Page 43 - Australasian paint & Panel Sep-Oct 2021

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drive C8 Corvette registered in Australia is on the road in Victoria.
The new C8 3LT Convertible is part of the GMSV Head Office fleet and will be used for right-hand-drive engineering val- idation for Australia and New Zealand.
Sadly lockdown has muted the fanfare the team have planned for the exciting new arrival.
The new Corvette’s main body struc- ture is made of aluminum, and, accord- ing to the car’s executive chief engineer Tadge Juechter, “makes the most use of high pressure die-casting in General Motors history.”
Those big castings, Juechter said were designed to minimize the number of joints in the body, reduce mass, and in- crease stiffness. The body construction also includes Carbon Fibre.
BEEFY SILVERADO
The Chevrolet Silverado Heavy Duty LTZ Premium is due to begin right-hand drive production in November. It’s rugged, huge and is offered in either a 6.6L Turbo Diesel V8 or a V8 diesel and is bound to be a winner with Aussie drivers. It comes bristling with safety and ADAS features including Rear Cross Traffic alert espe- cially handy in a vehicle this size.
The HD will come standard with the ‘Technology & Safety Pack 2’, consisting of a suite of active safety features includ- ing Front and Rear Park Assist, Lane Change Alert with Side Blind Zone Alert and Rear Cross Traffic Alert, Low Speed
Forward Automatic Braking, Front Pedes- trian Braking, IntelliBeam automatic headlamp control, Following Distance In- dicator, Safety Alert Seat and Electronic Stability Control with Traction Control. The body structure is predominately a mix of steels while aluminium is used in the doors, bonnet and tailgate.
Information about becoming a GM Certified Repairer is available on the GM Trade Parts website including the application form.
POSITIONING STATEMENTS
GM recently released positioning statements covering a number of repair issues including the non-approval of clipping in the repair pro- cedure and step by step instructions for wheel alignment as well as the improper use of floor mats. There are strong statements over the use of salvaged or recycled parts in- cluding airbags, “General Motors does not support the use of salvage or recycled parts due to the sensitive nature of the safety and performance of General Motors Vehicles.
There are also instructions concerning the refinishing of aluminium and chrome wheels - chrome-plated aluminium wheels should not be re-plated. Regarding diagnostic trou- ble codes the company says that the meth- ods to identify theses is via the appropriate GM diagnostic software: GDS2 or Tech 2 Tech2Win and that this is only supported by an MDI or J2534 device. The statements can be found on the GM Trade Parts website.
by investing in the right equipment & train- ing to carry out safe & proper repairs.
‘We are excited about what this means moving forward with Corvette and Sil- verado, and the ongoing support for ex- isting Holden & HSV owners.
Remember also, that GM approved Re- pair Procedures are available now to all repairers for a nominal administration fee. These come bundled by repair, wa- termarked with the VIN, are the most current up-to-date methods and have a dedicated part number and list price.
For more information on becoming a GM Certified Repairer please visit the Collision Repair Network section at gmtradeparts.com.au.
FIRST AUSSIE CORVETTE
The very first factory-built right-hand-
The new Corvette features aluminium and carbon fibre in its body construction.
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