Brake Service: 2008-2017 Chevrolet Traverse, Saturn Outlook, GMC Acadia And Buick Enclave
The 2008-2017 Chevrolet Traverse, Saturn Outlook, GMC Acadia and Buick Enclave represent a large portion of GM. These vehicles can be front- or all-wheel drive. All models have the same rear disc brake setup with the parking brake in the hat of the rotor. All Lambda platform vehicles incorporate Tire Pressure Monitoring (TPM) ABS and Stabilitrak electronic stability control.
Honda: Brake Pedal Feels Hard In The Morning Or In Cold Weather
The brake pedal can feel hard during the first couple of brake applications, usually in the morning when the temperature is cold. At cold start in high altitude, combined with the fast idle retard operation, the intake manifold vacuum supply is at its lowest, resulting in low booster assist.
What’s New With Functional Fluids?
Late-model vehicle technology is changing. Wider tires, active safety systems and AWD technology are not only influencing how vehicles perform, but also the service and maintenance requirements of their functional fluids.
Joint Replacement: Looking At The Total Suspension
Humans and animals have had the ball and socket joints for millennia. This simple design has been used on vehicles since the turn of the century because, well, it works. But, just as our hip joints grow feeble with use and age, the ball joints, tie rods and sway bar links on a car wear out as well. For humans, wear can be accelerated by injury, scar tissue and arthritis entering the joint. On suspension components, injured boots can cause contaminates like salt, sand and metal particles to enter the joint and cause wear.
HFO-1234yf: What’s Required
Unless you’ve been living under a rock, you might have heard about the new regulations and requirements for R-1234yf usage. Not sure? Well, it’s time you crawled out from under that rock and get ready for some of these new regulations that will affect you and your profession.
Drag Reducing Brake Hardware
Reducing brake drag on late-model vehicles is not done by a single component, it is a system. At the master cylinder on some vehicles, there might be a quick-take-up-valve in the replenish port to hydraulically pull the caliper piston back from the rotor. At the caliper, OEMs are using seals with a special profile designed to retract the piston. Some vehicles are even using the valves in the ABS module to electronically retract the pistons. On the caliper bracket, engineers are designing hardware that can push the pad away from the rotor.
Ford Transit Brake Job
The secret of Transit brake jobs is to match the friction material to the customer. Some pad manufacturers offer three options for the front and rear pads. The different formulations can suit fleets that use the Transit for city deliveries and others that carry heavy loads. Talk to your customer about how they use their vehicles.
Audi TPMS Diagnostics
Audi Tire Pressure Monitoring Systems (TPMS) are some of the easiest to reset and relearn. The automaker has used both indirect and direct systems during the past decade. Both systems use the same relearn procedure that involves accessing the TPMS settings through the driver information center or infotainment system. The only difference between direct and indirect systems is the last step that may involve driving continuously for 10 minutes or allowing the vehicle to sit for either 10 or 20 minutes.
Reprogramming And Service Information Common Ground
There has been a lot of discussions this month about some OEMs restructuring subscription fees for service information and reprogramming/reflashing. Most of the restructuring is focused on charging users per vehicle reflashed. This has stirred up a lot of technicians and shop owners.
Selling Shocks And Struts
The first step in selling ride control is the inspection process. A visual inspection of the shocks and struts can tell you a lot about the state of the ride control units. If possible, visual inspections should be performed before the test drive. This is a chance to make sure the vehicle is road worthy before you put your own life at risk.
Tech Tip: Effectively Restoring Original Ride Feel
When the time comes to replace worn struts on your customers’ vehicles, there are many options on the market. Most professional techs are opting for complete strut assemblies that are made from 100% new components. The strut, strut mount, coil spring, boot, bump stop and mounting hardware are all included.
Suspension Bushing Logic
Compared to 20 years ago, suspensions have gone soft with larger-diameter bushings. During this time, both ride quality and handling have gotten better. Most modern bushings augment the geometry of the suspension. As the vehicle loads the suspension, movement in the bushings can change the toe, camber and caster so that the vehicle is more stable under braking, cornering and acceleration.
