2015 Impala - EPS

[Twisted_Metal]

So they moved the sensor down lower. That's kind of annoying ..

"Kind of annoyed" barely begins to describe my feelings.

Instead of locating this sensor under the dash (along with the steering angle sensor)...
It's now in the most inaccessible location possible and a non-serviceable component of a major assembly.

 

[danbrennan]

You know those GM engineers LOL

Hey, I resemble that remark

But we probably saved a dollar on assembly time, by having the supplier of steering rack install the sensor, instead of our guys in the assembly plant ..

 

[Knuckle Dragger]

Hey, I resemble that remark

But we probably saved a dollar on assembly time, by having the supplier of steering rack install the sensor, instead of our guys in the assembly plant ..

I remember when we were reconditioning alternators at the dealer. The whole industry seems to be going to complete component replacement instead of repair parts. People blame it on the new generation not knowing how to fix stuff but how can they learn if we aren't doing it any more? My employer has decided brake lathes are obsolete and took them away and told us to replace all rotors.......

 

[Twisted_Metal]

I remember when we were reconditioning alternators at the dealer. The whole industry seems to be going to complete component replacement instead of repair parts. People blame it on the new generation not knowing how to fix stuff but how can they learn if we aren't doing it any more? My employer has decided brake lathes are obsolete and took them away and told us to replace all rotors.......

When tools are obsolete... Only the obsolete will have tools.

 

[FS87LT]

Brake rotors? So many of modern rotors are "drilled and slotted", so who wants to buy lathe cutter bits to turn those rotors? "Replacement" can mean a better customer satisfaction score, too, at a higher customer cost.

Over the years, I have seen dealership techs "turn" rotors, progressively finer passes, and such, but not do the final labor op of putting the "swirl finish" on the rotors (as the OEMs did). Resulting in brake grabbing issues until the roughness got worn-down with use. I've also seen a dealership tech turn a new GM Parts rotor, so it would be the same thickness as the existing rotor on the other side of the car . . . allegedly so there would be no pulling due to the difference in rotor thickness. Sometimes, it is just better to allocate the possible blame for a poor brake job to the vendor than to address the REAL issue that is with the tech themselves.

As to alternators and starters, replacing the unit puts a vendor warranty on it rather than the "shop warranty", too. Used to be that ALL of the "new" Delco alternators were actually reman units, where it seemed that everything inside of them was new, but in an re-used case.

Several different ways to look at things!
FS87LT

 

[Knuckle Dragger]

Brake rotors? So many of modern rotors are "drilled and slotted", so who wants to buy lathe cutter bits to turn those rotors? "Replacement" can mean a better customer satisfaction score, too, at a higher customer cost.

Over the years, I have seen dealership techs "turn" rotors, progressively finer passes, and such, but not do the final labor op of putting the "swirl finish" on the rotors (as the OEMs did). Resulting in brake grabbing issues until the roughness got worn-down with use. I've also seen a dealership tech turn a new GM Parts rotor, so it would be the same thickness as the existing rotor on the other side of the car . . . allegedly so there would be no pulling due to the difference in rotor thickness. Sometimes, it is just better to allocate the possible blame for a poor brake job to the vendor than to address the REAL issue that is with the tech themselves.

As to alternators and starters, replacing the unit puts a vendor warranty on it rather than the "shop warranty", too. Used to be that ALL of the "new" Delco alternators were actually reman units, where it seemed that everything inside of them was new, but in an re-used case.

Several different ways to look at things!
FS87LT

Just because the guys you saw didn't know how to do the job right doesn't mean the rest of us didn't. Your "take" is the issue that's making this a disposable consumer market.

 

[FS87LT]

Just because the guys you saw didn't know how to do the job right doesn't mean the rest of us didn't. Your "take" is the issue that's making this a disposable consumer market.

