Bulletin No.:

Service Bulletin

Date:

11-00-89-005Q
March, 2021

WARRANTY ADMINISTRATION
Subject:

Warranty Administration – Dealer Empowerment for Goodwill, Customer Enthusiasm
and Policy (U.S. Only)

Models:

2021 and Prior GM Passenger Cars and Trucks

Attention: This Service Bulletin does not apply to ‘GM of Canada’ dealers.
This bulletin has been revised to provide clarification to the Policy Guidelines and add
information to Important statement under Goodwill Tools processed via the Global Warranty
Management (GWM) System. Please discard Corporate Bulletin Number 11-00-89-005P.

As a dealer partner, General Motors empowers you
with the ability to utilize policy and goodwill tools as
deemed appropriate to satisfy and retain customers
that are loyal to their vehicle brand and your dealership.
This bulletin provides guidelines to further assist our
dealer employees in the utilization of these tools to
resolve customer issues while spending GM resources
in an effective and responsible manner.
Resource

Organizational Terms
The following chart should clarify the terms used to
describe various payment categories used to satisfy
customer requests for assistance. These terms will be
used throughout this bulletin.

Definition

Warranty

Vehicle repairs within the time and mileage limitations of the applicable warranty coverage
that are a result of a covered defect in materials or workmanship.
• Example: Window Regulator is replaced during the applicable New Vehicle Limited
Warranty.

Customer Enthusiasm

Vehicle repairs within the time and mileage limitations of the applicable warranty coverage
that ARE NOT the result of a covered defect in materials or workmanship.
• Example: Repair of a front air deflector due to customer not realizing how low it is.

Policy

Vehicle repairs outside of the applicable time and mileage limitations of the applicable
warranty coverage.
• Example: Wiper motor fails at 52,000 miles and GM pays for all or part of the repair cost.

Goodwill

Special Coverage

Assistance expenditures made to satisfy the customer.
• The term “Goodwill” does not refer to a vehicle repair. Repair outside of Warranty is
“Policy.”
• Goodwill is the term for the tools that are used to offset customer inconvenience or to
offer additional protection and peace of mind. Details of the Goodwill tools are found
later in this bulletin.
• Example: Customer has had to return to the dealership for a repeat connectivity
issue with OnStar and based on this customer’s unique situation, the service
manager deems it appropriate to offer an extension to the customer’s OnStar
subscription.
Extension of the warranty coverage of a specific vehicle component or system if an
identified non-safety related failure occurs.
• The necessary repair under a Special Coverage will be performed only if the Special
Coverage is noted in IVH under the applicable warranty section and the vehicle exhibits
the condition specified.
• Example: Extended coverage on the transmission shift cable for certain 3–5 wave plate
vehicles.

Copyright 2021 General Motors LLC. All Rights Reserved.

Page 2

March, 2021

Goodwill Guidelines
A variety of Goodwill tools (listed below) are available
to dealer management, Aftersales (DMA/DVM)
representatives, and the Customer Assistance Center
(CAC) for resolving customer issues and maintaining
customer enthusiasm.
Dealers are NOT to use Goodwill tools for the following:
• To close a sale
• In delayed new vehicle delivery situations
• After 10 days from new vehicle delivery to resolve
a sales-related issue
• In any relation to the GM Card
• For fleet/commercial vehicles (delivered with a
Fleet Account Number)
• For trade assist, product allegations, BBB, legal,
or 3rd party intervention
• For any fuel economy complaints
• For APR/lease dealer cash adjustments
• For modifying vehicle content or adding non-GM
approved parts/accessories

