Automotive Parts

On the face of it, automotive engineering and customer care have little to do with each other. Of course, everything that engineers do is aimed at satisfying the customer and offering higher and higher value, but the two disciplines of engineering and customer care seem to be on two different ends of the spectrum. One would imagine that the engineers do their job and then it is the role of customer service department to interact with customers and deal with their issues. However, if you are willing to look a little beyond the surface, you will find that combining engineering and customer care can be highly advantageous to both the automotive industry as well as the end customer.

Let us begin by looking at what exactly an automotive engineer does. What does his job role entail?

• To begin with, it is the role of automotive engineers to design as well as develop various automotive systems like engines, electronics, brakes, fuel systems, suspension, etc.
• Secondly, they are also responsible for designing, developing, operating, managing and maintaining automotive assembly lines.
• Their job also involves dealing with suppliers for different parts made to their exact precision, managing their costs as well as delivery.
• They also have to design, develop and implement a number of tests to ensure that individually and collectively, the parts function optimally and safely. Ensuring safety of the final product is part of their job role.
• Finally, it is the role of an automotive engineer to gather data from service centers, repair shops and end customers to identify the problems they have faced in operating the vehicle and them implement adjustments in design as well as the manufacturing process to remove the faults and improve the vehicle.

Now, that the job description of an automotive engineer is before us, it becomes easier to understand how customer care training can be helpful to them. The final point that concerns interacting with customers can be the one factor that gives one company an edge over the others in the industry. If the company has its ears to the ground and is aware of the needs as well as the problems of their customers, the products designed by them are sure to offer greater value to those who use them.

Now, as you can see, getting customer feedback is already a part of the job role of the automotive engineer. But often, he gets information that is second hand. For instance, a customer may make a complaint to a customer care executive, who will pass it along to the engineer. But, it is important to remember that the customer care executive is not technically trained. Neither can he fully understand the exact problem of the vehicle, neither can he ask appropriate question to clarify a point. When the information reaches the engineer, it hardly explains the exact nature of the problem. As you can see, if the engineer was himself dealing with the customer, he would be in a much better position to gauge the problem as well as create a solution.

Several factors can cause your car’s engine to overheat. Most people realize a lack of motor oil is a common culprit, but there are many other issues that can play a role. Unfortunately, an overheating engine usually means costly repair bills, and may even warrant an overhaul.

In this article, we’ll present the most common reasons an engine will overheat. As you read through the following list of factors, you’ll note that nearly all of them are within your control. Learn to identify signs of problems before a trip to the repair shop becomes necessary.

A Leak In The Cooling System

While most people think of insufficient oil as the number one cause of an overheating engine, experienced mechanics would point to the cooling system. Coolant courses through the system to help control the temperature surrounding the assembly. When a leak develops, coolant escapes. As the level of fluid drops, the temperature rises until an overheating problem occurs.

Get into the habit of periodically checking the hoses for cracks. You’ll also need to check near the cylinder head, heater core, and radiator, to make certain coolant is not leaking from any of these points.

Failing Water Pump

The water pump is arguably the most important component of your vehicle’s cooling system. Small impellers within the component turn in order to pump coolant to your engine. If the pump fails, fluid will be unable to reach the assembly, causing it to overheat.

Many water pumps are designed with impellers that are made of plastic. They wear down and break off more quickly than normally occurs with metal impellers. In some cases, they loosen. When these things happen, coolant will be prevented from circulating through the engine.

Malfunctioning Thermostat

A thermostat monitors the operating temperature of your engine. It influences whether coolant is allowed to flow to the radiator in order to release absorbed heat. If the engine is running cool, the fluid is prevented from returning to the radiator until the assembly heats up.

The thermostat essentially functions like a valve. It opens and closes according to its temperature reading. If the part fails, it can stick in a closed position, which will block the passage of coolant. For reasons described earlier, this will cause overheating.

Blown Head Gasket

The head gasket sits between the engine block and cylinder head; it prevents coolant from entering the crankcase and combustion chambers. The gasket can fail when the block and head expand due to heat. They are constructed of different types of metal, and thus their respective thermal expansion rates are different. As they expand, the gasket is exposed to stress. Eventually, it can fail.

A blown head gasket causes coolant to leak from the cooling system. As a result, less fluid is available to absorb heat from the engine. This can cause the temperature to climb until the assembly overheats.

