by dcpdave » Wed Jun 06, 2007 11:59 pm
i see a few problems with this maint 1-2 program. by extending the intervals, and raising the price, the customer's perception is that "every time i have to come in to this dealer for maint., i spend a hundred dollar bill." what really matters to the customer is not the frequency of services as much as how much money am i taking out of my wallet at each service. a large reason people hate going to walmart to shop, is because " i can't get out of there without spending 100-200 dollars." they don't really think about how many items they get, just what they spent.
gm recently came out with a new web site "to educate" us on how to promote the maint. system, and a "calculator" that shows how much more money the dealer will make using it vs. the 3/3000 rule. what they fail to put into the calculation is the cost to the dealer to perform a free "pit stop" check up, as they call it. the video in the web site says to perform maint 1-2, and have the customer come in, in between, for this "pit stop" where we are to do a host of inspections for the customer....for free.
yes, engines are much more efficient and oil is better than it used to be, so maybe slightly longer intervals are ok, but to tell me i'll make more money with this program is a flat lie.
PREVENTATIVE maint. is more than just an oil change, it's a concept that seems to have been forgotten.
unfortunatley, gm has spent way too much money on this program/technology to go back now. they will attempt to force it down our-and the customer's throats.