Following TAC can be costly

[Michael White]

Rob had a very good article on dealers getting debitted following the recommendations of TAC.Having GMC, we occasionally experience diesel concerns.For everyone's benifit, you can only get a diesel pump by ordering it thru TAC. We had a specific driveabiltiy problem with MIL lights on. We checked it out and wanted a injector pump. The TAC rep did not want us to do it. He was convinced we had a timing chain problem and required us to remove the timing chain for inspection. The truck happened to be a cube conversion van made into a bus, with add on secondary A/C. Our tech did not agree with the diagnosis, but was told by TAC you have to check to see if it has not slipped. So we did (not a easy project on this 1 ton cube conversion van. After dissassembling we could find no probelm. At that time, Tac sent us out a pump. Now we dissagreed with TAC, but they have control of the diesel pumps. Following thier recommedations added approx 5 hours OLH per LTG to the cost. Will we be debitted it because GM's TAC guys have questionable qualifications?? We get bone head recommendations from them all the time and sometimes will not follow them because they make no sense.

It is my opinion, if we are following the guidlines of TAC, since our own service manual or ESI may not be worth the paper or disc space they are stored on, should we be financually responseble for following their guidelines. I think not, If we can prove what info we give them, with references to info we have at the dealership, and they give us incorrect info, or info that requires us to spend a considereable amount of time making checks,Gm should pay, and not us.
What does everyone else think??
Case in point is a 1999 30th annniv. WS6 Firebird we have in our shop now. Customer came in with about 900 miles on it with a bad engine oil leak coming from the rear main seal area. We dye tested, and the rear main seal was leaking badly. We replaced it. Rechecked by having the engine run for 1 hour or so and it began to leak again. Called TAC, they recommeded replacing the rear main seal plate, a 6 hour job per LTG. We did, but the leak was still there and we used the proper line up tools. Called them back and they recommended replacing the rear seal housing again, and teflon coating the bolts. We did this but it still leaked. At this time we are replacing the engine. Using standard LTG and no OLH for this repair, to replace the rear main seal, and the housing seal 2 times and the eventually the engine because now we figure there is some kind of porosity or casting problem with the block, we are now looking at $9500 in warranty expense. How should I have handled this differently to keep the expenses down? If I replaced the engine the second time, the auditors could say we were the ones who screwed up and we did not follow Tac's recommendations. If we followed the guidelines we did, the auditors could say we wasted their monies by not replacing the engine immediately. Here is a double edged sword. Which direction should we have gone?
Mike

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[D.L. BAGWELL]

I agree with you, with all the problems G.M. has right now I think they need to quit throwing the dealers under the bus They keep saying in all of these meeting that they have to have the dealer be profitable but they sure make it hard to keep all the ends meeting at times, They seem to forget at times that we are trying to take care of their customer's too not just our's. I think they need to start rethinking some of their time allowances and they know exactly which dealers are abusing the system and expenses and they should take that into consideration when they are looking into some of the deals that don't always seem exactly right. That fancy computer they have can tell them exactly who is out of line or not If total CPU is down I don't think they need to be so negative.They need to start supporting the dealers instead of rediculing

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[MARY SHERICK]

BOTH OF YOU GENTLEMEN ARE CORRECT. TO A CERTAIN EXTENT, THE POLICIES AND PROCEDURES MANUAL BACKS YOU. OLH IS FOR REPAIRS/DIAGNOSIS THAT REQUIRE MORE THAN THE STANDARD TIME. AS LONG AS YOU ARE DOCUMENTING THE SITUATION ADEQUATELY YOU CAN SUPPORT YOUR DECISION. FROM THE DETAIL YOU CITE, SOMEONE HAS PUT THE INK TO PAPER FOR DOCUMENTATION. THAT IS HALF THE BATTLE. I WOULD ALSO INCLUDE A COPY OF THE TECH ASSIST CASE CLOSE REQUEST, IN ADDITION TO CITING IT IN THE REPAIR ORDER COMMENTS. WITHT THE ADVENT OF H ROUTING FOR OLH PAST YOUR AUTH CAPABILITY, YOU CAN INCLUDE THAT INFO AND LET THE REP DO THE FOLLOWUP. THAT WAY THEY WILL BE ABLE TO SEE SOME OF THE BONEHEAD IDEAS IN THEIR OWN SYSTEM. THE SADDEST PART OF THE GM "UNIFICATION" IS THAT IT HAS CREATED A WHOLE COMPANY OF NEW HIRES, MOST OF THEM WITH LITTLE OR NO EXPERIENCE WITH THE PRODUCT, THE CUSTOMER, OR THE DEALERSHIP. THE DEALERS AND THE TECHS ARE THE "TEETHING RING" FOR THIS NEW BUNCH TO GROW UP ON. THAT IS MY PERSONAL OPINION ANYWAY.