November 2016 Archives - Import Car
How To Talk To Your Customers About Winter Wiper Use

Technicians working in areas with harsh winter conditions should make it a point to educate their customers and inspect their wipers this time of year.

Import Insights: BMW

The seventh generation of the BMW 5 Series sedan will cut a sporty, elegant and stylish figure when it hits the roads in markets around the world in February 2017.

Bearing Replacement Rules

On a typical passenger vehicle weighing around 3,400 pounds, each pair of front-wheel bearings, as well as the rear-wheel or axle bearings, support around 850 pounds depending on the weight distribution and driveline configuration. If it’s a 6,000 pound SUV, each bearing might carry about 1,500 pounds.

Vehicle Service Life: A Paradigm Shift

Imagine this: An average car is used 14.4 hours per day at an average speed of 35 mph, resulting in 504 miles driven per day. If that vehicle is in service 28 days per month, at the end of the year, it will have 169,344 miles on it. Monthly, it will travel 14,112 miles. There

Hyundai Power Steering Case Study

The majority of undercar complaints will usually be noise related and range from a knocking noise on rough roads, a scraping noise when braking or a clicking noise while turning. Some complaints will include vibrations in the steering wheel and from under the seat.

Jump On The Telematics Train With Me

While I still have a couple of friends who don’t use any smart devices, iPhones and iPads have become a part of everyday life for most everyone I know — heck, even my 88-year-old mother has an iPad and a smartphone. The point is, regardless of age, most of us are incredibly comfortable with technology

Subaru 2.5L Stretch Belt Replacement

Subaru stretch belts can last 100,000 miles or more. On a worn belt, the cracks or damage to the backing of the belt will not be evident to the naked eye. This is why an inspection method that measures groove depth is recommended – you simply cannot go by mileage recommendations alone.

PCM And CAN Bus Communication Diagnosis

Although CAN bus was introduced by Mercedes-Benz during the early 1990s and adopted by many European manufacturers, many domestic and Asian auto manufacturers waited until the 2004 model year to introduce CAN bus in their lower-end, bread-and-butter vehicles.

Electronically Adjustable Dampener Diagnosis

On racecars, mechanics in pit lane will tune the settings of the shocks and springs for the track. Some race shocks have six adjustments for compression and rebound, so they will tune the setting for the amount and rate of suspension movement. But the moment they leave pit lane, they can’t change the settings.

Automatic Start-Stop Service

Spurred by stringent emissions reduction targets set by state regulators, the automotive industry has seen an increasing penetration of start-stop import engines in passenger cars since 2010.

Lexus Tech Tip: Low Charging Voltage, Replaced Alternator And Instrument Cluster

When running tests according to repair information, the vehicle should run between 13.2-13.8 volts, but it is running 13.2 volts currently. With the car idling and the A/C on, the voltage drops to 11.5 volts.

O2 Sensor And Air-Fuel Ratio Troubleshooting

The key to locating bank one/sensor one, is to identify the #1 engine cylinder. In a V-type motor, sensor one is in the exhaust system before the catalytic converter. In an inline motor, the rear sensor (or sensor two) is in the exhaust system after the catalytic converter.