Bulletin No.: 22-NA-018

Service Bulletin

Date: June, 2024

INFORMATION
Subject:

Brand:

Global Warranty Management (GWM) Warranty Parts Center (WPC) Part
Photo Return Process (U.S. Dealers Only)

Model:

Model Year:
from

VIN:
to

from

to

—

—

Engine:

Transmission:

—

—

BrightDrop
Buick
Cadillac
Chevrolet

All Passenger Cars and
Light/Medium
Duty Trucks

2025 and Prior

GMC
Involved Region or Country

United States Dealers Only

Important: Service agents must comply with all
International, Federal, State, Provincial, and/or
Local laws applicable to the activities it performs
under this bulletin, including but not limited to
handling, deploying, preparing, classifying,
packaging, marking, labeling, and shipping
dangerous goods. In the event of a conflict
between the procedures set forth in this bulletin
and the laws that apply to your dealership, you
must follow those applicable laws.
1. Part Photo Return Process Overview and Introduction
The GM Part Photo Return Process is a new
method to help reduce the cost and time it takes
for key stakeholders within GM to receive information regarding the failed part replaced under
warranty. It is estimated that between 25-33% of all
replaced parts can be observed and understood
through pictures. The Part Photo Return process
will allow service agents to take photos of the
failed part via a new tab on the Certified Service
Mobile Toolbox (CSMT) app. This information will
then be transferred to GWM for review. These
parts are analyzed by the key stakeholders
including Brand Quality, Engineering, Suppliers,
Production Plant, Assembly Plant, and Quality
management Personnel. If the photos contain the
required information the requestor is looking for,
the service agent will be notified to scrap the part
locally. If the photos are not sufficient to close out
the request, the Requestor will ask the service

Copyright 2024 General Motors. All Rights Reserved.

agent to ship the physical part back through the
normal part return process (Per latest version of
Service Bulletin #99-00-89-019).
Fundamental Steps of the Part Photo Return
Process:
1. Requestor Completes WPC Part Return –
Pictures Request
2. Project is approved and is now waiting in the
system for a dealer to submit a claim that meets
the criteria of the project
3. Dealer will receive notification (in GWM and
App) that there is a new photo return request
waiting for them in the App (dealer can also
monitor current or past photo returns.
4. Dealer locates causal part from parts inventory
5. Dealer Uses CSMT – WPC Part Pictures App to
Complete and Submit Request (dealer will have 10
days to complete this)
6. Claim submission is sent back to Requestor.
7. Requestor Reviews photos submitted by dealer
within 5 days, and has three options
A. Decides that there is enough part issue information from photos to close out request.
B. Decides that the physical part must be returned
for further investigation.
C. Or does not review photos within 5 days

Page 2

June, 2024

8. Dealer actions once requestor is finished
reviewing:
If the requestors action is 7A, then the dealer will
receive notification to scrap part correctly.
If the requestors action is 7B, then the dealer will
receive notification to return the part via the current
WPC Part Return Process (#99-00-89-019).
If the requestors action is 7C, then the dealer will
receive notification to scrap part correctly.
Common Terms:
To become familiar with the terminology, review the
common terms below and their respective
meanings:
• Toolbox (CSMT) app = Certified Service Mobile
Toolbox
• Requestor = GM Employee
• Service Agent = Retailer / Dealer / Dealership
• Job Card = Repair Order / Customer Service
Order
• Transaction = Warranty Claim
• Transaction Number = Request Number / Claim
Number
• Required Parts = ALL parts replaced as part of a
transaction line.
• Causal Part = The part that caused the failure
determined by root cause analysis
• GWM = Global Warranty Management System
2. Parts Retention
Parts that have been selected for the Part Photo
Return Process must be retained for a maximum 5
days following the request submission by the
dealer in the CSMT app. This retention period
applies unless ONE of the following occurs:
• The Requestor has reviewed the request and
has decided that it is okay to scrap the part
locally at the dealer. The request will transfer
from being a “pending request” to “Part OK to
scrap” in the CSMT app.
• The Requestor has reviewed the photos and has
decided that the physical part must be shipped
back to the Warranty Parts Center (WPC). If this
happens, the dealer will receive a notification,
follow bulletin #99-00-89-019, and have 21 days
to complete shipment.
• If there is no response from the requestor after 5
days, then the part can be scrapped locally by
the dealer. The request will transfer from being a
“pending review” to “Part OK to scrap” in the
CSMT app.

