EDITOR’S NOTE: The following article concerning a new DaimlerChrysler unit in Auburn Hills, MI, headed by SIUC-CASA Alumnus Chris Micha, was published in the June 25 edition of Times, the DaimlerChrysler employee newspaper.

Just like the old television show character “MacGyver,” a small group of engineers at DaimlerChrysler’s Quality Engineering Center (QEC) in Auburn Hills is busy supplying services to other departments within the corporation. Sometimes they use scrap vehicle parts, miscellaneous wires and an assortment of circuit boards. Formed seven years ago, this department of five employees has saved the company millions of dollars in warranty costs by helping dealership technicians and corporate engineers determine the root cause of problems faster and more accurately.

The Quality Engineering Services department, formerly known as Advanced Diagnostics Research, also is tasked with developing diagnostic tools and software applications that are targeted at saving the company warranty dollars. These wasted dollars can come from two areas: problems related to diagnosing components and subsystems, and No Trouble Found (NTF) parts. Sometimes parts still under warranty have been replaced by dealer technicians, returned to the QEC and found to be in good working condition.

Engineer Dave Sanders helped develop a noise, vibration and harshness (NVH) analyzer with Vetronix Corp. The device takes in vital information about sensors and all the rotating systems on a vehicle, makes calculations and quickly determines what system is likely the root cause of an issue.

Often times a customer has very vague information about the noise or vibration problem they are experiencing, said Sanders. While driving the vehicle and duplicating the customer’s complaint, Sanders’ tool can analyze and narrow down the problem. When the device finds an abnormality, it can tell what rotating part is the problem.

“The tool is most effective in saving the corporation money regarding warranty costs when dealer technicians can’t find the problem,” Sanders said. “Certain dealers (in a pilot program) that regularly use this tool had a 38 percent decrease in one type of warranty cost and a 12 percent improvement in overall warranty costs. The pilot dealers overwhelmingly agreed the tool reduced diagnostic time and helped them fix the vehicle right the first time.”

The Tone Wheel Sensor Tester developed by engineer Bob Arntz is another example of what the group has accomplished. This simple tool consists of an electronic circuit board inside a small box with LED lights on the front that lets a technician know if a particular tone wheel sensor is working.

Arntz’s tool tests sensors while they are still in the vehicle. It can test engine crankshaft and camshaft sensors, transmission input and output speed sensors, vehicle speed and anti-lock brake wheel speed sensors.

From 1997 through mid-2003, these sensors accounted for approximately $60 million in warranty costs. These sensors can be the first part replaced by a dealer technician because of their easy accessibility, but replacing the sensor may not correct the problem. The old sensor often would be returned, and later testing revealed that 50 percent had nothing wrong with them.

Remote keyless entry systems generated about $1 million a year in warranty costs in 1999. Until later that year, there was no tool available to test whether the receiver, battery or key fob was bad.

The group came up with a device to check that the key fobs were working properly. This small black box displays a bar graph that shows signal strength and how well the fob is working. Today, some dealers have these tools mounted on the wall to test key fobs as the customers come into the service area.

Not all the tools developed by the group involve electronics. Another high warranty claim involves vehicle keys and led to the development of the Key Decoder. More than $3 million a year was being spent due to poorly cut keys, and approximately 85 percent of the parts returned were not faulty.

Many times the ignition cylinder was replaced only to find it was not the problem. A simple fix, developed by engineer Ron LeBourdais, involved creating a device to measure the depth of the keys. This tool took only three days to develop and sells for $11.

For more information about the QES department, or if you have diagnostic questions or issues, visit their intranet site at intranet.chrysler.com/slsmkt/advdiag/ or call the department manager, (SIUC-CASA Alumnus) Chris Micha, at tieline 793-5547.

Employees of DaimlerChrysler’s new Quality Engineering Services Department (from left) Bob Arntz; Dave Sanders; SIU-CASA Alumnus Chris Micha, department manager; Ron LeBourdais; and Jon Sobocinski.