Mobile Air Conditioning Society (MACS) Worldwide

Exhibitors! Start your engines for MACS 2013 Trade Show!

macsworldwide — Tue, 29 May 2012 15:08:51 +0000

Exhibitors can now download all the necessary forms and information to display their products at the MACS 2013 Training Event and Trade Show. Be the Best of the Best is the theme for the annual meeting to be held February 7-9, 2013, at the Caribe Royale All Suite Hotel and Convention Center in Orlando, FL.

Highlighting the MACS event is the theme, Be the Best of the Best! “The theme reflects the strong reputation the MACS meeting has enjoyed as the global gathering of the best and brightest in the industry for the past 32 years and embraces a new meeting format that considers the needs and work-styles of a new generation of mobile A/C professionals,” explained Elvis L. Hoffpauir, MACS president and COO. Exhibitors will benefit from many changes to the 2013 MACS Training Event aimed at delivering maximum ROI to exhibitors.

Exhibitor forms can be downloaded from the 2013 exhibitor page on the MACS website at www.macsw.org. More information is available from Pam Smith, MACS Events Manager, by e-mail at pam@macsw.org or call 215/631-7020 x 306.

Hotel room reservations can be made now from the MACS website for the Caribe Royale in Orlando, FL. The Caribe Royale reservations desk can also be reached at 888/258-7501.

Founded in 1981, the Mobile Air Conditioning Society (MACS) is the leading non-profit trade association for the mobile air conditioning, heating and engine cooling system segment of the automotive aftermarket. MACS represents a growing membership in North America and many countries around the world, and is affiliated with the Vehicle Air Conditioning Specialists of Australia (VASA). MACS also provides information and services to more than 60,000 industry shops, suppliers and technicians. The Society serves the industry through informational tools, self-paced educational materials, leader-led training clinics, advocacy and other member services. Since 1991, MACS has assisted more than 960,000 technicians to comply with 1990 Clean Air Act requirements for certification in refrigerant recovery and recycling to protect the environment. To learn more about MACS Worldwide and the upcoming 33rd Annual Training Event and Trade Show, to be held February 7-9, 2013 at the Caribe Royale All Suite Hotel and Convention Center in Orlando, FL visit www.macsw.org.

Us, by the numbers – Part II

macsworldwide — Fri, 25 May 2012 12:43:17 +0000

By Jim Taylor, Editor MACS ACtion Magazine

We’re continuing our data romp through the “ETI Market Research Study on A/C Service, Equipment and Trends,” for sale through MACS, ETI and possibly other outlets as well. As noted before, much of the collected data is proprietary and only available with the purchase, but we received ETI’s kind permission to abstract some of their general demographic data. Today we’re looking at what shops said they work on.

The survey’s Question 11 asked about what brands and types of vehicles your business has performed A/C services on. As you’d expect, the percentages almost exactly follow sales and purchase patterns. GM and Ford led the list, with 83% of shops mentioning them. Chrysler was in at 77% followed by Toyota-Lexus, Honda-Acura, and Nissan-Infiniti, all variously in the 60% range. (Remember, the question asked about A/C work, not all work…)

The A/C service numbers fall off for the lower sales-volume cars: 54% of shops had worked on a Subaru, 38% had seen a BMW or MINI, and 31% had handled a Jaguar. Surprisingly, 23% of respondents also said they’d done A/C work on a Porsche product and 28% mentioned Land Rover as well.

Way down at the bottom of the list, 6% had hands on a Rolls Royce, 5% sounded off for Ferrari, and 4% said they had worked on a Bentley. Pantera (!), Classic Mini, Lotus and Studebaker were mentioned in 1% of the responses along with 1% for “private or business aircraft”, “old hot rods”, and “custom vehicles.” Looks like some folks out there are working on some really cool stuff !

Of particular interest however, and reflecting expanding markets for A/C work, 35% of responding shops – more than a third of the sample – said they also work on medium or heavy-duty trucks and equipment. Another 9% specified buses, and 5% specified work on RVs or motor homes. For the trucks, the nameplate breakdown again pretty much follows sales trends, with Freightliner, International, Kenworth and Peterbilt the most frequently seen.

