How Can a Technical Service Bulletin Help Me?

Edmunds.com

How Can a Technical Service Bulletin Help Me?

Dealership service technicians used TSB information to remedy our Jeep Grand Cherokee's reluctance to start and tendency to stall. The stalling problem, unfortunately, resurfaced later in the year. | March 18, 2010 | Scott Jacobs for Edmunds

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gregthecarguy

BBB Industries (an auto parts remanufacturer) offers the entire database of TSB’s and wiring diagrams free to the public for all makes and models since 1960: http://www.bbbind.com/tech_database.html

drvette

Here's a comprehensive listing of TSB's from 1962 - 2009

http://www.ownersite.com/TSB/tsbs.cfm/

Can you believe someone took all the trouble to load this massive load of err, information

DrVette

stever

"Auto makers have used the bulletins for decades to alert dealers to potential problems with their cars and trucks. Plaintiffs’ lawyers increasingly deploy them in class actions, in support of claims auto makers knowingly sold defective products.

...auto makers have shown more of a willingness to issue recalls in lieu of technical service bulletins...

Neal Walters, a New Jersey lawyer who represents auto makers, said: “Vehicles are complex bundles of parts. I don’t think anyone reasonably believes they will be perfect…It’s unfair to penalize a product company because it learned how the product may not be perfect after sale and takes steps to improve it.”

Car-Repair Notices Feed Lawsuits (Wall St. Journal - free link at time of posting)

roondog

stever said:

"Neal Walters, a New Jersey lawyer who represents auto makers, said: “Vehicles are complex bundles of parts. I don’t think anyone reasonably believes they will be perfect…It’s unfair to penalize a product company because it learned how the product may not be perfect after sale and takes steps to improve it.”

Car-Repair Notices Feed Lawsuits (Wall St. Journal - free link at time of posting)

It's unfair? Waaah, waaah, waaah, Neal Walters! At the price of modern vehicles, yes, most consumers DO expect them to be perfect or nearly so. And they expect manufacturers to own up to flaws and make them right when they're not perfect. Especially when those imperfections will cost consumers thousands of dollars to repair themselves.

Take for example our recent experience with faulty head gaskets in 2011 Subaru Outback engines. Fortunately ours failed prior to the warranty expiration. If it hadn't, that would have cost us a bundle to fix... and HAS cost thousands of owners big money. NOT the way to make customers for life, for sure.

roondog

'"Someone suggested that this TSB might cover it," or, "Did anyone try this TSB?" A customer who makes an effort to sound intelligent (that is, provides a full description of the problem and demonstrates a history of regularly maintaining the vehicle) and to treat service writers (and technicians) with respect is more likely to find resolution for her vehicle's problems.'

I agree that customers should be respectful of service personnel and that the best policy is always give a full description of the symptoms you think are connected to a particular problem rather than trying to solve the problem yourself. But whether or not you've regularly maintained your vehicle should have absolutely nothing to do with solving a problem. Troubleshooting is troubleshooting... period.

The article also recognizes the sad reality of most service departments in that they are not customer-focused -- they could care less about showing the customer the same respect that they themselves are looking to be shown. The idea that customers must be "walking on eggshells" around service writers and managers is a clear acknowledgement of the same problem most of us have run into, particularly at dealerships: that most service people I have come into contact with believe they are God's gift to humanity and can do no wrong and make no mistakes. And their attitudes are given on a 'take it or leave it' basis. So when I ask myself why I would pay double or triple to have work done by a dealership when the work is no higher quality than a good independent shop and they treat me with an attitude -- Can't think of a single reason.

I'll say this about TSBs, too. When a manufacturer publishes a TSB, it is almost always a tacit acknowledgement of a design or manufacturing error. No, they aren't generally going to admit this -- but it's the truth. It's a flaw, not just something they "might have overlooked when designing the car". And yes, particularly while the vehicle is under warranty, the manufacturer is obligated to fix flaws in their design or manufacturing whether or not they're showing symptoms. What they want you to do is wait until you start experiencing the symptoms that are caused by the flaw, and if it works out well for them, that won't happen until your vehicle is out of warranty. Then they can tell you, "Tough luck, eh?"

So savvy customers want to know what is in the TSBs so they can head off their warranty expirations before they happen. Therefore, asking the customer to pay to see the details of the TSBs is definitely not a good way to show transparency. Kudos to Hyundai for their refreshing attitude. Other manufacturers may some day realize that they are not in the business of building automobiles. Rather they are in the business of making customers for life. That means, 1) minimize defects in the first place and 2) be transparent about them when they do occur. Customers have a right to know what's causing the problems they're experiencing (or will experience).

healthguyfsu

Hyundai site is no longer free sadly....granted it is 7 years after this was written