Friday, September 28, 2012

Car Maintenance Mistakes

Compared to the family trucksters of a generation ago, modern cars require about as much maintenance as a toaster. This is a real liberation from the oil, lube and tune merry-go-round that ruled not so long ago.

Curiously, many people haven't adjusted their thinking to keep pace with new car maintenance schedules. The preoccupied still run their daily drivers without service until the dash warning lights burn out, while over-achievers fret about running synthetic oil more than 2,500 miles without a change.

Although maintenance intervals are now more widely spaced, even the newest cars require scheduled service to live long, productive lives. Whether yours is the latest model or you paid it off years ago, the trick is giving your car the maintenance it was designed to receive.

Surprisingly, the answer to what maintenance is required is hiding no farther away than the glove box. Every car is supplied with a maintenance schedule — in the owner's manual or in a separate maintenance log book — that details that vehicle's needs.

Proper Tire Inflation and Rotation

Tires leak naturally and need the occasional check. Figuratively speaking, underinflated tires suck up gasoline. Under- or overinflated tires wear out sooner, and deliver the same emergency maneuver handling as marshmallows. You probably aren't going to check tire pressures monthly, but how about twice a year?

Furthermore, front and rear tires wear differently and should be rotated to even that wear. Your owner's manual will have a recommendation on both pressure and rotation periods.

Wiper Tales

Here's a news flash: It's much easier to avoid hitting things you can see. Simple as it is, that's the concept behind replacing your windshield wipers before they fossilize into noisy uselessness.

Fall is the ideal wiper replacement time: after the blade-baking summer and before the fall and winter nastiness. Depending on location, wiper replacement may be an annual affair in the Southwest to a biannual chore in northern climes.

Tune-Up Anachronism

There are no more "tune-ups." Valves no longer need adjusting, ignition timing is computer controlled and there are no carburetors to fiddle with. About all that's left of the old tune-up drill are the spark plugs. These are often good for 100,000 miles, so don't change parts just to change parts. Instead, save up for those big 60,000- and 120,000-mile services when the timing belt, spark plug wires and coolant are due for replacement.

Oil Change Timing

Oil changes every 3,000 miles used to be required jobs, just like cleaning the accumulated fuzz from record player needles or defrosting freezers. Today, advances in engine design and lubricants make oil changes something to be done when the schedule calls for it, not when granddad says it's time. Some cars call for 5,000-mile change intervals, some up to 15,000-mile stints. Others have a variable timer. Follow the schedule and use the oil called for by the manufacturer.

Tired Tires

Tires wear out, but they also time out. The tire industry says tires are toast after five years, but they're selling tires. It all depends on heat, sunlight and ozone conditions. There's little argument from any pundits that after seven years those black donuts are dried and better off holding down a farmer's tarp than carrying your family around. If you're not sure how old your tires are, a tire shop can read the date code stamped into the sidewall.

Ignoring Your Brakes

Note to the Wandering Unconscious: If you notice anything different about your brakes — sound, feel or response — they are telling you to visit a mechanic. Now.

Friday, September 21, 2012

What we know about the 2013 Volkswagen Golf, next-gen GTI

Volkswagen MQB architecture
Volkswagen MQB architectureVolkswagen MQB architectureVolkswagen MQB architectureVolkswagen MQB architectureVolkswagen MQB architecture

Lighter, faster, stronger, better. That's what we can expect from the seventh-generation Volkswagen Golf, due to be unveiled at the 2012 Paris Motor Show before it hits dealerships across Europe this fall and eventually lands on U.S. shores as a 2013 model.

So what makes it special? A combination of new manufacturing processes, an all-new platform, a range of upgraded engines and what will go down as one of the greatest democratizations of active safety and in-car technology in automotive history.

What's more, the next GTI will be an order of magnitude better because of it, bringing it back in line with the original hot hatch while packed with even more standard features.

It all starts with Volkswagen's new Modular Transverse Matrix (MQB) platform, which is set to underpin every front-wheel-drive VW product from the Polo to the Passat, along with the 2013 Audi A3. To hear VW tell it, it will redefine the automaker's manufacturing processes while curing world hunger and eradicating leprosy.

Read on to find out what's got Volkswagen so excited.

VW's turbocharged 2.0-liter will max-out at 280 hp.
The new platform is like a set of chassis Legos, allowing Volkswagen to swap out five of the six modular blocks to accommodate everything from longer wheelbases to alternative powertrains, battery packs and fuel tanks. The only component that's fixed is the space between the front axle and firewall, which is set 40mm further back than the current Golf and on paper should make this new model less nose heavy and more balanced.

