Auto Tech Advances

2018 a year for big technologies in the automotive industry.

Safety Features:

In May a new regulation requires all new cars to have backup cameras. Once a luxury add on is now going to be standard on all new vehicles.

Self-Driving Cars

Ford, General Motors and Waymo (formerly known as Google’s self driving car project) are all testing this new way to drive.

Smartphone Integration

Andriod and Apple let drivers answer text and play music by using voice commands and controls on the steering wheel.

                                                                                   from AAA times January 2018

 

What do you think is the most helpful and or  beneficial technology in cars today?

Campaign, Recall, TSB what is the difference?

What is the difference between a “TSB” or technical service bulletin, a “campaign” and a recall.

A TSB is an updated revision or repair that has been noted by testing and greatly reduces the time need to repair this fault, thus costing the consumer less. There are times when the manufacturer will supply parts kits at a reduced rate to help keep the cost of these repairs in check. If the vehicle is still under warranty when the repair is done there will be no charge to the consumer, if the vehicle is out of warranty the owner is required to pay for said repairs.

A recall is when a vehicle has a safety related defect by the NHSTA (National Highway Traffic Safety Administration). This vehicle must be brought back to the dealer, regardless of the vehicles  mileage or the age of the vehicle. Repairs are then made by the manufacturer free of charge to you the consumer.

A campaign is when a manufacturer voluntarily recalls NON-SAFETY related issues and either repair’s them free of charge or at a reduced rate. Many times there are either time or mileage limitations.

The best way to determine if your vehicle is involved in an ongoing recall is to provide the VIN (Vehicle Identification Number) and the easiest place to find it is on the registration. We can usually check for most of these at E.S.P.

What do you think?


Should you “top off” your gas tank when filling it?

No,
Why might you ask…

It can damage your charcoal filter, pressure builds in the tank and floods the carbon vapor collection system
Also at the gas station there are vapor recovery system so that if a tank is full, the pump will pull the extra gas back into the stations tanks. This is a safety precaution to ensure vapors will not escape into the air. (kinda of like throwing away money)

Ask-a-Question-photo

Car’s exhaust system consists of tail pipe, muffler, catalytic converter, exhaust pipe, headers?

       Yes, in fact you may have multiple muffler (up to 2) and catalytic converters (up to 4).