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Source: Motor Age Outside forces put their weight on automotive industryOctober 1, 2009It's a new day for the American automobile industry. In order to obtain loans from the federal government that were needed for immediate survival, the new Chrysler Corporation is now partially owned by Fiat SpA as part of an arrangement worked out in federal bankruptcy court. In similar court actions, New General Motors is now partly (temporarily) owned by the federal government. The United Auto Workers union is now part owner of both companies.
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Source: Motor AgeTrust your customersOctober 1, 2009A new Web site called Prundo.com seeks to be the Expedia for auto repair, helping registered motorists save money on their auto repairs. Prundo CEO Alka Gupta says the site is unique "because there are no Web sites currently available to help consumers compare auto services based on cost, distance, offers/discount and quality of service."
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Source: Motor AgeThe war of horsepower is overSeptember 1, 2009Earlier this year, AMG chiec Volker Mornhinweg declared the "war of horsepower" is over. This is a bit like Bob Dylan declaring there are no more songs to be written; if it's really true, he's got nothing left to do and we're all poorer for it.
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Source: Motor AgeTake it to the peopleAugust 1, 2009As you read this, some of your customers may be abandoning you. And who knows how many potential customers will never find your shop. There you sit with the best techs, attractive incentives, long hours and hundreds of thousands of dollars of equipment and people are actually not interested in patronizing your shop. Imagine that!
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Source: Motor AgeFreeze Frame bluesAugust 1, 2009Most people consider diagnostics the biggest challenge in automotive repair. This has been true since the days when a technician's diagnosis relied mostly on finely-tuned senses and years of experience. But unless it's a mechanical malfunction, the things we can see, hear or feel are not the most common clues on today's cars.
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Source: Motor AgeFuel injection technologies come full-circleJune 1, 2009I just found an old photograph I shot in a museum. It shows a fuel injector protruding into the combustion chamber of a cutaway engine. Things I've seen and learned since that day have made this old picture tell a new story that explains how an old technology has come full circle.
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