Off-road, construction and agricultural vehicles also figured into the equation as this field continues to grow for mechanical and A/C service on-site. Cat, CNH, Deere, Kobelco, Hitachi and Linkbelt were frequently mentioned along with other specialty names.

Question 12 asked for the respondent’s “overall experience” for A/C repairs on vehicles by brand using a 1-10 rating. A 1 rating meant “extremely easy to work on” and 10 equaled a hair-pulling, wrench throwing “extremely difficult.” Care to guess at the results?

Simply take the “frequently worked on” list from Question 11 and turn it upside down; the infrequently seen cars were rated the hardest to work on for A/C repairs. We can’t say whether this is due to real difficulty of access, lack of diagnostic information or simply due to a lack of technician familiarity.

Either way, all the German marques were rated the hardest to fix. Porsche’s average difficulty rating was 6.0, BMW-MINI and Mercedes-Benz each averaged 5.7, and VW-Audi got 5.1. Other European brands – Volvo and SAAB – were next in line.

At the other end of the scale, the ease-of-work winner was GM (3.2 av. rating), followed closely by Ford (3.4), then Hyundai, Toyota-Lexus, Kia, Mazda, Honda-Acura, Isuzu and Chrysler, all averaging under 3.8 from respondents.

Do you see your business in any of these mirrors? Remember, all this data was collected from almost 300 shops. It may not reflect your shop or business exactly, but we think it’s a fair sketch of what our industry looks like at the moment.

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.

Us, by the numbers

macsworldwide — Tue, 22 May 2012 12:34:36 +0000

By Jim Taylor, Editor MACS ACtion Magazine

You may never have heard of ETI, the Equipment and Tool Institute. The organization is an umbrella trade group for all the companies that make the shop tools you buy. Pick up almost any bit of equipment in your shop and the chances are good that its manufacturer is a member of ETI. They work closely with the vehicle makers to insure that necessary tools are available for all the new technology that hits the street.

The group recently surveyed nearly 300 repair shops, seeking information on how shop owners and technicians evaluate, purchase and use equipment related to air conditioning repair. They asked some detailed questions about favorite gear, how it was chosen, how its used and how it could be improved. The data is available in the “ETI Market Research Study on A/C Service, Equipment and Trends”. It’s for sale through ETI.

Much of the collected use and opinion data is proprietary and only available with the purchase, but we received ETI’s kind permission to abstract some of their general demographic data. The numbers paint an industry picture, and we’re an interesting bunch; see where you fit in.

The survey sample size was very close to 300 shops, repair facilities and schools, fairly evenly distributed throughout the U.S. Not everybody answered every question so we’ll use percentages here to keep a level playing field.

Of those responding, 61% termed their shop either “General Repair” or “other” with only 15% saying they were a specialty shop. (Note that the specialty could be anything – brakes, A/C, trans, etc.) The category also revealed military vehicle maintenance (2%), mobile repair shops (4%), and fleet maintenance operations (16%).

More that two-thirds (67%) of the shops employ 1 -5 technicians, but 19% said they had more than ten techs working. One question asked about technician certification under Section 609, and it was refreshing to see well over 90 percent compliance. However, 8% of respondents said no one in their shop had the ticket.

“Does your shop provide on-site recovery/ recycle/ recharge (RRR) service?” Of almost 300 answers, 99% said yes. One “no” responder noted he did not have the equipment and another described himself as primarily a diagnostic shop rather than one doing the repair.

Only six shops (2%) said they make 100 percent of their money from A/C repairs but more than two thirds (67%) reported A/C work as producing 5 to 25% of their revenue. Just over half reported using a J2788 RRR machine, and almost all the others said they use the older J2210 units. Exactly 50% have one machine for the shop, and another 42% have two to five machines. A very few shops still use a scale and vacuum pump, but only one shop said they have no RRR machine or scale, making us wonder how they do the job.

