Archive for the ‘repairs’ Category

Although this summer's Cash for Clunkers (CARS) program provided the right kind of push for some owners to replace their guzzling jalopies with new cars, it's probably not so surprising that new-vehicle buyers plan to hold on to their vehicles longer than ever before. So-called "rapid replacers" have backed off on plans to get what's hot almost every year, while a growing number of buyers are keeping vehicles for six years or more. Other families hobble along with second or third vehicles that have well over 100,000 miles.

According to AutoPacific's 2009 New Vehicle Satisfaction survey, conducted this spring, about 59 percent of recent...

Volkswagen late last week issued a service program covering several Volkswagen and Audi models equipped with Direct Shift Gearboxes (DSG).

In a release, Volkswagen Group of America reported that some owners of vehicles with the DSG transmission have reported “performance issues, due to a faulty component in some of the units.”

The program affects about 43,000 Volkswagens and 10,300 Audis in all, including 2007-2009 models of the Volkswagen Eos, GTI, Jetta, R32, and SportWagen, plus the Audi A3 and TT.

This is unrelated, VW says, to a voluntary recall issued August 20, covering a faulty temperature sensor and affecting a smaller group of...

Despite the Cash-for-Clunkers frenzy, overall new-vehicle sales remain way down versus two or three years ago. So it wouldn't be at all a stretch to say that more people today are holding on to their cars longer than they'd intended to.

If the term 'late model' no longer applies to your car and you're going to keep it for another year or two, maybe even longer—after all, your car probably won’t depreciate as much from here on out—it's time to start thinking about a plan of action for when your vehicle needs a significant or costly repair.

Trying a mechanic is a bit like dating. Try a new shop out on routine maintenance, and gauge your...