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Tech Info + News

Why Did My Tire Pressure Monitor System Warning (TPMS) Light Come On?

Now that the brisk fall mornings are upon us, many of you will start your cars in the morning and be greeted by the worrisome TPMS light.

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The pressure in your tires is affected by the ambient temperature outside.  Tire pressure will drop approximately 1lb. per ten degrees of outdoor temperature.  If your tire pressure was last set during 70 degree temperatures, then you will be approximately 4 lbs. low on that first 30 degree morning; this will trip your TPMS warning light.

When you see your TPMS light, it is VERY IMPORTANT that you check  your tire pressure as soon as possible. While tires may be a few pounds low due to the weather, this could also be an indication of a puncture or other severe problem with one, or more than one, of your tires.  This is a safety issue, as a compromised tire is prone to a blow-out, making your vehicle extremely hard to control and potentially causing an accident.

Be sure to adjust tire pressure as soon as possible.  Remember that driving your car with low tire pressure has three negative impacts on your vehicle.

First. and most important, your vehicle’s handling will be compromised.  The small, tire “contact patches” are the areas where your tires meet the pavement, and are responsible for the acceleration, stopping, and turning abilities of your vehicle.  Even small changes in tire pressure will have a big impact on those contact patches. Professional racecar drivers adjust each tire by as little as ½ lb. in order to make the car handle precisely the way they want.

Low tire pressure will also negatively impact your fuel economy. Low pressure makes the tires more resistant to rolling; therefore, the engine has to work harder to make the vehicle move.  Fuel economy goes down by approximately 0.3% for each 1 lb. drop in tire pressure.

Finally, driving on under-inflated tires has a profoundly negative impact on the life and wear of your tires. Underinflated tires generate more heat and cause excessive wear to the outer edges of the tires.

If you have a good quality tire pressure gauge, you can easily check and adjust your own tire pressure. Here is a tip: Check your tire pressure first thing in the morning, when the air is cold and before you drive anywhere.  If your tires are 3 lbs. low, drive to your nearest service station and add 3 lbs. to each. As you continue to drive, tire pressure will increase from the heat generated by friction, as the tires roll on the pavement. It is much better to be 3 lbs. high rather than 3 lbs. low. You can find the manufacturer’s recommended cold-inflation pressures on the driver’s side door jamb.

You can also have your mechanic check and adjust your pressures. Midwest Performance Cars is happy to adjust your pressures and perform a complete vehicle safety check at no charge.  Call us at (312) 432-9492 to set up an appointment, or use our online scheduler .

What you need to know about the NHTSA airbag recall

The Takata Corporation is a leading global supplier of automotive safety systems such as seat belts, air bags and child seats. The company has 46 plants in 17 countries around the world. (AP Photo/Jens Meyer)
The Takata Corporation is a leading global supplier of automotive safety systems such as seat belts, air bags and child seats. The company has 46 plants in 17 countries around the world. (AP Photo/Jens Meyer)

Most of us have heard of the massive recall surrounding vehicles with airbags manufactured by Takata Corporation in Japan. This has been all over the news this week as the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) has increased the number of vehicles included from 4.7 million to 7.8 million.

The list of vehicles (as of October 24, 2014) that could have these defective airbags is shown below.

There has been a lot of confusion relating to this recall. Here is what you need to know:

The problem originates with the propellant used in he manufacturing process; it was either too powerful, or becomes too powerful in humid conditions. In an accident, pieces of the airbag’s frame and propellant container pierce the airbag and shoot out like shrapnel, along with the propellant itself. This can, and has, caused serious injury to the vehicle’s occupants.

The NHTSA believes that the concern is greatest for people living in high-humidity areas such as Florida, Puerto Rico, and areas near the Gulf of Mexico. In those geographical areas, the NHTSA is urging people to take IMMEDIATE action, and not to drive their vehicles until the airbags have been replaced.

In the rest of the country, there have been a few incidents reported in Indiana, Ohio, Maryland, and Illinois. Some manufacturers identified these issues as early as 2008 and sent out recall letters at that time.

What should you do if you have a vehicle on the list below?

Go to the NHTSA website – https://vinrcl.safecar.gov/vin/ – enter your VIN, and check if your vehicle is subject to the recall. If it is, no matter what area you live in, YOU ARE STONGLY URGED to visit your dealership as soon as possible, and have the airbags replaced.  Vehicles in Chicago are subject to extremely humid interiors – often from blocked drains or even from a window left open during a storm.  You simply cannot afford to take the risk that the airbag, which is meant to save you, could actually cause you serious bodily harm. Also, as this list is still evolving, checking every few weeks is highly recommended, until the list is finalized.

