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Under the Hood: The magic of rain-sensing wipers, explained
Q: How do rain-sensing wipers work? I love mine -- it's like magic!
-- Susan
A: In most of these systems, a rain sensor is located on the inside the windshield behind the rear view mirror. Infrared light is projected outward through the windshield glass at a 45 degree angle. Depending on how much light reflects back to the sensor (rain, snow ...Read more
Motormouth: Don't waste your money filling tires with pure nitrogen
Q: I recently bought a used 2009 Chevy Cobalt from a local dealer. The tires are filled with nitrogen. I have been given many recommendations on filling the tires. One person told me you can't mix nitrogen with air (from an air pump at a gas station). Another person said you can.
If I can find a tire store that has nitrogen, they charge up to $...Read more
Cadillac has big changes ahead for its lineup and manufacturing
General Motors luxury brand Cadillac's entire lineup could be electric by 2030.
That means production of its internal combustion cars and SUVs could move from the plants where GM currently builds them.
All of this will happen in a slow transition with some overlap as internal combustion engines (ICE) are phased out and electric vehicles (EVs) ...Read more
Mark Phelan: The new 2021 Chevy Suburban and Tahoe: 4 questions I have to ask
The 2021 Chevrolet Tahoe and Suburban SUVs are packed with new features, but they also carry a heavy load of questions. The old models were America's best-selling big SUVs by a wide margin, with a commanding 45% share of the market.
It would've been easy to make a few small changes and call the result "new," but GM rolled the dice with radical ...Read more
Tesla's Model 3 gets best electric car title from Edmunds
It may not be as hot at the moment as the Cybertruck, but the Tesla Model 3 is nonetheless getting some high praise at the end of this year.
Edmunds, one of the auto industry's leading car shopping and analysis sties, named the Tesla Model 3 the best electric vehicle of 2019. In its assessment, Edmunds evaluated the Model 3 and other cars on ...Read more
Tesla objects to NLRB ruling that it violated labor laws
After Tesla this week objected to a regional National Labor Relations Board ruling that it violated federal labor laws and engaged in anti-union activity, the case goes to the NLRB in Washington, D.C.
The Palo Alto company filed 166 exceptions to a September decision by Amita Baman Tracy, an NLRB administrative law judge in California.
The ...Read more
Chevrolet unveils newly designed Suburban, Tahoe, sold in more trim levels
General Motors revealed the newly designed 2021 Chevrolet Suburban and Chevrolet Tahoe full-sized SUVs Tuesday evening in Detroit.
The SUVs are bigger than previous models for more people and cargo and will be sold in twice as many trim levels.
GM also laid out its plans to upgrade the factory where the vehicles are assembled as part of a $1.4...Read more
General Motors CEO confirms electric pickup plan, is vague about hiring at Detroit-Hamtramck plant
DETROIT -- General Motors will build an electric pickup for sale in the fall of 2021 at its Detroit-Hamtramck plant, CEO Mary Barra confirmed at a company event Tuesday night.
In November 2018, GM said it would shutter four U.S. factories, Detroit-Hamtramck being one. But during UAW contract talks this fall, GM agreed to keep Detroit-Hamtramck ...Read more
Lawyer: GM suit against FCA will cost automakers hundreds of thousands of dollars
DETROIT -- Lawyer Bruce Sendek has been around a long time, including a four-year stint with General Motors' corporate counsel in the late 1970s and early '80s.
But he's never seen anything like GM's lawsuit against crosstown rival Fiat Chrysler Automobiles.
Sendek had a lot of questions, that started at word one -- literally.
"I do not ...Read more
Auto review: At 56 years old, Porsche's 2020 911 sports car is spry as ever
Porsche's 2020 911 Carrera 4S is so quick and capable that it seemed like only a racetrack could demonstrate its true capabilities.
