04-00-89-015J

Bulletin No.: 04-00-89-015J
Date: Mar-2015
Subject:
Warranty Administration – Required Operating Procedures (U.S. Only)
Models:
2016 and Prior GM Passenger Cars and Trucks
Attention:
This service bulletin does not apply to GM of Canada Service Agents. GM of Canada Agents should
reference the General Motors of Canada Limited Service Policies and Procedures Manual.
This Bulletin has been revised to add the 2016 Model Year and clarify the requirements pertaining to sections 2: service
management authorization regarding diagnostic time, 3: acceptable technician documentation, and 4: diagnostic/add time
requirements. Please discard Corporate Bulletin Number 04-00-89-015I.
The following 8 points are taken from the GM Service Policies and Procedures Manual (P&P). They represent key GM requirements for service operations. For
complete details of all policies and procedures, please refer to the P&P Manual using the “P&P Manuals link” on the GlobalConnect Service Workbench.
These are minimum control requirements for GM work. Dealers have the discretion to establish more stringent control requirements for GM, as well as
customer pay and internal work.
1. AUTHORIZATION TO PERFORM REPAIRS
Each policy and warranty job card must be signed by the customer authorizing Service Agent to perform the requested service/repairs. Authorization must be
obtained at initial write-up and prior to any repairs being performed. An authorization to perform repairs statement must be included on every job card. It is this
statement customer(s) must acknowledge (see example below).
There is to be a clear understanding of responsibility for all charges at the time the job card is written and while the customer is present. Any changes regarding
who is responsible for the charges require service management authorization prior to repairs being performed. Customer must be provided a copy of the initial
write-up document.
Acceptable Customer Signatures
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Actual signed job card on the authorization line of the job card. Signatures on other lines of the job card are not acceptable.
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Early bird envelope or pre-write up worksheet, as long as all required job card information (refer to Article 3.2.2) is included on the envelope/worksheet.
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These documents must be attached to the job card.
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Electronic authorization (e.g. obtained by tablet), as long as it is obtained prior to the repairs being performed and customer acknowledges authorizing the
repairs. E-signatures must be transferred to the job card and subsequently deleted.
Customer Signature Unavailable
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If Service Agent is unable to obtain a customer signature, service management must state the reason and sign on the authorization line on the job card,
prior to any repairs being performed. Service management approval (explanation, date, time, and signature/initials) is required.
•
Any alternative customer concern documents such as an incomplete early-bird envelope must be attached to the job card.
•
On Service Agent-owned vehicles, including new and used vehicles in inventory, service management is to sign the job card authorizing the work prior to
repair. Service management approval (explanation, date, time, and signature/initials) is required.
Reference: GM Service Policies & Procedures Manual 3.2.4
2. SERVICE MANAGEMENT APPROVALS AND TRANSACTION AUTHORIZATIONS
Service management approval in the form of a signature or initials, date, time and explanation documents the supervision and consent of dealership service
management for all scenarios.
Service Agents can view, print, or download the authorization matrix located in article 3.2.13.
Service Agent must designate one person who is ultimately responsible and accountable for the management of warranty expense. All approvals must be
issued by service management. When portions of responsibilities are delegated to other members of management (e.g. Shop Foreman), those members must
comply with GM Service P&P requirements. Service technicians, warranty administrators, or non-supervisory hourly personnel must not be empowered for
these types of management approvals. All such delegation of approval must be monitored by the service manager or director, on a routine basis, for compliance
with GM Service P&P.
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Reference: GM Service Policies & Procedures Manual 3.2.13.
3. DETAILS OF CONCERN, CAUSE AND CORRECTION
A clear and concise job card write-up is a requirement. All customer concern, cause, and correction comments must be documented completely.
Details of Concern
The service advisor is responsible for confirming each customer concern as written on the job card. Vague descriptions such as "repair oil leak," "engine
stalls," “Service Engine soon light on” or coded descriptions of customer concerns are not acceptable.
If a customer concern is added on after initial write-up, the service agent is required to follow the requirements of article 3.2.12.
Details of Cause and Correction
The technician must document on the shop copy of the job card all on-board diagnostic trouble codes (DTCs), test equipment readings, suspension alignment
before/after readings, brake rotor/drum before/after readings, appropriate specifications, adjustments, circuit numbers, descriptive locations and indicators.
Coded descriptions are not acceptable. Technician documentation should include all relevant observations and is not limited to the items listed above. All
diagnostic time claimed must be substantiated by the technician’s comments.
Technicians must detail the steps taken to correct the customer’s concern. Vague comments, such as replaced engine, turned rotors, etc. are not acceptable.
It is acceptable for dealers who are using an electronic repair order system for technician comments to be captured within the DMS (Dealer Management
System). Dealers need to ensure that the DMS allows adequate character space for all required technician comments as described above. If there are system
limitations that will not allow complete data capture, the shop copy must be utilized for full details.