Not just skin deep

macsworldwide — Mon, 21 May 2012 12:36:56 +0000

MACS member Delphi Product and Service Solutions recommends the following tips to help you inspect your new product right out of the box:

Delphi recommends

ACTION	REASON
DO: Make sure the radiator is not mishandled during a subassembly operation or re-installation. Make certain that subsequent operations, such as cooling fan installation, do not damage the radiator.	Radiators are fragile. The soft aluminum tubes and centers are very thin to provide efficient heat transfer and weight reduction. Plastic tanks are more robust than the aluminum core but are still prone to damage if knocked against a workbench, a toolbox, or a vehicle.
DO: Keep the shipping caps for the oil cooler circuit in place until the oil lines are installed.	This keeps out moisture and dirt, and prevents contaminants from getting on the flare fittings or contaminating o-ring seats.
DO: Handle new defective or suspect radiators with care so no additional damage occurs. They must be returned to the place of purchase.	Additional damage can destroy or mask the discrepancy, making it difficult for the supplier to analyze and determine the root cause for return.
DO NOT: Place a radiator on the floor. If the radiator requires attention, use a workbench or table.	Tubes are easily bent and fractured resulting in premature failure and poor performance. Plastic tanks are easily cracked or broken causing leaks and mounting problems.
DO NOT: Remove the oil cooler shipping caps with sharp tools.	This could damage the threads or quick-connect surface and result in a leak.

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

Random industry news

macsworldwide — Fri, 18 May 2012 12:28:05 +0000

By Jim Taylor, Editor MACS ACTION Magazine

Shaping up: It’s looking like a strong year for auto sales in North America. At the end of the first quarter of 2012, reported new car sales were up across the board with the three main U.S. nameplates showing a substantial increase over the same period last year.

It appears that a rising tide lifts all boats; GM has stated that it now sells more cars outside North America (notably in China) than on this continent.

Elsewhere: Maybe not so much. New car sales in Europe dropped precipitously, due in part to the financial troubles afflicting many governments and European Community as a whole. One standout was Germany, where sales actually increased by over 2 percent. Audi and BMW’s competition for the top slot rivals anything seen during the Ford vs. Chevrolet sales battles of the 1960s and ‘70s.

Asia countries reported mixed results with some providing increased sales and others falling a few points. Japan saw a hard drop in new car sales, and some famous-name makers are actually finding it too expensive to manufacture in the home country. For one, Toyota has said it will move some manufacturing out of the country and import vehicles to keep costs down.

It’s on, but slowly: Although they still provide less than 3 percent of the total market, hybrids and pluggable electric vehicles show continued growth. Overall sales in the class grew in the first quarter. Sales of the Prius family of cars has exceeded even the factory’s expectations and dealers are clamoring for more cars as soon as possible.
Chevy’s Volt is younger than some others and still establishing its market, but it also showed gains in sales and buyer interest. Ford has just begun taking orders for the upcoming C-Max hybrid and is targeting Prius in the sales race.

Surprise! From the “Different strokes for different folks” file, we note first that Ferrari recently let slip that the news that the new limited-edition Enzo will contain the company’s first hybrid drive system, coupling electric drive to a new V-12 engine. Rumors price the car somewhere north of $800,000.

And in the U.K, Mazda has produced commercials mocking the “range anxiety” of EV owners and touting its own high mileage gas-engined vehicles. The company has said it wants to increase its overall fuel efficiency by roughly 30 percent within three years through both engine technology and lightweight construction methods.

Not dead yet? SAAB has long since crashed and closed, yet attempts to save the company by finding a buyer continue. Several potential players have shown interest but backed off before writing any checks. One reason is that although GM backed out of SAAB a few years ago, the Detroit company still owns a variety of patents and intellectual property that they will not release or license to a new buyer—and particularly not to a buyer from China.

Now, representatives of one of SAAB’s largest trade unions, IF Metall, have written to President Obama asking him to intervene with GM and untie some knots so the Swedish company can pass to a new owner and perhaps reopen. No word from the White House on the matter.