Clogged Radiator

When coolant flows to the radiator, it moves through a series of passages. As it flows, its absorbed heat is allowed to escape through small vents. Over time, the radiator can become clogged as a result of accumulated dirt and debris. This problem can also occur due to corrosion and rust.

When the radiator becomes plugged, heat is not able to dissipate properly. Instead, it remains trapped in the coolant, which flows back to the engine. Because the fluid is still hot, it less able to control the temperature surrounding the assembly. Overheating will become a possibility unless the problem is resolved

Insufficient Motor Oil

As a vehicle ages, its engine becomes more susceptible to oil leaks and excess consumption. Starved of oil, the assembly’s moving parts will rub against each other. This creates friction, which not only damages the components, but can also cause the temperature in the engine to rise.

An overheating engine will often lead to detonation inside the cylinders. The air-fuel mixture will essentially explode unpredictably instead of burning via normal combustion. This, in turn, can cause the pistons and valves to slam into one another. If you notice overheating, pull over to the side of the road, and turn your car off. Driving it further will lead to expensive engine damage.

It turns out all those fancy automotive safety devices cannot only help save lives, they can also save cash. According to The Economic Impact of Motor Vehicle Crashes, roughly $230.6 billion was exhausted on motor vehicle crashes in 2000 in the U.S. Nearly 42 thousand people perished that year, and 28 million vehicles were damaged.

The same government report also revealed that 5.3 million individuals suffered non-fatal injuries, 39% of all traffic-related deaths were attributed to alcohol and such substance-induced accidents cost about $51 billion. Public tax revenues, amounting to $21 billion, paid the costs incurred by 9% of crashes. That’s $200 for each household in America.

But wait. There’s more. Lost market productivity was estimated at $61 billion, property damage at $59 billion, medical expenses at $32.6 billion and the cost of travel delays at $25.6 billion. Each fatality produced a discounted lifetime cost of approximately $977,000.

Active and passive safety systems developed by automotive engineers and their colleagues may be a bigger part of the answer than we might suspect. Systems currently being developed are addressing both the monetary and safety concerns of our roadways through devices that have automatic responses to dangerous conditions or events. For instance, adaptive cruise control adjusts the speed of the vehicle to maintain a preset time gap from the vehicle ahead. Active night vision uses infrared illuminators to help drivers to see better when driving at night and electronic stability control improves the safety of a vehicle’s handling, helping the driver maintain control of the vehicle.

Surprisingly, perhaps, these are just basic safety features – ranking amongst car navigation systems, keyless entry and hybrid cars as, yes, technological innovations, but old news to vehicle manufacturers. Lane departure and forward collision warning, pre-crash mitigation systems, side alert, pedestrian and road sign recognition systems are part of the new wave. These systems “read” the road using electronics, cameras and sensors. They alert drivers when they are drifting out of the intended lane, have another vehicle in their blind spots, are in danger of crashing or are distracted. These technological gems even respond to unavoidable crashes by enacting safety precautions, such as pretensioning motorized seat belts and applying brakes during the last 400 to 500 milliseconds before a crash, when there is little a driver can do to stop it.

According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), 50% of all crashes involve “driver inattention.” It’s impossible to pinpoint how many crashes could have been avoided if there had only been some alert system warning drivers to pay more attention during critical moments. How many crashes could have been avoided by a single alert, some notification that another vehicle was in a driver’s blind spot? By shaving off four or five miles per hour before a crash by applying the brakes?

And while saving lives and preventing injuries is of the most concern, we cannot, in all reality, ignore the financial repercussions of roadway accidents. Billions upon billions of dollars are lost every year because of these crashes. Medical expenses, property damage and lost productivity are passed on to the average citizen in the form of higher taxes and insurance premiums. What if some percentage of this cost – even if slight – could be lessened by safety systems? One percent of hundreds of billions of dollars, after all, is nothing to scoff at.

Automotive engineers are critical contributors to advancing projects with aspirations of making roads safer. Without their expertise, none of the technology currently available would have been possible and neither would future innovations. What’s more, these talented individuals are integrating these devices so they are more affordable and, thus, more accessible to the masses.

In the near future, a modestly priced vehicle could have a myriad of safety features – forward collision and lane departure warning, road sign and pedestrian recognition, adaptive cruise control, pre-crash mitigation, electronic stability control, side alert. All of it. So kiss some automotive engineers today – hiding in their offices – and tell them you’re proud. They could just save your life…and at least a few bucks on your insurance policy.