Goodwill Tools Available via the Dealer
Aftersales Empowerment Application
Important: Please note that some tools are not
available in certain states or for use in a stop sale or
recall situation. Contact your District Manager of
Aftersales for further direction.
• OnStar® – Plan upgrades or extension; past
subscriber activation.
• Maintenance Letter – Letter issued to the
customer for $50 or $100 towards a one-time
service or maintenance visit.
• Component Coverage Letter (CCL) – Letter issued
extending coverage of a designated vehicle
component for a specific time frame (Not available
in CA, NH, or VT).
• Sirius XM Subscription – A 3 or 6 month All
Access based subscription.
• Data Plans – Complimentary data package of
specific size and time duration downloaded into a
customer's vehicle equipped with 4G LTE
functionality.
• Chevrolet, Buick, GMC, and Cadillac Protection
Plan – A service contract covering various vehicle
components & systems and issued for various
time and mileage intervals & deductibles (Not
available in Puerto Rico or Virgin Islands).
• Chevrolet, Buick, GMC and Cadillac Tire & Wheel
Protection Plan – A service contact to repair or
replace wheels and/or tires that are damaged due
to a covered road hazard (Not available in Puerto
Rico or Virgin Islands).
• Chevrolet, Buick, GMC and Cadillac Pre-Paid
Maintenance Plan – Pre-Paid Maintenance Plans
include oil changes, tire rotations and fluid top-offs
(Not available in Puerto Rico or Virgin Islands).
• Customers can use the number of services offered
in the Plan whenever they like within the time and
mileage parameters of the plan.

Bulletin No.: 11-00-89-005Q

GM may modify available tools at any time. Refer to the
Dealer Aftersales Empowerment application in
GlobalConnect for current available tools and additional
guidelines.

Goodwill Tools processed via the Global
Warranty Management (GWM) System
•

Spontaneous Goodwill Maintenance (Labor Op
0600343) – Dealer provides complimentary
goodwill maintenance, consistent with GM
recommendations contained in the customer’s
owner’s manual, when a customer was not issued
a maintenance letter or other tools. There is a
$100 maximum for usage of the labor operation.
The transaction must be submitted with the exact
amount of the complimentary maintenance input
into the Net/Miscellaneous field. GM is not to be
charged more than what is customary.
• Incidental Non-Warranty Expense (Labor Op
0600015) – Dealer agrees to reimburse a
customer for reasonable expenses incurred as a
result of the service repair. Examples include hotel
expenses, meal expenses, flowers, or other
appropriate expenses to compensate the
customer for inconvenience. There is a $500
maximum for retail usage and the transaction
should be submitted with the exact amount input
into the Net/Customer Reimbursement field.
• Vehicle Payment Expense (Labor Op 0600005) –
Dealer, in unique circumstances, may determine it
is appropriate to reimburse the customer for a
vehicle payment for their GM vehicle experiencing
service issues. When submitting a transaction with
this labor operation, the Complaint/Cause/
Correction fields must contain a detailed
explanation, the exact dollar value of the monthly
payment (including method used to determine or
calculate the payment amount) and the check
number issued to the customer as reimbursement.
There is a $1000 maximum for retail usage and
the transaction should be submitted with the exact
amount input into the Net/Customer
Reimbursement field. Note: This labor operation
is not available for vehicles less than 3 months
or 3,000 miles without pre-approval through
the Dealer Aftersales Empowerment app in
GlobalConnect.
Important: These labor operations have specific
applications and any inappropriate use will result in
a credit reversal. Submitting any of these labor
operations MUST be approved by Service
Management.

Customer Enthusiasm Guidelines
A Customer Enthusiasm Repair is a repair performed
with GM participation, within the warranty period, where
the product issue is NOT the result of a defect in
material or workmanship. This expense would normally
be customer responsibility and in this unique instance,
the dealer is requesting GM assist in the repair cost to
ensure customer loyalty. The transaction must be
submitted using the published repair operation with the
“Customer Enthusiasm-Non-Warrantable Repair”
indicator selected.

