RAY: Good question, Bill. The bulletins we refer to are Technical Service Bulletins, also known as TSBs. They really just contain advice from the company to the mechanics who fix their cars.
TOM: For instance, a number of owners of Honda CR-Vs started complaining about a howling noise underneath their cars when they made sharp turns. Someone on the planet, figured out the problem was caused by worn fluid in the center differential.
RAY: When Honda was convinced that it understood the problem and had a solution (it involved draining and replacing the differential fluid), it issued a TSB, which is the best way to make sure all Honda service people know about it.
TOM: Honda sends the TSBs directly to its dealerships. And other companies — namely, Mitchell and AllData — supply the TSBs to subscribing independent shops.
RAY: That way, when Joe Blowski brings his groaning CR-V into his dealer in East Armpit, the guy doesn’t have to scratch his head, hide in the bathroom for a couple of hours and then start from square one.
TOM: Right. And instead of spending hours diagnosing (or misdiagnosing) the problem, he can start by checking for TSBs on howling noises, and bingo! He finds what he’s looking for, and saves the customer time and money.
RAY: Whether customer Joe Blowski has to pay for the repair is a separate issue. That’s determined by how old the car is, whether it’s still under warranty and whether the dealer or manufacturer decides to earn good will by absorbing the cost (in other words, in most cases, dream on!).
TOM: You make a reasonable argument that the fact that a problem is known and widespread enough for a TSB indicates that it resulted from a design or manufacturing defect. But manufacturers are not obligated to fix such defects for free unless they affect the safety of the vehicle, as determined by NHTSA (the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration). When that happens, it’s called a “recall.” Recall repairs are done for free.
RAY: But a TSB just indicates that there’s a known mechanical problem with a known solution. It’s there to facilitate repairs. It’s not a coupon for a free repair.
Nice gesture does no harm to cars
Dear Tom and Ray:
I am a valet at a local country club in Wisconsin. As you well know, it gets very cold here in the winter months, and that leads to my question. As a favor to the members who choose to valet park with me, I like to warm up their cars before they leave. I let the cars run anywhere from two to 15 minutes, depending on how long they take to get ready to leave, get their coats, finish conversations, etc. So my question is: Am I doing any damage to these automobiles? Would they be better off next winter driving away in ice-cold cars? — John
RAY: You’re not harming their cars, John. The only harm you’re doing is wasting gasoline. And since they’re all paying exorbitant dues to belong to a country club, they’re probably not worried about gas money.
TOM: In the old days, when cars were carbureted, you COULD do harm by warming up a car for too long. In warm-up mode, a carburetor would pour lots of gasoline into the cylinders, and the excess gasoline could run down into the crankcase and dilute the oil. And the rich mixture could ruin the catalytic converter, too.
RAY: But modern cars meter their gasoline into the cylinders so precisely, with the help of computers, that they can idle for days without a problem. This was proven in Princeton University’s famous “Police Cars in Front of Dunkin’ Donuts” study from 2003. And 2004. And 2005.
TOM: So, in terms of the cars themselves, you’re doing no harm. And I’m sure your customers appreciate getting into a warm car and having heat immediately.
RAY: The only other downside is the extra pollution created by these long warm-ups. But I’d deal with that on a case-by-case basis. Now that you know who the good tippers are, John, next winter, make sure THOSE cars get warmed up. And balance out that extra pollution by not warming up the cars of the lousy tippers. In fact, you can turn on their electric seat coolers.
Send your comments or questions for Tom and Ray to: Car Talk Plaza, P.O. Box 3500 Harvard Square, Cambridge, MA 02238. Listen to them Saturdays at 10 a.m. on 91.3 FM or 88.5 FM. Visit them on the Internet at www.cartalk.com.
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