General Motors has tweaked its complimentary maintenance program for the Buick, GMC, and Cadillac brands. Car & Driver reported Tuesday that each of the brands will now offer just a single free maintenance visit to buyers in 2019.
The news comes after the publication noticed updated consumer website details on the program. However, Chevrolet has not updated its website with any new information, so it’s unclear if the brand will follow suit with the complimentary maintenance cuts. Representatives for Buick and GMC could not be reached.
A Cadillac spokesperson explained the move better aligns the brand with its rivals that offer identical complimentary maintenance for one year. That amounts to one visit to the dealership for an oil change, tire rotation, and multi-point vehicle inspection that must be redeemed within the first 12 months of ownership.
Yet, Cadillac rivals such as BMW and Jaguar offer three years and five years of complimentary service to new owners. Audi does only offer one year, however.
Five years ago, GM brands offered four complimentary maintenance visits.
No additional changes to each of the brands’ warranties should occur. In 2015, GM trimmed the powertrain warranties for its Chevrolet and GMC vehicles from 100,000 miles to 60,000 miles. Cadillac and Buick vehicles still hold onto their 6-year/70,000-mile powertrain warranties.
Bumper-to-bumper warranties remain 3 years/36,000 miles for Chevrolet and GMC, and 4 years/50,000 miles for Buick and Cadillac. GM also introduced optional add-on warranties for its brands last year that add another two years and thousands of extra miles.
Is the lack of free maintenance a deal breaker when buying a car? Let us know below.
Comments
GM’s new marketing strategy, cheap your way to greatness.
Barra rearranges the seats on the titanic to avoid the iceberg..
GM is really on a Roll with Customer related services. Unbelievable.
No standard Safety features like most other Makers, subpar interiors, and now this.
They are going to loose sales, when I got my 14 Malibu I got 5 years of free oil changes and free car washes from my Chevy dealer. So I told people and I went back and got the dealer two more car sales. Gm is not giving its customers what they want . They are still putting HID headlights or halogens instead of putting LEDs like the competition. Shit even Kia has LEDs I was going to buy an SUV from Gm but now I’m thinking about waiting to see if I can find a better option.
That’s really disappointing to hear to be honest
Will it affect someone’s purchase decision? Probably not. But, is it why we as consumers hate bean counters? Yes. It’s also a poor move, IMO, because it will keep people out of dealerships for maintenance in the long run and end up hurting their bottom line in the end.
Hard to say if it’s a deal-breaker, but it does seem like one less reason to buy.
Dyed-in-the-wool GM loyalty doesn’t seem as strong as it was even 5 years ago …
I love that “dye in the wool”. I would guess most people don’t have a clue what that means.
I am 50 and just found out from my father-in-law last week who is 78. Can’t remember why we were even talking about it. I think when he was younger he worked at a rail place and if you saw bugs in the bag of wool he had to throw dye in there to alert people.
Anyway just one more reason to look elsewhere.
GM has ZERO CUSTOMER SERVICE.
Pay attention GM your CUSTOMER is calling !!
Just another poor decision by GM.
That’s only half of the story; Every new vehicle customer that enrolls at no cost in GMs Loyalty programs
(Chevrolets, for example: https://www.mychevroletrewards.com/#!/ ) automatically gets points worth at least $100 that can be used not only towards oil changes etc, but also for accessories and other services like OnStar and 4gLTE data. For most buyers this is worth way more than the extra service visit. And customers continue to earn points for paid services at the dealer as well as many other ways.
Yes the upfront rewards are FREE so that would have to equal the service visits they took away ( and it does not).
And then moving forward it is a spend to receive points like a credit card (NOT FREE)
So the people who NEED to go to a dealer its probably a good thing, they are going there spending money anyway.
But for the AVERAGE CUSTOMER it is a COST CUTTING MOVE BY GM. (NOT FREE)
Also the record sign up rate for the rewards program is simply do to the FACT you have to sign up to get ANYTHING therefore if you do not sign up you get NOTHING. So its a forced sign up like Wells Fargo opening accounts. In my opinion.
2018s came with two services over two years. 2019s come with one. I don’t know where you get your LOFs/Rotates but my dealership doesn’t charge me $100 each.
Well I got THREE with my 2017 Denali. Two from GM and 1 from dealership.
And I don’t know what you drive but, NO you cannot get TWO oil changes and TWO tire rotations form my GM dealership on a Denali HD for $100.00.