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

Steps

macsworldwide — Thu, 17 May 2012 12:48:43 +0000

By Jim Taylor, Editor MACS ACtion Magazine

By the time you read this, some progress may have been made in the march towards the introduction, use and servicing of R-1234yf. If you’ve been following the ongoing saga, you’ll recall that one stumbling point was the type and size of the connectors for tanks and service equipment. With any luck, that one at least is now settled, although other questions still remain.

At the end of March, U.S. EPA said it is taking “direct final action,” (that is, without the “proposed rule” procedure and related comment period) to adopt a unique standardized connector for refrigerant tanks of the new product. The new rule will become effective on May 21 if the agency does not receive any “adverse comments” or a request for a public hearing. EPA said they view this as “a noncontroversial action and anticipate no adverse comment.”
What they’ve adopted (for refrigerant containers of R-1234yf from 5 to 50 lbs. for use in professional servicing) is a 1/2-inch diameter left-handed valve with Acme or trapezoidal threads at 16 per inch. That is coupler defined in the revised SAE specification J2844 and it appears now the revision was the key to the snag.
The SAE committee working on the problem thought they had it all solved by early 2011 when they defined a quick-connect (QC) fitting that would make the tanks literally a snap to mate to a service machine. But when put out for review, some industry players expressed concern that the quick-connects were not robust enough and should be replaced by a screw-on connector. Additionally, commenters said, QC fittings are more likely to release refrigerant without giving warning to the technician while a threaded fitting usually issues an audible hiss that may warn of a problem.
EPA asked the SAE committee to revisit and rethink the fitting. We are reliably told that some of those meetings were quite contentious since some members had already committed to the earlier design. By October, 2011 however, consensus was reached on the present proposed connector; dimensionally, it’s similar to others but the unique threads prevent mating it to any other common fitting. It’s the October, 2011 revision to J2844 that’s being adopted as the technical specification.
So, we hope, that’s one down and another step towards getting service equipment and supply tanks into the general marketplace. Other roadblocks, or perhaps speed bumps, still exist however—we haven’t yet heard what size tanks will be used and the question of required technician training and certification remains open as well.
It does appear that the new chemical won’t be available to DIY’ers for a while. The recent EPA announcement also said “we note that our final rule listing HFO-1234yf as acceptable subject to use conditions did not apply to small containers. The refrigerant manufacturer would need to submit a unique fitting specifically for use with small can taps and small refrigerant containers before EPA could determine whether to find use of such small containers acceptable under SNAP. In addition, such containers could not be sold until a significant new use notice is submitted to EPA…”
Small cans also made the news recently in Wisconsin. For a long time, the state’s Department of Agriculture, Trade and Consumer Protection (DATCP) had prohibited sale of those items. That all changed in early April when the governor signed a bill stating that “The department may not promulgate rules prohibiting the sale or offering for sale of any substance used as a substitute for an ozone-depleting refrigerant in a container holding less than 15 pounds of the substance or regulating an individual’s noncommercial use of such a substance that is sold in such a container.”
That move canceled the department’s administrative rule instantly and now allows small cans of refrigerant to appear on store shelves. Supporters of the bill included the AAIA and refrigerant product maker IDQ Holdings. Some backers noted that many DIY’ers simply bought the stuff in neighboring states anyway.
But the change also raised questions about the future of Wisconsin’s related rules on technician training, shop licensing, ban on sale of flammable refrigerants and other matters. “Nothing else has changed, said Judy Cardine, Chief of Regulation and Safety for DATCP. “Everything else remains as it is. The recent bill only affects the prohibition on selling small cans of substitute refrigerant.”

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

Got parts for this?

macsworldwide — Wed, 16 May 2012 12:23:54 +0000

By Jim Taylor, Editor MACS ACtion Magazine

Not too long ago a gent walked up to the Action Air sales counter at Omega Environmental Technologies in Dallas, TX and wanted a shaft seal kit for one of these.

Gary Wrench, VP for International Sales at MACS-member Omega Environmental Technologies, reports that the customer swore the compressor still pumped well and simply needed a seal kit.

