Land Rover provides Web access to all technical service information
Land Rover will complete the roll out of its Global Technical Reference (GTR) website this month, designed to provide users with instant, 24-hour access to detailed vehicle maintenance information.
The GTR site offers access to all technical materials, from maintenance check sheets and body repair manuals, to vehicle inspection advice and service bulletins. This allows dealers and IMTs to respond quickly to new part updates, causing minimal inconvenience to the customer in the event of a repair. Previously such information was uploaded onto a CD and sent to users via post.
GTR is a subscription based system. You can find the Global Technical Reference (GTR) website by using the following link: www.landrovertechinfo.com
GM And I-CAR® Form Relationship To Provide Body Structural And Collision Repair Technician Training
Tokyo and Kariya City, General Motors and I-CAR announce a training relationship to begin January 1, 2004. In the mutually beneficial arrangement, I-CAR will conduct all GM body structural repair training within the United States.
For GM, this relationship will greatly increase the availability and convenience of training on the body structural and collision repair of GM vehicles as I-CAR has approximately 800 training locations nationwide. Technicians may have reduced travel expenses and be able to spend less time away from their dealerships and businesses as a greater variety of classes and locations become available.
Through I-CAR, GM training also will be available to technicians at independent businesses that conduct body structural and collision repairs for GM dealerships. These businesses will earn I-CAR Gold Class Professionals points and provide their sponsoring dealers an option to meet their GM Service Training Standards (STS).
"We believe that GM technicians, dealers, and independent body shops doing work for our dealers will find this arrangement rewarding with the number of locations I-CAR makes available to its students," says Hershel Burson, manager, training integration, GM Service Technical College (STC). "We are pleased that I-CAR will be able to maintain the flavor of GM content and influence in the program materials offered."
As I-CAR students, all GM dealer body structural and collision repair technicians will complete their training by attending I-CAR collision repair programs utilizing I-CAR's existing class delivery system and instructors. With this relationship, GM dealer and dealer-sponsored body structural and collision repair technicians will not only receive the most up-to-date training in collision repair, but the collision industry also will experience an increase in training consistency.
For more information, visit the I-CAR web site at www.i-car.com.
Peugeot has released technical data of its new 407 witch will replace the 406.
At launch, four engines will be offered on the 407 : three petrol engines (two 4-cylinder models, 2.0 litre and 2.2 litre respectively, plus a 3.0 litre, 6-cylinder version) and one 2.0 litre HDi Diesel engine, equipped with a particulate emission filter (PEF). In the future, the 407 will benefit from the 2.7 l V6 HDi engine.
The 6-cylinder petrol engine is coupled uniquely with a new 6-speed automatic gearbox. Developed by Aisin A.W., this gearbox is genuinely innovative, allowing for the first time in the world a 6-speed transmission, combined with a high-torque transverse mounted engine.
The suspensions concept is innovative. At the front, instead of current pseudo-McPherson, the double wishbone drop link design allows the separation of vertical suspension travel and deflection. This design ensures a small hub carrier angle with relatively little wheel axis offset (caster) and preserves optimum body control characteristics.
Compared to the first-generation multi-arm rear suspension that made its appearance on the 406, the all-new rear suspension of the 407 differs essentially by the inclusion of an inclined spring and damper assembly and of a longitudinal arm and linked to the hub carrier to ensure longitudinal control.
Following EuroNCAP recommendation, pedestrian protection is ensured by the structural suppleness of the front of the car and by means of shock absorbing foam padding fitted to the lower part of the pedestrian beam - the final element of the bottom structure, and to the top of the bumper bar.
Seat belts are equipped with a double 'fasten seat belt' alarm, firstly by means of a visual indicator on the instrument panel, then in the form of a buzzer once the car reaches a speed of 15 km/h. To encourage rear passengers to wear their seat belts and also to provide a warning should a child become unattached, the number of fastened rear seat belts is counted and displayed clearly on the multifunction screen when the ignition is switched on. Any change in status is indicated jointly by a warning light on the instrument panel, an alarm message on the screen and a buzzer.
