Auto Trends

The Nissan Maxima is one of several models built by the automaker at its two Tennessee assembly plants. Truck and SUV sales have dropped dramatically for the automaker this year, resulting in separation packages being offered to as many 1200 employees.

The Big 3 aren’t the only automakers suffering this year. Of course, if you discount the US market, mostly everyone is doing quite well including Ford and General Motors. Overseas sales are up, but the US market is down thanks to a sour economy and high gas prices.

Honda Plays It Safe

Nissan and Toyota have been hammered, mostly because both automakers dared to tread where Honda refused to go: build big trucks and SUVs. In Tennessee, where Nissan has a pair of production plants, workers are being offered money to quit their jobs as Nissan contracts production. The company has plants in Smyrna and Decherd where employees are being offered incentives of $100-125,000 to leave the company.

This is the first time since Nissan started building cars in the US that the Japanese automaker will be letting people go. The company hopes that 1200 workers take advantage of the offer considering that come August 11th one assembly line in Smyrna that builds trucks will lose a shift. Demand for the big Nissan Titan is way down as it is for the Ford F-150, Dodge Ram, Chevy Silverado, GMC Sierra, and for the Toyota Tundra.

According to the Detroit Free Press, the Smyrna plant produces Nissan’s highest-volume car, the Altima, its Xterra and Pathfinder SUVs, Frontier compact pickup, and Maxima flagship sedan.

“We feel this program is a good opportunity for employees wanting to transition to another phase in life,” Bill Krueger, Nissan North America senior vice president, said in a statement. “This will provide many with the financial means to take a step they otherwise might not have been able to take.”

Nissan hasn’t said what they will do if they don’t get the full 1200 people willing to take a buy out offer. To date, the company has never laid off a U.S. worker, but that might change if not enough people agree to voluntarily leave the company.

(Source: Detroit Free Press)

The high profile of most SUVs and trucks makes stealing a catalytic converter an easier task for brazen thieves.

Just about every vehicle sold in the United States must come equipped with a catalytic converter, a device which helps to convert noxious and polluting gases into low emissions carbon dioxide and water. Though the widespread use of catalytic converters has done a wonderful job in cutting down on air pollution, there are some cautions motorists must consider with this technology, a part which works quietly with your vehicle’s exhaust system. Let’s take a look at what you need to know about your car’s catalytic converter.

Known in the automotive parts industry as “catcon” or simply as “cat,” catalytic converters began to show up on passenger vehicles in 1975. The Nixon Administration, which founded the Environmental Protection Agency, was behind the Clean Air Act, legislation designed to manage the air pollution problem impacting our nation during the late 1960s and early 1970s. Since then, catcons have been added to trucks, buses, forklifts, and a host of other transportation vehicles.

As helpful as catalytic converters can be, problems with these devices can occur. other than possible failure, which typically goes unnoticed until your vehicle fails its next DMV inspection, the intense heat associated with this device can cause problems.

Specifically, if you tinker with your own vehicle, you must permit your car to cool down completely before working in the vicinity of the exhaust system. Catalytic converters can get as hot as 1800 degrees fahrenheit, thus any burns sustained from touching a hot catcon can be extremely painful, possibly even lethal.

Car owners have also discovered that a catalytic converter can be a fire hazard. Since 1975, fire department have found that many automotive fires have been started because a motorist parked a car over dry leaves. Even with the engine turned off a hot catcon can emit sparks which can ignite leaves underneath. Should that unfortunate event happen, your car could be devoured by flames within minutes and destroyed.

Additionally, there are dangers to the catalytic converter itself. The fact that the unit burns at such hot temperatures means that they can suffer rapid thermal deactivation. Some experts suggest switching to synthetic engine oil to help reduce phosphorous contaminants which are a known contributor to failure.

By law, you may not remove your catcon without risk of being subjected to legal action. Thieves love to steal catalytic converters which are easily removed from cars and can be resold for a few hundred dollars. Unfortunately, the resultant damage that may occur can be extensive including harm done to your electrical system or fuel line.

Overall, catalytic converters have benefited society tremendously by helping to keep our air clean. Like any part associated with your car, knowing its capabilities, cautions, and limitations is essential to keeping you and your passengers safe.