When the counter staff asked the obvious question – “What’s it for?” – they may not have been expecting the answer they got: a 1957 Nash Ambassador Custom. With A/C mind you, and that was a really big deal back then.

Nash was a big name on its own before it was purchased by American Motors, a company later swallowed up by Chrysler. But regardless of the name it’s a sure bet the car’s not in the catalogs any more— that was the ultimate problem.

Gary tells us, “Unfortunately, we could not come up with a shaft seal kit for it. I spoke with MACS member Old Air Products in Ft. Worth who has a lot of replacement parts for older A/C systems. But they did not have the seal kit for this one. The customer said he is going to clean the compressor up and put it in his showroom.”
So, maybe we have no ending to the story yet as the customer has not yet decided to put a conversion bracket on the engine to accommodate a newer style Sanden or Seltec compressor.”

Not the perfect outcome, but understandable. We say: bless the old cars and the people that keep them running.

’57 Nash Ambassador: an example of the breed, but not the car in question.

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

E-racing update

macsworldwide — Tue, 15 May 2012 14:28:45 +0000

Back in March, we noted that both Toyota and Audi were developing hybrid-electric racing cars. At the time we said,

“Toyota has introduced the TS030 Hybrid with its THS-R hybrid propulsion system. Designed to compete under new rules in the World Endurance Championship series—think 24 Hours of LeMans and other races—Toyota combines a 3.4l V-8 gas engine with an electric supplemental system. The car uses energy recovery under braking, stores the energy in a beefy capacitor and returns it to the wheels during acceleration. The current rules allow the electro-drive to only the front or rear wheels, not both, and the company was still mulling which solution to use when the car was introduced.
Not to be outdone, Audi, whose turbo-diesel racers dominated the class for a while, has just pulled the covers from its R18 e-tron Quattro. Besides the V-5 TDI racing engine, this one also recovers brake energy but stores it in a flywheel system and returns it to the front wheels. Audi feels this gives them a distinct advantage with momentary all-wheel drive.”

Both cars were supposed to make their racing debuts at the FIA World Endurance Championship race at Spa-Francorchamps in Belgium earlier this month but fate intervened. The TS030 suffered a wet-track accident during pre-season testing and crashed hard enough to damage the carbon fiber monocoque.

Toyota did not have a second car ready and announced that the damage could not be repaired safely in time for the race at Spa. However, the red car did make the trip and posed with its competitor for photos during the weekend.

In view of the extra power supplied by the electric systems, this pair could be the metaphorical Adam and Eve for a new generation of international race cars. Developers and teams are watching the performance (and cost) of the new cars very closely.

At the end of the six hour race in Belgium, Audi had swept the top four places with the two E-trons claiming second and fourth overall. The second place car turned a best-lap time half a second faster than the turbo-diesel race winner.

Toyota says it expects to have the TS030 repaired and tested again in time for the 24 Hours of Le Mans in June. The French race has always been about corporate bragging rights—Ford vs. Ferrari, Corvette vs. Porsche, and so on. With the now revealed performance of a hybrid power train, it should be a very interesting race for a number of reasons.

Universal compressor oil

macsworldwide — Mon, 14 May 2012 12:58:57 +0000

Courtesy of MACS Member 1-800-Radiator & A/C’s Training and Tech Support

This article originated as an answer to a question asked by a warehouse operator seeking information for a customer. To provide an accurate reply, the Training &Tech Support department checked with a combination of compressor suppliers, lubricant providers and others.

It’s not unusual for a customer to call and say “I want some of that oil I can use in everything.” Or when engaging a technician in a conversation about A/C, for them to say “I use universal oil, because I can only put one type in my A/C machine, and just to keep it simple, I use it in everything.”
With mineral oil, ester oil, and three common viscosities of PAG oil in use, one type of oil that will work in everything sure seems like an easier approach. However, is there really a “universal” oil that can be used in everything? It almost sounds like something that is too good to be true.

Well that is the case, so let’s examine it. First of all, hybrid vehicles that use compressors which have an internal electric motor require specially formulated ester oil. Use of anything other than this type of lubricant with these units can cause severe compressor damage, and will void compressor manufacturers’ warranties. Even worse, under the “right” conditions, it could lead to the possibility of a severe shock hazard to the technician, and OEMs have issued stern warnings about it.

