Any HVAC guys in the house?

So back in the day there was also differences that people don't consider (still are) for instance the base Firebird had the upgraded suspension on a Camaro. The Firebird had more sound damping under the carpet, etc. So for instance on the A/C that is the 'same' do they use the same control boards? Does the premium brand have a better base compressor? Etc.

But hey you have no issues with any brand filter that is made to the same spec right

 

Hey...if you are going down the oil filter road, start a new thread.

 

And you thought we just stood around grazing, not plotting how to stir shit and aggravate folks. SUCKER!

Could have been worse I could have left filter off. Or started off on how octane matters....

 

You sheep are pure unadulterated evil.

 

Well, I guess it depends on what you mean my "upgraded" suspension. The cars would be tuned differently (different spring rates/dampers), depending on what option package you ordered, but unless it was a very special model, (like the 1LE Camaro/Firebird suspension package for showroom stock racing) the comparable parts were all made by the same suppliers.

Once GM went corporate across their divisions in regards to powertrains, parts sharing also became very predominant. (not that they weren't sharing parts before, but the economies of scale of using the same parts where possible saved lots of money in the design and manufacturing of said parts.) As I have mentioned before in other threads, the biggest differences are exterior sheet metal and interiors. And if the dash was different, then the controls may be different to match the design scheme. But there would still be many shared parts behind the dash. Ever look at the gage clusters of many of the trucks? The mechanicals would be the same behind the cluster, but different colors/designs would exist. And many parts would be common within a platform. (like A/C compressors/condensers etc.) If certain vehicles had different cooling requirements, parts would be designed for the higher requirements. But, they would be shared between the comparable vehicles of the different nameplates. A similar example is brakes. Bigger GVRW vehicles get bigger brakes, but the components are shared again across brands. So, there may be 2 or 3 different types of brakes available on a Chevy pickup, based on GVRW, but those same parts are identical on the comparable GMC versions.

With regard to filters, all the car companies create their own specs, and the suppliers need to meet those specs. And those type of parts may be sourced to multiple suppliers. The suppliers get played off of one another to get the best price. But they still have to meet the OEM spec to go on the original vehicle or for dealer service. That's not to say there aren't "value" lines the the OE's sell where the size of the particulate filtered is still the same, but the filter just can't hold as much debris. Filters are a very price sensitive market. Some people that own older vehicles aren't willing/able to spend what was originally specified. But a lot of components are like that. All you have to do is look at Rock Auto to see the available parts/price points. Are they all OE quality? I'd say no. But others are just as good.

Alright, I'm done with my Gorilla George reply.

TL/DR: Many parts within a car company's cars are shared between common platforms, and meet the same durability requirements, regardless of which nameplate the part goes on for the same platform.

 

No I mean better. The stock shocks on the Camaro were kind of crap. If you bought a Z then you got the better shocks. The base firebird had those. You can disagree and that is fine but the same line does not mean the same spec. That applies across a huge number of products.

 

A lot of "secretaries" bought camaros with v6 engines and the base suspension. Not everyone wanted their car to go around corners and feel every bump. Better needs to be defined, as in handling, durability etc. Pontiac was always the "sportier" division. So it would make sense that their cars handled better, even at the base level, as that is what their customers were after. But "better" needs to be defined better (lol) before you can say the stock shocks on a camaro were kinda crap. Not all cars were aimed at the same customer.

 

I agree with your commercial equipment warranty statement which is what we usually work on. As for the residential warranty I find most equipment goes five years automatically and ten if you register it. And that is all parts. I just replaced a 5+ year condenser coil , well actually they gave me a whole new unit because I wasn’t going to wait 4 weeks for a coil at the beginning of June. As for units like was said earlier any of them can have problems and any of them can last 20+ years. Many of the ratings established by customers are dinged hard over the installers and no mention of equipment problems. I usually install trane or carrier. Getting equipment has been tough this year. Good luck

 

Nope crap according to the test drivers I grew up next to the GM Proving Grounds. Dad worked for Pontiac and we knew people that worked for all the divisions.

Oh and as to the sportier.....Pontiac Vibe with a blower kit put on it....I really wanted one no matter how absurd.

 

A quality installation is far more important than the brand. Ask your neighbors who they use, and who they avoid.

As far as secretaries and Camaros, I got nuthin.

 

Just paid $800. for repair of a Lenox copper line that developed a pin hole from a wire rubbing against it. POS is 4 years old. Nobody thought to tie back those wires?

 

Working for a company that makes appliances to keep shit cold I just recently resto-modded one of the units at my house I was going to replace it a larger more efficient one. I replaced a few bearings while I was in there as well to be in the safe side. Buddy of mine who owns an hvac company was quite impressed with my capacitor, variable speed compressor, additional condenser and fans, etc. I’ve got pretty much latest and greatest variable speed compressor in there, CNC’d some adaptors at work with some really slick vibration dampers. It’s unreal from an efficiency standpoint. I also put a brushless motor wind but better fan design for the blower as well as 3 in line “helper” fans for some of the longer runs. Doing the calculations based on current draw from original vs modified, run time to cool and all that it’s a conservative 53% more efficient than what I started with (an old unit but fully serviced and running as close to peak performance that a 19 year old one can run at).
I mainly just wanted to see if I could do it and if it failed my buddy had a new unit he could’ve put in. And before it’s asked this is covered from a liability standpoint (won’t get into details how but legally it is 100% covered ).

 

We have many models branded different just as we purchase certain models that aren’t worth us tooling up that are branded with our logo. When it comes to units outside big cost drivers for other “appliance “ type of products are noise reduction which lead to massive costs. Not to mention fit feel and finish items add huge cost most hvac units don’t need. A lot of these units either produced for multiple branding by the same mother company or for someone else are probably more similar component wise than a Camaro and firebird.

 

But were the bearings ceramic?

j/k sounds like a cool project.

 

OK, so what you are saying is the development drivers and engineers did a not so good job on the shock valving and spring rates. But that can be/is subjective. Again, not every level of the same vehicle was aimed at the same market segment.

While I didn't grow up next to the proving grounds, I did go there occasionally for some projects I had while in GMPP. I also worked at GMSPO (I believe Customer Care now) for 20 years, so I know a little about the parts business, and what goes into the vehicles. (having access to the part prints/part numbers and usage statements etc etc.) I'm sure your dad has heard about SPO. It was a good place to work.

As for your Vibe, I'm sure a Toyota Matrix blower kit will work just as well.

 

How much of the condensor manufacturing is in China these days

 

I think it’s two fold. Yeah they want to build as cheap as possible but they also use thin aluminum for good heat exchange for efficiency. Put the two together and they have lost longevity. Which is fine cause they’ll sell you a new one.

 

Camaros and firebirds were unibody.

 

Lol. Neighbor had his AC unit changed out today. The coil was corroded to hell and whoever had installed it was a cob. One of the coolant lines had a flared 7/8" tubing end that they just stuck a piece of 3/4" copper pipe in to at an angle and filled the gap with solder. So who knows how much solder made it in to the system. But based on the look of that coil after only 4 years Lennox is definitely not high on the list of replacement options. I will take my chances with one of the others...