Recon Automotive Remanufacturers To Be Featured On Horsepower TV
Recon Automotive Remanufacturers will make its debut on the small screen this weekend. The company will be featured on an upcoming episode of “Horsepower TV” which airs on Spike TV Saturdays at 1 pm (EST/PST), with an encore presentation on Sundays at noon. The show will highlight Recon Automotive’s engine blueprinting capabilities as Joe Giove, supervisor of Recon’s High Performance Engine Assembly and Dyno Testing Department, appears on the program and builds a 450 horsepower, 455c.i. V-8 engine for a 1969 Oldsmobile Cutlass convertible.
Rising Auto Recalls Eat Profits
General Motors Corp., Toyota Motor Corp. and two other U.S. carmakers have in six months exceeded the vehicle recalls for last year, reducing profit. GM recalled 7.92 million cars and light trucks as of July 2, and said repair costs had helped cut first-quarter profit in North America by 18 percent. Toyota recalled 367,000 Highlander sport-utility vehicles, surpassing last year’s total by 74 percent. DaimlerChryslerAG’s Chrysler and Honda Motor Co. also are ahead of 2003.
System Allows Consumers to Buy Salvage-Yard Auto Parts from New-Parts Dealers
Joseph “Joey” Woodfin IV seized an opportunity. He noticed how automotive salvage yards, such as his Woodfin Auto Parts business in Chesterfield County, Va., had been looking for ways to sell more used car parts to consumers. Also, national auto-parts retailers wanted to be able to offer different merchandise to keep shoppers coming back. Woodfin decided to merge the needs, creating a budding national business that links auto recyclers with car parts retailers. His new EverDrive LLC serves as a conduit for auto parts retailers to have access to a vast supply of used parts through a network of more than 200 auto recyclers across the country.
Panther Racing, Taylor Part Company
Panther Racing and IRL IndyCar Series rookie Mark Taylor have announced they will part ways. Yesterday, the team announced that it will seek other options for the remainder of the season, effective this weekend at Kansas Speedway.
Akebono Strengthens Brake R&D Leadership With Second Chassis Noise Dynometer
Akebono Corporation, North America’s leading supplier of advanced brake technology, today announced the installation of a second full chassis noise dynamometer at its research and development technical center in Farmington Hills, Mich. This new piece of testing equipment positions Akebono as one of the only companies in the automotive industry with two such testing machines, further strengthening its industry-leading brake noise, vibration and harshness (NVH) performance capabilities.
College Offers Computer-Based Tests for Automotive Technicians
The Victoria College ACT Testing Center in Victoria, Texas, is participating in a new pilot program to gauge automotive technician interest in taking certification exams via computer testing.
Advanced Bosch Training Focuses on Solving Today’s Automotive Service Challenges
In today’s environment of ever-more-complex and sophisticated automobiles and trucks, training is all-important to the technicians who service and maintain these vehicles. Robert Bosch Corporation, a supplier of automotive systems and components, has placed itself in the forefront of those that supply the advanced technical training needed by the automotive service community.
Visteon to Sponsor Bill Elliott and No. 91 Visteon Dodge at Brickyard 400
Visteon Corp.’s aftermarket operations will sponsor Bill Elliott and the No. 91 Visteon Dodge for Evernham Motorsports at the Brickyard 400 on Sunday, August 8.
DST Asks: How Do You View the Industry and Your Career?
Every automobile in every dealer’s showroom in America displays an EPA fuel economy ratings sticker. The ratings are estimates developed by the automakers after testing a limited number of pre-production vehicles. The EPA then verifies the results on roughly 10 to 15 percent of the vehicles produced for that year. The tests, repeated the same way each time in a controlled environment, are the same for all autos and are supposed to simulate city and highway driving conditions. They can’t – and don’t – reflect the conditions under which every vehicle is driven; nor do they reflect the maintenance condition, type of fuel used, or – perhaps most importantly-the variety of driving styles that we all see everyday on the streets. What do mileage ratings and driving styles have to do with your aftermarket career? Plenty.
ACDelco Sponsors SkillsUSA
ACDelco is helping address the critical automotive technician shortage that the U.S. currently faces with its support of SkillsUSA. SkillsUSA is a national organization serving more than 264,000 high school and college students and professional members enrolled in training programs in technical, skilled and service occupations.