Do GM dealers have a IT/Tech person on staff full time?

[tjs3922]

As the new vehicles are getting to be basically computers with a car wrapped around it, it seems that the day is fast approaching that dealers will need full time tech advisors.

My small town dealer is fantastic to work with. However I can see that tech issues are a bit of an issue. The service manager is eager to help but really doesn't understand the techiness of some of these vehicles.

Just wondering if anyone has come across full time tech advisors at a dealer.

 

[Micahsd]

I’d be surprised. The power went out for 15 mins at my dealer while getting my oil changed and they seemed a bit clueless on how to get the internet working after it came back on and while it was out they didn’t know what was beeping.

Guessing they wouldn't be able to afford a full-time IT employee (just thinking that since I’m in IT). I’m guessing they’d have some techs that have been trained on the electronic systems of the vehicle, plus they probably have a GM support number they could call for additional support/advice when needed.

 

[tjs3922]

I’d be surprised. The power went out for 15 minmss at my dealer while getting my oil changed and they seemed a bit clueless on how to get the internet working after it came back on and while it was out they didn’t know what was beeping.

Guessing they wouldn't be able to afford a full-time IT employee (just thinking that since I’m in IT). I’m guessing they’d have some techs that have been trained on the electronic systems of the vehicle, plus they probably have a GM support number they could call for additional support/advice when needed.

I think the dealers will be forced to up their tech game in the near future. I had a minor issue with my speed limit sign not showing up. My dealer was clueless, Onstar/GMC were completely clueless. (The GMC lady argued with me that my new Yukon did not have a full 3 year subscription to Onstar premium/ unlimited data). I figured it out on my own with the help of this forum and the internet in general.

I am thinking of doing a flow chart for my sales guy and dealer showing how the Onstar/Google/internet/infotainment system works and interacts. I am in industrial sales!! not IT.

What happen to that non techie 70 year old couple that buys a loaded vehicle? They will pester the hell out of their dealer. I think if a dealer had someone dedicated to quick help it will save a lot of problems as these vehicles become more internet based.

 

[OR VietVet]

If you think the lack of knowledge with electronics/IT is bad now, wait for it to get worse. People are steered away from the trades and told to "go to college no matter what or you will never amount to anything". For indoctrination, you must have disciples to indoctrinate. This problem starts early on in school.

The "We are hiring techs" signs are up all over the country. I was watching the NASCAR Southern 500 last night and Kyle Larson's winning number 5 car had a banner on it somewhere that said, "HIRING TECHS". There are some smart men/women on this forum and if I was young enough, I could write my own ticket at a shop that is hiring. I remember when I went in the trade that techs/mechanics were looked down on because we got dirty in our job. That is, until someone needed our knowledge.

Now days, a smart tech can wear a lab coat and stay clean and work anywhere for a great wage. EV's are gonna make it even worse.

Think of the goodwill a dealer(s) can build if they are known far and wide as the tech place to go.

 

[Doubeleive]

doubtful for at least the foreseeable future. There are considerable security issue's with vehicle software, therefore it will stay modular, if a module does not pass it gets replaced.
they made a pretty ui it's not that computerized yet. look under the hood.

 

[tjs3922]

They are going to be inundated with questions about tech issues that can solved quickly by the correct answer.

 

[Doubeleive]

They are going to be inundated with questions about tech issues that can solved quickly by the correct answer.

mmm, maybe. It has electric steering and radar, and a bunch of built in self-redundancy, not too much to get wrong.
did you have a question about the tech?

 

[tjs3922]

mmm, maybe. It has electric steering and radar, and a bunch of built in self-redundancy, not too much to get wrong.
did you have a question about the tech?

I did. It was regarding the speed limit sign icon disappearing. I figured it out on my. My Google account in the infotainmnet system was froze up. I logged out and logged back in and all was fine.

The issue really is with the infotainmnet system which is controlled by Onstar/GMC app/Google. This controls everything from supercruise to navigation to maps to music to connections.

