Headed For Transmission Repair Read The Signs!

Transmissions are complex machines buried deep in the chassis of our vehicles. Regular transmission service will help post-pone or eliminate some problems, but when a transmission begins to malfunction, there are specific signs that the average vehicle owner can recognize.

Know the three common signs of transmission problems:

*Fluid leaks under the car — If there is a persistent red leak under your vehicle, is it coming from the transmission or from the power steering system? It is difficult to determine, as most power steering systems also use transmission fluid. Thus, leaks can appear on the ground in roughly the same areas as transmission leaks. If the leak is fairly small, you may be able to postpone a transmission repair as long as the fluid level is checked regularly. However, when the fluid level falls below the minimum required level, a transmission repair is inevitable.
*Color and odor of fluid Check the fluid level when the vehicle is running and on level ground. The fluid should be red and transparent. If it is cloudy or muddy looking, or if it smells burnt, take your vehicle to a transmission repair technician. They may recommend a transmission service to drain and refill the fluid, as well as replace the filter. Some transmissions may require a computer program updating.
*Noises, vibrations and irregular shifting — Modern transmissions typically shift smoothly and quietly under light acceleration. Heavier acceleration should produce firmer shifts at higher speeds. If shifting points are erratic, if there are strange noises when shifting, or whining noises that come from underneath the car, are causes for concern.

Note: Look and Listen to your transmission. If problems are taken care of early, they can often be resolved without a costly major transmission repair.

** Did You Know? — With gas prices down to less than $2.00 a gallon around the country, a growing number of motorists have been flocking back to showrooms for pickups, SUVs and muscle cars. Yet, despite that sudden surge, the days of the classic V-8 and V-6 may be coming to an end. A new study suggests that less than half of the vehicles that will be sold around the world by 2017 will be powered by conventional gasoline engines. Alternative fuels (such as diesel, ethanol, and hydrogen), hybrid-electrified vehicles and more advanced internal combustion systems will make up the majority of the global mix, according to a new report from Navigant Research. Hybrids, plug-ins and pure battery-electric vehicles still account for less than 5% of the U.S. market, but demand is expected to grow exponentially. That said, a summary of the new Navigant report notes that, “gasoline is anticipated to remain the leading fuel in the coming years, albeit in unconventional vehicles that employ a range of fuel-efficiency technologies, such as smaller engines and turbo-charging.” A growing number of vehicle manufacturers will opt for either alternative fuels or advanced technologies designed to squeeze far more mileage out of every drop of gas.**

For expert advice on transmission repair, contact our ASE Certified Technicians at Clausen Automotive by calling (608) 221-8321 or go on-line at http://clausenautomotive.com for more information about our transmission service. Since 1975, our family-owned auto shop has proudly served vehicle owners in Madison, WI, and the surrounding communities.

Tools Used To Conduct Automotive Marketing Research

Marketing research is conducted by almost very automotive industry to understand market trends and potential customers. A major purpose of marketing research is to find answers for questions and thus to acquire new or updated knowledge. Today’s automotive manufacturing firms conduct comprehensive marketing research to enhance management decision-making by using relevant, accurate and timely information. Automotive marketing research has thus become a crucial part in management decision making.
Automotive marketing research has been conducted to:

Identify customers

Understand needs and requirements of customers

Find out how and where the customers want the products or service

Discover at what price customers will purchase products

Finding answers for these questions helps automotive manufacturing firms to formulate appropriate product development strategies. Information gathered from marketing research need to be analyzed and used while designing and manufacturing new products or before making any modification to existing product line.
Lack of time and strict time schedule always restrict manufacturing firm to conduct automotive marketing research before launching a new product. Mostly, manufacturers develop products without understanding the actual needs of customers; this might result in the fail of products in markets and thus impart huge loss to manufacturing firm. However, service of marketing research companies can be effectively utilized to carry out marketing research. These companies conduct marketing research and find answers for research problems on behalf of their clients.
Marketing research companies collect data from potential customers by conducting or participating in:
Car clinics – Car clinics are the most effective automotive marketing research tool used by marketing researchcompanies to collect data. These companies conduct car clinics in various parts of countries to collect useful information from large numbers of show attendees.
Drive studies – Marketing research companies design and execute open course drive studies and closed course drive studies to collect feedback related to comfort, ride and handling, and powertrain issues. These kinds of feedback are highly valuable for new product development.
Auto show research – Automobile event research is one of the cost effective tools used to collect information on display evaluations, new product designs, feedback on concept vehicles and new technologies etc.
Online research – marketing research companies conduct different kinds of online surveys to collect information related to topics like new product development, pricing research, styling studies, customer satisfaction and so on. They mail a well designed questionnaire to potential customers and thus seek answers to various research questions. Online research is one of the cost effective and efficient automotive marketing research tool used to collect feedback from large number of customers instantly.
Along with the above tools, marketing research companies also collect information over phone. All these automotive marketing tools have high relevance in obtaining accurate and updated customer feedback. Moreover, information thus collected provides a complete knowledge on the likes and desires of potential customers. This knowledge helps a manufacturing firm to design and develop new products by incorporating new features. Launching products with required features helps manufacturing firm to achieve competitive advantage and also to improve sale.

Automotive Industry The US Hybrid Vehicles Market Research Report

The rising gas prices, continuing federal and government support, decreasing dependency on imported crude, recharging infrastructure, upcoming cost-effective hybrid batteries and the change in consumer perspectives to drive the US hybrid vehicles market in the future

Hybrid vehicles market has been one of the fastest growing sectors in the US, due to the incorporation of the green technology concept. Additionally, higher fuel economy standards, increasing growth in per capita income, increasing battery life, durability, safety and hybrids economies of scale is also expected to further strengthen the hybrid vehicles market in the country. The US hybrid vehicles market has experienced CAGR of 7.6% over the period 2007-2013.

The full/mild hybrids have driven the hybrid vehicles market significantly in the US. However, plug-in hybrids represent an emerging hybrid market in the US with a strong rate. California, New York, Florida, Texas and New Jersey were few leading states in the US hybrid vehicles market. The issues related to the battery development process, potential challenges and pricing of the hybrid vehicles has been discussed.

The leading automobile companies dominating the US hybrid vehicles market include Toyota, Ford, General Motors, Hyundai and Honda. The major hybrid vehicle models which were sold by these companies include four models of the Toyota Prius Family, Lexus ES, Ford Fusion, GM Chevrolet Volt, Hyundai Sonata and Honda Civic.

Hybrid vehicles market is in the process of mass adoption and is gradually moving towards being a major market in the US automobile based economy. As a result of the government regulations, environmental regulations, rising gas prices, increase in per capita income and recharging infrastructure over the past few years, with the implementation of stringent environmental norms, there has been a remarkable increase in the hybrid vehicles market in the country. This has resulted in increased awareness among the consumers towards eco-friendly hybrid vehicles.

The report titled -The US Hybrid Vehicles Market Outlook to 2018 – Government Strategy and Cost-effective Hybrids to Escalate Demand- provides detailed overview on hybrid vehicles market in the US and helps reader to identify the ongoing trends and developments in the hybrid vehicles industry and anticipated growth in future depending upon changing industry dynamics in coming years. The report will aid industry consultants, hybrid vehicle manufacturing companies, marketing companies and other stakeholders and consumers to align their market centric strategies according to ongoing and expected trends in future.

Getting Professionals to Build Deburring Equipment

When metal acquires burrs after being cut and shaped, it can create friction and improperly aligned pieces, especially for precision metalworks like gears and parts. In the metal working industry, deburring has become increasingly important as professionals in this industry try to find ways to remove the burrs and debris from metal but while still keeping the deburring processes moving along efficiently. Some companies have found ways to build deburring equipment that is custom tailored specifically for a gear, part or other metal piece. Indeed, the availability of portable grinding and polishing applications processes has increased the efficiency of this process.

