Motor Trend is lending its name and brand to a certified used car program at Planet Honda in Union, New Jersey. The program is actually "powered by" EasyCare, a company that provides a suite of contract services like maintenance and repair warranties and GAP insurance to new owners. (EasyCare was a Motor Trend "Best Buy" last year.) Formerly called APCO, EasyCare was until last year a Ford subsidiary. As a private company, it still oversees the certified used car programs for Land Rover, Volvo, Mazda and Jaguar, and works with 3,000 dealerships in the U.S.

Planet Honda – a three-time Honda Excellence Award winner – has been named a Motor Trend Certified Advantage Dealership. That means it has a vehicle certification program approved by MT and provides "a noticeably better buying and ownership experience." Now, not only does Planet Honda guarantee the quality of the vehicle, but buyers will also get other EasyCare services like paintless dent removal and 24/7 concierge service with the car.

There are three MT Certified Advantage dealerships as of now, and probably more on the way. Sounds like a fine idea; after all, if you have the brand equity, no reason not to cash in on use it. If this does well for them, we just hope they don't pull a Ferrari and keep squeezing the licensing teat until every possible appliance has been sprayed with the Motor Trend logo. You can read the press release on the program after the jump.

It's our pleasure to announce that the economic downturn is responsible for something you might actually want, other than cheap gas: Volvo is offering free maintenance for three years or 36,000 miles on all 2009 models. Volvo ran the program most recently until 2006. But with sales in the tank, Volvo dealers have been pleading with Volvo to bring it back in a bid to get more customers. Volvo higher ups finally agreed, and dealers think that this will help a potential customer choose Volvo over another make, especially a domestic, if she knows she won't be on the hook for creaks and leaks. BMW, Land Rover, MINI, and Saab also have free maintenance programs, and VW has started the program for its 2009 models. Now if only Volvo offered the S60 Concept with free maintenance...

[Source: Automotive News - Sub. Req.]

The pains many automobile owners are feeling at their local service station isn't just at the pump -- prices for general maintenance is also increasing. Petroleum based products, such as oil and tires, are heading north with the price of gasoline. Demand for steel has also pushed up prices on various automotive parts. That means consumers are seeing larger bills from their auto repair specialists, even when their exhaust doesn't require three people to install. Instead, many are choosing to squeeze pennies and skimp on elaborate repairs in order to stay on the road. AAA says in 2008 the average vehicle owner will spend $8,121 to operate their automobile. That is up nearly $300 from last year. The only ease in operational expenses could come from the insurance industry. As costs increase, people drive less and less, which should subsequently lead to fewer accidents and lower premiums.

[Source: Detroit News]

As Chrysler moves ahead with its "consolidation strategy" (a.k.a. Project Genesis), it's apparently had enough foresight to realize that shutting down dealerships seriously handicaps your ability to service your customers. According to Steven Landry, Chrysler executive vice president of North American sales, the company's solution will be "stand-alone service stores" -- it is easiest to think of them as dealerships that have closed, but the service department still remains open.

While the first stand-alone service store is still about two years from opening its doors, Chrysler is in active talks with a handful of other retailers about the strategy with customer service as their goal. "If we all of a sudden go from 80 stalls to 40 stalls we don't want to do our customers a disservice," says Landry. "You need to have the right number of stalls." Funny, any woman at a professional sporting event could have told you that.

[Source: Automotive News, subs. req'd]

Before I owned the '99 Alero, there was the '94 Protege. I had a habit of keeping the receipt for every drop of gas I put in that car. They were all stuffed in the glove box with the intent that I would plot a nice graph showing the Protege's gas mileage over time when it came to sell. Well, the Protege died a sudden death, so the car was never sold and the receipts went in the trash, but I've always liked the idea of tracking my vehicle's history for the benefit of the next owner and, ultimately, my own wallet.

We found a site that lets you do just that called Ownersite. Its founder and CEO is Steven Eppinger who used to own and run F150Online.com before it was sold to Internet Brands back in April. Truck owners have been known to keep very detailed records of their beasts, which was a fact that led Eppinger to start Ownersite as his next venture. It does what you'd expect it to – allows for tracking your vehicle's mileage, maintenance, mpg, repairs, etc., but we've found it goes many levels deeper than other vehicle history tracking software and sites. For instance, it also monitors recalls and TSBs issued by the NHTSA and immediately alerts you if any affect the vehicle your driving.

[Source: Ownersite.com]

Who would have thought that Pixar would turn out to be a prophet of the automotive industry? In creating its talking automobiles for the computer-animated film Cars, the Disney-associated studio might have done just that, as a group of engineering students in England have demonstrated.

The team at Cambridge developed a "talking" car of their own. Based on a Fiat Stilo, the prototype is capable of telling mechanics what's working and what's not. By transmitting radio signal tags, engine components can inform workshop staff of the working condition of specific parts, as well as identifying parts that haven't received recall work yet and what parts are worth salvaging should the car be heading for the scrap yard.

According to Prof. Duncan McFarlane, the team is discussing selling the technology to "a number of firms", and we hope that the feature gets adopted fast. This is one piece of tech that really speaks to us.

[Source: Auto Express]

With Part I out of the way and the front end of our Buick Roadmaster in pieces, the next logic step is to start putting things back together. In this installment, we'll get the control arms buttoned up, and pay some loving attention to the steering gear. Click through for more grease-under-the-fingernails goodness.

Suspension components, charged with providing articulation while withstanding a constant beating from rough roads, live an incredibly tough life. Proper maintenance that includes regular lubrication helps, but once the odometer clicks over the sixth digit, it's often time for some fresh components. While the slow onset of wear might mask any issues, all it'll take is a spin in a newer vehicle or a look at the tread wear pattern to get some perspective on the problem.

Fortunately, for most of us, like-new handling precision can be restored with a few hours, a couple hundred bucks of parts (and maybe that much again for some specialty tools), and a skinned knuckle or two. We're going to tear into the front end of our 155,000-mile Buick Roadmaster to show you how it's done, and it might get some mild upgrades while we're at it.

Ford has been studying the question of when to suggest oil changes, and they've hit upon 7,500 miles for 2007 and newer cars. Not only are modern oils better, modern engines are also better. You don't have carburetors metering poorly on winter mornings, tolerances are a lot tighter, and operating temperatures are typically a little hotter, helping to cook off the junk that accumulates in the oil. Some manufacturers use a sensor to monitor the health of the oil and light a service lamp when it calculates change is required. Ford contends that its customers prefer a set amount of miles between changes. The automaker also cites the environmental benefits that come from less waste oil, monetary savings, as well as extensive tests as positive aspects of the new recommendation. I'm convinced that the only reason to suggest changing the oil at 3,000 miles in a modern car is to sell more oil. Perhaps an air-cooled Porsche would stress dino juice more, and could sensibly require changes at 3K, but you can stretch to drain intervals that would make your father gasp and clutch his chest by running modern oils in your modern engine. Of course, your driving pattern has a lot to do with it, as well. If you're in town for short hops, you'll require a shorter drain interval than the guy running Mobil 1 for his highway commute and changing the oil at 25 kilomile intervals (raising my hand).

[Source: AP]

A while back, we expounded on some simple items that brought more joy to the automotive arts. Spring is just around the corner, and we've compiled a big ol' list of things to address in celebration of the Vernal Equinox. Unpacking the tools from their long winter nap is a ritual here, and it's like reconnecting with old friends. Off we go.