Monday, May 18, 2009

I think I need a new Brand.

I work at a Chrysler dealership. Throughout this whole auto bailout/bankruptcy/carpocalypse thing I've tried to remain optimistic. I thought the Fiat alliance was a great idea, I've believed for some time now that if the Automakers brought from Europe the sporty little econoboxes they sell over there, they would do tremendously well over here. However, the more I see of some of Chrysler's most recent vehicles, the easier it becomes to see why the ship is sinking.
This morning I receive a repair order for a 2008 Grand Caravan complaining of a weird smell from the air conditioning. Having already seen A/C complaints on two other minivans, and seeing a number of the other guys in the shop dealing with the same issue, I immediately check the discharge hose from the condenser to the compressor.
Now, you would imagine when developing or redesigning a vehicle, the engineers working on it would take into consideration proper routing of hoses and lines so as not to put undue strain on the components. The guy responsible for that on the new Grand Caravan/Town & Country must have had the day off. Yes, it seems the new RT (body code) minivans have an A/C hose with a kink built right in. And when the customer uses the air conditioning a few times, the pressure gets to be a bit too much, and the hose splits, and you wonder why your A/C isn't cold on your brand new van.
Making matters worse for everyone, due to the high failure rate of this hose (number 1 in the linked picture), and Chrysler's financial situation, the hose is on back order, which means I lose a repair (albeit a warranty repair), and the customer still has an A/C problem, which generally makes the dealership look bad.
Another issue I've had with newer vehicles recently is coolant leaking from the radiator cap. There's nothing fancy about it, just run of the mill, 16psi pressure cap. And they somehow got it wrong. And now because this has become a frequent occurrence, the replacement caps are also on back order, and thus unavailable.
My last gripe for the evening isn't really even my gripe, just more of an embarrassment by association. I read online today that Chrysler is now bailing on Lemon Law buy back payments. I'm sure they were hoping those would be swept under the big bankruptcy rug. Unfortunately for those involved, it sounds like they're likely to get substantially less than what was previously arranged, even more so since they now are likely to require an attorney to get anything out of it at all...
I'm still eager to see Fiat brought over here, not just re-badged Fiats under the Chrysler marques, but the Fiat brand itself. I am aware of, but too young to have experienced first hand, the poor quality of Fiats past. From what I read online and see on Top Gear however, Fiat has reinvented itself, and become quite a powerful entity with a decent line of automobiles.
In the meantime, although my dealership made the first round of cuts, it may be time to find a new brand to stand behind. I think I'll always be a Mopar man at heart, but that is more reserved for the classics from the muscle car era. It's getting to be almost shameful to admit I work for Chrysler now, when asked what I do for a living, I simplay state that I'm an automotive technician, and a Maryland state inspector, and leave it at that.

2 comments:

  1. As for that kinked hose- every engineering class has somebody that graduates at the bottom of their class.

    I'm replacing an engine in a 90 something Tempo and I'm pretty certain the guy that designed the hose runs on it did the hose on that minivan. The water pump is on the back side of the engine and it has a pipe that routes under the oil pan and then to the bottom of the radiator. Worse than that are the power steering lines that run from the front, right side of the engine, along the engine block, over the transaxle before finally getting to the rack. Its a major pain. Wish you were here to help!

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