MACS Service Reports - 2015 - SEP1

Total Vehicle Climate and Thermal ManagementTM

September 2015

By Paul Weissler, Senior MACS Field Correspondent

ACCESS TO OE TECHINFO WEBSITES: A CAUTIONARY NOTE ABOUT COMPUTER UPDATES
Even the many shops that rely primarily on the aftermarket service information systems (Mitchell's ProDemand,
AllData and Identifix) will occasionally buy a short-term
subscription to one of the OE websites. The usual reason is
to look for in-depth information they can't find on the aftermarket systems. We've said repeatedly that if you're looking
for something specific, you can ask your aftermarket service
to email it to you. But there's nothing like going onto the
OE site and looking around when you're trying to noodle
through a problem. You'll often see things which you never even thought existed, much less thought to ask for. This
can be a particular issue with HVAC and cooling systems.
Many of the aftermarket service information sites, which
of course do not provide 100% coverage, are more likely to
have gaps in specialty areas like those.
Before you pay for the short-term access, however, you
should be wary about actually being able to go through the
site. All these OE sites were developed with Microsoft Windows (nothing Apple we've encountered except Mazda) using Microsoft's browser Internet Explorer, and where needed, an Adobe Reader for PDFs and some viewer for graphics.
With all the changes and upheavals in these internet areas,
we have what can politely be called a mess. Windows and
IE (as well as the other browsers) make continuous changes,
creating problem areas, and so no surprise the OE support
teams for these websites can't be sure of what works and
what doesn't. Presumably you've heard that Internet Explorer is on its way out, but first there'll be an IE-12, later to be
replaced by Microsoft Edge, although right now you can't
get anything but IE-11 at the Microsoft site (which won't do
you any good if you are looking for IE-10). You also can get
only Adobe Reader 11 at the Adobe.com site, but as you'll
see, that may not work in all cases. If you have a Windows

7 machine, treasure it, and if it comes with Internet Explorer
10 and Adobe Reader 9.0, pet it gently every day and avoid
upgrades.
Every OE site gives you a list of system requirements. The
link often is hidden somewhere on the site, in small print.
The odds are that your computer is not an absolute match
for all of them. A specific site may have been upgraded, but
the system requirements listed may not have been updated.
This doesn't mean you can't navigate the site, but if you can't,
the tech support for the site may or may not be able to help
you. Let's review the situation at the high volume car sites.
In any case, do not just search for software that is not the
current edition at the official site. That is, you want Adobe
Reader only from Adobe, which means 11. You want Internet Explorer only from the Microsoft site, and that also
means 11. You can find all sorts of free download offers for
lower number versions at other sites. Avoid them, because
most are not trustworthy. They will load your computer
with viruses, adware and malware that you may not be able
to uninstall.

General Motors' Website
GM says to use only Windows 7.0 or 8.0, not 8.1 and Internet Explorer 10, and is adamant about avoiding IE-11. Well,
we have several computers and the only one on which we
got full access is a Windows 8.1 with IE-11, thanks to some
"adjustments" suggested by tech support (adding a couple
of "trusted site" entries that for formatting reasons cannot be
added to our Windows 7 machine). If you are working on
2012 vehicles or older, the Windows 8.1 and 7.0 work normally with IE-11, but if you try 2013 or newer, you can still
access the service information, but you get a message to install a "CGM" viewer for the wiring diagrams. We did that

ALSO INSIDE THIS ISSUE:
AND NOW, FOR A REAL TOUGHIE ................................................................................................................................................ 4
A NEW JEEP, A NEW LIQUID LINE AND MORE .......................................................................................................................... 7

MACS Service Reports is the official technical publication of the
Mobile Air Conditioning Society Worldwide, Inc., P.O. Box 88,
Lansdale, PA 19446. The material published in MACS Service
Reports expresses the views of the contributors and not necessarily that of MACS. Every attempt has been made to ensure

September 2015

the accuracy of the content of MACS Service Reports. MACS,
however, will not be responsible for the accuracy of the information published nor will MACS Worldwide be liable in any way for
injury, labor, parts or other expenses resulting from the use of
information appearing in MACS Service Reports.

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