Mobile Air Conditioning Society (MACS) Worldwide

MACS schedules Section 609 webinar for 4/27

macsworldwide — Fri, 24 Feb 2012 13:31:00 +0000

Are you Section 609 certified to recover and recycle refrigerant?

If you have not yet complied with this federal regulation you must comply before you work on a vehicle mobile A/C system in the United States. In order to facilitate more technicians gaining access to the training they need to become Section 609 certified the Mobile Air Conditioning Society (MACS) Worldwide will hold a Section 609 test prep webinar on Friday, April 27, 2012 at 1pm EDT. Underhood Service Magazine and Automotive Video (AVI) are co-sponsoring this webinar with MACS Worldwide.

The approximately 90-minute live webinar will give an overview of the Section 609 requirements. After viewing the webinar, viewers can take the test and mail it back to MACS headquarters.

The cost of the Section 609 webinar is $40 and includes the Section 609 study guide, test, grading and credentials. Viewers who wish to just view the webinar and not take the test may do so for $25. Register for the webinar at the MACS website at www.macsw.org or call 215/631-7020 and dial 0.

The Mobile Air Conditioning Society’s blog has been honored as the best business to business blog in the Automotive Aftermarket by the Automotive Communications Awards and the Car Care Council Women’s Board!

When having your mobile A/C system professionally serviced, insist on proper repair procedures and quality replacement parts. Insist on recovery and recycling so that refrigerant can be reused and not released into the atmosphere.

If you’re a service professional and not a MACS member yet, you should be, click here for more information.

You can E-mail us at macsworldwide@macsw.org or visit http://bit.ly/cf7az8 to find a Mobile Air Conditioning Society member repair shop in your area. Visit http://bit.ly/9FxwTh to find out more about your car’s mobile A/C and engine cooling system.

The 33rd annual Mobile Air Conditioning Society (MACS) Worldwide Training Conference and Trade Show, Be the Best of the Best will take place February 7-9, 2013 at the Caribe Royale, Orlando, FL.

Different view$ on electric$

macsworldwide — Thu, 23 Feb 2012 13:14:01 +0000

Your political views often hinge on where you stand to view the problem at hand.

One state, Washington, is deeply concerned about the effect the popularity of all-electric cars will (might, may, could) have on revenues raised through fuel taxes. Since the e-cars don’t buy any petroleum fuel, the state’s transportation authorities foresee a drop in income, and thus a loss of funds available to maintain the roads and bridges used by both electrics and petrol-pushers.

So, as an offset, the Washington state senate recently passed a bill assessing an annual fee of $100 on EVs in the state. They say that number is about half of what a typical driver pays in fuel taxes, based on the state’s 37.5¢ per gallon levy. They also stressed that the fee does not apply to hybrids, but only roadworthy cars using all-electric propulsion.

A quick trip through the calculator shows that the $100 fee is equivalent to the tax paid when purchasing 266.66 gallons of fuel. If that fuel was used to achieve 30 mpg, it’s the equivalent of 8000 miles of travel. The EV owner will have to decide if that’s a fair deal or not. A handful of other states are considering similar fees.

But an ocean away, another state is embracing electric vehicles and encouraging their purchase in the name of conserving an expensive commodity. Hawai’i imports more than 95% of its petroleum products and is spinning up its program to encourage EV use. They are supporting and encouraging installation of public charging stations and have active rebate and tax incentive programs supporting the purchase of electric vehicles.

Since almost all their oil is imported, gas prices in the Aloha state are significantly higher than the mainland, averaging about $4.50 a gallon recently. The state’s “EV Ready” program wants to cut transportation fuel usage by 70% by 2030, and they see electric vehicles as part of that plan. The program has also partnered with GM and other companies to develop a hydrogen refueling network by 2015 to encourage vehicles with fuel cells.

If you’re a service professional and not a MACS member yet, you should be, click here for more information.

The 33rd annual Mobile Air Conditioning Society (MACS) Worldwide Convention and Trade Show will take place February 7-9, 2013 at the Caribe Royale, Orlando, FL

Not just skin deep

macsworldwide — Wed, 22 Feb 2012 13:22:12 +0000

By Jim Taylor, Editor MACS ACtion Magazine

You’ve just received your new radiator and are about to begin the removal and replacement on your customer’s vehicle. Pulling the shiny new unit out of the box, you look it over and read the installation instructions. Everything looks “Go” and you’re ready to begin installation. Great!

But what if you open the box and some of the radiator fins look like they’re going in the opposite direction? Or there appear to be brazing marks on the front of the radiator? What is cosmetically acceptable and what should be rejected?

