Telltale signs the holidays are near. “The Hess truck’s back and it’s better than ever!” I don’t know if you feel the same but when I hear this commercial on TV I stop to look to see what the new truck is this year. I have included an article from AAA that included the history of the Hess Toy Truck that I think is pretty interesting.
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?
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.
