Archive for August, 2011

Lara Croft’s Ride

The jeep was originally a military vehicle built for the United States Army during World War II, and later produced in a line of civilian models. Although not Jeep-brand vehicles, the term is sometimes used to refer generically to farm or family vehicles such as the Land Rover, International Harvester Scout, Isuzu Trooper, Ford Bronco, and Chevrolet Blazer. This category of vehicles was the root of the SUV era in the 1980s

A road that is only suitable for off-road vehicles is often called a jeep trail. The most famous is perhaps Black Bear Road, made famous in the song of the same name by C.W. McCall.

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Window Motors: Watch Out For Suspect Parts!

The automobile replacements parts industry is a multi billion dollar per year industry. Everything from brake pads to exhaust parts, from air filters to gaskets, and anything else you can imagine are produced by companies around the globe for your vehicle. Unfortunately, the counterfeiting of replacement parts is also a multi billion dollar industry. The window motor you are purchasing for your car could be a fake, made in China, the Middle East, or some other country. We’ll examine some ways you can determine whether the parts you purchased are suitable for your car.

When shopping for replacement parts there are a few things you must determine:

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It All Starts Here – A Review of the Automotive Starter Battery Market

Consolidation among the major battery manufacturers continues to shape the industry, particularly across Europe. Johann-Friedrich Dempwolff, Vice President Sales OEM/OES, VB Autobatterie GmbH, said: “If you look back to 1990, in Germany there were ten battery producers. In the UK there were at least five producers. In France there were several. In Italy there were over 50 very small businesses. All this has dramatically changed over the last decade. There are only a few strong players left in the marketplace.”

“The result of tighter environmental requirements, together with other legislation, has been the closure of plants in Western Europe and a move to the Far East, particularly China, and to super-plants,” said Lucas Batteries’ David Haseler. “We have recently announced the closure of our Birmingham [UK] factory for manufacturing, and will be sourcing from companies in Asia. Our advantage is that these are company-owned plants which will allow us to maintain a close control over supply and quality.”

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Would You Really Rather Have a Buick?

As far as car brands go, Buick is simply a shell of itself. My statement isn’t meant to insult GM’s premium brand, wedged between Cadillac and Chevrolet, and designed to appeal to customers who want some of the trappings of a luxury model without having to pay the big price.

Rather, Buick’s problems can be traced to GM’s brand expansion which included until recent years eight North American brands, diluting and diminishing the power of its other brands. Following its bankruptcy and restructuring in 2009, GM shed four of those brands which has meant that it could begin to repair Buick and its three remaining brands: Cadillac, GMC and Chevrolet.

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