European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - July 4, 1994, Darmstadt, Hesse                                Monday tuesday july 4/5,1994 automotive the stars and stripes Page 17 general motors corp. Is recalling 5600 minivans because of a defect that could prevent a rear scat Belt from retracting. Fridays recall affects 1993 and 1994 models of Chevrolet Lumina Pontiac trans sport and Oldsmobile Silhouette. The vehicles Are equip with Power sliding rear doors ant built in child safety seats in the position closest to the sliding door. Pm spokesman Greg Pierce said a plastic guide for the seat Belt position would be installed to prevent it from being pinched Between the child safety seat and a trim part. If the Belt is pinched its retractor might fail to take up the Slack after a passenger fastens it he said. The defect does not affect the use of the child seat. Pierce said pm knew of no accidents or injuries related to the problem which was discovered by pm engineers. A a a  general motors corp. Vehicle prices for the new Model year will be an average of $494 higher than final 1994 prices an increase of 2.5 percent. Suggested retail prices for 1995 pm passenger cars will be an average of 539 higher or about 2.9 percent while truck Price tags will go up an average of $414, or 2 percent said executive vice president j. Michael Losh. An increasing number of pm models will carry so called value prices Losh said thursday. Value pricing has been gaining in popularity because it minimizes the haggling that bothers Many car buyers by giving them a package of optional equipment at a set Price. In most cases it squeezes the margin Between what dealers pay for vehicles and the manufacturers suggested retail Price. Gmys Oldsmobile division said All 19 of its 1995 cars and trucks would be value priced. Buick Isnit the Only car company to offer its Model information on computer Diskette but it May be alone in packaging it with a Golf game. The 1994 dimensions Diskette allows users to View All 1994 Buick models. Once a vehicle is selected users can explore features Standard and optional equipment technical specifications and prices. The Diskette also features a game simulating Warwick Hills Golf course in grand Blanc Mich., site of the Buick open pea tour Golf tournament. Since the first dimensions Diskette in 1987, Buick has Given away More than 1 million copies and it has taken orders of 92,510 so far this year. The disk is available in macintosh and ism formats. For a free Diskette write to the Buick dimensions distribution Center 4242 East Piedras drive suite 120, san Antonio Texas 78228-9901, or Call 210 734-2224. Windshield wipers work Best when they re clean but that a not often. Safety grooves a 0.3 millimetre line etched in a Windshield cleans Blades on every pass. By removing grease dirt Road film and other a debris the grooves help reduce Driver fatigue stress and eyestrain caused by smearing and Glare. They also can help reduce scratching of Windshield Glass prolong life of the wiper Blade and use less wiper fluid. Installation takes about 15 minutes. It s done with a special machine with a cutting Stone fed by a constant water Supply As it grinds. A from wire reports. Hot times for cars new refrigerant will save Ozone but wont work in old air conditioners by John 1iolusha new York times with summer weather upon us Drivers Are rolling up their windows and turning on their air conditioners. Some will be disappointed when nothing but accelerated warm air flows from the vents. In the past repairing an Auto air conditioner was often easy. A technician would pump in new refrigerant to replace any that leaked away in the Winter and Check for leaks. But tuning up an air conditioner has become much More complicated because of concern Over depletion of the protective Ozone layer in the atmosphere. The refrigerant used until recently in almost All car air conditioners r-12, is part of a class of chemicals chlorofluorocarbons that have been blamed for destroying the Ozone layer. By International agreement All chlorofluorocarbon pro-1 auction is to end by dec. 31, 1995, a new refrigerant r-134a, has been developed that does not include chlorine and does not pose a threat to the Ozone. Unfortunately the two refrigerants Are not compatible. If a car was designed to use r-12, r-134a cannot be substituted unless the system is modified. In fact automotive Engi necks say there Are no a drop in replacements for r-12. The main reason for the incompatibility said Douglas e. Mark an emissions Engineer for general motors corp., is lubrication. In most Cooling systems that use compressors a lubricant is mixed with the refrigerant to reduce friction where mechanical parts rub together. The problem is that Mineral Oil the lubricant used with r-12, does not flow properly with r?134a. A different Type of lubricant poly Alkalene glycol is used with r-134a. If r-134a is injected into a system de signed for r-12, evil the air conditioner work a not for Long a Mark said. A without lubrication the compressor would seize a shutting Down the entire system. Conversion to the new refrigerant was begun by most manufacturers about two years ago and will be completed by the end of this year. A Label on the air conditioner compressor will Tell which refrigerant a car  of older cars must make some choices. Since production of r-12 has been declining its Price a once As Low As 88 cents a Pound a has been rising. R-12 also is subject to a Federal tax. A until recently the Bill for servicing an Auto air conditioner would be about $30, including the Cost of labor and a few ounces of refrigerant. But the Cost of servicing a system has soared. A last summer the Street Price was about $100,�?� Mark said. �?oit1 will be interesting to see what happens this summer.�?�. A the Cost is Likely to be even higher next year. A a.  pregnancy a crash lest Dummy that is seven months pregnant a done task How a is the focus of research at general motors corp. In Warren Mich. Pm developed the pregnant Dummy with University of Michigan Csc achors to measure How accidents affect mothers to be and fetuses. By using sophisticated internal sensing devices researchers Hope to measure the forces that affect a fetus in a crash. The tests on the Dummy Are performed in different configurations unbelted belted properly and improperly and with and without air bags. Experts agree pregnant women should Wear the Lap portion of safety belts As Low As possible under the Abdomens bulge. The shoulder portion should be worn Between the breasts and to the Side of the bulge. Vehicle safety ratings sought Washington a car buyers interested in the safety performance of a vehicle would find a rating system alongside the sticker Price under a proposal by transportation Secretary Federico Pena. The Label would detail a vehicles propensity to Roll Over in accidents but could be expanded to include data on passenger Protection in frontal and Side Impact crashes Pena said in an interview wednesday. He said the information would supplement regulatory Steps the government traditionally takes to improve automotive safety. A i believe that the american Public wants improved and More substantial information on the safety of cars pickup trucks and All vehicles a Pena said. A by rating safety among vehicles and within classes of vehicles the american consumer will now be Able to express its purchasing decisions much More directly to the manufacturers of these vehicles and will be Able to make More intelligent choices.�?�. Quot the labels would not interfere with further action on rollover prevention by the National Highway traffic safety administration. The Agency is working on window strength door locks and latches Interior padding roof crush resistance and anti lock Brake systems he said. Pena however rejected a More specific Rule dealing with the stability of vehicles prone to Roll Over. Vehicles with a higher Center of Gravity and a narrow wheelbase such As Small pickup trucks and sport Utility vehicles Are More Likely to Roll Over in an Accident. Pena said Small cars which Are among the least Likely to flip account for most of the 9,000 deaths and 56,000 injuries in rollover accidents each year. But interest groups said a warning Label on new cars Isnit enough to Deal with 220,000 rollover accidents each year. A consumer information is an important asset when purchasing a new vehicle but its no substitute for designing a safer one a said Judith Stone president of advocates for Highway and Auto safety