The driver benefits from an item of safety equipment that is not widely available, namely a steering column air bag to protect the lower limbs.
Emergency and local assistance telematics services are available on a contract basis, and in the event of air bag deployment, emergency services are called automatically via Inter Mutuelle Assistance, which can identify the vehicle's location by means of the GPS.The device has two buttons: one with a lion emblem enabling the user to get in touch with the Peugeot CCC; the other - red SOS - to place a call with the emergency services.
Market launch is planed respectively for April and October 2004 for saloon and Station wagon bodies. A specific Auto-innovations document will present in detail all technical innovations.
Visteon Helps Improve Ford F-150 NVH With Portable Dynamometer
Visteon Corporation employed the industry's first self-contained Portable NVH Dynamometer to improve noise, vibration and harshness (NVH) on the new Ford F-150.
The portable dynamometer was developed as a solution to support automotive manufacturers in their efforts to meet consumer needs for quiet, smoother rides. This transportable facility can perform comprehensive driveline noise and vibration tests virtually anywhere.
The Ford launch team asked Visteon to work on-site as the first production prototypes were built at Ford's Norfolk, Va., facility. The engineers were able to evaluate axle whine and driveline vibration to identify vehicle and component resonance, system balance and performance.
"The Portable NVH Dynamometer is just one of the innovative solutions that we can bring to our customers so they can develop new products with improved noise and vibration attributes to market quickly." said Ron Andrade, Visteon's director of Innovation and Advanced Business Development.
Automotive manufacturers can look to Visteon for portable diagnostic services from dynamometers that test front-wheel-drive, two-wheel-drive, four-wheel-drive and all-wheel-drive vehicles. A vehicle can be "fingerprinted" at speeds ranging from 20 to 90 mph (30 to 145 kph) in as little as 20 minutes, with diagnostic results available moments later. Additional testing such as performance horsepower measurement, single and multiple-plane system balancing, drive up/coast down and cruise speed evaluations, along with subjective ratings, all can be accomplished in less than an hour. Additionally, Visteon's portable dynamometers can perform data archiving for future vehicle comparisons as well as benchmarking of vehicle drivelines and powertrains.
Renault launches a new multi-manufacturer repair network under the Motrio name
Renault launches the Motrio repair network, supported by the multi-manufacturer spare parts brand of the same name launched in 1998. With some 6,000 reference items, the brand can cover 93% of the total European car population.
Motrio caters for former Renault sub-dealers and independent repair shops and benefits from Renault's spare parts logistics expertise.
Valeo's Flat Blade wiper technology now available on the Aftermarket
Flat Blade windshield wipers will arrive on the aftermarket in autumn 2003 through Valeo's independent aftermarket networks. The wiper blades, until now available only in original equipment, have a unique style, wipe more efficiently and result in less wind noise than standard blades.
The ultra-flat design of the Flat Blade improves visibility at all speeds and in all weather conditions while providing best-in-class aerodynamics and aero-acoustics. The appearance of streaks caused by "dirty rain" is much reduced with consequent benefits to driver safety. The slim-line arm structure does not clog-up with ice and snow.
For the aftermarket, the Flat Blade will first be offered in a range of 44 part numbers that will not only fit the production cars that came with them as original equipment, but also most late-model Citroens, Fords, Opels, Peugeots, Renaults and Volvos originally fitted with a conventional arm. The Flat Blade wiper is quickly and easily installed with a user-friendly lock/unlock mechanism.
The wiper blades, packaged either in cardboard packs or blister-packs for retail distribution, will be available throughout Europe from 30 euros a set, including VAT. Both packs have been designed to protect the Flat Blade rubber and therefore maintain optimum wiping efficiency.
EasyClip, vehicle electronics repair for all workshops
EasyClip, a complementary tool to the Clip kit, provides all workshop personnel with straightforward, effective repair capabilities for vehicle electronics. It will be available to all vehicle repair centres.
