A report out of Detroit says that General Motors is dropping the GM Goodwrench mechanic brand here in the US in an effort to focus on the core vehicle brands within GM.
Goodwrench will be replaced by Chevrolet Certified Service, Cadillac Certified Service, Buick Certified Service and GMC Certified Service said the source to Automotive News. Goodwrench started as Mr. Goodwrench in 1974, has declined in popularity with many dealerships failing to use signs or advertising signifying that they have GM trained and certified technicians. According to the report, Goodwrench still has meaning in Canada where the brand will be retained.
No official word yet, but when this is confirmed, we'll update.
( AutoNews )
moparbad says:
01:30 PM, 11/ 8/10
Replace the simple and highly recognized GM Goodwrench with five different branded service brands.
Unwise.
moreau says:
02:08 PM, 11/ 8/10
Wait, the problem is that GM Goodwrench isn't well recognized, so they're going through the effort to replace it with 5 generic service titles that won't actually change anything about anything. Are they hoping more people will come in to get serviced at dealerships?
What does this actually accomplish?
moparbad says:
03:24 PM, 11/ 8/10
Goodwrench is very well recognized, consumers just don't understand it well enough for it to have a value to the consumer. GM would be better off to refine the marketing of Goodwrench instead of eliminating it.
brn says:
03:46 PM, 11/ 8/10
There's gotta be something else going on.
stephen987 says:
04:16 PM, 11/ 8/10
With GM shedding brands left and right, I would think that maintaining the consistency of the Goodwrench name (where all GM brands past and present can be serviced) would be a really good idea. Are they just hoping to lose all those Pontiac and Saturn warranty customers?
firstwagon says:
04:18 PM, 11/ 8/10
Dealer service is dealer service. I doubt anyone really cares what they call it. Wonder how many millions this will cost?
firstwagon says:
04:20 PM, 11/ 8/10
And the state of the work bench still drive me nuts.
I wouldn't let them change my oil much less disassemble a transmission.
stovt001 says:
08:40 PM, 11/ 8/10
I think this has more to do with emphasizing the individual brands in an independent light rather than focusing on the GM umbrella.
I would imagine most people aren't influenced by the brand name of the dealer's service. Rather, GM is just trying to avoid people thinking about GM, rather than Chevrolet, Cadillac, GMC, or Buick as individual entities.
I think the biggest potential issue is what stephen987 said. When those brands were killed, owners were assured they could still be serviced under the GM umbrella.