Bulletin No.:

Service Bulletin

Date:

16-NA-119
February, 2020

WARRANTY ADMINISTRATION
Subject:

Brand:
Buick
Cadillac
Chevrolet
GMC

Servicing Vehicles from Canada (U.S. Dealers Only)

Model:
GM
Passenger
Cars and
Trucks

Model Year:
from

VIN:
to

from

to

Engine:

Transmission:

2020 and Prior

This bulletin will cover GM’s policy on performing GM
covered vehicle services and maintenance on vehicles
originating/sold in Canada. These policies do not
negate the policies established by GM regarding the
sale, resale and import/export of GM vehicles, including
those listed in the Dealer Sales and Service
Agreement.
When servicing GM vehicles built for and sold in
Canada, Service Agents first must determine if an
effective repair can be performed following the Service
Agent requirements listed in the GM Service Policies &
Procedures Manual.
Service Agents must also verify the vehicle is eligible
for the services to be performed by reviewing VIN
information in Investigate Vehicle History (IVH). The
Vehicle Summary Page will display any active
warranties, open Recalls/Field Actions and Special
Coverages applicable to that vehicle. Verify that there
are no Branded Titles or Warranty Blocks that may
restrict you from performing the requested service. If
there is evidence that the odometer has been
disconnected or altered, or the correct mileage cannot
be determined, the warranty on the vehicle may be
blocked. Report any instances of odometer tampering
to the Dealer Business Center. Vehicles that display
evidence of being salvaged/rebuilt that are not branded
in IVH should be reported to the Dealer Business
Center or your Field Warranty Manager.
Canadian Customers Touring the U.S. Requiring
Vehicle Repairs
For the safety and convenience of our GM customers,
Service Agents are permitted to perform vehicle
warranty repairs for Canadian customers touring in the
United States. For guidelines Service Agents must
follow, see additional information in the GM Service
Policies & Procedures Manual.
In addition to the IVH requirements set forth above,
Service Agents should verify eligibility to service a
touring customer’s vehicle by verifying the customer’s
residency and proof of ownership (driver’s license and
vehicle registration). This information must be attached
Copyright 2020 General Motors LLC. All Rights Reserved.

to the job card. It is also important to check previous
odometer readings and vehicle delivery information on
IVH to ensure the customer is a tourist and did not
relocate across the border.
Canadian Vehicles Operating in the U.S.
Service Agents are permitted to perform vehicle
warranty repairs and covered maintenance on
non-touring GM vehicles that originated in Canada only
after the following requirements are met:
• The odometer display must first be converted
from Kilometers (KM) to Miles (MI). Many
vehicles are built with the technology to
automatically convert from KM to MI display at the
touch of a button. If a vehicle’s technology does
not permit this conversion, the vehicle’s
equipment must be converted prior to servicing.
Service Agents converting speedometers on
customer owned or dealer owned inventory must
use an authorized Electronic Service Center
(ESC) to convert the component. Please refer to
the GM Service Policies & Procedures Manual for
a list of authorized ESC locations. No portion of
this service (parts/labor/other) may be submitted
to GM by the dealer for reimbursement. Any
warranty/maintenance transaction submitted by a
Service Agent for a vehicle that originated from
Canada that has not had the odometer converted
will be rejected.
• Investigate Vehicle History (IVH) must be
updated to convert Applicable Warranties and
future Transaction History from KM to MI.
Authorized Electronic Service Centers (ESCs)
who convert a GM vehicle speedometer from KM
to MI will provide the appropriate information to
GM to update IVH. When servicing a vehicle
where IVH has not been updated but the odometer
has been converted (ie: vehicles that allow for
automatic conversion), Service Agents must
submit a ZSET transaction as outlined below to
update IVH. This transaction must be submitted
prior to or at the time of the first service.

