Chrysler Group LLC Celebrates Seven 2012 Motorsports Championships

After earning seven motorsports championship series titles in 2012, Chrysler Group LLC today celebrated those achievements by displaying the winning vehicles and inviting their championship drivers to their headquarters in Auburn Hills, Mich., to meet and sign autographs with company employees.

The event celebrated a year of motorsport series titles won by Mopar and SRT motorsports programs with Dodge, Fiat and Ram vehicles in the NASCAR, NHRA, USAC and SCCA racing series. They include the 2012 NASCAR Sprint Cup Championship, won in a Dodge Charger by Brad Keselowski and Penske Racing, along with two 2012 NHRA Championship titles by Pro Stock driver Allen Johnson in his Dodge Avenger and Funny Car driver Jack Beckman in his Don Schumacher Racing Dodge Charger R/T.

“Following a spectacular season of motorsports for the Chrysler Group in 2012 with our seven championships between SRT and Mopar, we’re excited to celebrate and show our appreciation for our champion drivers with our employees,” said Ralph Gilles, President and CEO – SRT Brand and Motorsports, Chrysler Group LLC. “Every championship effort can be traced back to outstanding teamwork, and without the hard work of our dedicated employees none of these wins would be possible. This is our way to personally thank as many of them as possible.”

“All of us at Mopar are very proud of these championships, the drivers and teams, as well as the efforts by everyone behind the scenes to showcase the strength of our products,” said Pietro Gorlier, President and CEO – Mopar, Chrysler Group’s service, parts and customer-care brand. “Mopar-powered cars either led or were near the front of the field all year and it was tremendous to watch all our drivers and teams battle for wins and have efforts rewarded with championships titles, highlighting Mopar’s 75th anniversary year. We look forward to building on that success again this season.”

Also contributing trophies to the mantle are 2012 USAC Traxxas Off-Road Championship Pro4 driver Ricky Johnson and Pro2 driver Bryce Menzies, who earned their titles in Mopar-powered Ram trucks. Adding to the final title count are championship wins by DJ Kennington and his Dodge Challenger in the NASCAR Canadian Tire series, as well as Jonathan Start and his Fiat 500 in the SCCA B-spec series.

Courtesy of media.chrysler.com

Maintenance Tip of the Week

Disconnecting and reconnecting your battery

If you're going to do any work on your car involving the electrical system, disconnect the battery first. To do this, loosen the connector for the negative/ground terminal first, and wiggle the terminal cap off. Use a wire-tie or similar to tie the cable back out of the way. If you need to take the battery out, you can now take off the positive connector.
Why negative then positive? If you disconnect the positive side of the battery first, the negative side is still connected to the entire car. If you drop a tool and it lands on the positive battery terminal and touches anything else on the car, you'll have an electrical short. By disconnecting the negative first, you're cutting off the return path for the current. Now, if a tool drops on to either of the battery terminals, it doesn't matter if it touches part of the chassis or not - there's no continuous path for the electrical current.
Reconnecting your battery. Connect the positive terminal first, and the negative second - the reverse of removal, and for the same reasons. When you slip the negative connector on, there will be a spark as it gets close and makes contact with the negative battery terminal. Don't be afraid of this - it's nothing to worry about. Make sure the terminal caps are done up nice and tight.

Check your battery terminals

Most modern cars run on a 12 volt negative ground electrical system. If your battery terminals or contacts aren't clean, you're making it more difficult for the current to pass around the electrical system. Remove the terminal caps as described above and clean each contact post with a wire brush to get a nice clean metal contact surface. Do the same to the terminal caps, then reattach them as described above.

Maintenance Tip of the Week

Bodywork / paint

Keeping your paint finish in good condition

Only choose superior car detailing supplies to keep your car's interior and exterior like new. There are plenty of decent quality waxes and polishes on the market today and if the last time you waxed or polished your car was over a decade ago, things have changed considerably since then. The wax and polish compounds are far more sophisticated both in terms of protection from fading, the look of the finish, and the ease of application. For example Turtle Wax Ice gets rid of that old problem of white wax residue. Is a clean car a vanity thing? Partly, yes, but if you park under a tree where birds help repaint your car with recycled blueberries, that guck will come off a lot easier if it falls on a waxed paint job.
Tip: If you find a bird has pooped on your car, wash it off as quick as you can. There are compounds in bird waste that can damage most car paint jobs. If you leave it in the sun and the poop bakes on, you could end up with a dull spot in the paint.

Courtesy of carbibles.com

Maintenance Tip of the Week!

Lights

One indicator or blinker is flashing faster than the other

When you indicate one way and the blinker flashes quicker than when you indicate the other way, it means one of the bulbs has blown. An auto parts store will be able to tell you what sort of bulb you need to replace it with and your manual should show you how to get at the indicator bulbs - they're different on every car.

Don't touch the glass when changing headlight bulbs

Most headlight bulbs now are filled with halogen and have special coatings on the outside of the glass. If you pick the bulb up by the glass with your fingers, you will leave trace amounts of oil and grease on the glass. When the bulb is used, that area of the glass will get hotter than the rest and it will eventually cause the bulb to crack. When changing headlight bulbs, only hold the metal bulb holder at the base, or make sure you're wearing rubber surgical / mechanic's gloves (clean ones) if you're touching the glass.

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Throwback Thursday: AMC Jeep Wagoneer Commercial

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