ACtion Magazine - May 2012 - (Page 17)

Our project directive was to find and evaluate information on the Web targeted at a do-it-yourselfer attempting to repair or recharge the A/C system on their vehicle. As we’ve seen, the bulk of the information found during topical searches has been often outdated, incorrect, flat-out wrong, and occasionally even dangerous. Even though we report site by site here, some larger trends were noted across multiple sites and providers. YouTube There are many YouTube videos purporting to show how easy a recharge or system repair can be. Our project searches turned up nearly 100 videos, each showing something related to the terms used. Some are model specific (Recharging an Audi A4), many are commercial or produced by a company with something to sell (Harbor Freight), a few are actually repair ads ( “we fix air conditioning”), and the search also brought up a few unrelated ones as well. The YouTube listings show the viewing count for each video; some have over 100,000 views and some are under 100. Many have 20-40,000 views, an indication of some consumer interest in the topic. Also noteworthy is that almost all of the videos were at least a year old—many even longer—with only one or two uploaded in the last 10 months. Here again, most of the “how tos” do not show the standard small can of pure R-134a but rather use an elongated can of other 134a products with additives. This may be due to these cans or kits providing the necessary “low pressure gauge” to the purchaser whereas the standard “small can” does not. It may also be due to vendors providing some thinly veiled advertising. Also noteworthy is presence of a number of Internet Loonies—those who know more than the folks that built the car. You may have seen the one with the gent purporting to hold the “A/C computer” that looks suspiciously like an engine PCM or ECU. He advocates “drilling a small hole in the evaporator case” and then installing “an external thermostat and a toggle switch” to control the compressor. Risky advice at best, and he is only one of many. Additives In one case, a general search on automotive refrigerants led directly to the sales site of a well known national retail chain. We’ll leave them nameless here as they are only one example of the trend, and others retailers are doing the same. On their web page, fifteen products are shown including two weights of PAG oil, POE oil, a Yokogawa electronic leak detector and a variety of refrigerant products all made by one supplier. Most interesting to note was that no pure R-134a was available; every can of refrigerant had something else in it. In some cases, the addition was a dose of oil or leak-trace dye (or both) but in many cases refrigerant is offered with a variety of sealers, o-ring conditioners, “performance boosters,” and even “A/C cleaners.” None of these claims are explained beyond face value and no link to any MSDS is present. Another significant item is that cans of all products are getting larger. The oncecommon 12-ounce “small can” is being replaced by 14, 16 and 20 ounce cans of the mixed products. A consumer could be easily misled without reading carefully. For example, a 14 oz can of “Refill and Treatment” offers only 11 oz of R-134a, plus 2 oz of universal POE oil (with o-ring conditioner and stop-leak), and one ounce of “performance booster” with A/C cleaner. Cans of other sizes also show mixed contents. No customer will be well-served by using these products without guidance. While some are adequate for the task, others – particularly the sealants and unknown “cooling enhancers” – put the entire system at risk. The “Easy-to-fix, buy it here and use it in the parking lot” nature of the retailer’s web site does a great disservice to the repair industry as well as the buyer. operated by for-profit groups trying to sell either parts or advertising. For example, Internet Brands, Inc lists these Honda related sites on their “Investors Page,” with some being aimed at Honda motorcycle owners: CBRForum.com, CivicForums.com, FitFreak.net, HondaAccordForum.com, Honda-Acura.net, HondaCivicForum.com, HondaForum.com, S2000.com and several more. Additionally, the company has similar lists for many, many other manufacturers. In fairness, we didn’t find the posted content affected by the ownership although targeted ads were present throughout. Many of these commercial sites are a “dot-com” rather than a “dot-org” address, but would a consumer looking for auto info know the difference? The bottom line remains: your customer has a lot of bad information available and they may appear at your shop with a misplaced understanding of how things work. Sometimes fixing the customer is harder than fixing the car. ❆ Veiled advertising We noted earlier that owner and brandspecific forums were in all cases a cut above for solid and accurate information. Many who are passionate about their car work in the industry, and such forums are populated with many working technicians and engineers who offer good advice to anyone who asks. However, we found that some apparent Reader Reply No. 6 “enthusiast” forums are actually owned and ACTION • May 2012 17 http://www.CBRForum.com http://www.CivicForums.com http://www.FitFreak.net http://www.HondaAccordForum.com http://www.Honda-Acura.net http://www.HondaCivicForum.com http://www.HondaForum.com http://www.S2000.com http://www.nostalgicairparts.com http://www.jeepair.com http://www.macsw.org/AM/Template.cfm?Section=ACtion_Reader_Reply&Template=/CM/HTMLDisplay.cfm&ContentID=8221

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of ACtion Magazine - May 2012

ACtion Magazine - May 2012
Table of Contents
Outlook
Expansion Valve
Technically RELAY-ted
Under the Southern Cross
Leonard’s Law
Cooling Corner
Virtual View
News & Updates
New Tools and Tricks From the MACS Trade Show
Vacuum: How Much Is Enough?
“Universal” Compressor Oil?
Association News
Quick Check
New Products & Services
Last Watch

ACtion Magazine - May 2012