You know how every GM dealership CUSTOMER gets mailed those X% off stuff. Or X done for this amount . But then ******* this offer does NOT apply to extra oil ( HD) or synthetic (Cadillac). I drive both HD and Cadillac.
Its $105,00 at my dealership for HD oil change and $14.99 for tire rotation so the FACT is I will not even get one.
That’s a nice, but why aren’t we informed of this program? Is it a secret? Besides getting rewards for spending money on things that have been complimentary is not the same. This is a take away and self serving loyalty programs are not a one for one substitute.
Another knock against the GM dealership experience. I can purchase a Cadillac but BMW and Jaguar are offering better maintenance deals. It’s not the end-all be-all but ya know what? When you’re buying a very expensive item such as a car, a little goes a long way. Everything counts towards your decision. A longer free maintenance package could be the difference for one buyer between a Cadillac and a BMW or a Chevrolet and a Kia.
Nobody wants to visit a dealership. Doesn’t matter how good of a experience it is. You want your service done asap and get the hell out quick. But I tell ya: It’s a great feeling after walking out of the service center without having to take out your wallet, paying $0 for the service. It’s a good mental perk and encourages you to buy or at least consider another car from the same brand/dealership.
No reason to stay loyal to a brand. The truck did not cost me nickles or dimes. GM is being short sided.
Most consumers dont even know about the two years of no charge oil changes for a total of four events within the first 2 years. Certainly wasn’t a deal breaker, but was a nice added incentive. (Speaking as a GM sales consultant past three decades)
This seems to be an ongoing trend the past several years. Less and less for more and more money. It’a amazing people actually put up with this crap and a huge reason I buy use and save a ton of money
You could make a case for Cadillac to stay with 3 maint visits.
First, if you’re paying for ‘the best’, you should get the best.
And second, if the onslaught of ‘a new model every six months’ turns out to be true, GM gets Cadillac owners back to the dealership for 36 months to see what’s new.
The present plan, as noted in prior posts, seems pretty short-sighted.
most buyers do not have time to go back to the dealer for oil changes and tire rotations and just use a quick change service close to home or work. I am retired so I can spend several hours at the dealership for this service but working families do not
GM’s Interior are sub Par. Do they not care that everyone seems to think this? Do they also not realize hussein obumma is not around to bail them out anymore? Wake Up ! GM or your shelf life will be forth comming very soon.
A little more consistency please
Headline: GM Slashes…
First sentence: General Motors has tweaked…
That was a nice perk originally offered however my assumption is that way less than 50% of the buyers actually used the free services. I nor my wife go back to dealership for oil changes. I pay local fast lube or tire center 40.00 once a year for the need fluid change and rotation. Remember that these new vehicle models tell you when oil needs serviced.
Sign up for rewards program and get more. The free oil change is to get you using dealer service department. Any more than that is a waste. It is an inducement. Discounts and reward offers more than make up for it.
Raymond, get over it dude. You are so 2009.
I got $200 worth of weathertech floor mats from the rewards program on my 2018 silverado
The new program is GM Rewards
20,000 points with a vehicle purchase gets you $100 in service or accessories
Just like CVS or Kroger
So use this for 2 oil changes and we are back to where we were and dealers are required to enroll you
My ‘mind says’ that it is automatically $100 to drive on to a dealer’s lot ! ! Anything that helps to erase this feeling, is good for dealer relations.
I believe this was put into place because people were not changing their oil and causing warranty problems for GM. now with better oils this is not a problem.
Just purchased a 2019 Cadillac ATS and right off the bat they were pushing me to buy a 6 additional oil change, tire rotation and air filter if schedule called for it for $410. No way.
Wall Street IS the demo GM seeks to please. GM trucks are a great example. GM interiors whether it be compared to Ram, Pacifica or the old Chrysler 200 are pathetic.
GM is still a group of “damaged brands” with the exception of GMC so cutting corners as market share drops seems to be the Barra plan.
Is live to see Bob Lutz replace Mark Reuss.
If you feel it is a good idea to slash the freebies then go ahead and do it BUT I would NOT even consider doing it on the Cadillac line … That’s a chintzy move that is going to return and haunt you …
At least Cadillac should provide the 3 oil changes.
Getting a customer to the dealer gets us familiar with the dealer and plants the seed for our
next vehicle. I always sit in all the cars when waiting for service and even if I am leaving with a loaner.
The cost of the maint is not enough to affect my decision to buy any brand.
A Cadillac spokesperson explained the move better aligns the brand with its rivals that offer identical complimentary maintenance for one year.
So instead of going over and beyond the comp, GM – Cadillac (Chevrollac) will meet the competition.