So, wary of testing the laws of physics and the limits of the California Highway Patrol, I asked the Porsche people if I could have a couple of laps on their Porsche Experience Center track south of downtown Los ...Read more
GM lends millions to Lordstown Motors with an option to buy back plant
General Motors is making a $40 million loan available to Lordstown Motors Corp. to help the start-up buy GM's shuttered plant in Lordstown, Ohio, and start building electric trucks.
"The transaction was structured to support LMC's strategy to launch production of their Endurance pickup," GM spokesman Jim Cain said in an email to the Free Press....Read more
Tesla on auto-pilot collides with Connecticut state police cruiser
HARTFORD, Conn. -- A Tesla in auto-pilot mode collided with a Connecticut state police cruiser early Saturday morning as the trooper was assisting a disabled motor vehicle in the center lane of Interstate 95.
According to police, a pair of troopers responded to a disabled vehicle in the left center lane of northbound I-95 near exit 15 in ...Read more
Larry Printz: The least popular car in America is practical and affordable. So why isn't it selling?
Gym class can be the most traumatizing experience for those who don't like participatory sports. Inevitably, if you're not a particularly gifted athlete, you will be taunted or, even worse, chosen last for the junior high dodgeball team, a truly nasty game.
If this has happened to you, then you can sympathize with Fiat.
The Italian automaker ...Read more
Ford workers break their silence on faulty transmissions: 'Everybody knew'
DETROIT -- They knew the truth and kept quiet.
Their secret wasn't a secret at all in engineering, product development, research, design or manufacturing within Ford Motor Co., say seven current and former employees who worked to develop and launch the Fiesta and Focus cars that would become known for defective automatic transmissions.
"My ...Read more
New UAW deals keep status quo when big change was needed, experts say
DETROIT -- Nearly 12 weeks after the previous contracts expired between the UAW and the Detroit Three, including a 40-day nationwide strike against General Motors, work on a new deal is near the end.
But experts say it's just the beginning because the automakers face a difficult future that the new four-year union contracts fail to safeguard ...Read more
High-end buyers are changing what they want in a vehicle. Here's why automakers are complying
DETROIT -- What premium-vehicle buyers want is changing, and that's a big deal not just for luxury brands like Mercedes and Lexus, but Detroit 3 brands including Ford, Chevrolet and Jeep.
Premium vehicles -- including models like the Ford F-150 Platinum, GMC Yukon Denali and Jeep Grand Cherokee Overland -- account for just 13% of global sales, ...Read more
Auto review: Toyota's best-selling Corolla compact gets a makeover and a hybrid for 2020
After getting an all-new hatchback version for 2019, the Toyota Corolla debuts a redesigned sedan lineup for 2020, including the brand's first hybrid model.
The 12th-generation Corolla sedan carries forward much of the new exterior styling that made its debut earlier on the hatchback version.
For the new sedan, prices start at $19,600 (plus $...Read more
Mark Phelan: Lincoln's remaining sedans are doomed — but a new model could help brand
What does Ford Motor Co.'s decision to stop selling sedans in the United States mean to Lincoln's cars?
Nothing good. But, honestly, does it matter?
You -- and Ford -- might be surprised.
It's easy to make the case against Lincoln's cars. It sells just two -- the midsize MKZ and large Continental. Neither is a leader in its segment, and ...Read more
Under the Hood: What's causing shudder while braking?
Q: I'm feeling a shudder in the front of the car when I'm braking, more so near the bottom of a long hill. It seems to be getting worse. How serious a problem could this be?
-- Kelly
A. It sounds like your brakes, likely the fronts, are suffering from distorted brake rotors. Brake rotors are like very thick dinner plates, typically constructed...Read more
Popular Stories
- Motormouth: Don't waste your money filling tires with pure nitrogen
- Cadillac has big changes ahead for its lineup and manufacturing
- Mark Phelan: The new 2021 Chevy Suburban and Tahoe: 4 questions I have to ask
- Chevrolet unveils newly designed Suburban, Tahoe, sold in more trim levels
- Mark Phelan: Lincoln's remaining sedans are doomed — but a new model could help brand
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