The complete cause of the failure and a detailed correction as stated by the technician must be transferred to all other copies of the job card/invoice and in the
“Cause” and “Correction” comment fields of the GWM claim by the Warranty Administrator or responsible service management personnel.
Replacement of Powertrain/Drivetrain Assemblies
All Service Agents are required to retain the completed Powertrain/Drivetrain Replacement Authorization Request – Repair Estimate – Replacement Component
Assembly Estimate Worksheet (Cost Comparison Estimate) for transmission/transfer case/engine assembly replacements. This worksheet must be completed
in its entirety for all parts needing to be replaced including the cost of these parts and attached to the job card, regardless of whether the service agent needs to
contact the PQC for approval. This worksheet must also be completed, regardless if GM representative authorization was obtained for the assembly
replacement. If assembly replacement is required due to failure of a non-serviced sub-component, an explanation should be fully documented on the
worksheet.
Exception: The cost comparison (price quote) from the parts department can be used instead of the Cost Comparison Estimate, if the following information is
generated as part of the form:
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Customer’s name and address
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Itemization of parts for repair estimate: part numbers, cost of parts, and quantity. Handwritten information is not compliant with this requirement.
•
Itemization of parts for assembly replacement: cost of assembly and core charges. Handwritten information is not compliant with this requirement.
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Labor estimate for repairs. This can be handwritten but must be done on the parts repair estimate sheet.
•
Labor estimate for assembly replacement. This can be handwritten but must be done on the assembly estimate sheet.
Reference: GM Service Policies & Procedures Article 3.2.8, 3.2.12
4. LABOR TIME/HOURS
OLH (Other Labor Hours)
•
OLH can only be considered for extenuating circumstances.
•
The technician must contact service management for approval prior to the work being performed.
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Service management approval, in the form of an explanation with date, time and signature (or initials) is required for the technician to proceed with OLH.
Service management is responsible for the reasonableness for the time and approval of the OLH request.
•
Technician must record on the job card the reason for OLH. Technician must detail failure and steps taken to facilitate repairs. Vague comments such as
metal throughout are not acceptable.
•
Separate on/off time punches are required on the technician’s time ticket for the OLH time claimed on each labor operation with OLH.
Note: Punching on/off physical job cards does not meet technician timekeeping requirements and is non-compliant and unacceptable.
•
A technician does not need to exhaust base time to receive OLH.
•
Technician inefficiency or lack of training is not sufficient justification for OLH. OLH is not an extension of base time.
•
Phone time with call center technical support activity cannot be charged to OLH. Normal road test to verify repairs are part of Strategy-Based Diagnostics
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and are not eligible for OLH unless the extenuating circumstance is documented and approved by service management.
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Diagnostic, reconditioning and other repair time for major powertrain components shall be treated as OLH and must be documented as such.
Approved and Recorded Diagnostic Time
GM follows "Strategy-Based Diagnosis/Symptom Diagnosis", which is an organized vehicle diagnostics approach for finding the source/cause of a defined
problem or identified symptom. This is accomplished by following consistent, systematic and logical steps utilizing published diagnostic procedures and
equipment. For example, finding the source of an electrical problem by following the trouble trees and/or diagnostic charts, or finding a driveability problem using
a scan tool such as Techline equipment and following the trouble code diagnostic charts.
Handling Variable Diagnostic Time: Due to the nature of select repairs, a variable diagnostic time allowance may be listed separately in the Labor Time Guide
as an Add Time. The amount of variable time claimed must be submitted in the “Diagnosis Time” Labour field, and substantiated by technician comments and
steps taken to facilitate the repair.
•
Service managers are responsible for assuring complete technician documentation and the reasonableness of diagnostic time claimed.
•
Diagnostic/add time claimed above the variable published allowance shall be treated as OLH and must be documented as such.
Straight Time
Straight time (ST) is time not published in the labor time guide. The technician must document all steps taken to support repair. Management is responsible for
the reasonableness of the request. The request needs to be authorized by service management prior to claim submission.
Reference: GM Service Policies & Procedures Article 3.2.11
5. TECHNICIAN IDENTIFICATION AND ACCOUNTING OF LABOR TIME
All standard warranty and policy repair time must be documented on the technician’s time ticket by job card. This includes the job card number and technician
ID, along with actual date and start and stop time(s) while on premises the same day.
All warranty and policy repair time for any customer concerns added to the job card (add-ons) after the initial job card write-up and other labour hours (OLH)
must have individual and specific on/off punch times on the technician’s time ticket by job card line for repair(s) performed.
Note: Punching on/off physical job cards does not meet technician timekeeping requirements and is non-compliant and unacceptable.
The following are related to the above requirements:
Multiple Vehicle Repairs
For multiple vehicles requiring reprogramming, as well as service update bulletins and field actions involving inspections only (no parts replacement), the
technician is not required to punch on/off time tickets by job card.