Lol. Follow the let downs by the ATS, CT6, XT4, 5, 6, I know now know I will never buy a Cadillac.
It’s not all bad, most dealers offer oil changes for if you finance through their bank, etc. Dealers will do anything to get a sale. My wife’s Murano has three years/5K of oil changes because of the auto loan, not Nissan.
Let’s see what Chevy does with the Corvette. Wouldn’t make any sense to move this car upscale with the mid engine and go downscale on the maintenance plan.
My 2014 Silverado came with 2 yrs of free maintenance. My wife bought a 2017 Nissan Rogue and gets $5 oil changes for life. What!?
That $5 is the trick the dealer sold you to get into their service bay, not Nissan. You want synthic oil, $50 more. BTW, you need a tire rotation, $75, tires balance $90, wheel alignment, $150, new wiper blades, $30. No one makes a profit on oil changes unless they get $90 out of you.
Please GM go above and beyond the competition. They should follow you , you shouldn’t follow them. I think my 60000 dollar new truck should get a couple free oil changes, not just one. Not a deal breaker for me but the 5$ life changes from Nissan is pretty cool.
It’s a simple ploy to sell more service contracts. The finance office is where ALL the dealers profits are made.
How about this, if you buy a car you get one free oil change, if you lease a car you get 2, 3, or 4 oil changes to the end of the lease . I would much rather buy car off lease than buy a 3year old car with one oil change.
Okay after the first year (IF I still buy GM) I will do as I do now I will buy my oil at Canadian Tire or walmart on sale to what was my life long dealer before generous motors took the best little dealership in Canada away from them still in Business Thrasher Motors for $20 labor and have it changed by Former G M tecks!
Oil and filter changes are not going effect GM enough to reduce them from a few years to one. It is very poor customer relations.
My experience is that the complimentary oil changes are not worth the paper they are written on. The thing that really bothers me is the (lack of) warranty and customer service. I own a 2015 Yukon Denali and have paid more out of pocket for repairs in 400k miles total. Do not pay for the extended warranty, GM does not stand behind it, nor do the dealers.
I have bought 9 new Chevrolet vehicles the last being a 2018 Traverse. I’m done with GM! Between the constant nibbling away of creature comforts ,chiseling down the warranties, and the announcement of closing plants in the US , it’s obvious that the bean counters are running amok! Hello Ford! I never thought I would say those words! GM you have lost a whole family of loyal customers! Way to go!
Unpopular opinion here: I’ve been at at GM dealership for 9 years and watched the free maintenance go from 4 visits, down to 2 visits and now to 1. I have personally not had a single deal not work due to that issue. A few customers have shown a very slight level of disappointment but the overwhelming majority of customers didn’t even know they were getting ONE free oil change until I mentioned it to them and then they were happy to find that out. People will buy the product if it’s what they want and not getting an oil change won’t sway them to buy another car. I don’t get the hysteria over the decision.
Cutting jobs. Now this. Yet the executives continue to receive bonuses & monster profits. The Government Won’t Bail you out a second time. Wise up….
GM cuts jobs. Now this. Yet their CEO & Upper Executives continue to receive huge salaries & bonuses. Wake up GM, The Government Isn’t going to Bail you out Twice…
Why are people so dam cheap? Just buy a Maintenance package! They are not that expensive and for people who dont do their own Maintenance it pays for itself in the long run!
Let me guess. The other guys are going it! Pay attention to your life not other people’s lives!
I got 4 years on my 2019 Toyota
I just bought a 2019 Traverse & a 2019 Chevy Silverado 3500HD & was told I get 2 years Maintenance , 1 year paid by GM & 1 year paid by the dealership.
Well looks like after my 2016 CTS V-Sport lease is up I am definitely going to BMW since they still offer free maintenance for 3 years. I know it’s not that expensive but sure is nice not having to pay anything besides insurance and gas into a lease vehicle. I’ve enjoyed three GM cars now with free maintenance for the entire lease period. Sad they won’t keep that perk.
I’m beginning to think that Machete Mary’s “Triple Zero” vision is “Zero quality, zero value, and zero customer service.”
I’m pretty sure this won’t help sales.
I am pretty sure it will show who is cheap and who is not!
I’ve never purchased a car because of free oil changes. I’ve also never purchased a car from a company exhibiting cheapness, which usually translates into quality issues.
For the $40K-$60K a new truck costs you’re damn right the dealers should be throwing in free multi point inspections. It cost them nothing for the good will and possible billable repairs they may get from those inspections.