Perfection
Auto Works is a professional car and truck repair facility in Tucson, Arizona that
provides personal service as well as reasonable prices that
reflect our hands on experience. We, specialize in PORSCHE, BMW, MERCEDES BENZ, AUDI, VOLKSWAGEN (VW), JAGUAR,
LEXUS, SAAB, INFINITI, VOLVO, FORD, CHEVROLET, MITSUBISHI, HONDA, NISSAN, and TOYOTA.
In addition to complete automotive maintenance service and
repair on BMW, PORSCHE, MERCEDES BENZ, VOLKSWAGEN (VW), SAAB, VOLVO, MAZDA,
LEXUS, INFINITI, HONDA, MITSUBISHI, FORD, CHEVROLET, NISSAN, and TOYOTA, we provide tow service, auto repair, alarm/stereo installation and
repair, auto detailing, extended warranty service, and
anything else you could think of for your car. Our technicians
are ASE certified and repair cars in Tucson.
Toyota has announced two new Toyota Racing Development (TRD) option packages for its Tacoma pickup truck. Inspired by last year's SEMA show truck, the packages feature a combo of TRD pieces at a discounted price. Both the T|X and T|X PRO packages can be added to 4x2 PreRunner or 4x4 Tacoma V6 Access Cabs or V6 Double Cabs equipped with the TRD Off-Road Package.
The T|X Package includes TRD 16-inch black alloy bead-lock wheels and 265/70R16 BF Goodrich Rugged Trail tires, black tube side steps, a stainless steel exhaust tip and unique exterior graphics for $1,699 (a $754-savings compared to the items ordered as separate options). The T|X Pro Package is a TRD cat-back exhaust system which gives the V6 a throatier sound and a bit more power. Also priced at $1,699, the T|X Pro Package represents a savings of $720 versus the package contents added as separate accessories. Both T|X and T|X Pro packages are covered under the three-year/36,000 mile vehicle warranty.
Nissan will unveil the 2011 Rogue on Saturday, July 31 at the 23rd Annual International Z Car Convention in Nashville. The Rogue gets a mild refresh with some exterior styling tweaks, an upgraded interior, plus some comfort/convenience and entertainment system enhancements. Trim and option packages have also been revised, as the 2011 Rogue is now offered in two levels, S and SV, along with the sportier Rogue S Krom Edition. The 2011 Rogue is scheduled to go on sale at Nissan dealers on August 13.
New bits for the exterior nip-tuck include the front fascia and grille, front and rear spoilers, chrome side door guard molding, front and rear tire deflectors and a chrome license plate finisher. The Rogue S Krom Edition and SL Package get new 18-inch aluminum-alloy wheels with low rolling resistance tires and a new under-body cover. These mods were aimed at improved fuel economy. EPA Highway ratings jump 1 mpg (to 28 mpg) for front-wheel-drive models, and 1 mpg City (to 22 mpg) for all-wheel-drive versions.
We always hear the advice that you should take a used car to a mechanic for an inspection before you buy it. But this process can be a bit thornier than you expect, as I found out recently when my son sold a family car. It made me think the whole process through more completely and prompted me to balance my recommendations for both buyers and sellers.
My son listed our 2000 Mitsubishi Galant on Craigslist and three college-aged women came to take a look at it. They asked to take the car to their mechanic and my son went along with them. An hour later I got one of those panicked, "What should I do now?" calls from him.
The usual chatter in the Edmunds CarSpace forums revolves around what to buy, what not to buy and how much to pay. And, of course, a lot of enthusiasts gather there to regale each other with stories of their favorite makes and models. But the post that went up Tuesday morning in the Automotive News & Views forum was something a little more pressing:
"I am a police officer trying to identify the car in this photo...it's quite grainy, from a store surveillance system, but it's the best we have. I am hoping someone will recognize the 'Z' mark behind the driver's door. The car was driving left to right in the picture. It is dark colored with a white top. It looks to be an old car. Thanks for any help." And the post's author included the picture you see above.
For elderly drivers -- or anyone who has a medical condition or injury that might affect their driving ability -- the prospect of losing a driver's license is frightening. It can represent the loss of independence, friendships or even a livelihood.
One way for drivers to assess whether they can continue to drive safely is to have a comprehensive driving evaluation. The testing takes two to three hours and includes a clinical evaluation and a road test. The average cost is between $250 and $600, but could be more, depending on the complexity of the evaluation, according to Your Road Ahead: A Guide to Comprehensive Driving Evaluations, published by the Hartford insurance company. You can order print copies, here.
Today Toyota announced voluntary recalls for the Avalon sedan and the Lexus LX470 for components related to their steering systems. The recalls affect approximately 373,000 Toyota Avalons from 2000-2004 and 39,000 Lexus LX470 models from 2003-2007.
First, the Avalon: According to Toyota, because of an improper casting of the steering lock bar, which is a component of the steering interlock system, there is a possibility that a crack may develop on the surface. This crack could expand over a time and eventually the lock bar could break. If this occurs, the components could get jostled during driving, potentially locking the steering wheel. This could cause an accident in certain conditions.
Gas prices were up a tick in every region of the country this week, with the national average retail price for a gallon of self-serve unleaded regular gasoline rising almost 3 cents to $2.74. That was up 24 cents from its price a year ago, according to the U.S. Energy Information Administration's Gasoline and Diesel Fuel Update. Diesel prices rose by 2 cents, to a national average of $2.91 per gallon. That's up 39 cents over this time last year.
The Edmunds.com data department has scanned the car-buying landscape and come up with a host of special lease deals that have payments that are less than $200 per month -- some as low as $149 per month. To see all the details go to our Incentives and Rebates page and look for the links that say "leases." Each of these links will take you to that car's lease-deal monthly payment, the term (number of months in the lease), down payment, security deposit (if any), the amount of miles allowed and any other restrictions. In the "Comments" section, you can see how much money is needed to start the lease.
The cost of starting a lease can usually be comfortably absorbed into most people's budgets because there isn't a high down payment or steep monthly payments. But in some cases, a lease will require a large down payment to make the monthly payments look more affordable. So when deciding which lease to take, look at total costs over the period of the lease. For details on the specific lease specials, please see the next page.
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) has announced the lineup of model-year 2011 vehicles that will receive ratings under the agency's tougher 5-star safety program. Results of the 55 vehicles being tested under NHTSA's new 5-star safety ratings will be posted on the agency's website, www.safercar.gov. Since the testing criteria has changed, the new safety ratings will not be comparable to previous ratings.
In all, 24 passenger cars, 20 sport utility vehicles, two vans and nine 2011 model year pickups will be rated under the new system that not only includes tougher crash tests, but provides consumers with a single overall safety score per vehicle. The new testing program will provide consumers with information about new advanced crash-avoidance technologies, such as lane departure and forward-collision warning systems.
For the 2010 model year, Lincoln updated its MKZ in an effort to drive sales and provide greater differentiation between the car and the Ford Fusion, the MKZ's platform-mate. These extensive revisions included freshened styling inside and out, a new Sport Appearance package, added convenience features and a new instrument panel and center stack.
However, these improvements have not resulted in higher sales when compared to last year. Domestic rival Cadillac CTS outsells the MKZ by 58 percent and the Lexus ES350 outsells it by a two-to-one margin. Lincoln has been using aggressive sales incentives on the MKZ for some time, and that trend seems to be continuing. Read about them after the jump.
