Our Expert Automotive Service & Collision Repair Blog

A new automotive refrigerant R1234yf is being used in many late model 2015 and newer vehicles.  The United States EPA has mandated that all new vehicles use R1234yf by 2021. The reason is that the new refrigerant R1234yf has a much lower global warming potential (GWP) than the refrigerant that has been in use (R134a) for the last 24 years. In fact the GWP of R1234 is 1 according to its maker Honeywell and it is 4 according to the EPA, while the GWP of R134 is 1430. The EU has mandated that all new vehicles sold there must have a refrigerant with a GWP of below 150 beginning January 1, 2017. Many vehicles sold here are already using R1234yf because the car makers receive tradable emission credits from the EPA.

In the last few years, numerous new safety features have been added to many vehicle models. These are known as “advanced driver assistance systems” or ADAS. These include automatic braking, adaptive cruise control, lane departure warning or correction and blind spot detection. All of these should help prevent accidents, so why would they cost more to insure? Many of these vehicles have expensive sensors in areas that get damaged even in minor accidents. Sonar or radar sensors are often mounted just behind the plastic bumper. In addition after the repair, recalibration of components is often necessary. For example we recently repaired a 2017 Audi A3 and after replacing a $726 distance sensor, it needed to be recalibrated by Audi at a cost of $1300 and a delay of 4 days. On a 2015 Audi SQ5 the distance sensor for cruise control is located in the front bumper at a cost of $2400. The lane change assist sensors are $800 each (there are 2) and are located in the rear bumper. These components can cause the price of a bumper job, almost always damaged in a front or rear end accident, to skyrocket.

The latest J. D. Power reliability study was just published. The study was performed in the fall
and winter of 2016 relating to 3 year old vehicles (2014 models). The study examined 177
specific problems in 8 major categories occurring in the previous 12 months.

The I-70 mountain express lane from Empire through Idaho Springs opened in December 2015. Since its opening it has reduced travel times and accidents. According to CDOT, during the 2015-2016 winter, this section of highway had normal travel times with traffic volume “that would have collapsed the corridor with speeds of 5-10 mph in previous years”. 

Why is a wheel alignment important?

Driving on asphalt is like driving on sand paper and you want your wheels to be pointing straight to minimize tread wear.  Misalignment causes the wheels to scuff rather than roll freely. This will affect your steering and suspension, more importantly; it could affect handling and the life of your tires. 

On Monday, September 12, Uber put 4 driverless Ford Fusion taxis on the road in Pittsburg.  They weren’t totally driverless because they had a back up driver and an engineer in the front seats.  The Fusions were modified with a great deal of hardware on the roof, developed by Uber and consisting of cameras and radar units.  The plan is to provide service to the airport within a few months and to service the whole metro area in a year.

I have written frequently about vehicle safety, (March 2010, May 2011 and October 2012).  I believe safety is more important than fuel economy, performance or reliability. In the past my focus was on how well various vehicles protect the occupant in a crash, but now there is evolving a whole new realm of safety features described as automotive accident avoidance.  Rather than protect an occupant in an accident, these systems help prevent an accident from occurring.   

On March 18, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) along with the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) announced an agreement with all major auto manufacturers to have automatic braking installed on all new vehicles within 6 years.  Automatic emergency braking (AEB) can cut rear end crashes by as much as 40% according to an IIHS study.

Last month, on our auto repair shop blog, I wrote about how the development of driverless cars has spawned many crash avoidance systems that are now common in many mass produced cars on the road right now.  I also said it may be a long time before you can jump in the back seat of a car and have the vehicle take you somewhere.  Now I’m not so sure it will be such a long time.  Almost every week there is some new news about an auto manufacturer or Google or Apple getting closer to actually bringing a self driving car to market.