Bulletin No.: 22-NA-018

Important: Parts must be scrapped/destroyed locally
so they can never enter commerce. Under NO
CIRCUMSTANCES are warranty/policy parts to be sold
for salvage value or installed on ANY vehicle sold at
retail, wholesale, or salvage, or used in ANY other
application.
3. Documentation Requirements
The main documentation required are the photos
taken through the Certified Service Mobile Toolbox
application. The Part Photo Return Process
requires accurate and clear photos:
− 1 photo of entire causal part, pointing to area of
concern
− 1 close photo of the area of concern on the
causal part
− A photo of each/any part labeling on the causal
part
• In addition to the three required photos, an
additional three photos and one 15 second video
may be added to the request.
• Any comments which will help explain the issue
at hand.
4. Service Agent Requirements / Safety
Safety is a foundational commitment by General
Motors, and it is never to be compromised. It is
imperative every Service Agent follows standard
General Motors Policies when dealing with the Part
Photo Return process. Service Agents are to also
adhere to Federal, State, Local, and General
Motors Shipping Policies if parts must be returned
to the WPC.
5. Understanding Service Agent Notifications,
Feedbacks, Credits, and Debit Notifications
• New Request: The service agent will receive a
notification in GWM and App for each new part
photo request.
• Pending Review: The photos have been
submitted and are waiting for the reviewer to
review the submitted photos.
• Ok to Scrap: The service agent will monitor the
app for updates to each transaction. If the
reviewer decides there is enough information in
the photos, the transaction will update to be
under the “OK to Scrap” header in the app and
the dealer will be able to scrap the part locally.
• Return part: The service agent will monitor the
app for updates to each transaction. If the
reviewer decided the part needs to be shipped
back for further investigation, the transaction will
update in the app to be under the “Part Return
Required” header. The service agent will have 21
days to return the physical part back to the
Warranty Parts Center.

Bulletin No.: 22-NA-018

June, 2024

Feedbacks
• The service agent may receive a feedback if the
part photo request submission is not properly
completed (i.e. proper number of photos and
quality per above information in Documentation
Requirements).
Reimbursement - Administrative Allowance
• If a Service agent completes a Part Photo Return
Request, they will be eligible to receive
reimbursement.
• You must wait until the Part Photo Return Request
has been chosen to be “scrapped locally” or
“returned to the Warranty Parts Center (WPC)”
before submitting for an administrative allowance.
• For Part Photo Return requests that are scrapped
locally, submit up to $20 in the Net/Administrative
Allowance field of the transaction. (Total of $20
Reimbursement).
OR
• If the Part Photo Return is transitioned to a
Physical Part Return, submit up to $25 in the Net/
Administrative allowance field of the transaction.
(Total of $25 Reimbursement).

Page 3

Downloading the Certified Service Mobile
Toolbox Application (CSMT)
If you need to install the CSMT app, it is free and
available for use on Apple iPhones using iOS 13.6 or
higher and Android operating devices using version 8.1
or higher. Depending on your phone and software
version on your phone, the screens may look a little
different. Although optimized for phone use, the app
can be used on tablets as well. The new app can be
found and downloaded from the Google Play Store
(Android phone and tablets) and the App store (Apple
phone and tablets). Please note that with the large
variety of phones and operating systems, not all
functionality will appear/operate the same on all
devices.
To Load the new CSMT app:
1. You must have an E-mail application on your
phone.
2. You can find the application in the Play Store for
Android phones and in the Apple App Store for
Apple phones.

Note: The allowance maximum is $25
Debits
• If Service Agent does not review the request and
submit a part photo return within 10 days, the claim
will move to pending debit and be processed for
debit accordingly.
Information for Dealer (Parts Manager, Part Advisor,
Service Manager, Warranty Administrative, etc.) on
how to submit a Part Photo Return as well as
monitor current Part Photo Return Submissions.

Submitting a Photo Part Return Via the
Certified Service Mobile Toolbox Application
(CSMT)
Dealers are the cornerstone of the Part Photo Return
Process as they are the ones who will be taking the
pictures of the parts. If the pictures are not of
substantial quality, then the entire Part Photo Return is
not effective and the part will have to be shipped to the
WPC for further inspection. It is critical that the service
agent does their absolute best to describe and photograph the area of concern on the causal part.

5957647

3. Download and install the CSMT app on your
device.

Page 4

June, 2024

Bulletin No.: 22-NA-018