Bulletin No.: 11-00-89-005Q

March, 2021

Note: These type of repairs are not covered by the
New Vehicle Limited Warranty; a 50% Customer
Participation is recommended.
•

Example: Customer’s vehicle has a cut in the rear
seat back at 8,000 miles. This is clearly not a
defect in material or workmanship and therefore
would not be a warranty repair. Based on the facts
and circumstances and the customer’s history
with the dealership, the service manager would
like to fix the customer's issue and submit this to
GM for reimbursement of 50 % even though it is a
non-warrantable repair. The transaction would be
entered as a ZREG using the rear seat back labor
operation with the Customer
Enthusiasm-Non-Warranty Repair indicator box
checked, the full amount of parts and labor input
and the Customer participation amount input into
the Customer/Service Agent Participation field.
The Complaint, Cause, and Correction fields must
document the situation including the substantive
reasons for the decision.
The following are NOT considered Customer
Enthusiasm and dealers should not check the
“Customer Enthusiasm – Non-Warrantable Repair”
indicator on these types of transactions:
• When a warranty defect caused the customer’s
concern
• Assembly replacements instead of repair for
customer satisfaction
• Example: Customer’s vehicle has no reverse at
2,000 miles. 3-5R clutch housing damaged.
Transmission replaced versus repaired due to
low mileage. Even though the cost comparison
shows it is more cost effective to repair the
unit, it is being replaced for customer
satisfaction.
• Repeat repairs resulting from a warrantable failure
• Divisional maintenance programs
• Reimbursements
• Non-repair issues (Accessories, sales
incentives, etc.)

Policy Guidelines - Incorporating the
Policy Evaluation Tool
Dealers are required to use the Policy Evaluation Tool
once a determination has been made that a policy
decision is appropriate for a customer’s out-of-warranty
repair, or whenever the customer has requested policy
consideration for an out-of-warranty repair. Consider
these factors in your decision making:
Supporting Factors for Offering Policy Assistance:
• Vehicle is recently out of warranty
• Loyal GM new vehicle customer and/or loyal
service customer (purchase of a protection plan,
number of vehicles purchased, level of service
business as shown in Service Workbench, etc.)
• Original owner
• Previous history/repairs related to current vehicle
issue

•
•

Page 3
Type of repair
High incurred customer expense to repair the “out
of warranty” issues

Limiting Factors for Offering Policy Assistance:
• Purchased as a used vehicle (non-Certified)
• Well beyond vehicle or component’s warranty
expiration
• Cause is not normally covered by warranty
(misuse, abuse, neglect, accidental damage, lack
of maintenance)
• Overall lack of vehicle maintenance or care
• Repair expenses incurred due to damage from an
accident that insurance will not cover
• It is evident that Policy assistance will have no
positive affect on the customer’s satisfaction,
loyalty and repurchase intent
• 12V batteries or tires (ineligible for Policy)
Important: Dealers must not restrict Policy use solely
because the customer did not purchase or service their
vehicle at your store.
Policy Evaluation Tool - Requirements and Process:
• The Policy Evaluation Tool is located in the Dealer
Aftersales Empowerment app in GlobalConnect.
• Enter all required information. The Total Repair
Cost must be entered at warranty rates on
the form.
• The Policy Evaluation Tool will provide a minimum
Customer/Dealer participation $ amount based on
the days and miles the vehicle is beyond warranty
for the defective component.
• When seeking assistance for more than one repair
on the job card, the Policy Evaluation Tool must be
run separately for each line.
• The actual amount of customer/dealer
participation must be reflected in the “Customer/
Service Agent Participation Amount” field of the
transaction. See below for further details.
• The print version of the Tool must be attached to
the hard copy of the job card as well as the
transaction.
• The service manager must authorize the policy
adjustment prior to initial transaction submission.
This authorization must be in the form of an
explanation, signature/initials, time, and date
(reference GM Service Policies & Procedures
Manual). The reasons supporting GM assistance
should be clear to an objective third party
reviewing the job card that has not been involved
in the customer decision-making process. Short
general comments such as “good customer” or
“out of warranty” are not sufficient.
• If the Online Policy Evaluation Tool is not available
due to a system issue, we are relying on our
dealer service management personnel to engage
with the customer and to make the best, balanced
business decision possible.
• If the component's coverage is not listed in the
Component Warranty Coverage field dropdown
list on the Policy Tool form, select the closest
option related to the repair. Enter the time and

Page 4

March, 2021

mileage end dates of the coverage selected to
determine the starting level of participation. You
will need to use your judgment to determine if this
level of participation is appropriate.

