New Camry Hybrid priced below $30,000

One complaint against hybrids is that they are too costly. But Toyota, with its new Camry Hybrid – has addressed that with a hybrid well under $30,000.

When the 2007 Toyota Camry Hybrid hits dealer showrooms in May, it will carry a sticker price of $26,480, including a $580 destination charge.

That’s a very competitive price – significantly below the 2006 Honda Accord Hybrid, which carries a sticker price of $31,540, including a $550 destination charge, for models without a navigation system. Toyota says the Camry Hybrid will yield an estimated 40 mpg in city driving and 38 mpg on the highway.

The Camry Hybrid will come equipped with a 2.4-liter, four-cylinder engine mated to an electric motor. The powertrain has a combined output of 187 horsepower. On the other hand, the Accord Hybrid is outfitted with a significantly more powerful 3.0-liter V6 and electric motor with a combined 253 hp. The Accord Hybrid returns 25 mpg in city driving and 34 mpg on the highway, according to Honda.

The Camry Hybrid’s standard features include a JBL sound system with Bluetooth technology, cruise control, eight-way power-adjustable driver seat and 16-inch aluminum wheels.

Should you need quality Toyota auto parts like A/C condenser, door handle, radiator fan, or spoiler, just visit Auto Parts Corner, your trusted source of excellent quality Toyota, Honda, Ford, BMW, and Volvo auto parts.

When was the last time you checked your lights?

Your vehicle’s lighting system involves several different systems integrated together: Headlights (high and low beams), fog lights (optional), parking, tail and marker lights, instrumentation lighting, turn signals, emergency flashers, stoplights, backup lights and interior lights.

Here are some maintenance tips and suggestions from the Car Care Council you can follow to ensure the best performance from your vehicle’s lighting system:

• During normal driving, you may not notice a light that isn’t working. That’s why it’s best to have your car’s lights inspected at every oil change.
• Most often, the cause of a faulty light is a bad bulb. If a whole portion of the lighting circuit doesn’t work, such as the taillights, check the fuses.
• Refer to your car’s owner’s manual for recommended bulb and fuse types, their locations and for information on how to change them.
• Most bulbs and fuses on today’s cars are easy to change. If you’re changing a halogen headlight bulb, do not touch the bulb with your bare hands. Oil from your skin can cause the bulb to fail prematurely.
• A turn signal that flashes in one direction, but not in the other direction, usually means there’s a bad bulb on the side that does not flash.
• If the bulbs and fuses seem OK, but the lighting problem persists, have the lighting system looked at by a qualified service professional.

Should you need replacement auto parts like Ford headlights, Honda fog lights, or Toyota tail lights, just visit Auto Parts Corner, your source of top of the line auto parts.

Bad SRS Module – ’05 Altima

Ok, problems again. The air bag module that I received with the air bags is off a different car. I took my ’05 Altima to the Nissan to have the SRS indicator light turned off. The tried and told me it won’t clear.

I did some testing and it appears the module wants a off switch for the passenger side air bag. Well my car doesn’t have one.

If I didn’t thrrow the old SRS module away I could have had it reprogrammed. I now find out that there is a guy in Texas that can reprogram the “blown” SRS modules. He charges $150, you send him yours, he reprograms it and sends it back to you.

That’s a great deal compared to buying a new one for $700+. I can’t even find a blown one used. I don’t know what I am going to do now. Waiting is the name of the game now.

If by chance you have a SRS module for a 2005 Nissan Altima (production date 6/04) with front airbags and no side bags, please sell it to me!! Or if you have a blown one with the same specs, let me know. The part number is 28556ZB29A.

Email me valik@mirru.com

The SRS Module Reprogrammer:

Airbags-OEM
Kevin Ashworth
7722 Calypso Dr.
Rowlett, TX 75088
1-877-636-2247 

Ford waxes nostalgic

Inside Line reports: Ford opens up photo archives for collectors.

In a move designed to delight automotive art collectors (and also earn money), Ford is opening its vast photo archive to the public. The first series, some of which starts at $17.99, includes more than 300 images of the Ford Mustang and GT40.

Ford says that future offerings will showcase vintage vehicles like the Ford Model T and the 1932 Ford deuce coupe. The new service features photos and limited-edition prints of classic vehicles. The Ford prints, which are being produced in numbered editions of 750, are being made available through a licensing agreement between Ford and ArteHouse LLC.

This unheard-of access to one of the most sought-after automotive archives in the world is something not to be missed.

Meanwhile, keep your own Ford Focus, F-150 or Ford Expedition in photo-perfect shape with proper maintenance and a little updating every now and then. Check out the best Ford engine parts, wheels, or add-ons like bumpers, spoilers or grilles at Auto Parts Corner.