Deburring equipment can come in many different forms, but typically it uses certain types of abrasives and brushes to clean, smooth and polish the surface and edges of a metal piece as it goes through the process. The end result of smooth metal surfaces within seconds has created a window of opportunity for those in this industry, as they are able to build deburring equipment that can be adapted for a client’s specific metalworking needs.

It can be difficult to find affordable and efficient ways to deburr complex parts that are custom designed for a particular need. It is not such a difficult undertaking when dealing with batches of the same types of parts or gears, but for customized applications, it can be difficult to find economical ways for this service without losing out on profit. When companies can help by building deburring equipment, this allows for the high performance deburring in smaller quantities but still at an affordable price.

It is a fact that deburring is a field in growing demand, since the need for deburring applications for smaller and more intricate parts grows as well. From small companies and individuals to large metalworking corporations, there is a universal need for technologically advanced and custom designed deburring applications.

From aeronautics to the medical field to industrial automotive industries, there is no field that does not need good deburring applications. It is important to find a company that can help with the most delicate and precise components to the largest batches of industrial gears; versatility is the crucial element when considering whom to chose to build deburring equipment. This delicate process can be handed over to professionals who can effectively streamline both the equipment and the deburring production processes. From mass finishing to customized deburring, there are professionals who can get the job done with the right equipment.

Buying A Used Motorcycle

Lemon Laws also apply to motorcycles. Why? Because whether you’ve ever considered this or not, motorcycles can be lemons, too. When buying a used motorcycle there are a few checks that should be made when looking over the bike, and before handing the seller your hard-earned cash. Has the bike been wrecked, well maintained, broken in properly, ridden hard, or sat for years and years without service? Many of these questions need to be addressed when buying a used bike, and there are still many things that can be checked to help avoid buying someone elses problem. You can easily inspect a motorcycle yourself, or consider contacting a pre-purchase used car [motor vehicle] inspector.

Visual Inspection of the Motorcycle
When doing a visual inspection and before taking a test ride, you should have a check list of what to inspect on the motorcycle. Then take the list, and go down each item marking it as it passes or fails that portion of the inspection. Also, ask the owners how often he/she rides it and what type of weather conditions. If a bike sits for long periods of time, parts arent getting lubed, tires could go flat and get cracked, and the battery is draining (unless being kept on a battery tender).

Items to check on a motorcycle:

* Check the chain and sprocket
* Check turn signals, headlight, brake lights, etc work?
* Look inside the fuel tank (might need flashlight) for rust or other particles.
* Check for rust anywhere on the bike
* Check the frame for cracks and repairs and to make sure the frame is straight
* Check the brakes
* Check the forks
* Look at tires for cracked or warn tread and inspect the manufacture date

When walking around and inspecting a motorcycle, its imperative to take the time to go through the motorcycle entirely. Don’t be affraid to get dirty. Due to the size and easy access, just about everything on a motorcycle can be inspected with nothing more than a flashlight and possible a few tools to remove the seat or side covers.

Taking a test ride
Start up the bike and inspect the exhaust for excessive noise. And if a dual pipe motorcycle, verify the pressure coming out of each exhaust pipe is the same. Check the cooling and fuel systems for leaks. How does it start, stop, and shift. Shift it both up and down through all gears while riding. When applying the brakes is there the right amount of play and stopping distance? And most importantly how does it feel

It can be hard sometimes to take a used motorcycle for a good test ride, many owners might not be comfortable letting someone ride off on their bike. But, as a buyer it is always a good idea to get a feel for how well it runs, even if its not possible to get it up to faster speeds.

Getting the Motorcycle Inspected by a Mechanic!
Its always a good idea when buying a used motor vehicle/motorcycle, to get it checked out by a mechanic. The cost of having an inspection done outweighs the potential cost of repairs. On a motorcycle though, the cost of the inspection might not outweigh the cost of possible repairs. If looking at a expensive bike, or not sure what to inspect on the motorcycle, its a good idea to take it to a mechanical inspector. With a good checklist, and some research and knowledge before looking at the motorcycle, the cost and hassle of having the motorcycle inspected might not be worth it.