You can’t see me right now, but trust me – I’m scratching my head in confusion. According to General Motors, “free scheduled maintenance and warranty coverage do not rank high as a reason to purchase a vehicle” to buyers of non-luxury brands. Its five-year, 100,000-mile powertrain warranty on its GMC and Chevrolet vehicles just hasn’t been a strong-enough purchase incentive.
That’s why, after nearly a decade of having it in place, GM is going to cut the powertrain warranty on its 2016 model-year GMC and Chevrolet vehicles to five years and 60,000 miles of coverage. Currently, the number of free service visits, for things such as oil changes and tire rotations, included in GM’s offer of two years of free maintenance to buyers of most new Chevy, GMC, and Buick vehicles is four. Starting with the 2016 model year, that number will be reduced to two.
However, GM will continue to offer courtesy transportation and roadside assistance within the span of the new warranty.
What do you think? Is this bad news or does it not at all affect your willingness to buy a GM model in the future?
Derek Shiekhi's father raised him on cars. As a boy, Derek accompanied his dad as he bought classics such as post-WWII GM trucks and early Ford Mustang convertibles.
After loving cars for years and getting a bachelor's degree in Business Management, Derek decided to get an associate degree in journalism. His networking put him in contact with the editor of the Austin-American Statesman newspaper, who hired him to write freelance about automotive culture and events in Austin, Texas in 2013. One particular story led to him getting a certificate for learning the foundations of road racing.
While watching TV with his parents one fateful evening, he saw a commercial that changed his life. In it, Jeep touted the Wrangler as the Texas Auto Writers Association's "SUV of Texas." Derek knew he had to join the organization if he was going to advance as an automotive writer. He joined the Texas Auto Writers Association (TAWA) in 2014 and was fortunate to meet several nice people who connected him to the representatives of several automakers and the people who could give him access to press vehicles (the first one he ever got the keys to was a Lexus LX 570). He's now a regular at TAWA's two main events: the Texas Auto Roundup in the spring and the Texas Truck Rodeo in the fall.
Over the past several years, Derek has learned how to drive off-road in various four-wheel-drive SUVs (he even camped out for two nights in a Land Rover), and driven around various tracks in hot hatches, muscle cars, and exotics. Several of his pieces, including his article about the 2015 Ford F-150 being crowned TAWA's 2014 "Truck of Texas" and his review of the Alfa Romeo 4C Spider, have won awards in TAWA's annual Excellence in Craft Competition. Last year, his JK Forum profile of Wagonmaster, a business that restores Jeep Wagoneers, won prizes in TAWA’s signature writing contest and its pickup- and SUV-focused Texas Truck Invitational.
