Jaguar unveils the redesigned 2016 Jaguar XF

The New York International Auto Show opens next month with Jaguar unveiling the redesigned second generation XF sports sedan. In 2008 the first generation XF went on sale in the United States to compete with the BMW 5 series sedan and the Mercedes-Benz E class. The 2016 second generation XF will be built on an aluminum-intensive unibody. Jaguar is currently at the forefront of aluminum technology in the automotive industry. The lightweight construction is a core element of the Jaguar design 75% cars structure is made of lightweight aluminum. The 2016 Jaguar goes on sale fall 2015.

Happy St. Patrick’s Day!

Did you know that in 2006 the most passenger vehicles/most vehicles worldwide were produced by Japan?

64,000 Volts recalled for carbon monoxide risk

Approximately 64,000 Chevrolet Volts are being recalled by General Motors for a software update limiting the time the car can be left idling to prevent carbon monoxide buildup if the driver fails to turn off the car. GM stated “If the gas engine runs for a long period of time within an enclosed space, such as a garage, carbon monoxide could build up”. GM is aware of at least two injuries resulting from carbon monoxide exposure.

The Volts does have a warning sound that alerts the driver when exiting the car that the engine is still running. The new software upgrade will reduce the time that an idle Volt can be in the on position. The recall is for model years 2011-2013.

After close to a decade GM will no longer offer the 100,000-mile Powertrain warranty

2016 Chevrolet and GMC vehicles will no long have the 100,000 mile coverage powertrain warranty. General Motors plans to cut the miles down to 60,000 claiming the 100,000 mile powertrain warranty just wasn’t a strong enough selling point.

 Answer to yesterdays repair stumper

The old spark plugs were extremely worn causing high resistance which effects engine timing. (The coil drivers inside the PCM are designed to work at a specific resistance.) After installing the new spark plugs this resistance was changed affecting the idle speed, the computer needed to relearn to operate correctly.

Automotive Stumper…Test your knowledge

Question: The repair technician finished a tune-up, serviced the MAF and IAC on a 2005 Honda Pilot, the engine started up, however the idle was too high, the technician drove the car and after a while the engine idle returned to normal. What happened?

Answer will be posted on 3/10/2015

Range Rover Recall

Jaguar Land Rover North America is recalling some Land Rover Range Rover vehicles model year 2013-2015 manufactured 8/23/25-2/15/15 also Range Rover Sport vehicles 2014-2015 manufactured 6/16/13-2/5/15 for faulty occupant classification system (OCS) that may not classify the a light weight adult front passenger resulting in the front airbags not deploying in the event of a crash which could lead to injuries to the passenger.

 Owners of the affected vehicles will be notified by Land Rover.