 

[Doubeleive]

I did. It was regarding the speed limit sign icon disappearing. I figured it out on my. My Google account in the infotainmnet system was froze up. I logged out and logged back in and all was fine.

The issue really is with the infotainmnet system which is controlled by Onstar/GMC app/Google. This controls everything from supercruise to navigation to maps to music to connections.

yep adding android os to a vehicle was not in my opinion the best step to take by GM. Some of the features are very dependent upon a cell signal and once you go off the beaten path even a little bit you loose that signal, don't believe those "coverage" maps they are complete b.s.
on top of that, your phone and any "hotspot" has to accept any foreign interference, combine that with "coverage" gaps and it's a recipe for trouble. Loose signal and things freeze up and sometimes they don't always resume when a signal is present again like it should.
if anything gets glitchy, the 1st thing to try is just like the Indian tech support guy says: please cycle the power............ i.e. disconnect the battery.

 

[tjs3922]

yep adding android os to a vehicle was not in my opinion the best step to take by GM. Some of the features are very dependent upon a cell signal and once you go off the beaten path even a little bit you loose that signal, don't believe those "coverage" maps they are complete b.s.
on top of that, your phone and any "hotspot" has to accept any foreign interference, combine that with "coverage" gaps and it's a recipe for trouble. Loose signal and things freeze up and sometimes they don't always resume when a signal is present again like it should.
if anything gets glitchy, the 1st thing to try is just like the Indian tech support guy says: please cycle the power............ i.e. disconnect the battery.

Calling Onstar or any of the clowns is waste of time. Any issue will fall on the car owner and the dealer. Especially when a Yukon is sitting at near 100K. Folks will expect increased and better service. If GM were smart (that is open to debate) they would be ahead of this curve not behind it. Unfortunately from my recent experience they seem to be "business as usual".

They may want to look at some sort of white glove service for these 100K vehicles and their owner. Dont mean to sound elitist but I think I do expect a better experience than the family that dickers on 23k Equinox.

 

[Baja_Bob]

They will replace the tech manager with a ChatGPT terminal, they have all the answers.

 

[the 18th letter]

Seems to me that mechanics are full time techs. Many would be unable to diagnose and issue without a scanner and a laptop. They're definitely labeled as technicians instead of mechanics nowadays.

 

[Doubeleive]

Seems to me that mechanics are full time techs. Many would be unable to diagnose and issue without a scanner and a laptop. They're definitely labeled as technicians instead of mechanics nowadays.

could be the case, lol but I think a lot of it is "procedural" meaning they have to document everything along the way to cover there behind especially at a dealership and warranty work. Also note that many "customer" modifications can prevent them from doing a proper diagnosis, doesn't necessarily void the warranty, just take it off or out before leaving it for warranty work GM is pretty strict on that kind of stuff because it doesn't fit in the diagnostic tree.

 

[thegrunter]

If you saw the Alex Murdaugh ****** trial, you would have saw the FBI had to reverse engineer the infotainment system because GM wouldn't help the FBI with the their Big Brother tools to find out when and where the 2021 Suburban was during the murders. So, in that case, GM didn't offer IT support. OnStar helped with GPS, but the FBI wanted to know when the Suburban was in park or in drive when the car wasn't moving. They also wanted to know when the key fob was communicating with a parked Suburban.

 

[the 18th letter]

could be the case, lol but I think a lot of it is "procedural" meaning they have to document everything along the way to cover there behind especially at a dealership and warranty work. Also note that many "customer" modifications can prevent them from doing a proper diagnosis, doesn't necessarily void the warranty, just take it off or out before leaving it for warranty work GM is pretty strict on that kind of stuff because it doesn't fit in the diagnostic tree.

Even my independent shop hooks up the scanner and laptop when working on my 2015. Technician is applicable as the advancement of the science. EV's will cement the title imo.