The heating and cooling engineers at MACS Member Delphi Product & Service Solutions recently developed a picture guide to inspecting your new radiator and knowing what is cosmetically acceptable and what is not. Radiators are more fragile than other underhood parts, and although suppliers take the strictest precautions when manufacturing, it is normal to have some surface imperfections. We’ll present their guide in sections as space allows.

Brazing – Damaged centers due to braze frame

Accept: Air centers are marked due to core frame, but still operational. This is cosmetic only.

Reject: The air centers are ripped from the core due to removal of braze frame.

Flux Missing – Stained core

Accept: Radiator core without stains.

Reject: Core with black stains due to lack of flux during the braze process. This defect can cause leaks.

Center Stretching

Accept: Air centers not stretched.

Reject: Any air center stretched. This is due to material condition or set-up problems on the machine.

Compressed Air Centers

Accept: Only one air center compressed through its length in any part of the core. Also accept any core with less than 20 areas of air centers compressed less than 10cm in the entire core.

Reject: Two or more air centers are compressed through their length in any part of the core. Also reject any core with more than 20 areas of compressed air centers greater than 10cm in the entire core.

If you’re a service professional and not a MACS member yet, you should be, click here for more information.

The 33rd annual Mobile Air Conditioning Society (MACS) Worldwide Training Conference and Trade Show will take place February 7-9, 2013 at the Caribe Royale, Orlando, FL

If you don’t know what you don’t know about mobile A/C repair: Boot Camp!

macsworldwide — Tue, 21 Feb 2012 14:48:26 +0000

MACS Mobile A/C Boot Camp in two locations in 2012

The Mobile Air Conditioning Society (MACS) Worldwide announces two dates and locations for Mobile A/C Boot Camp in 2012. A two-day boot camp is scheduled for Friday, March 30^th and Saturday, March 31^st at MACS Worldwide training facility in Lansdale, PA (suburban Philadelphia). An additional Mobile A/C Boot Camp is scheduled for Friday, April 13^th and Saturday, April 14^th at Austin Community College, Austin, TX.

The training schedule and curriculum for the March 30-31 Boot Camp at MACS training facility includes:

Friday, March 30th

1:30pm- Section 609 certification and instruction on how to properly recover and recycle refrigerant using a recovery machine.

Saturday, March 31^st

8am- Mobile A/C Best Service Practices and Compressor Replacement Procedures

After Lunch

Electrical Principles and Troubleshooting

The training schedule and curriculum for the April 13-14 Boot Camp at Austin Community College includes:

Friday, April 13th

8am- Mobile A/C Best Service Practices and Compressor Replacement Procedures
After Lunch

MACS 2012 Mobile A/C Update

Saturday, April 14th

8am-Section 609 certification and instruction on how to properly recover and recycle refrigerant using a recovery machine.

Registration is now open for both MACS Mobile A/C Boot Camp weekends. The cost to attend is:

Section 609 day only: MACS Members $35/Non-members $55
Best Practices day only: MACS Members $175/ Non-members $295
Friday and Saturday: MACS Members $210/ Non-members $330

If you’re a service professional and not a MACS member yet, you should be, click here for more information.

The 33rd annual Mobile Air Conditioning Society (MACS) Worldwide Convention and Trade Show will take place February 7-9, 2013 at the Caribe Royale, Orlando, FL

MACS mobile A/C training schedule

macsworldwide — Mon, 20 Feb 2012 19:12:46 +0000

Here is the latest schedule of MACS mobile A/C training clinics planned for 2012:

March 5&6th-Reno, NV @Ranshu
March 20th – Tucson, AZ @ Coolstream Distributors
March 24th – Harrisburg, PA – An AASP Event
March 27th – Appleton, WI @ LKQ
March 28th-Largo, FL @ Ranshu
March 28th – Milwaukee, WI @ LKQ
March 29th – Chicago, IL @ LKQ
April 4th-Allentown, PA @AAA
April 10th – Minneapolis, MN @ LKQ
April 11th – Des Moines, IA @ LKQ
April 12th-Warren, AR @Johnny’s Radiator
April 12th – Davenport, IA @ LKQ
April 18th – Cleveland Metro Area @ RadAir Complete Car Care
April 23rd-Brooklyn,NY @Auto Tech Training Center
April 24th-Wichita, KS @Central Electric
April 24th-San Diego, CA @NAPA (Section 609 class)
April 25th – Lansdale, PA @ MACS Headquarters
April 26-Taunton, MA @LKQ
May 8th – Gorham, ME @ LKQ
May 9th – Manchester, NH @ LKQ
May 10th – Worcester/Boston Area @ Massbay Community College
May 16th-Leesburg, VA @ ASE HQ

Many of these clinics have specific points of registration. For more information e-mail macsworldwide@macsw.org

If you’re a service professional and not a MACS member yet, you should be, click here for more information.