From the NHTSA Website:

7.8 Million Affected U.S. Vehicles, by Manufacturer, Impacted by CY 2013 and 2014 Recalls Involving Takata Airbags

Note: The list below corrects the list that accompanied our October 20th advisory, which incorrectly included certain vehicles. The numbers cited for potentially affected vehicles below are subject to change and adjustment because there may be cases of vehicles being counted more than once. Owners should check their VIN periodically as manufacturers continue to add VINs to the database. Once owner recall notices are available, owners can retrieve a copy from SaferCar.gov, or will receive one by U.S. mail and are advised to carefully follow the enclosed instructions.

BMW: 627,615 total number of potentially affected vehicles

2000 – 2005 3 Series Sedan
2000 – 2006 3 Series Coupe
2000 – 2005 3 Series Sports Wagon
2000 – 2006 3 Series Convertible
2001 – 2006 M3 Coupe
2001 – 2006 M3 Convertible

Chrysler: 371,309 total number of potentially affected vehicles
2003 – 2008 Dodge Ram 1500
2005 – 2008 Dodge Ram 2500
2006 – 2008 Dodge Ram 3500
2006 – 2008 Dodge Ram 4500
2008 – Dodge Ram 5500
2005 – 2008 Dodge Durango
2005 – 2008 Dodge Dakota
2005 – 2008 Chrysler 300
2007 – 2008 Chrysler Aspen

Ford: 58,669 total number of potentially affected vehicles
2004 – Ranger
2005 – 2006 GT
2005 – 2007 Mustang

General Motors: undetermined total number of potentially affected vehicles
2003 – 2005 Pontiac Vibe
2005 – Saab 9-2X

Honda: 5,051,364 total number of potentially affected vehicles
2001 – 2007 Honda Accord)
2001 – 2002 Honda Accord
2001 – 2005 Honda Civic
2002 – 2006 Honda CR-V
2003 – 2011 Honda Element
2002 – 2004 Honda Odyssey
2003 – 2007 Honda Pilot
2006 – Honda Ridgeline
2003 – 2006 Acura MDX
2002 – 2003 Acura TL/CL
2005 – Acura RL

Mazda: 64,872 total number of potentially affected vehicles
2003 – 2007 Mazda6
2006 – 2007 MazdaSpeed6
2004 – 2008 Mazda RX-8
2004 – 2005 MPV
2004 – B-Series Truck

Mitsubishi: 11,985 total number of potentially affected vehicles
2004 – 2005 Lancer
2006 – 2007 Raider

Nissan: 694,626 total number of potentially affected vehicles
2001 – 2003 Nissan Maxima
2001 – 2004 Nissan Pathfinder
2002 – 2004 Nissan Sentra
2001 – 2004 Infiniti I30/I35
2002 – 2003 Infiniti QX4
2003 – 2005 Infiniti FX35/FX45

Subaru: 17,516 total number of potentially affected vehicles
2003 – 2005 Baja
2003 – 2005 Legacy
2003 – 2005 Outback
2004 – 2005 Impreza

Toyota: 877,000 total number of potentially affected vehicles
2002 – 2005 Lexus SC
2002 – 2005 Toyota Corolla
2003 – 2005 Toyota Corolla Matrix
2002 – 2005 Toyota Sequoia
2003 – 2005 Toyota Tundra

 

1978 Porsche 911 Engine Rebuild – UPDATE

Our ongoing rebuild of this 1978 Porsche 911 SC engine deserves an update, if for nothing more than the beautiful new pictures of the sandblasted, repainted engine!

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Extensive tinwork needed to be modified, as the original pieces had already been removed, discarded, or otherwise altered from their stock configuration.

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The fan was replaced as well, and the housing altered to accommodate new pieces. Everything was then coated in hi-heat red or black paint.

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The engine has now been fully assembled, and was re-installed this morning.

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Startup, tweaking, road testing, and more tweaking await!

1978 Porsche 911 Engine Rebuild

A 1978 Porsche 911 engine rebuild getting to the final stages. This flat 6 received all new seals, glass bead blasting of heads & valves with re-grinding, deglazing & honing of nikasil surfaces, media-blasting and hi-temp repainting of all tinwork.

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Add to that a list of sundry parts needing replacement, and this 911’s owner will have a vehicle to enjoy for many years forward.

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These air-cooled 911’s have gone up in value so much in the last few years, that every penny of expert work invested can usually be recaptured immediately.

Porsche Panamera Engine Self-Destruction

Our 2010 Porsche Panamera 4S job is progressing, with the cylinder head due back from engine shop today. Here are some photos with descriptive labels, as well as the 2 bent intake valves that resulted from cam adjuster bolts shearing off during engine operation.

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This is clearly a known fault with these aluminum cam adjuster bolts, as Porsche has recalled over 14,000 2009 to 2011 vehicles sold in China due to this exact failure. Expect to see similar issues in the Cayenne engines as well, with the vehicle throwing PSM failure, Check Engine, Start/Stop deactivated, and ABS fault indicators, followed by complete engine shutdown.

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Our Porsche technician quite literally found the “needle in the haystack” while inspecting this engine. After further extensive research, we discovered the fault in our customer’s Panamera mill was not unique.