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J.D. Power customer survey of dealers counts Cadillac, Buick as big winners

Cadillac and Buick have taken the trophies in J.D. Power's latest Customer Service Index Study examining satisfaction with dealer service. Surveying more than 90,000 owners and lessees of 2009-2013 model-year cars, the study found that those with pre-paid maintenance packages were ten percent more likely to buy their next car from the same brand.
Dealer satisfaction scores have improved overall, Cadillac nabbed the luxury segment ahead of Audi and Lexus, taking the crown that Lexus held last year. Buick keeps the mass-market dealer satisfaction win in the family, finishing ahead of Volkswagen and last year's winner GMC. The study also found that service department use of tablets increased customer satisfaction, as did "best practices" like "providing helpful advice." Who knew?
You can find details on those and more findings in the press release below.

'Killing a Duramax' Gale Banks YouTube series methodically tunes a diesel to death

Learning or perfecting a skill by watching YouTube videos is known as attending YouTube University. GM Authority picked up on one of the video site's more fascinating courses, hosted by Gale Banks; in a fair world, he should be referred to as Professor Banks when it comes to diesel engines and truck tuning. A few months after GM introduced the updated L5P 6.6-liter Duramax diesel V8 in the 2020 Chevrolet Silverado HD and GMC Sierra HD that ships with 454 horsepower and 910 pound-feet of torque, Banks decided he wanted to methodically tune the engine to death. The purpose of the resulting series, called "Killing a Duramax," is to push more power out of the engine in order to discover which parts break and when — or, as Banks puts it, force-feed the Duramax "until the crank hits the street and the heads hit the hood." With that knowledge, Banks can figure out all the weak points on his way to building what he calls a "Superturbo," that being a supercharged, twin-turbo race engine with more than 1,000 hp. What makes the series fascinating is Banks' knowledge, paired with the company's comprehensive iDash engine monitoring system that keeps tabs on a glut of parameters every step of the way. So for instance, you get Banks explaining the differences between inches of mercury and barometric pressure, how those are different from the water content of the air measured in grains, then showing those readouts on the iDash, then explaining in detail how they affect the air density in the Duramax system. The stock Borg-Warner variable turbo gets a lot of airtime — Banks accuses it of being "out to lunch" because he feels it's the weakest link on the engine. That turns into a turbo teardown and a deep explanation of performance pitfalls, such as when air pressure on the turbine begins to diverge from the boost pressure coming from the compressor. Banks says he can keep close tabs on where power's coming from, because the iDash monitors the horsepower contribution provided by the ambient air, the turbo, and the intercooler separately. The major changes so far are a stouter Precision 7675 turbo and TurboSmart wastegate (episode 5), a twin intake (episode 6), a custom liquid-cooled intercooler from a marine engine, a new GM oil cooler and synthetic oil (episode 10), and new injectors (episode 11).

Chauffeur attacks motorist in road rage incident

A California man was the victim of an intense and violent road rage attack on the 405 freeway on Tuesday, but when the police were called they told the driver to shake it off. Shahnam Asbaghi told KTLA that the altercation began when a GMC Yukon private car began tailgating him. "This limousine Yukon driver was just tailgating me the whole time since when I got onto the 405 North," Asbaghi told reporters. "It was so bad I actually got scared and nervous so I exited early." When Asbaghi exited the freeway, the Yukon followed and rear ended him at the bottom of the ramp. "He just rammed me with his car at probably 25, 30 miles per hour," said Asbaghi. "When he hit me he got out of his car, came around to the driver's side and punched my window four or five times. Then he ran back to his car, got in his car, and drove away." Startled, Asbaghi followed his assailant in an attempt to get the Yukon's license plate number. After a quick chase, the Yukon stopped near Sepulveda Boulevard and Sherman Way where the driver got out of the truck, retrieved a long, unidentified item from the rear cargo area, and attacked Asbaghi's car again. Video shot by Asbaghi shows the chauffeur striking the driver's side window with the object, tossing it back in the Yukon, then leaving the scene. Asbaghi called 911, but the police weren't impressed. "Because my head wasn't smashed, because the window wasn't smashed, no harm no foul is what they told me," Asbaghi told KTLA. The cops did make the drivers exchange information, but no arrests were made. The Los Angeles Police Department is now looking into the incident to make sure they handled the situation correctly. The day after the attack, L.A. Private Car announced via Twitter that they fired the angry Chauffeur after reviewing the footage. News Source: KTLA Government/Legal Weird Car News GMC Driving Safety Crossover SUV Commercial Vehicles road rage 405 freeway chauffeur