Going a step further, equipment such as manifold gauge sets and recovery/ recycling/ recharge machines that are used on non-hybrid systems cannot be used on these hybrids, because of the possibility of contaminating the system with traces of lubricant other than the specially formulated ester oil. Note: Many hybrids utilize belt-driven compressors which require conventional PAG oil. So what about non-hybrid vehicles, and hybrids that have conventional compressors which use PAG oil? Can universal oil be used in them?
No!—at least not without encountering increased risk as opposed to using the specified oil.
There are companies that sell oils (both ester and PAG) that are advertised as being “universal” that can supposedly be used in anything (except the hybrids referenced above) and with both R-12 and R-134a. But their use is a recipe for potential problems. There is a difference in the viscosity (thickness) of PAG 46, PAG 100 and PAG 150. You can actually see the difference by observing each being poured from their respective containers.
With that being the case, when utilizing a universal oil you can end up with one that is too thick for some applications and too thin for others. While that may not make a big difference with some compressors and the oil may work, there are others where the correct viscosity is critical, and the use of anything other than what is recommended can cause excessive noise or premature compressor failure. Also, if you just need to add some oil to a system, it isn’t a good idea to mix different types of oils, as you would do if you add universal to an R-12 system that contained mineral oil.

With all the lubrication problems that can be encountered with R-134a systems, a “one size fits all” approach isn’t a good one. Plus, using anything other than the specified viscosity of PAG oil in systems that require it voids the warranty from many of those compressor manufacturers.

The manufacturers spend large sums of money doing research to determine the proper viscosity oils to use with their compressors. To avoid the possibility of voiding warranties and reduce the likelihood of premature failures, it’s necessary to stick with their recommendations.

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

Getting connected

macsworldwide — Fri, 11 May 2012 12:46:07 +0000

Imagine for a moment that each car maker provided a different fuel filler for putting liquid fuels into the vehicle. You could only put gas in your Ford at stations with Ford nozzles and you’d be out of luck at a Honda or Chrysler gas stop. It sounds weird, but that’s close to the problem facing owners of pluggable electric vehicles.

Home-charging stations (Level I or II) have been mostly solved in North America with the adoption of a standard charging connector but some owners are discovering they can’t connect to a public charge-up point.

Development of a public charging infrastructure, perhaps in a parking lot or public garage, has been delayed by the lack of an industry standard connector and the different electrical systems in use on the cars.

Not all EVs on the road now can even connect to a high rate port, but it’s obvious that “parking ports” for short term use need to recharge the vehicle to a useful level in less time than overnight at home. The entire industry sees solving that problem as one key to increasing sales of electric vehicles.

Now a coalition of eight U.S and German OEMs – including Ford, GM and Chrysler – have announced agreement on a single-port fast charging system, which they say could recharge some battery EVs in 30 minutes or less.

It is more than just a connector agreement, too. The new charging system was developed to create one standard for electrical systems, charge controllers, and user safety in international markets.

The “DC-Fast” system has both AC and DC charging capabilities and integrates the ability to handle a variety of low and high-rate charging protocols (Levels I, II, III) into one standard connector. Supporters say this is a necessary step to allow any EV to recharge at almost any station, thus reducing the

SAE International is examining the new system and may adopt it as a standard for fast charging, and the European manufacturers association ACEA has also endorsed the idea of a common connector. Developers expect to have the DC-Fast system available at the end of this year.

While this is a step forward for U.S and Euro markets, it still presents a problem for any EVs going to or coming from Asian markets. The Japanese auto industry, working through the CHAdeMO (Charge de Move) Association, is promoting its own connector, pin layout and internal charging system(s). The association says that almost 1200 of their chargers are in use in Japan with 200 more in use in Europe.

Some industry observers see this turning into the automotive version of Betamax vs. VHS while others predict no problems ahead because OEMs are already used to making other safety and emission changes for each market they enter.