GM's Simplified Vehicle Maintenance Can Save Consumers Time & Money; 3,000-Mile Oil Changes May be Unnecessary
30 März 2004 - 12:09PM
PR Newswire (US)
GM's Simplified Vehicle Maintenance Can Save Consumers Time &
Money; 3,000-Mile Oil Changes May be Unnecessary (April is Car Care
Month) GRAND BLANC, Mich., March 30 /PRNewswire/ -- How frequently
should drivers change their engine oil? Most technicians will say
3,000 miles while others say 5,000 or 7,000. But ask Mr. Goodwrench
and he'll offer a simple solution -- let your vehicle tell you when
-- that could protect your wallet and the environment from
unnecessary oil changes. GM's patented Oil Life System (GMOLS) can
double or even triple the time between oil changes when compared to
the common 3,000-mile recommendation simply by evaluating driving
conditions. "This car care season, most owners of 2004 GM vehicles
won't have to worry about deciding when to change their engine oil
because leading-edge technology will determine the right time for
them," said Peter Lord, executive director, GM Service Operations.
"Simply visit your GM Goodwrench dealership for an oil change
service when the vehicle signals and you won't have to worry about
how many miles you have driven. This alone could save consumers
significantly on the number of oil changes they purchase over the
life of the vehicle." GMOLS is on about 95 percent of the vehicles
that GM produces today and on a wide variety of models since the
mid-1990s. There are roughly 20 million vehicles on the road today
equipped with GMOLS. The system itself uses an algorithm that
tracks engine revolutions and temperature and predicts oil life
based on these parameters and driver use. GM's New Simplified
Maintenance Schedules Challenge Industry Assumptions GMOLS
technology allows GM and GM Goodwrench dealerships to offer all new
Simplified Maintenance Schedules on most 2004 vehicles tosimplify
maintenance for GM customers and to build long-lasting customer
relationships. The new schedules are a departure from the typical
industry approach of basing maintenance intervals on mileage.
Instead of a complicated list of different services to be performed
at different mileage intervals, GM's new Simplified Maintenance
Schedules are based on the change oil light/message. The first time
the message on the dash appears, GM Goodwrench dealerships will
offer a Maintenance I service packagewhich includes an oil and
filter change, a four-tire rotation, visual inspections of the
fluid levels and brakes and a resetting of the system. The next
time the message appears a Maintenance II service package is
recommended, which includes everything in Maintenance I, plus a
professional inspection of the suspension and steering components
and the transmission. After the first two visits drivers will
alternate between the two schedules as the prompt appears on the
dash for the life of the vehicle. Since the system must be reset to
work properly and many of the required maintenance services can be
complex, GM recommends taking GMOLS-equipped vehicles to the GM
experts at Goodwrench dealerships for proper service. "Simplified
Maintenance Schedules are a major convenience to drivers because it
takes the guesswork out of when to change oil and it eliminates the
need to make decisions regarding routine maintenance," Lord said.
"Basically, when the light comes on you bring the vehicle in for
maintenance and the technician can perform an oil change along with
other necessary maintenance items such as checking belts, rotating
tires and changing the air filter." When used as intended and
linked with the Simplified Maintenance Schedules offered by GM
Goodwrench dealerships, GMOLS also can provide an environmental
benefit, said Lord. If the more than 20 million vehicles on the
road equipped with this technology all used the system as intended,
hundreds of millions of gallons of oil would be saved, eliminating
the chance of this oil ever entering the environment, he added.
Consumers should check their owner's manual to determine if their
GM vehicle has GMOLS. If it does, a GM Goodwrench dealership can
service and reset the system at the vehicle's next oil change. If
it doesn't, they should follow the oil change recommendations
listed in their owner's manual. The engine oil and filter must be
changed at least once a year even if the GMOLS indicator does not
come on. The GM Oil Life System is available on all light-duty
North American GM cars except for some models of Buick Park Avenue
and Le Sabre, Pontiac Bonneville and Sunfire/Sunbird, Chevrolet
Tracker, Cavalier and Malibu, S10/Sonoma trucks, Astro/Safari Vans,
and the Pontiac Vibe.For more information about the GM Oil Life
System, visit http://www.gmability.com/ . GM Goodwrench is the
service brand for GM vehicles. With more than 7,000 dealerships,
the GM Goodwrench network is one of the largest automotive service
chains in the industry. GM Goodwrench technicians receive
specialized training from General Motors to provide expert care for
GM cars and trucks. Genuine GM replacement parts are manufactured
to the exact specifications of the GM vehicle. For more
information, visit the GM Goodwrench web site at
http://www.goodwrench.com/ . National Car Care Month is a
nationwide effort to focus motorists' attention on the importance
of vehicle care and maintenance. It was developed by the National
Car Care Council and laststhe entire month of April. More
information is available at http://www.carcarecouncil.org/ .
DATASOURCE: General Motors Corporation CONTACT: Cheryl McCarron,
+1-810-606-3112, , or Tom Henderson, +1-810-606-3114, , both of
General Motors Corporation Web site: http://media.gm.com/
http://www.gm.com/ http://www.gmability.com/
http://www.goodwrench.com/ http://www.carcarecouncil.org/
Copyright