Technical Hot-Line Readiness - October 13, 1999

At some point in time, everyone performing service repair as a profession runs up against a vehicle that just does not want to cooperate. With the multitude of service support informational possibilities, many turn to technical hot lines for support and a helpful answer to the problem. With seasonal product lines such as air conditioning, many calls come during a 90 to 120 day period of the summer months. With over 2000 calls per day coming in during the peak demanding months, time is of the essence. When calling our own technical hot line or any other technical support line, it is vital that you prepare for the call you are about to make.

The following is a list of what callers should be prepared to answer when calling the tech line:

- Are you the technician, counter person or end user?
- What is the make, model, year and engine size of the vehicle?
- What is the nature of the problem?
- When does the problem present itself?
- Has an A/C service check been performed?
- Do you own a pyrometer or laser thermometer?
- If yes, what are the liquid and discharge line temperatures at various points?
- What is the inlet and outlet temperature of the condenser?
- What is the outside temperature?
- What is the ambient humidity?
- What is the vehicle's duct temperature?
- What is the gauge pressure at idle and 1500rpm?
- Where are the A/C service ports located?
- Is the A/C system a dual system?
- Has the vehicle previously been worked on?
- Has the system been retrofitted?
- If yes, what type of refrigerant?
- How much refrigerant has been charged into the vehicle and what type?
- What type of oil was used and how much?
- What type of flush solvent was used?
- Are you using virgin or reclaimed refrigerant?
- If the system is an automatic temp control system?
- Have you performed ATC diagnostics (code retrieval)?
- Has the vehicle been in a wreck?
- What is the radiator and condenser condition?

Perhaps to the experienced technician, some of these questions may seem ridiculous, but one would be shocked to hear some of the responses to these questions when asked by our Service Technicians.

Knowing the correct answers to these questions will greatly improve the speed and effectiveness of the service that you may receive. In addition, we encourage you to write down or take note of the Service Technician that you may be speaking to. Service Support lines and the Service Technician are there to help you with that one troublesome encounter, day in and day out. Your support in gathering the necessary data prior to the call can make both jobs much easier.