2012 Mercedes-benz R350 4matic Wagon 4-door 3.5l on 2040-cars

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GM cutting back on powertrain warranty citing lack of interest

Generally, when a manufacturer offers a long, high-mileage warranty, it's a sign that it stands behind its products. On top of that, it's generally a selling point for consumers, who can rest easy knowing that any catastrophic failures will be picked up by the manufacturer. Considering those facts, it does seem rather strange that General Motors is slashing the mileage warranty on model year 2016 vehicles from Chevrolet and GMC. Instead of offering consumers a 100,000-mile warranty, GM will now only offer a powertrain warranty up to 60,000 miles. The five-year warranty period, though, remains unchanged. GM will also cut the number of free services being offered to Chevy and GMC owners, as well as Buick drivers, from four to two. "Through research, we have determined that when purchasing a new vehicle, included maintenance and warranty rank low on the list of reasons why consumers consider a particular brand over another," explained a memo sent to dealers by Chevrolet VP Brian Sweeney and his GMC counterpart, Duncan Aldred, and obtained by Automotive News. "As a result, we have benchmarked our competitors, reviewed our current offerings and have concluded the following modifications to align closely with our customers' needs and expectations." While the move might seem odd, Sweeney and Aldred are right – according to Automotive News, Ford, Honda and Toyota each offer a five-year, 60,000-mile powertrain warranty. As for what the money saved by trimming the powertrain warranty will go towards, a GM spokesperson simply told AN that the company will "reinvest the savings we will realize into other retail programs," some of which have been requested by consumers. What are your thoughts? Would a 40,000-mile reduction in a new vehicle's powertrain really turn you off from buying one? Even if it matched its competitors? Is GM better off spending its money elsewhere? Have your say in Comments. Featured Gallery 2016 Chevrolet Equinox View 10 Photos News Source: Automotive News - sub. req.Image Credit: Chevrolet Chevrolet GM GMC Auto Repair Maintenance Ownership warranty

Leak reveals GM's 2017 heavy duty diesel trucks to get 910 lb-ft of torque [UPDATE]

UPDATE: Chevrolet officially announced specs for the 2017 Silverado HD and the rumors were true. The truck's new Duramax 6.6-liter turbo-diesel V8 puts out 445 horsepower and 910 pound-feet of torque. Chevrolet says the new motor produces 19 percent more torque and 12 percent more horsepower, while producing 35 percent fewer emissions. Overall, the new engine is a big improvement over the current motor, which generates 397 horsepower and 765 pound-feet of torque. According to Truck Trend, GM's newest heavy duty pickup trucks will pick up quite a bit more power and torque. The publication spotted a recent GM Powertrain ordering catalog that had the engine specs for the 2017 model year and managed to get some screenshots before the catalog was taken down, and they can be viewed here. The screenshots revealed that the 6.6-liter turbodiesel V8 powering the Silverado and Sierra heavy duty models will boast 445 horsepower and 910 lb-ft of torque. This is a substantial gain over the current models' 397 horsepower and 765 lb-ft of torque, and as Truck Trend points out, it exceeds the Ford Super Duty line's horsepower output of 440, but comes short of the 925 lb-ft rating. Truck Trend credits part of this output gain to the new intake system GM will introduce on the 2017 heavy duties. The intake gets 60 percent of its air from a scoop on the hood, with the other 40 percent coming from behind one of the front fenders. GM doesn't reveal horsepower figures in the press release about the scoop, but it does say the cooler air helps with maintaining the engine's output, and that the scoop does produce a ram-air affect, providing more air at speed. As we know, more air plus more fuel equals more power, but there's likely more to the power increase in this engine than only the intake. Related Video: News Source: Truck Trend via MSN Chevrolet GM GMC Truck Diesel Vehicles

Junkyard Gem: 1980 Chevrolet LUV Mikado

During the 1970s and into the 1980s, each member of the Detroit Big Three imported Japanese small pickups and sold them with Ford (Mazda Proceed), Dodge/Plymouth (Mitsubishi Forte), or Chevrolet (Isuzu Faster) badges here. Ford developed the Ranger and killed the Courier for 1983 (though Americans could still buy the Mazda-badged version all the way through 1993), while The General axed the LUV after the S-10 debuted in the 1982 model year. Isuzu sold the same truck as the P'up through 1987, though, and we might as well follow up our recent P'up Junkyard Gem with its LUV predecessor. LUV stood for Light Utility Vehicle, and I've managed to spot a handful in the boneyards over the years. This one now resides in a yard in northeastern Colorado. The Mikado trim package included striped seat upholstery and a sporty steering wheel, plus these cool dash badges. As far as I can tell, no LUV Mikado advertising featured any Gilbert and Sullivan tunes. This one is fairly rusty for Front Range Colorado, and it has endured a bed swap from some other small truck. The engine is the 75-horse Isuzu 1.8-liter. Members of this engine family went into everything from Chevy Chevettes to Isuzu Troopers in the United States. Very unusually for a small pickup during the Malaise Era, this one has a luxurious automatic transmission. Acceleration must have been a leisurely affair in this truck. Air conditioning? Unheard of! Someone stuck every one of their lunchtime apple stickers on the driver's door. After 41 years of work, this truck is done. Come on strong in a LUV of your own!