MACS Monthly Newsletter - 2020 - APR8

formation on a YouTube search when you can go to a
dedicated (and free) industry support site? You want to
talk to a technical hotline rep at ACDelco, Four Seasons,
Mahle, Delphi Technologies, or Gates? Open the AASA
Know Your Parts website and click on the icon of a smart
phone. Now with your smart phone scan the QR code
(Figure 14). A list of those suppliers and many more
appears on your phone for a simple "touch and call."
Sometimes the company that manufactured the part has
insider information regarding cataloging issues, installation tips, software changes, etc. that are NOT found in
any automaker's TSBs. In this business you can never
have too many information resources!

Finally - Solid Advice for Quality Parts Sourcing!

AASA

1. Pick a trusted supplier who:
a. Sends their outside sales reps to visit your shop periodically.
b. Delivers parts when they promise.
c. Provides you with quality training from their suppliers.
d. Listens to your gripes and takes care of your warranty
issues.
e. Gives you competitive pricing.
2. Choose the right brand for the job:
a. The harder the part is to R&R, the more care you need
to ensure you've got a "one and done" part. No one
wants to save their customer a few bucks on a heater
core only to have to do the job over again two months
later.
b. Put most of your eggs in the name brand OEM supplier basket. There are those rare occasions when you'll
find from personal experience or through technician
help networks / forums that the non-OEM part performs as good or better than the OEM brand. Mike's
OEM thermostat was certainly an example of this.
Sometimes there are situations where the automaker
tells their supplier, "We know your part sometimes has
a problem but keep making it that way . . . we can't risk
changes that could result in more problems." A supplier
who wasn't Tier 1 OEM then figures out how to build
the same part minus the known problems that the Tier 1
OEM supplier found themselves locked into. In the case
of the Equinox with its P0128, the answer was a quality
aftermarket thermostat instead of the actual OEM part.
c. The part produced by the knock off artists at "Scamhow Industries" (with a trade booth in "the basement at
AAPEX") for "XYZ All Night Discount Auto Supply's"
private label is an invitation to experience a "cheap can
be expensive" scenario. If the price sounds too good to
be true - it probably is, so pass it up. You're much better
off with your trusted parts source who gives you lots of
choices including parts made by Tier 1 OEM suppliers.
It's disappointing when your wife's knock off designer
purse falls apart. It's a disaster when your customer's
knock off A/C compressor locks up on the freeway!
3. Know where to find help with parts:
a. AASA has a website titled KnowYourParts.com. The
site contains hundreds of short video how-to clips
along with a directory of OEM part supplier hotlines.
Why spend a half hour getting lost with a sea of misin-

Figure 14: Finding parts help. A visit to AASA's "Know
Your Parts" website (https://www.knowyourparts.com)
will give you access to lots of free technical training tips.
Want a super easy method to call a major auto parts supplier's hotline? Go to kypTechline.com and scan the QR
code on the webpage with your smart phone to find the list.
Scroll down to the supplier you need help from and touch
their name to auto dial.
If you're reading this report you're probably a MACS member. Don't overlook the obvious resources for all things HVAC
on the MACS website. There you'll find links to video training,
609 certification training and testing, training manuals, training
presentations from past MACS conferences, word searchable archived MACS Service Reports and lots more. Don't forget the
MACS Mobile app for your smart phone or tablet too. Information is your key to repairing vehicles! We trust this month's
MACS Service Report has been informational to you! n

MACS Service Reports is published monthly by the Mobile Air Conditioning Society
Worldwide. It is distributed to members of MACS Worldwide and is intended for
the educational use of members of the automotive air conditioning service and
repair industry. Suggestions for articles will be considered for publication, however,
MACS Worldwide reserves the right to choose and edit all submissions.

Editors:
Elvis Hoffpauir, Steve Schaeber
Production Designer:
Laina Forcey
Manager of Service Training:
Steve Schaeber
Mobile Air Conditioning Society Worldwide
P.O. Box 88, Lansdale, PA 19446
Phone: (215) 631-7020 * Fax: (215) 631-7017
Email: membership@macsw.org * Website: www.macsw.org

Unless otherwise noted, all photos/art by author.

April 2020

MACS Service Reports

http://kyptechline.com http://kyptechline.com https://www.knowyourparts.com http://www.kypTechline.com http://www.KnowYourParts.com http://www.macsw.org

MACS Monthly Newsletter - 2020

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