Van Wheelchair Handicap Braun Power Ramp Dodge Grand Caravan 2004 Kneeling on 2040-cars

Auto blog

Dodge Viper now available in matte finish

The prospect of buying a new Dodge Viper just got that much more enticing with the introduction of matte-finish paint direct from the factory. Available as part of the "1 of 1" customization program, the matte finishes aren't being offered in just a handful of colors like some other automakers do: customers will be able to specify a matte finish on any of the 8,000 colors that are already part of the program's palette. The matte finish option adds yet another step to the exhaustive hand-painting process that Dodge offers on the Viper - a painstaking endeavor that takes upwards of 145 man hours to complete. Specialists start by applying a base coat and a clear finish, followed by the paint and clear coat. The finished body panels are then smoothed with 1,000-grit paper and polished. A second sanding process is required for the matte finish before the application of a matte clear coat. Specify custom stripes (available in five colors or by custom order) and they're applied under the paint, not as decals on top. The availability of the matte finish in conjunction with the stripe options and new satin badging and fuel cap leads to over 50 million combinations. Needless to say, that means no two Vipers need ever leave the Conner Avenue assembly plant the same – though there will surely always be certain favorite combinations, especially on those units ordered from outside the customization program. Related Video: DODGE EXPANDS INDUSTRY-FIRST '1 OF 1' VIPER CUSTOMIZATION PROGRAM WITH NEW MATTE-FINISH PAINT OPTION - New matte-finish exterior paint available on all of Viper '1 of 1' program's 8,000 exterior color options and 24,000 stripe options - Viper's custom '1 of 1' exterior paint options double to 16,000 exterior colors and 48,000 unique strip combinations - Matte finish available in all exclusive '1 of 1' program and standard production colors - In addition to matte-finish exterior paint, Viper customers can choose between satin chrome or satin black badging and fuel filler door for a sinister appearance - Dodge Viper owners can build their one-of-a-kind Viper from more than 50 million unique build configurations for the ultimate in model year exclusivity June 19, 2015 , Auburn Hills, Mich. - The Dodge brand continues to expand the Viper's exclusive production elements like never before.

Chrysler extends fuel tank warranties on LX cars, NHTSA ends probe

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration has ended its investigation of 153,817, 5.7-liter and 6.1-liter Hemi V8-powered 2006 Chrysler 300, Dodge Charger and Dodge Magnum models after reports of stalling. Chrysler has responded by granting a lifetime warranty on the fuel tanks for these vehicles.
NHTSA received 299 reports of engines stalling while the models were stopped or driving at low speeds, and began an investigation. The government agency found that the control valve shutoff float in the V8s' 19-gallon fuel tank could malfunction if the fuel had too high of an ethanol content. In many cases, the valve would break in the open position, allowing the tank to be overfilled, which would then cause the cars to stall. However, there were no accidents reported, and the vehicles could be restarted immediately.
There will not be a recall on these vehicles because, "the condition represents a low risk to motor vehicle safety and is adequately addressed by Chrysler's extended warranty," NHTSA said to The Detroit News.

Old Dodge vans are big in Japan

One of the great things about Japan and its car culture is that it plays host to some of the most unusual and unique vehicle trends in the world. Whether it's neon-clad Lamborghinis or luxury sedans with insane negative camber, the country always seems to have something new up its sleeve. One of the most surprising trends is track-ready, full-size Dodge vans called Dajibans, and the video above presents a great look at these absurd machines. This isn't the first time we've covered these racing Dodge vans, but it's a subculture too awesome not to merit a second look. For one thing, just as American fans of Japanese cars here like to use JDM (Japanese Domestic Market) parts on their cars, the owners of these Dodges like to use American parts. Many of the vans feature Little Tree air fresheners inside and even have Spectre air filters on the intakes. Who would've thought there would be a market for Autozone's bread and butter auto accessories? Plus, these vans get some other impressive mods. Notice that some vans that appear to have stock metal bumpers, but they're actually fiberglass replicas in the original shape and given a chrome-like paint job. The video's host, an Australian drift fanatic named Alexi who lives in Japan and runs website called Noriyaro.com, gets some great onboard footage, too. One of the vans he rides along in is powered by a generally stock 318 Dodge V8, and still has the original automatic transmission and column shifter. Impressively, the driver manages to manually shift it without grabbing the wrong gear, and even rev matches the shifts. Alexi explains that the driver can catch neutral in-between gears three and two, so there's a brief moment where he can blip the throttle. There's even more information in the video, and it's all fantastic fun to watch. If you decide you haven't seen enough of Dajibans, you can also check out our previous post on it, which is more polished and provides some history and context to the trend. Related Video: News Source: Noriyaro via YouTube Auto News Dodge Minivan/Van Performance Videos JDM trends