The 33rd annual Mobile Air Conditioning Society (MACS) Worldwide Convention and Trade Show will take place February 7-9, 2013 at the Caribe Royale, Orlando, FL

Ya can’t make this stuff up

macsworldwide — Wed, 15 Feb 2012 15:58:46 +0000

By Jim Taylor, Editor MACS ACtion Magazine

Some random head-scratchers from recent automotive releases and general news items.

● Kaggle introduces itself as “an online platform that brings together thousands of intelligent minds to come up with a predictive model on a given industry.” They recently did a “study” on how to avoid vehicles that are most likely to have defects. One of their conclusions for ducking used car problems was to “pick an orange car — they are less likely to have been badly treated.” They also advised avoiding red and purple ones.

● In off-road news, a Minnesota man was recently taken into custody after being found drunk while operating an ice-rink resurfacing machine – yup, the Zamboni. Parents at a PeeWee hockey match noticed the operator weaving on the ice and bouncing the machine off the boards during the break and called police. The driver failed a field sobriety test at the rink.

● A long-fallen flag may be coming back – Studebaker, last seen on a hood in 1966. A U.S. business group is looking into bringing back the name, and they propose to paste it onto a line of cars, trucks and motorcycles imported from Korea. Right now, the project isn’t much beyond the proposal and napkin sketch stage though.

● By any account, January was a really good month for U.S. car sales. Almost all the OEM’s were up, but Chrysler led the pack with more than a 40% sales increase against January, 2011. Add to that news of its $1.83 million profit for all of 2011 and that the company will make its first profit sharing payment to workers since 2005. Moreover, CEO Sergio Marchionne recently told the U.S press that Chrysler’s overall success in 2011 sustained parent company FIAT”s bottom line as well; without the Yanks, the Italian company would have shown a yearly loss of over $80 million. Would you have guessed that a year ago?

● Go on, admit it…you watched the Super Bowl for the commercials. Nielsen, the folks who take great interest in what you watch on TV and why, recently looked at five years of Super Bowl ads. In terms of money spent (roughly equal to the number of commercials aired), the auto companies have held first place status for the last two years, although closely followed by beer ads. No news there, but who holds third place?—movie promos! The next two rankings are “regular soft drinks” and tortilla chips.

● Sun Oil, providers of Sunoco fuel and oil products, has shut down its 330,000 barrel per day refinery in Philadelphia. It will either sell or de-commission the plant. The company noted that its refineries had operated at a loss for the last three years and cited “declining demand for motor fuels” as part of the reason.

If you’re a service professional and not a MACS member yet, you should be, click here for more information.

The 33rd annual Mobile Air Conditioning Society (MACS) Worldwide Convention and Trade Show will take place February 7-9, 2013 at the Caribe Royale, Orlando, FL

It’s not just us

macsworldwide — Mon, 13 Feb 2012 02:46:54 +0000

By Jim Taylor, Editor MACS ACtion Magazine

We’ve written a lot here and in ACTION magazine about the delays, conflicts and general uncertainties surrounding the introduction of R-1234yf as a replacement refrigerant. The North American release of new vehicles using the product has been delayed for any number of reasons and many are beginning to ask what’s going on.

We are also discovering that the problem has longer reach and deeper roots. Remembering that the entire exercise is being driven by European legislation requiring low GWP gasses, one might think that Europe is well ahead of other markets in releasing both the product and related information on its use. One would be wrong.

In the Jan-Feb issue of the Automotive Airconditioning Reporter, a European industry magazine published in Netherlands, editor Ron Henselmans recounts the roadblocks being encountered on their side. With Ron’s permission, his “Dear Reader” column is reproduced below. His magazine is on the Web at auto-ac-reporter.com.”

“It is quite worriesome to notice that just before the number of supplies of cars with HFO-1234yf that are released from the factories will reach serious levels, it is still difficult to get information about the systems and the cars. Under normal circumstances the introduction of information and publicity about the systems, the cars that carry them and how good they are for the environment. Nothing of that here. Car, aircon system, and refrigerant manufacturers still draw up smoke curtains to hide the new refrigerant and its systems from too much publicity.

