Car Repair

DEARBORN, Mich., Aug. 13, 2008 – The warranty repair rate for Ford, Lincoln and Mercury vehicles in the United States is now almost 60 percent lower than it was in 2004. The falling repair rate contributed to a $1.2 billion reduction in Ford’s worldwide warranty costs over the past 18 months.

The reason is simple: Ford vehicle quality is improving quickly.

As Ford strives to be best in class in every phase of vehicle development – from design to pre-delivery – internal measures continue to show the company is making significant quality strides. For example, transmission warranty work for 2005 model Ford vehicles with three years in service dropped by more than 50 percent compared with the 2004 model year.

Applications for Program Chair Now Being Accepted

Dallas. Texas, July 17, 2008 – Carroll Shelby, chairman and founder of Carroll Shelby International Inc. (CSBI.PK), and Northeast Texas Community College have created the new Carroll Shelby Automotive Technology Center to offer young people an opportunity to learn valuable skills in the automotive field. The program will include a state-of-the-art facility and instruction in automotive and body repair.

The Carroll Shelby Automotive Technology Program is expected to enroll the first class in Fall 2008. This intensive, hands-on program is designed to train mechanics to enter the workforce immediately upon graduation.

45 Sponsors Support H.R. 2694

BETHESDA, Md., April 10, 2008 /PRNewswire - USNewswire/ -- Following the announcement of two new sponsors last week, the Motor Vehicle Owners' Right to Repair Act (HR 2694) gained three more supporters this week; it was announced today by Kathleen Schmatz, president and CEO of the Automotive Aftermarket Industry Association (AAIA). Reps. Richard Neal (D-MA), Carol Shea (D-NH) and Ike Skelton (D-MO) have joined a growing list of the bill's sponsors.

2007-12-03, GRAND BLANC, Mich. – The Internet provides readily available and often valuable information for do-it-yourselfs and self-diagnosis-ers. Web sites such as WebMD, Travelocity, Kelly Blue Book, Wikipedia and Goodwrench.com receive millions of hits a month as consumers seek to discover answers on their own. This trend is particularly prevalent among automotive consumers who are searching online for both auto sales and service.

November 6, 2007, ST. PAUL, Minn. (BUSINESS WIRE) -- 3M announced today it has entered into a definitive agreement to acquire the business of Bondo Corp., a manufacturer of auto body repair products for the automotive aftermarket and various other professional and consumer applications.

Bondo’s established brand complements 3M’s well-known line of auto body repair products for the automotive aftermarket. Bondo brand products are designed for and widely recognized by both auto body repair professionals and enthusiasts. Products include body filler, fiberglass repair materials, under coatings, and adhesives. Bondo products are sold to the auto body professional market through auto body paint specialty stores in addition to mass merchandisers and auto parts retailers.

- Flagship product from the extremely successful KTS series: New KTS 670 control unit diagnostic tester from Bosch features numerous innovations
- Future-proof complete control unit diagnostics
· New Bosch KTS 670 portable, multimedia-capable control unit diagnostic tester with full functionality and modified design
· Innovative "Easy Connect" adapter concept for simple handling owing to automatic detection of manufacturer-specific diagnostic connections

Delphi Launches Three New Diagnostic Solutions at Equip'Auto : Intuitive, User-friendly; High Mobility Thanks to Bluetooth Technology; Covering More Than 27000 Applications; Latest OE data; Easy to Update and Upgrade

Release date: October 15, 2007, FRANKFURT, GERMANY -- To provide its aftermarket customers with a more flexible and comprehensive range of vehicle diagnostic solutions, Delphi is launching three new tools at Equip Auto. The new solutions are designed to give users a wider choice of diagnostic tools which are more closely matched with their unique business needs. Vehicle data for the systems includes more than 27,000 applications.

October 15, 2007, FRANKFURT, GERMANY -- Delphi announces today at Equip Auto the expansion of the Delphi Service Centre to include DieselPoint for the independent aftermarket. While the Delphi Service Centre provides garages with air conditioning, chassis and petrol engine management programmes, the addition of DieselPoint now gives garages the training, technology and support needed in order to be able to take advantage of the large service opportunity arising from the growing diesel market.

Father - Son Team Wins Competition for the First Time

DEARBORN, Mich., June 26 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Racing against the clock and 49 other two-person teams from high schools in every state, aspiring auto technicians Austin Castro and Daniel Lehmkuhl, 2007 graduates of San Luis Obispo High School, San Luis Obispo, California, accurately diagnosed the problems and repaired their Ford Fusion in only 49 minutes and six seconds to win the 2007 FORD/AAA STUDENT AUTO SKILLS national finals at Ford World Headquarters this morning.

Months of preparation with their instructor, Jeff Lehmkuhl, Daniel's father, paid off for the pair, as they took home thousands of dollars in prizes and scholarships to a number of the nation's top auto technology colleges. In an effort to encourage students to pursue automotive careers, Ford and AAA handed out a total of more than $6 million in prizes to competition participants.