Dealer Empowerment Beyond
Evaluation Tool Results for Extenuating
Circumstances
Dealers are required to use the Policy Evaluation Tool
and are encouraged to follow the recommended
amount of assistance. If extenuating circumstances
merit less customer participation as suggested by the
Policy Evaluation Tool, the dealership is empowered to
deviate from the tool result amount up to $500. GM
pre-approval is NOT required. A copy of the Policy
Evaluation Tool result must still be attached to the
transaction. These situations should be rare and
supported by a good business case.
Dealers should also consider that use of a Goodwill tool
or Owner Loyalty Certificate may be more appropriate,
and in cases, even preferred by the customer
compared to Policy assistance on a vehicle repair. The
dealership should consider all factors such as the cost
of the repair, the age of the vehicle, and if partial repair
assistance will satisfy and retain a customer. Example:
A nine-year-old vehicle requires an engine replacement
and assistance is calculated at 50% customer
participation. In this case, it may be more appropriate to
offer the customer an Owner Loyalty Certificate.

Pre-Approval Process for Policy
Assistance Beyond Dealer’s $500
Empowerment Range
Deviating more than $500 from the Policy Evaluation
Tool result must be PRE-APPROVED by GM through
the Dealer Aftersales Empowerment application in
GlobalConnect.
• Complete the “Claim Pre-Approval Request” form
in the Dealer Aftersales Empowerment
application. Select box for “Policy Adjustment –
Request to deviate from Policy Evaluation Tool
results.”
• A copy of the approved Pre-Approval Form must
be attached to the job card and retained in the
vehicle history folder. A copy of the approved
Pre-Approval Form is no longer required to be
attached to the submitted transaction.
• A copy of the Policy Evaluation Tool must still be
attached to the transaction.

Bulletin No.: 11-00-89-005Q

Customer/Service Agent Participation
Amount Transaction Processing
When the customer or the dealer agree to participate in
the cost of the repair, the participation must be reflected
in the Customer/Service Agent Participation Amount
field of the transaction. Failure to document the
participation amount in the Customer/Service Agent
Participation Amount field may result in a charge back
for the applicable amount.
When submitting the transaction, enter the labor, parts,
net item as if GM was going to cover the repair under
warranty. When a customer/dealer participation amount
is involved, the entire repair must be calculated at
warranty rates. Enter the Customer and/or Service
Agent participation amount in the “Customer/Service
Agent Participation Amount” field as a positive number.
The transaction will be reduced by this amount and pay
the dealer net (total less participation amount) amount.
Example: A 5-year-old (750 days out of warranty)
Tahoe with 67,000 miles is in for an Upper Control
Arm repair. Based upon the results of the Policy
Evaluation Tool, the customer is satisfied with GM
participating at 50% of the repair cost. The dealer
submits for 4.4 hours of labor, $215.86 in parts and
$86.35 in parts markup for a total transaction
amount of $679.36. The dealer then inputs 339.68 in
the Customer/Service Agent Participation Amount
field. The dealer will receive $339.68 through the
GWM system.
This procedure will give full transparency to the amount
of participation, allow for verification that the dealer is
collecting the participation and will minimize
unnecessary transaction processing issues due to
miscalculations.

Vehicles with Aftermarket Service
Contracts
If a vehicle has an active service contract, all
transactions submitted outside of the terms of the new
vehicle warranty will require authorization to ensure
that the customer first uses the benefits of the service
contract they purchased. To request approval, the
dealer must document the current contract status
(expired, component not included, owner not party to
the contract, etc.). This information must be submitted
in the comments section and documented in the
vehicle’s service file.

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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