A Growing Segment

Although electronic products–not to be confused with electric products such as starters and alternators–are remanufactured in much the same way as other automotive parts, the reman process is far more technical than a simple clean-and-replace.

“Remanufacturing as a whole follows the same pattern: core acquisition, disassembly, cleaning, inspection, renewal, assembly of new and renewed components, testing, packing, and shipping. Engineering research and documentation is completed for each step of the process and proven prior to releasing into production,” says Dave Frearson, marketing director, drive train and electronics division, for Cardone Select Engineering.

“The difference between a mechanical part and electronic part is, obviously, how they’re tested. In electronics, everything is tested to simulate the numerous electronically controlled functions on the vehicle,” continues Frearson. “In reality, due to all of the testing and nature of replacing small components like resistors, relays, and capacitors on an electronic board, remanufacturing an electronic module is often more difficult than a mechanical part like a brake caliper. Moreover, an electronic part still has mechanical parts, like the box [casing] and the connectors for the wire harness.”

Says Jeff Elder, marketing manager for Bluestreak Electronics, “From experience you know certain high-failure components which you’ll just automatically replace. The process begins with replacing those components, which in some cases have since been modified by the OE–for instance, an improved chip–so the process is similar to any other remanufacturing [procedure], where you clean and replace those high-failure components, test them, and replace what needs replacing.”

Unlike other product categories, the majority of electronic units being remanufactured are OEM. Similarly, certain electronic products gain an advantage in the remanufacturing sector due to their increasingly complex technology. Engine Control Modules (ECMs), for instance, have as many as 12,000 parts numbers to their name, which makes it difficult for imports from China to compete.

“Overall, the electronics market is growing, with engine monitoring increasing [related to] more sensors, coils, and components, along with safety and convenience packages growing exponentially. OEM quality improvements over the years have significantly improved the lifecycle of electronics parts,” continues Frearson.

“Some categories may be shrinking as technology improves. However, other segments are growing, due to the nature of more cars having more electronic parts. As a result the entire segment is growing for Cardone. For a simple illustration, cars in the ’80s had a simple engine control module (ECM); now they have powertrain control modules (PCM), transmission control modules (TCM), body control modules (BCM), and ABS modules.”

One category that’s doing extremely well is mass air flow (MAF) sensors, says Elder, but that growth is attracting a variety of players, with spotty results.

“We’re seeing big double-digit growth. There seem to be more and more mass airflow sensors coming into the market, [and while] they may look right, and they may even perform properly, they’re not calibrated for OEM specs.

“We’ve definitely seen steady growth. We’ve seen a few spurts, but I think that has more to do with the age of the vehicles, and a lot of vehicles are lasting longer. They’re performing at a higher rate, there’s more heat, and there are more things that are unfriendly to electronics.”

Control modules may last for years, but when they do fail, the cost of replacing with an OEM part can be prohibitive relative to the value of that aging car.

“Pricing is still a key advantage for a remanufactured part over the purchase of new. The overhead and engineering required to develop new ‘modules’ and associated vehicle electronics at the OEM is significant. For remanufacturing, the real hard work has been done,” continues Frearson. “What we [at Cardone] must do is figure out why the part failed and fix it, as opposed to tooling an entire board and more importantly, programming of the specific module.”

With more sensors, modules, and circuit boards tied to a vehicle’s ECU, the dependence on quality electronics in our cars is more significant than ever before.