Volkswagen MQB

More impressive is the overall weight reduction VW hopes to achieve through the use of high-strength steel, aluminum and a new patented manufacturing process that can weld the two together on the same line. Across the board, the 2013 Golf will be around 150 pounds lighter than the Mk6 (which is essentially a slightly modified Mk5) thanks to molten-molded, extra high-strength steel used throughout the chassis, along with reworked suspension components, lightened engines and auxiliary bits. VW officials tell us that it wants the next Golf to be the same weight as the Mk4 model from the 90s, and the proliferation of aluminum in the chassis and roof means the next GTI should be over 200 pounds lighter than the current model.

However, in the process of reducing overall weight, VW plans to stuff the new Golf with a range of standard and optional infotainment and safety features that used to be the exclusive purview of luxury models costing three-times as much.

We already revealed VW's new line of NVIDIA-powered modular infotainment systems, and along with that, the new Golf will be available with radar- and camera-based adaptive cruise control, parking assist, auto-dimming headlights, an electronic parking brake and a Mercedes-like fatigue detection system that will let the driver know when it's time for a nap and a cup of coffee.

VW MQB

Engines will span the spectrum from 1.4- to 2.0-liters, but in the U.S., don't expect the turbo'd 1.4 to arrive for a few more years. However, the new 1.8T is set to put out up to 180 horsepower and the turbocharged 2.0-liter – making use of Audi's Valvelift system – will max-out at 280 hp. But fear not, your front tires are safe. Sorta. The GTI variant is likely to be limited to around 230-240 hp, but torque will be up to nearly 260 pound-feet. And if that's not enough twist for you, VW is working on a new 2.0-liter turbo diesel that's set to output 190 hp and 280 lb-ft of torque, which means the GTD – the Euro-only diesel-flavored GTI – will be even more potent. Let's hope VW sees the light and ships it our way.

Both the old and new models will be sharing dealership space. And that could be a problem.
Finally, a reworked suspension and all-new electric steering rack that will be more direct and more efficient will work in concert with a new type of electronically-controlled mechanical limited-slip differential that nixes the much-maligned brake-based system on current GTIs. It's already been tested at the Nürburgring and VW claims it's 8.5 seconds quicker around Green Hell than its standard counterpart.

So when do we get it? Well, the Golf is likely to arrive in the States in 2013, with the Mk7 GTI landing a year or so after that. We've been told the 2013 GTI will be a carryover of the Mk6 in the U.S., so both the old and new models will be sharing dealership space. And that could be a problem.

Because of the new manufacturing and material processes, parts costs will be cut by around 20 percent and manufacturing costs will be reduced by one-third, meaning the next Golf should be less expensive than the current model, while packing even more content, providing more power and even better handling. Sell that alongside the current GTI and people will ask, "Why upgrade?" We wouldn't either, but then again, we'd wait for the next GTI anyway, or maybe that oil-burning GTD...

Wednesday, September 12, 2012

The 2013 CC Lease Special.

The 2013 CC Lease Special. 

$229*/Month. 
36-month lease. $1,999 due at signing
Excludes title, tax, options and dealer fees. 

Lease a 2013 CC Sport w/Lighting Package with Automaticl transmission for $229* a month. 36-month lease, $1,999 due at signing. (Excludes title, tax, options and dealer fees). See your local VW dealer for this limited time offer.

Security deposit of $0.00. Purchase option at lease end for residual, see dealer for details. At lease end lessees responsible for $0.20/mile over 30,000 miles and excessive wear and tear. Dealer sets actual prices. Lessee responsible for insurance. Closed-end lease offered to highly qualified lessees on approved credit by Volkswagen Credit through participating dealers. Supplies limited. U.S. cars only. Additional charges may apply at lease end. See your Volkswagen dealer for financing details or for general product information call 

1-800-Drive-VW. (c)2012 Volkswagen of America, Inc. 

2 at this price VIN# 508593 (13D1004), 510200 (13D1005)
 
Dealer Offer | Offer ends 10/01/2012

Thursday, September 6, 2012

The 2012 Beetle Lease Special.

The 2012 Beetle Lease Special.  

$169*/Month. 36-month lease. 
$1,999 due at signing
Excludes title, tax, options and dealer fees. 

Lease a 2012 Beetle 2.5 with automatic transmission for $169* a month. 36-month lease, $1,999 due at signing. (Excludes title, tax, options and dealer fees). See your local VW dealer for this limited time offer.
Security deposit of $0.00. Purchase option at lease end for residual, see dealer for details. At lease end lessees responsible for $0.20/mile over 30,000 miles and excessive wear and tear. Dealer sets actual prices. Lessee responsible for insurance. Closed-end lease offered to highly qualified lessees on approved credit by Volkswagen Credit through participating dealers. Supplies limited. U.S. cars only. Additional charges may apply at lease end. See your Volkswagen dealer for financing details or for general product information call 

1-800-Drive-VW. (c)
2012 Volkswagen of America, Inc. 3 at this price 
VIN# 623833 (12D8759), 656903 (12D8920), 659610 (12D8955)
 
Dealer Offer | Offer ends 10/01/2012