2005 Nissan Altima Door Handle Removal

Once I start assembling the car I seem to find out the procedures that I was suppose to follow to disassemble it. In my earlier post I wrote about the problems I ran into while trying to remove the door handle on my 2005 Nissan Altima. Yesterday as I was assembling the car, I found out that I didn’t have to take the door completely apart to remove the handle.

Here is an easier way to do this.

1. Remove the interior door panel.
2. Remove the electric window switch panel from the interior panel and hook it back up to the wiring harness.
3. Peel off the round stickers covering the openings in the door “guts” cover plate. One towards the front of the car and one towards the back, about the middle of the panel vertically. The stickers may be the same color the panel is so you will need to look closely.
4. Adjust the window so you can see the screws through the round openings, by opening or closing the window.
5. Remove the screws, but make sure you are holding the glass from the top in case it will want to slip down.
6. Once the screws are out, pull the glass out, rear first.
7. Remove all the screws that hold the cover panel in. Those are the ones around the edge of the panel. Should be 4 on the top, one on each side and 3 on the bottom. (I am writing this from memory, so there may be 3 or 4 on top and bottom. I just went through this yesterday, it’s still fresh in my mind but can’t recall the number of screws, sorry).
8. Pull the panel bottom first, straight out about an inch or so and then slide the whole thing down to clear the window slider rails.
9. Now you should have a clear way to remove the front screw of the door handle.
10. To remove the back screw, stick the socket through the opening in the door body right above the lock. You are going to have to guide the socket with your hand through the rubber seals and to the screw. Guide it back out when the screw is loose because the socket will get stuck trying to get back out through all the rubber weather stripping.
11. You will notice that the handle won’t want to come right out even with the screws out. You will need to push it from the inside, top first.

At least this is an easier way than what I had to go through not knowing how this thing is put together.

Good luck. 

Painting – No Orange Peel

Painting cars is not as hard as it seems, painting cars well is a whole different story. I’ve been painting cars for about 6 years now off and on. Maybe about 4 to 5 per year. Having such big gaps of time between paint jobs really prevented me from really getting the hang of painting well. Some things I remember some I forget.

In September of 2005 I started my own body shop, now I get to paint a lot more and I seem to be learning a lot more, faster. I built a make shift paint booth in my shop, made 2 openings for filters. One in, one out from the booth into the shop. It didn’t work so good. The over spray stayed in the booth and created streaks in some metallic paint jobs. I finally invested in a nice exhaust fan, now everything gets blasted out of the booth and the shop.

Back to the topic of this post. I have always had problems with having more than descent orange peel effect in the clear coat. Even after buying a nice SATAjet 2000 paint gun, I was still seeing more orange peel than I want. It just creates more wet sanding work afterwards.

A couple of days ago while painting I accidentally turned up the pressure on the gun and while laying down a coat of clear I noticed it that it was laying down differently. It was laying down flat. So I conclude, to get a flatter clear coat in your paint job, turn up the pressure of your gun so it “mists” the clear on instead of spraying it on. I mean it will break down the solids to where they will lay down nice and straight.

I wish I could have found an article like this when I was having problems with my clear. I hope this helps someone. 

Toyota Prius makes owners the happiest

Consumer Reports says Toyota Prius makes owners most happy.

According to Consumer reports’ most recent survey, ninety-five percent of Prius owners said they would buy one again. The factors that make owners happiest when it comes to cars are performance, fuel economy, and reliability.

According to David Champion, senior director of Consumer Reports‘ Auto Test Department, its the Prius’s unusual design that should be credited for much of its appeal. Unlike hybrid versions of otherwise non-hybrid vehicles, the Prius makes a very public statement about the owner. “When you drive a Prius,” Champion says, “everyone can see you’re driving a hybrid,”.

The Prius is a gasoline/electric hybrid vehicle that runs partly on electricity generated by its gasoline engine. Owners can find replacement auto parts like headlights, floor mats, wheels and radiator at Auto Parts Corner.

DuPont Exploring New Horizons

DuPont has entered joint venture with a Russian auto finishes manufacturer, Russkie Kraski Corp. They are creating a new company, DuPont Russian Coatings LLC, which will supply automotive coatings to manufacturers of automobiles in Russia and former Soviet republics. They will use both parties’ technology to create a better product for Russian automotive industry.

Russkie Kraski is the largest manufacturer of automotive finishes in the Russian Federation. They have a sophisticated research and development, sales and marketing capabilities.

DuPont Russian Coatings will supply the carmakers of Russia, Belarus and Ukraine with high quality coatings for passenger cars, trucks and buses.

More Info