Recent developments in automotive technologies and the widespread use of electronics call for a major shift in aftersales practice, as repair centres are required to tackle repair of vehicle electronics subsystems…
Valeo Service launches Multi Application Alternator
Valeo Service announced at the Equip'Auto in Paris that its new Multi Application Alternator is set to further improve the Aftermarket availability of replacement alternators. The launch will enhance levels of customer service by reducing the time, cost and inconvenience associated with "Vehicle off Road" events, often caused by the limited availability of a compatible standard exchange alternator.
The new Multi Application Alternator is a 90 amp Valeo SG (Second Generation) alternator using a "generic" body designed and manufactured in a Valeo OE plant to OE standards and specifications. In order to facilitate installation of the Multi Application Alternator to the widest possible range of vehicles, Valeo engineers have custom-designed a range of 30 alternator mounting brackets, accompanied by pulleys and electrical connections. By adopting this flexible and innovative design approach, Valeo Service has achieved the widest possible vehicle applications coverage with availability ensured through the company's Aftermarket distribution network.
Valeo intends to supply the Multi Application Alternator in two configurations, pre-assembled for Aftermarket distributors or as a self-assembly kit targeted specifically to meet the demands of Roadside Assistance organisations.
For distributors, the availability of the Multi Application Alternator is set to further strengthen Valeo's existing Standard Exchange Program. Currently, distributors return alternator cores to Valeo for renovation prior to re-sale. Since alternators and mountings are vehicle specific, any imbalance in the supply and demand for standard exchange units can result in shortages leading to inconvenient delays for vehicle owners.
In future, when distributors encounter difficulty in obtaining a service exchange alternator because the original unit is obsolete or a slow moving item, Valeo will supply, direct from its manufacturing facility, a Multi Application Alternator with pre-assembled pulley, mounting bracket and electrical connections fully compatible with the vehicle application and ready to install. Valeo believes that a major benefit of this arrangement is that distributors will significantly enhance their standards of customer service by the ability to quickly offer a replacement for the customer's original alternator when no standard exchange units are available.
A worldwide innovation in volume production vehicle: the modular doors on the new Golf
The new door modules on the Golf represent a worldwide innovation in body construction. Until now, the complete doors on all volume models had to be replaced if "irreparable" panel damage occurred in this area. The whole door had to be replaced even if its inner structure was still intact. This was a correspondingly laborious and, for the customer, costly process.
Not so with the new Golf: for the first time in a volume production vehicle, the outer skin panel can be replaced separately, thus reducing the cost of damage repairs considerably. From a structural viewpoint, the door inner panel, which comprises two so-called hybrid bars, serves as a load-bearing structure. The outer skin panel is bonded onto these bars. In addition, the inner and outer panels in the sill and topshoulder areas (at window edge level) are bolted together. The outer skin panel can thus be easily detached in order to remove dents of any kind completely.
Visteon Corporation employed the industry's first self-contained Portable NVH Dynamometer to improve noise, vibration and harshness (NVH) on the new Ford F-150.
Flat Blade windshield wipers will arrive on the aftermarket in autumn 2003 through Valeo's independent aftermarket networks. The wiper blades, until now available only in original equipment, have a unique style, wipe more efficiently and result in less wind noise than standard blades.
EasyClip, a complementary tool to the Clip kit, provides all workshop personnel with straightforward, effective repair capabilities for vehicle electronics. It will be available to all vehicle repair centres.
Valeo Service announced at the Equip'Auto in Paris that its new Multi Application Alternator is set to further improve the Aftermarket availability of replacement alternators. The launch will enhance levels of customer service by reducing the time, cost and inconvenience associated with "Vehicle off Road" events, often caused by the limited availability of a compatible standard exchange alternator.
The new door modules on the Golf represent a worldwide innovation in body construction. Until now, the complete doors on all volume models had to be replaced if "irreparable" panel damage occurred in this area. The whole door had to be replaced even if its inner structure was still intact. This was a correspondingly laborious and, for the customer, costly process.