2013 Chevrolet Malibu Turbo Coming in Late Fall

Chevrolet officials on hand for media drives of the new-generation 2013 Malibu midsize sedan say the turbocharged Malibu LT and LTZ will go into production "in a couple of months," meaning the car will be in showrooms sometime in the last quarter of the year.

The 259-horsepower turbocharged 2.0-liter four-cylinder will be available for the LT and LTZ trim levels of the 2013 Malibu lineup, which started sales earlier this year as a 2012 model solely in the mild-hybrid Eco variant. The lowest-cost buy-in for the Malibu turbo is an LT (with required 3LT trim) at $27,710, a price that includes the $760 destination rap. A top-trim Malibu LTZ turbo goes for $30,925 that includes destination.

The Malibu's turbo 2.0-liter joins the Malibu Eco's 2.4-liter and a conventional 2.5-liter four-cylinder (197 horsepower/191 pound-feet of torque) to form a three-powertrain lineup for the 2013 model year. Premium fuel is recommended, but not required for the turbo.

The expanding-for-2013 Malibu lineup also will include 10 standard airbags, up from the eight standard bags found in the 2012 Malibu Eco. For driver and passenger there are frontal airbags, knee bags and side-impact bags. Rear outboard passengers get pelvis/thorax side-impact bags and there are new roof-rail airbags on each side. Not enough baggage? Head/thorax side airbags for the 2013 Malibu's backseats are optional.

The 2013 Malibu's full-boat LTZ trim includes leather seats, heated front seats, remote start and 18-inch wheels. A premium package for the LTZ brings more: passive keyless entry with push-button start, high-intensity discharge headlights, memory for the driver seat and mirrors and 19-inchers at all four corners.

http://bit.ly/NHsevS

Your Monday Maintenance Tip: The Importance of Oil Changes

Having your oil changed on a regular basis is one of the most important things you can do to keep your car in proper running order. Literally speaking, there is no better way to keep your car in tip top performance and have it run for hundreds of thousands of miles than to keep your oil changed whenever it is recommended by the car manufacturer or the oil change shop. Oil changes cost under fifty dollars, even if you choose to have the top of the line oil added into your car, so there is really no reason why you could not afford such a simple and painless procedure. By getting your oil changed on a regular basis, you will not only improve the life of your cars engine, but you will also allow your car to maximize the horsepower it puts on the road; and you can make sure that all of your cylinders are firing and working as properly as when the car was new. 

The benefits of oil changes are not so great as the drawbacks of not getting your oil changed, which are catastrophic. While you do increase the life of your engine and keep your horsepower maximized by getting your oil changed regularly, these are not as significant as the problems that can arise if you do not change your oil when it is recommended to do so. Firstly, not changing your oil often enough can cause significant damage to your engine, as the oil is necessary to keep all of the moving parts lubricated. By not having enough oil or by using oil that has outlived its usefulness (is filled with dirt or has low viscosity), you run the risk of allowing parts to not work as efficiently as they possibly could.

In the long run, such parts grinding together without lubrication in such a stressful environment as an internal combustion engine could eventually lead to such parts fusing together, jamming up or altogether failing. This is catastrophic to your engine, as the engine could simply stop working or actually explode if enough parts refuse to work.

When you go to get your oil changed, you really have one of two different options. You can either choose to spend less money and simply purchase whatever oil you want to put into your car from a store and add it in yourself; or you could have a professional do it. Because of all of the major restrictions on what you can and cannot do with oil nowadays, it makes much more sense to have a professional do the oil change, as they have special ways in which they are able to dispose of it. If you do the change yourself, you will have to save all of the oil which you remove from the car and take it to a place like your local fire station to have professionals dispose of it, instead of you simply taking it to the dump or pouring it down the drain. Since there are so many hassles involved in changing the oil yourself, you may want to simply have professionals do it, even though it is more expensive.

 

Courtesy of Ezilon

Your Monday Maintenance Tip: Checking Lights and Direction Indicators

Lights are easier to check on a dull day or when daylight is fading.

SIDELIGHTS Two white at the front; two red at the back. Should be bright and of equal intensity. Look closely at the rear lights to see if there is a dim glow from the brake lights, turn indicators or high-intensity fog lights — this may mean a poor earth to the car body on the nearest sidelight. If the front sidelights are small bulbs set in the headlight reflector these may be dim — these little bulbs tend to overheat and go black inside. Not a MOT fail point as such if they are both equally dim, but it's best to replace them.

HEADLIGHTS Put the headlights on dipped beam. Both should shine with equal brightness — failure to do so means a bad electrical supply or earth at that bulb. The reflection from the lights on a wall or garage door should show the two beams pointing slightly down to the left and level.
There are adjusting screws or knobs behind each headlight, but unless a beam is so far out of line as to cause a hazard, it is probably best to leave adjustment to the MOT tester, who will usually use a beam-setter to set them spot on. Switch to main beam and make the same check —

REAR FOG LIGHT(S) Switch on the high-intensity red rear light(s) — your headlights need to be on dipped beam. If fitted, fog lights must work, so must the interior 'tell-tale' light on the instrument panel.

DIRECTION INDICATORS Turn the ignition on and operate the indicators. Check that there is a flashing 'tell tale' light on the instrument panel. Check that front and rear indicators are flashing.
The flash rate should be between 30 and 90 per minute. If it's just under 30 it may speed up once the engine is running, though not if the flasher unit is an electronic rather than a mechanical unit. Side repeater indicators on the wings must be working if fitted.

