts.
Tech Feature: Wheel Bearing Service on Hybrid Vehicles
Most hybrid vehicles on the market today share wheel bearing components with their non-hybrid counterparts. There is no need to turn away these vehicles for wheel bearing replacement. As these vehicles increase in age, failures of the wheel bearings are inevitable. The main trend for some makes of hybrids, such as Toyota, is a shift to wheel bearing hub units from cartridge-type bearings.
Enhanced BEEP Certification Program Released for Replacement Friction Materials
As the September 2011 mandate for stability control on all light vehicles looms, MEMA’s Brake Manufacturers Council (BMC) announced changes to the Brake Effective Evaluation Procedure (BEEP) program allowing the testing of late model vehicles with electronic brake force distribution and advanced ABS systems.
ViewPoint: Pass the Salt: Can Anti-Icing Brines Damage Vehicles?
Last month, I received a phone call from a reader wondering if the sales of brake tubing (Bundy tubing) were increasing due to corrosion caused by new road de-icing chemicals. Also, Hyundai this month announced that they are recalling more than 1.7 million 1999-2004 Sonatas and XGs because corrosion is causing the lower control arm
Tech Tip: Toyota Matrix/Pontiac Vibe Brake Job
The 2004-2008 Pontiac Vibe and Toyota Matrix were produced in Fremont, CA, on the same production line. The vehicles are based on the Toyota Corolla platform and share the same braking system.
The front brakes for all models are for the most part the same (including all-wheel drive models). The only changes came in the configuration of the brake pad shims. The rear brakes can be either drum or disc and even some all-wheel-drive versions have drums.
Tech Feature: Brake Service on the Cadillac DTS
The 2006-current Cadillac DTS is the largest sedan that General Motors offers. The brake system of the DTS is simple to work on and has a lot in common with other GM vehicles. When one comes into your shop, remember every DTS is equipped with stability control and TPMS, so have a scan tool and TPMS tool on hand.
The Tool Truck
A Technician’s Perspective
The Tool Truck: Cordless Tools
Getting a Charge Out of Going Cordless
VIEW POINT: Read the Instructions
Can reading the directions save time?