Is Vehicle Hacking Good For The Aftermarket?
You have probably seen the Wired magazine story about the two guys who managed to hack a 2014 Jeep Cherokee using the telematics connection called U-Connect. Although the driver, a writer for Wired, was in on the hack for the sake of the story, the hackers were able to remotely control the transmission, brakes and
New Survey Finds Nearly 80 Percent Of Consumers Think Vehicle Hacking Will Be A Frequent Problem In The Near Future
The vulnerabilities of vehicle hacking have made an impression on car owners and shoppers, and nearly 80 percent say it will be a frequent problem within the next three years or less, according to a new survey by Kelley Blue Book. Awareness of the recent Jeep Cherokee hacking incident is very high, and nearly half
Composite Rotors Are Back
Veteran technicians will remember the problems with composite rotors in the late 1990s. These rotors had hats of stamped steel cast into the iron rotor. They saved weight, but they were prone to runout and installation errors. These types of rotors were on vehicles like the Chevrolet Malibu and Jeep Cherokee. Most OEMs abandoned this
Wagner Brake Pad Coverage Expanded To Nearly 1.4 Million Additional Vehicles
Federal-Mogul Motorparts, a division of Federal-Mogul Holdings Corp., has expanded its Wagner Brake Products line to include several new premium brake pad sets that offer combined coverage of nearly 1.4 million additional passenger cars, light trucks and SUVs. “Wagner Brake offers leading-edge pad technologies for virtually every automotive braking need, and we continue to expand
Servicing Corroded Drums and Rotors
In the Northeast and Midwest, a flat tire and an alloy wheel seizing on the hub (two parts jammed or stuck) is a common occurrence caused by corrosion. Corrosion and rust are nasty problems that make repairing a vehicle difficult. Corrosion is the product of an electrochemical reaction, in a vehicle’s case, between two dissimilar
Air Conditioning System Advances Change Service Opportunities
The attention-grabbing headline in the world of air conditioning is usually the switching of refrigerants as the industry and regulators continue to search for the next level of environmental friendliness. But the underrated A/C story that’s slowly developed during the same time period is the overall improvement of A/C systems.
VIEWPOINT: Brake Reflashing takes Centerstage
How a moose and a Cherokee could change your brake business.
Tech Feature: Care and Feeding of Differentials
The lubricants that are used in manual transmissions, transaxles, differentials and transfer cases include a variety of different oils. Many transmissions, transaxles and transfer cases use gear oil with viscosities ranging from 75W-90 up to 85W-140. Others use ATF (Dexron II/III, Mercon V, etc.) or even motor oil (10W-30 or 10W-40). Most differentials, by comparison, use hypoid gear oils that also contain extra amounts of “extreme pressure” (EP) additives.
Wells Online Technical Videos Break 1 Million Mark on YouTube
The Wells Vehicle Electronics brand’s growing library of free online technician training videos recently exceeded one million views by professional technicians and other customers who use the YouTube.com social media network.
Tech Tip: Headlamp Restoration – Let’s Make It Perfectly Clear
Technicians can easily fix cloudy headlights without a costly replacement. Over time, headlamp lenses can haze over from the effects of sunlight, pollution, car wash chemicals and road grit, blocking light output and reducing nighttime driving visibility.