Even its price level is still unclear. When I sat down writing this introduction, the wildest rumours still went around. Not only about the price levels for the service industry but also about conflicts between car makers and refrigerant suppliers. Just think of it, within now and the next 12 months, approx. 1.5 – 3 million vehicles will be supplied with the new refrigerant. In some cases carmakers haven’t even reached price agreements with their suppliers.

This is of course unacceptable. The change from R-134a to R-1234yf may be more gradually, in terms of quantities it is many times bigger than the one from R-12 to R-134a. If prices for HFO-1234yf will really be so high as some say, ranging up to 10-12 times price for R-134a, not many may have realized yet that this does not only affect refrigerant suppliers and its direct customers, but may have an impact on the entire way of working in the industry. From the design of the system, handling the refrigerant, to much more accurate working procedures in the service industry. Don’t think that customers will be forgiving when costly refrigerant has escaped from his system after a repair of the system has failed.

Such a drastic change in thinking and working requires the necessary preparations. Such preparations also need to be implemented in time to be successful. Think of the training of service personnel and adapting service equipment and the working environment to the levels that are legally required. Speed is of high importance here.

Without any doubt manufacturers of alternative refrigerants are already luring to enter the market. Especially if it should turn out that handling HFO-1234yf systems and refrigerant is becoming uneconomic because of a lack of information, high price levels or costly safety rules by the authorities. The existence of even more refrigerants that would not only be harmful to the industry, but may even affect the popularity of auto aircon service and, as a consequence, the product auto aircon system as a whole.”

If you’re a service professional and not a MACS member yet, you should be, click here for more information.

The 33rd annual Mobile Air Conditioning Society (MACS) Worldwide Convention and Trade Show will take place February 7-9, 2013 at the Caribe Royale, Orlando, FL

Time machine

macsworldwide — Fri, 10 Feb 2012 13:46:04 +0000

By Jim Taylor, Editor MACS ACtion Magazine

This one was just too good to pass up, although it may be gone by the time you go looking.

A friend sent a link to an Ebay auction for a 1954 Lincoln Capri Two-door hardtop. The California car looks to be in very good condition and will probably bring the seller a nice price. It was a desirable model in its day and this one is well-optioned including a combination outside mirror and spotlight (ooooh!), 4-speed hydromatic trans, and stylish chrome rain guards over the tops of the windows. But to live large in the mid-Fifties you needed…

…air conditioning, parts of which are in the trunk!

What we have here is a living example of an early, factory integrated A/C system. The huge compressor is under the hood, belt-driven by the V-8 engine; long hoses run to the rear of the car and connect to the evaporator, fans and ductwork neatly packaged in the trunk. Cold air is delivered into the cabin by plastic outlets on the rear shelf.

According to the service plate, the system uses four pounds of Freon 12, and the seller notes that the “A/C will require servicing for use” — but the almost 60-year old system is still believed to be operable.

These pics were provided by the seller, and there are more at the bidding link below.

Even if old cars aren’t your thing, this one’s worth looking at if only as a commentary on how far we’ve come. At this writing, bidding was just under ten grand, with the reserve price not yet met. Let us know if you buy it.

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=130644399190+&viewitem=

If you’re a service professional and not a MACS member yet, you should be, click here for more information.

The 33rd annual Mobile Air Conditioning Society (MACS) Worldwide Convention and Trade Show will take place February 7-9, 2013 at the Caribe Royale, Orlando, FL

Aging gracefully

macsworldwide — Thu, 09 Feb 2012 13:38:17 +0000

By Jim Taylor, Editor MACS ACtion Magazine

The news broke a couple weeks ago while we were at the MACS Convention, and you may have caught its mention on the nightly news. At the end of 2011, the average age of light vehicles in the U.S. vehicle population has risen to 10.8 years, according to R.L. Polk. In detail, it is 10.4 years for light trucks and 11.1 for cars, but call it 11-even for a round number.

So it appears that there are a lot of 2000-’01-’02 cars and trucks still running quite happily and giving reasonable service to their owners. Naturally, the math is slightly skewed because there are way-more very new vehicles out there – say 2008 to 2010 – than very old vehicles, perhaps late ’70s and early ’80s still in service. However, the numbers still provide some insight.

Most observers attribute the age increase to the recent economic cycle and the simple fact that many people either couldn’t, or chose not to, buy a new car. That is certainly part of it, and a review of historic purchasing trends bears it out. But it’s not the only part.

