Tech Tip: Help These GM Trucks Stand Straight and Tall
Some GM truck owners may complain that their vehicle appears to lean on one side. In most cases, the left front of the vehicle sits lower than the right front. The condition occurs because the rear leaf spring bushings or shackles may become loaded when the rear leaf spring shackle nuts are secured. Follow the steps in this Tech Tip to correct the lean.
Alignment Specs: 1997-2004 Chevrolet Corvette
With different front and rear run-flat tire sizes, the 1997-2004 Corvette must be aligned every 20,000 miles or when the smallest amount of abnormal tire wear is present. If the customer does not have this service performed, even the slightest amount of extra toe, camber or caster can result in an expensive tire replacement bill.
Performing an alignment on a C5 Corvette is actually easier than on most vehicles because most of the adjustments are built into the vehicle. Also, you can adjust the ride height without replacing parts. But, you need to take care and be aware of what makes the Corvette different than most vehicles.
Hot and Cold: Shop Climate Equipment
Let’s face it, being a technician has its good points, and its bad. When you solve a problem for a customer that gets them back on the road, that’s a good day. Knowing that you can fix things that most people don’t even understand is nice. Standing in a shop that is 100 degrees with sweat trickling down your back and pooling in your boxers … well, that’s not so nice! (To say the least!) Or how about standing in a shop that is 25 degrees, with feet like blocks of ice – if you can feel them at all!? Also not so nice.
‘Performance’ Tires Are Everywhere: Do They Still Stand Out?
Tiremakers develop what they term “high performance” and “ultra-high performance” tires. I’ve even heard the term “hyper-performance.” That last one aside, the definition of what a high performance or ultra-high performance tire is, and what it isn’t, is serious business. It is also something that can trip up uneducated consumers.
Shop Sells Gas at Cost and Quadruples Auto Repair Business
Steve Mario, owner Goffstown Mobil in Goffstown, NH, wanted to generate more business for the repair shop side of his business. Instead of advertising, he decided to sell gas at cost. After one month, he has seen business more than quadruple in the repair shop.
Tire Tech Tip: Sorting through Nitrogen Inflation Options
Nitrogen in tires is no longer just for car enthusiasts and commercial vehicle fleets. Used for years in space shuttle and commercial aircraft tires, race car, military vehicle and off-road truck tires, nitrogen has become a popular replacement for standard air at many tire dealers.
Tech Feature: The Nuts and Bolts of Belt and Hose Service
Today, belts and hoses are a routine inspection item and may not need replacement even at 100,000 miles or more of service. Unfortunately, many vehicle owners and technicians forget that heat, load, pressure and atmospheric pollutants eventually deteriorate a vehicle’s rubber parts.
When Gas Pump Prices Rise…Be Proactive Rather Than Reactive
When summer arrives, your customers are going to feel the heat. And, it’s not going to be so much from the temperature as it is from gas prices, which are projected to hit the $3 per gallon mark within a couple of months.
Kia Tech Tip: DTC P0460 Update for Sephia Models
The original logic used for DTC P0460 (fuel level sensor circuit malfunction) in 2000 model year Sephias would illuminate the MIL and store a fault code for circuit-related problems (open or short), and for a fuel level input signal that failed to stay within the “plausibility” test limits stored in the ECM. “Plausibility” or “rationality” checks are frequently built into the ECM software to make sure that test results outside the normal range are detected as possible faults.
Alignment & Suspension Specs: 2003-2007 Cadillac CTS
The first-generation Cadillac CTS was introduced in 2003 and ended production in the 2007 model year. The Cadillac CTS was built on GM’s rear-wheel drive Sigma platform. The CTS for years 2003-2007 came with two suspension packages