Alignment & Suspension Specs: 2001-2009 Toyota Prius
The 2000-2009 Toyota Prius requires alignment and suspension service just like any other car on the road. With more than 800,000 Prii (official term for more than one Prius) on of them is bound to end up in your alignment bay.
Recovery & Ruin: Could the Recovery Mean Tough Times for Shops?
With many economic indicators like unemployment, same store sales and the stock market pointing to a final recovery, it is time to look at what it really means for your shop. While these are some of the toughest times to operate a shop, it is also a period of great opportunity and prosperity for shops willing to make investments in training, tools and people.
Undercar Repairs on 1996 to 2005 Volkswagens and Audis
Just as we get used to the types of powertrain, suspension, brake and exhaust systems that are coming into the marketplace, something different comes along. In this article, I’ll take a look at the designs and repair of the suspension, brake and exhaust systems of Volkswagens and Audis from 1996 to 2005. I won’t be able to cover everything in this article, just some of the highlights of the various models.
Toyota Tire Pressure Monitor Systems: Toyota TPMS Updates
The direct TPMS system for Toyota vehicles uses a button labeled “SET” below the steering column or in the glove box to reset the system. When you press the button, the system is looking for the sensor IDs that are already stored in the memory.
Alignment & Suspension Specs: 2005-’10 Ford Mustang (Plus Shelby)
In 2005, Ford introduced a new Mustang with an all-new platform and clean-sheet design. While the formula of a live axle rear and MacPherson strut front end were the same from the previous model, Ford refined the design. These changes make for a vehicle that is easier to align and diagnose compared to the previous generation.
Tech Feature: Electric/Electronic Parking Brakes
The current emergency/parking brake is the most unused device on a vehicle equipped with an automatic transmission. But, the electrically actuated parking brake is changing the parking brake into a multi-purpose mechanism on modern vehicles. Using an electric motor to apply the parking brake results in the mechanical linkage being eliminated from the vehicle passenger compartment.
Tech Feature: Mazda6 and Mazda3 Driveability Diagnostics and Electronic Throttle Control
Drive-by-wire throttle control systems are pretty much trouble-free but have to be taken into consideration as you perform routine service and diagnose problems, and it changes the way you service these cars when it comes to cleaning the throttle plates, advises Bob Dowie, import specialist contributor, who also covers electronic throttle control’s tie in with ABS and VSC systems.
Volts & Voltage: How will Hybrids Change?
This past month, the Chevrolet Volt has grabbed the headlines from not only the business pages, but the the headlines of all the automotive publications. Some say this is a “feel good” story of a company on the mend, but it is actually the next chapter of the “electrification” of the automobile that started with the introduction of the EV1 in 1996 and the Prius in 2002.
Uniformity in Uniforms
In Pittsburgh, a man awaits a trial for manslaughter. He is, or was at the time, a technician for a repair shop. He had been assigned inspect the brakes on a Dodge Caravan. The driver of the van had brought the vehicle to the shop for a brake inspection because the brakes “did not feel right.”
Tech Feature: The Changing Face of Automatic Transmissions
Today’s computer systems have completely redefined automotive operation, particularly when it comes to transmission control.