The fact that the people doing the rotors was an embarrassment to me as they worked for us and nobody would tell him how to do it right. Which gets back to the shop foreman/service manager letting it happen, period. Then we had a QC guy that would take one of those new brake jobs and go out and immediately stand on the brakes before the linings had a chance to get bedded-in, as if all customers would do that. Which also meant we put fresh brake jobs out that would pull one way one time, and pull the other way the next time. NOT GOOD, but it was allowed and not corrected. Then there was the mouse milk to soak the linings in so they would not squeak. I just shook my head and just walked away. Not MY deal to fix, unfortunately, and "The Tech is KING" and "knows everything about what they do and how to best do it." Let somebody (whose name is not on the sign by the road) challenge them and the tech ALWAYS won the argument, even if they were wrong, by observation. Our techs could "do no wrong", even when they did, and the service manager backed them up completely in what they did, even if it cost the dealership money to make it right.

When I grew up, it was "rebuild" and not replace. It was cheaper that way. I put several sets of brushes and maybe a diode-trio in the alternator on my '77 LT several times over 700K miles. Not a big deal. Same bearings. I also noticed that with the '98 GM pickups, they had no repair parts in the parts catalog, yet the parts to repair those alternators were in the ACDelco alternator catalog, as they always had been, when I finally got one of those catalogs to investigate that deal.

NOT to demean the good techs (which I also respect) that did those rebuilds, reliably, and to a high level of execution at all, but with the increased emphasis on the Total Ownership Experience, it can be better for the customer if they get a reman GM alternator (or other GM reman part) that carries a nationwide 100K mile warranty than a Shop Warranty that is only good at the place that did the work. The dealership repair business has changed from 50 years ago. BTAIM

FS87LT

 

[MrAzzhat2U]

Dave, I go back a little further than you and I can say that “back in the day “ there was no such thing as a “crate” engine or a SRTA unit. A short block was crank and pistons,a long block was crank,pistons,cam and timing gears.
I worked at a Dealership that had a small machine shop on site. We did our own valve jobs,turned armatures,pressed wrist pins etc.
IMO GM started downhill when they started using online training and basically got rid of the Tech Advisory Board. We had to get Certified in a particular area in order to work on the vehicle to get paid for the repair.
Back then we repaired almost every mechanical part and electrical part on the vehicle. There were no replacements covered under warranty. To get a new part,the cost of the repair had to exceed the cost of the replacement.
Then came 87U GMPP which was a disaster for GM warranty. 10 years with unlimited mileage. I guess they thought that they built a better car than they did or were hoping the customer would be trading in the car within three years because it was not transferable and F&I would sell you another one on resale. Turns out that wasn’t the case. lol!
As far as rotors and drums,we always turned them. Most vehicles were not FWD and the cost of replacing them was much higher than it was to resurface them. Again you had to be Certified to use the brake lathe.
I think what I am trying to say is that “WE” were mechanics and not just parts changers. Anyone can “shotgun “a repair and God knows there were a lot of them but good mechanics were out there getting the job done right. I think those days are over for the most part.
Even working flat rate you could make 45-50 hours a week without killing yourself.
Sorry Terry for going off course but I know nothing about electronic steering systems!

I do know how to SWAG diagnose with my dice though!lol.

 

[Twisted_Metal]

I didn't even know this car had electric steering until this happened!
Took quite a bit of research (and a good ODB2 reader) to discover what I know now.

 

[danbrennan]

When I worked on TRW's electric assist steering, I recall 4 advantages they talked about. One, a small fuel savings from not running the hydraulic steering pump all the time; the electric motor only burned power when the driver called for assist by turning. Two, a reduction in warranty from leaking hydraulic steering systems. I haven't heard it talked about in a while, but it was said that used to be a rather large warranty area for the OEMs. Three, reduced assembly time(compared to hydraulic systems) by just bolting a whole steering system in, and attaching power and ground. Four, some minor feature improvement by more easily customizing steering response through software as a function of vehicle speed, drive mode, etc. I would guess the fuel economy improvement was the primary driver for the OEMs to adopt electric assist.

Next up is steer-by-wire

Steer-by-wire

The elimination of the mechanical connection between the steering wheel actuator (SWA) and the steering rack actuator (SRA) creates previously unavailable freedom.

www.bosch-mobility.com