Very simply, vehicles have gotten better in the last 20 years. We have, thankfully, come out of what some call the “Malaise Era” of poorly made, disposable and unrewarding cars. Quality is up all around, materials are better and electronics are more reliable. Getting a reasonably modern car past 100,000 miles may now require little more than frequent oil changes, a couple filters and a set of spark plugs. Many cars go well past that mileage with no mechanical repairs other than brakes and tires, and those only due to wear.

It is also possible that in some small way, owners have gotten smarter as well. Perhaps all the industry preaching has paid off and people are beginning to realize that fixing the small stuff quickly prevents large and nasty repairs down the road. Many have also learned the old axiom that “the cheapest car to buy is the one you already own” and see that a several hundred dollar repair is still cheaper than spending several thousand for a replacement vehicle.

Most of your shop customers are not drooling boneheads (in spite of what Louie over in the far bay says.) For the most part, your customers are normal intelligent working folks who manage their life, business and family every day. They may be un-informed about their car – sometimes even mis-informed – but that’s where you come in.

Your shop’s skill, knowledge and guidance is what keeps these rides on the road whether it’s an ’08, a ’98 or even 1978. Keep ‘em rolling.

If you’re a service professional and not a MACS member yet, you should be, click here for more information.

The 33rd annual Mobile Air Conditioning Society (MACS) Worldwide Convention and Trade Show will take place February 7-9, 2013 at the Caribe Royale, Orlando, FL

Your future is electric

macsworldwide — Wed, 08 Feb 2012 13:39:24 +0000

By Jim Taylor, Editor MACS ACtion Magazine

On the face of it, that may not be news to you. Electric propulsion in one form or another is springing up everywhere, and almost every manufacturer on the planet is looking at providing some form of electro- propulsion on at least one model as soon as possible. Even the resurrected DeLorean Motor Corporation has shown an operating prototype of an all-electric DMC-12 that they hope to get into production by 2013.
Electrification is moving into the mainstream as well. Frito-Lay is debuting ten new all-electric delivery trucks in central Florida, and the company plans to have a total of more than 175 in service within a year. The company has stated that it has confidence in the technology and would not make the investment otherwise. That fleet, they say, will save half a million gallons of fuel each year.

Still another sign, if you need one: Exide batteries recently announced production of the 2,500,000th “micro-hybrid” battery in Europe. These are not futuristic units made of exotic unpronouncables; they are well developed and optimized lead-acid batteries in absorbent glass mat (AGM) or enhanced cycling mat (ECM) form. They’re used in vehicles with “idle-stop” technology. We’re just starting to see that here, but it’s been featured in Europe for years. Two and a half million of them since 2009 should speak to the popularity of the idea.
Years ago, one industry buzz-word was the “beltless engine.” It’s day may be here as one by one, belt-driven systems succumb to the song of the electron. Electric A/C compressors are now as common as cats and can be found on anything from Prius to Peterbilt and Volt to Volvo. It still takes a lot of power to drive the compressor, but that power isn’t being robbed directly from the crankshaft.

It’s not impossible that you have already worked on a vehicle with an electric coolant pump, secondary pump or similar device. They’re showing up on domestic, Asian and European products at every turn. Pull up a service manual and make yourself comfortable; you’ll be seeing a lot more of these as the need for thermal management grows.
Even a classic performance item is not immune. The French company Valeo recently announced that, after acquiring a British technology company, they plan to become the first automotive supplier to offer a range of electric superchargers.
All this electro-drive is nice enough and it wouldn’t be there if the designers and engineers didn’t think it had some benefit. One benefit of driving a component, say a coolant pump or compressor, through a wire is that its speed or duty-cycle can be easily controlled. Only run the unit at full speed when you need to, and perhaps at half-speed when you don’t.
The guess here is that most of what you’ll see in your shop won’t be motor problems; in general, motor technology is well developed and the products are robust. Instead – stop me if you’ve heard this one before – the problem will be in the control system.
The customer complaint “it doesn’t work” may really mean “it’s not getting the right message” and it’s up to you to find out why. As we all know from experience, great engineering can be brought low by a corroded connector, and the finest motor in the world won’t operate if a control module makes a decision based on bogus information from a sensor. Hybrids and EVs have brought us new and higher voltages in big orange-clad wires, but tracking the digital and low-voltage signals in the control systems is becoming the key to a shop’s success.

If you’re a service professional and not a MACS member yet, you should be, click here for more information.

The 33rd annual Mobile Air Conditioning Society (MACS) Worldwide Convention and Trade Show will take place February 7-9, 2013 at the Caribe Royale, Orlando, FL
Knowledge is power, but knowledge of power is the future.