2008 Chevrolet Avalanche Lt Crew Cab Pickup 4-door 5.3l on 2040-cars

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MotorWeek Retro Review revisits 1984 Corvette

MotorWeek's Retro Reviews are always a great glimpse into the cars of yesteryear. However, the newly uploaded look back at the 1984 Chevrolet Corvette is an absolute treasure trove for any auto history buff. This is a full episode of the show from the '80s, and it's dedicated to all of the details about the newest 'Vette to hit the market at the time. Beyond just the usual drive and an in-depth walk around, one of the major highlights here is a brief look at some on the concepts that eventually resulted in the fourth-generation Corvette of 1984. The C4's shape harkens back to sketches from 1978, and there even shots of early clay models that led the way for the design. MotorWeek also takes a tour through the Bowling Green, KY, factory for a detailed inspection of the entire production process. John Davis repeatedly calls the Corvette "the plastic fantastic" during the episode, and he can't find too much negative to say about being behind the wheel of the then-new coupe. See how it stands up to your own memories in the clip above.

GM under fire from safety advocates over braking problem caused by recall fix

Safety experts are lambasting General Motors over what they say is the automaker’s slow notification of owners of certain 2019 sedans and trucks that a recall fix could cause power braking to fail and increase the risk of a crash, the Detroit Free Press reports.  GMÂ’s original recall in December targeted about 550,000 Cadillac CT6 sedans and Chevrolet Silverado 1500 and GMC Sierra 1500 pickups, all from the 2019 model year, over potentially defective electronic stability control and antilock brakes. In that case, GM said the errors would not show up as a diagnostic warning on the instrument cluster. But after GM had done recall work on 162,000 vehicles, about 1,700 owner have complained that their power brakes didnÂ’t work after they had the recall done and then used the OnStar app to start their vehicle. GM then issued a supplemental fix for customers whoÂ’d already had their vehicles serviced. In this case, a diagnostic warning should illuminate saying either “Service Brake Assist” or “Service ECS,” which GM says is a signal that a customer should not drive the vehicle and instead call their dealer, which will tow the vehicle and have it repaired. Safety advocates say the automaker hasnÂ’t gone far enough to protect customers. “The fact that you could potentially start a vehicle and not have brakes is a pretty risky proposition,” Sean Kane, president of the Safety Research and Strategies, which works on auto issues for plaintiffs and governmental organizations, told the Freep. “The fact that they wouldnÂ’t notify owners (sooner) is pretty stunning.” GM told the Freep it was required to notify the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration and file paperwork before it notified customers about the original recall, which was made Dec. 12. It then had to investigate and resolve the problem created by its original recall fix before alerting customers. GMÂ’s call center and dealers are contacting the remaining 900 customers who havenÂ’t yet had the update made to the original recall repair. GM also hired a vendor to send recall letters to the 550,000 customers affected by the original recall notifying them about the update. There are no known injuries or deaths related to the problem. Read the Freep story here.

Chevy Colorado Z71 Trail Boss 3.0 concept heads to SEMA

Chevrolet is presenting a new take on the Colorado pickup at the SEMA show this year. The show truck picks up where the Colorado Z71 Trail Boss Edition leaves off, with numerous accessories from the parts catalog as well as several custom additions. The SEMA truck is based on a Crew Cab model with four-wheel drive, painted red with rally stripes. Among the features added from the catalog are a sport bar with LED auxiliary lighting, mounted to the cargo bed. It's also stylistically augmented with fender blares, Bowtie emblems, and rocker steps all done up in black to match the 17-inch alloys shod with Goodyear DuraTrac all-terrain tires. Chevy has also equipped this truck with an automatic locking rear diff, a transfer case shield, recovery hooks at the front, a spray-in bedliner, projector-beam headlamps, fog lamps, and all-weather floor mats. Chevy has also fitted this pickup with color-keyed door handles and mirror caps, upgraded exhaust and air intake, rubber floor liners, brushed metal interior trim, and an illuminated grille badge. Public reception will determine how many of these and other additional features will be considered for production. Colorado Z71 Trail Boss 3.0 Concept Shows Off-Road Style New styling accessories, performance parts enhance trail-ready capability LAS VEGAS – The Colorado Z71 Trail Boss Edition is designed for those who want to blaze their own trails and Chevrolet's new Z71 Trail Boss 3.0 concept vehicle enhances its off-road style with new Chevrolet accessories and performance parts. Chevrolet introduced the new concept vehicle at the SEMA Show today, where it joined concept versions of the Silverado 1500 and HD models to demonstrate the depth and breadth of the brand's three-truck lineup. "The Colorado Z71 Trail Boss Edition is made for tackling the tough terrain required to get away from it all and this concept version does it with rugged style," said Sandor Piszar, director of Chevrolet Truck Marketing. "And whether it's the Colorado, Silverado 1500 or Silverado HD, there's a Chevy truck to take you where you want to go, regardless of whether there's a road leading there." The production 2016 Colorado Z71 Trail Boss is offered in extended and crew cab configurations, with a choice of a long or short cargo bed and available 4WD – as well as the all-new 2.8L Duramax turbo-diesel, which takes the maximum trailering rating up to 7,700 pounds.