GM Expands Free Maintenance Program

Just the Facts:

• GM is including free oil changes and other scheduled maintenance on many of its 2014 vehicles.
• The program covers most 2014 Chevrolet, Buick, and GMC vehicles bought or leased in the U.S.
• Toyota and Volkswagen already have similar programs in place.

DETROIT — GM has announced that it is expanding its free scheduled maintenance program to include most 2014 Chevrolet, Buick and GMC vehicles purchased or leased in the U.S.

GM is taking a page from the playbook of Toyota and Volkswagen. The Japanese automaker offers two years or 25,000 miles complimentary maintenance and roadside assistance on purchased or leased vehicles.

Volkswagen offers three years or 36,000 miles free maintenance on its 2009-'13 vehicles.

The new GM program will include oil and filter changes, tire rotation, and 27-point vehicle inspections, as specified by the owner's manual and the vehicle's onboard monitoring system. It covers most 2014 Buick, Chevrolet and GMC cars, trucks and crossovers for two years or 24,000 miles.

"This new plan will kick off our customers' ownership experience on the right foot and keep our strong sales momentum going," said Dan Akerson, GM chairman and CEO, who announced the plan at GM's annual stockholders meeting on Thursday. "We know that customers who service their vehicles at our dealerships are much more likely to purchase another GM product down the road."

The new program does not include oil changes for certain alternative-fuel vehicles or tire rotations for some performance models, like the Camaro Z28, when that service is not recommended. It also excludes Cadillac vehicles, which are already covered by their own four-year, 50,000-mile maintenance plan, which will remain in effect.

Earlier this year GM initiated a similar program, called Pro-Grade Protection, for the 2013 GMC Sierra 1500 half-ton pickup. That plan was originally slated to run only during the month of February, but when it achieved good sales results, the company extended it to include most 2014 vehicles.

A Ford spokesman confirmed to Edmunds that his company is not currently offering a similar plan for 2014 vehicles. And a representative for Chrysler said: "We don't have any such free maintenance plan in place, nor have we been discussing such a plan. Our commitment to our dealers is to provide them competitive incentives that will ultimately provide the consumer with a competitive price/payment in relation to the competition."

Edmunds says: This is a good way for GM to build customer loyalty. Watch this approach trickle down to other mass-market manufacturers.