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February, 2020

Bulletin No.: 16-NA-119

•

Service Agent Pre-Owned Inventory: Proper
Service Management authorization is required
prior to repair on a Service-Agent owned vehicle.
Speedometer conversion must be performed and
IVH must be updated as outlined in this bulletin.
Refer to additional information in the GM Service
Policies & Procedures Manual.
• Note: Any reconfigurations that are required (i.e.
French OnStar to English) or vehicle conversions
that are required to meet Federal or local motor
vehicle standards will be the at the customer’s
expense.
The above requirements apply to warranty repairs and
covered maintenance. Required Field Actions
(Recalls) may be performed regardless of vehicle
speedometer and IVH conversion. Service Agents
should offer and encourage speedometer conversions,
however, completion of a Required Field Action must
not be denied if the customer is unwilling or unable to
have this service performed. Transactions for Required
Field Actions completed on vehicles that have not been
converted to miles should be submitted in the
kilometers displayed.
Updating Investigate Vehicle History (IVH) to
Display Converted Odometer Reading in “Miles”
When servicing a vehicle that has had the speedometer
converted from KM to MI, but IVH has not been
updated to display Applicable Warranties in miles (MI),
Service Agents must submit a transaction as outlined
below prior to or at the time of the first service.
Subsequent transactions will not be accepted if IVH
has not been updated.
Transaction Type

Labor
Operation

Odometer

Parts,
Net,
Labor

Complaint Code /
Cause Code

Foreign Tourist VIN
Indicator

ZSET

0620018

Current Miles (MI)

N/A ($0)

Leave blank. Not
required fields.

DO NOT select this
indicator*

*Although the Foreign Tourist indicator should not be
selected for this ZSET transaction, it must be selected
for any other warranty transaction (see below section
for “Submitting transactions on vehicles originating in
Canada”).
If you are unable to successfully process the IVH
conversion by submitting the ZSET transaction, please
contact the Dealer Business Center at 1-888-414-6322
for assistance.
Changing KM to MI displays on IVH does not change
the Applicable Warranties nor the terms of the
warranties.
Below is an example of the Applicable Warranties
section of IVH where a VIN was converted, now
displaying the Effective Odometer and End Odometer
readings in miles (MI). As you can see, the Canada 2yr
Scheduled LOF Maintenance warranty still applies and
U.S. Service Agents may provide remaining
maintenance services covered under this program. See
below for more details regarding New Vehicle
Maintenance Program Services.

Bulletin No.: 16-NA-119

February, 2020

Page 3

4489214

Note: Speedometer conversion and IVH display
conversion does not fully satisfy vehicle
importation, certification and titling/registration
requirements. Please refer to Federal and local
regulations, including those set by the NHTSA and
FMVSS, for further information.
New Vehicle Maintenance Program Service
Service Agents are permitted to perform maintenance
services requested by the customer that are covered
under the New Vehicle Maintenance programs after the
above requirements are met.
If IVH displays an active Maintenance Program in the
Applicable Warranties section, the vehicle is eligible to
be serviced in the U.S. Follow all program rules
applicable to the U.S. Maintenance Programs,
submitting transactions for covered maintenance
service(s) on eligible Canadian VINs as they normally
would for a U.S. vehicle.
Important: Prior to performing the service, Service
Agents should insure that the vehicle has not received
the maximum number of maintenance events allowed
per divisional program guidelines.
Submitting Transactions on Vehicles Originating in
Canada
Service Agents must select the Foreign Tourist VIN
indicator when submitting the transaction. This applies
to ALL warranty repairs, recalls, special coverage and
maintenance services regardless if the odometer has
been converted or IVH has been converted.

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February, 2020

Bulletin No.: 16-NA-119

4489309

Support
For any questions regarding this policy, Service Agents
in the United States should contact the Dealer
Business Center (DBC) at 1-888-414-6322.

Version

5

Modified

May 2, 2016 – Clarified policies applicable to servicing Canadian vehicles.
August 12, 2016 – Clarified Foreign Tourist VIN Indicator.
May 8, 2019 – Added the 2018-2019 Model Years, changed local GM representative to
Field Warranty Manager in 3rd paragraph and updated information under Canadian
Vehicles Operating in the U.S.
February 14, 2020 – Added the 2020 Model Year and updated GM Service Policies &
Procedures Manual reference information.

GM bulletins are intended for use by professional technicians, NOT a "do-it-yourselfer". They are written to inform these
technicians of conditions that may occur on some vehicles, or to provide information that could assist in the proper
service of a vehicle. Properly trained technicians have the equipment, tools, safety instructions, and know-how to do a
job properly and safely. If a condition is described, DO NOT assume that the bulletin applies to your vehicle, or that your
vehicle will have that condition. See your GM dealer for information on whether your vehicle may benefit from the
information.

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