HAZARD WARNING LIGHTS With the indicators off, switch on the hazard flashers, checking for the warning light and/or tick inside. Walk round the car to ensure that all four hazards are flashing, and that no other lights are glowing dimly. Switch off hazard flashers.

BRAKE LIGHTS Get a helper to operate the foot brake while you check the brake lights. Again, both brake lights must be equally bright, with nothing else glowing. Switch off the ignition.

LIGHTING REPAIRS If a light isn't working, chances are the bulb is blown. Bulbs are standard items, so replacement is easy. Indicators and rear red hazard lamp bulbs are 21 watt; brake light and rear tail light are usually a 21 and a 5 watt combined into one bulb. This only fits one way round to ensure the brake light is the more powerful. If it doesn't slip in easily, don't force it! Ensure that the offset pins match the slots in the bulb holder.
Front sidelights are either small bulbs set in the headlamp reflector, or larger bulbs (around 5 watts) under separate covers. Headlight bulbs come in various fittings and types, so take the old bulb along when buying a replacement. Access to the bulbs is gained by either unclipping the bulb-holder from the back of the light housing (usually after removing a cover) or by use of a number 2 Pozidriv (cross-head) screwdriver to unscrew the coloured lens from the outside.

If you have a vehicle handbook, it may show the correct procedure for removing and fitting bulbs. Other reasons for a bulb not lighting may be broken or badly corroded wiring. If one lamp lights up another, check for broken or corroded wires or a damaged lamp-holder and replace them. Many rear light units are mounted on a printed circuit board. If the circuit strips corrode, a new unit will probably be needed.
Front sidelights are either small bulbs set in the headlamp reflector, or larger bulbs (around 5 watts) under separate covers. Headlight bulbs come in various fittings and types, so take the old bulb along when buying a replacement. Access to the bulbs is gained by either unclipping the bulb-holder from the back of the light housing (usually after removing a cover) or by use of a number 2 Pozidriv (cross-head) screwdriver to unscrew the coloured lens from the outside.
If you have a vehicle handbook, it may show the correct procedure for removing and fitting bulbs. Other reasons for a bulb not lighting may be broken or badly corroded wiring. If one lamp lights up another, check for broken or corroded wires or a damaged lamp-holder and replace them. Many rear light units are mounted on a printed circuit board. If the circuit strips corrode, a new unit will probably be needed.

LENSES & REFLECTORS Headlamp reflectors must be bright and not obviously misted, tarnished or corroded. The headlamp lens should not have any hole or a crack that could let in water. All plastic lenses covering the other lights should be the correct colour and not excessively faded.

 

Courtesy of 2Pass

Chevrolet Backs New Vehicle Lineup with Guarantee

DETROIT – Chevrolet is building on the momentum of record breaking global sales and the total transformation of its product lineup by making consumers a bold new guarantee – if you don’t love it, return it. 

Starting today participating U.S. retailers will offer the Chevy Confidence program which includes:

•  “Love it or Return it” – a vehicle return program on every new 2012 or 2013 model year vehicle purchase. Customers can return vehicles bought during the program, with less than 4,000 miles driven and no damage, 30 to 60 days from the purchase date.  It’s simple – if you don’t love it, return it.
• “Total Confidence Pricing” – all 2012 model year Chevrolets will be offered at special preferred prices in addition to all current vehicle-specific incentives.  No mystery about it – the price you see is the price you pay.
• For full program details and limitations go to chevyconfidence.com.

“We have transformed the Chevrolet lineup, so there is no better time than now to reach out to new customers with the love it or return it guarantee and very attractive, bottom line pricing,” said Chris Perry, Chevrolet global vice president of marketing. “We think customers who have been driving competitive makes or even older Chevrolets will be very pleased by today’s Chevrolet designs, easy-to-use technologies, comprehensive safety and the quality built into all of our cars, trucks and crossovers.”

“Research has shown customers respond positively to the confidence companies demonstrate with programs like this and appreciate the peace of mind that comes with knowing they have the option of being able to return their vehicle,” said Perry.

With a solid new lineup of vehicles to sell, Chevrolet’s U.S. dealers have worked to elevate the retail experience by undergoing a transformation of their own. The results are new showrooms that better showcase the brand, and more highly trained staffs delivering a greater level of customer service.

“Chevy Confidence adds another element of convenience to the retail experience that is sure to attract consumers to our showrooms, and we know through first-hand experience that once they get behind the wheel of one of our new products, they are more likely to take one home,” said Steve Hurley, co-chair of the Chevrolet Dealer Council. 

Chevrolet sold 4.76 million vehicles around the world in 2011, setting a global sales record, and is on track to build on that success in 2012 with its best-ever first quarter global sales of 1.18 million vehicles. The U.S. was the brand’s leading market and was the leader in both passenger car and performance car sales in 2011. During the past two calendar years, Chevrolet has grown faster than other high-volume global brands, bringing its global market share to 6.28 percent. 

Chevrolet vehicles are consistently recognized for delivering the quality, features and fuel economy that consumers want. For example, the Malibu was recently recognized as the highest-performing midsize car in the 2012 J.D. Power and Associates Initial Quality Study^SM.  The Silverado HD, Avalanche and Tahoe were also among the top three in their respective segments and the Chevrolet brand turned in its best-ever performance in the study with an overall improvement of 8 percent.

Courtesy of media.gm.com