Technicians may not be clocked on two or more (multiple) job cards at the same time during standard warranty and/or policy repairs.
For service update bulletins or field actions, when multiple VINs are worked on at once, the VIN list from the “Open Recall Report”, or an Investigate Vehicle
History (IVH) screen print must be attached to the job card. (Per the Service P&P manual, the documentation must be retained for a minimum of 24 months.)
Note: Customer and/or internal repairs are excluded from this requirement.
It is permissible to work on a single standard warranty and/or policy repair event simultaneously with a customer and/or internal repair event.
Multiple/Lateral Technicians
It is permissible for multiple technicians to work on the same vehicle, provided all warranty and policy repair time is noted on the technician time ticket by job
card and unique technician IDs are notated.
Note: Actual date and start and stop time(s) of repair(s) performed must be recorded on the technician’s time ticket by job card.
Brand Maintenance Programs
Technicians who exclusively perform oil changes/tire rotations/MPI services are waived from individual time requirements. The technician identification must be
shown on the technician’s time ticket by job card.
Technicians performing standard warranty and/or policy repairs in addition to oil changes/tire rotations/MPI services are required to follow established time
documentation provisions stated in the P&P manual for standard warranty and/or policy repairs. The technician identification must be shown on the technician’s
time ticket by job card.
Broken Time Clocks
A broken time clock must be repaired or replaced immediately. Service management must write the actual start and stop time(s) on the technician time ticket.
The time ticket must be signed or initialed by service management for each job card.
Reference: GM Service Policies & Procedures Article 3.2.9
6. PROPER DOCUMENTATION AND RETENTION OF WARRANTY PARTS
All parts used in the completion of warranty repairs must be recorded on the job card.
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•
Part numbers must be cross-referenced (line coded) on the job card to the specific repair in which they apply.
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All warranty parts removed must be returned to the parts department for proper tagging, retention, and return/disposition. When parts are provided in the
form of a kit and only a portion of the parts are required to perform the repair, any unused components of the kit must be held for return/disposition.
•
All replaced parts with visible defects must have the defective area clearly marked.
•
PQC Assembly Returns – WPC and special request assembly returns require the proper documentation, cost comparison sheet and copy of job card (all
scenarios).
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Oil filters replaced under Brand Maintenance Programs must be discarded immediately to minimalize environmental or safety risks. Cabin filters and
engine air filters replaced under such programs must follow the minimum warranty parts retention period.
Service Agents must retain for inspection all warranty parts for a minimum of fifteen (15) days from the date of credit or until scrapped by a GM representative,
whichever occurs first. Parts that have "core" value are required to be held for a minimum of 24 hours after the Service Agent receives a Transaction Summary
Report (Credit/Claim Memo) showing a payment. If a warranty part return request is not received within 24 hours, then the specified core part(s) should be
returned to GM or to a GM approved rebuilder/remanufacturer immediately.
Reference: GM Service Policies & Procedures 3.2.7, 4.1.3
7. ACCURATE SUBLET CHARGES AND RECEIPTS
The following policies apply for repairs sublet by the Service Agent to repair shops (including other repair locations owned by the Service Agent):
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Sublet repairs will be reimbursed at the Service Agent’s actual cost less any discounts or allowances that apply to the sublet invoice or made available to
the Service Agent on non-warranty repairs. Repairs are not to exceed the Service Agent’s parts and/or Labor Time Guide allowance for the same repair.
See GM Service Policies & Procedures Article 2.5 for reimbursement details.
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Only Genuine GM parts are to be used.
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Dealer supplied parts used in the performance of sublet warranty repairs are eligible for the appropriate handling allowance.
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Sublet repairs must not be shown on a warranty transaction as a Service Agent performed repair. If repair is performed by the Service Agents’ body shop,
then warranty transaction must reflect labor and parts as such and sublet net item is not allowed.
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Sublet invoices are to contain customer name, VIN, date of repair and a complete description of repairs performed. This information must be attached to
the job card and be a part of the vehicle history file.
Reference: GM Service Policies & Procedures Articles 2.5, 2.7, 3.2
8. ADD-ON CUSTOMER CONCERN AFTER JOB CARD WRITE-UP
Any warranty/policy concern not expressed orally or in writing by the customer at initial write-up must be first inspected and verified by the service manager
before it is added to the job card. If the service manager determines that the additional repair is necessary, he/she must be the person who adds it to the job
card. This will serve as the explanation portion of the service management authorization requirements. The service manager must also document the date,
time, signature (or initials) and explanation in detail what was inspected and why additional repair is needed on the job cardprior to the work being performed.
Multiple additional concerns must each contain this approval. There must be a clear understanding how the additional work became a concern (i.e. customer
called back, technician found during multi-point inspection) or other supporting documentation. The explanation must specifically describe what the service
manager saw or verified upon inspection or road test. The customer must be contacted prior to work being performed for their permission to continue with the
repair(s).
Individual and specific on/off punch times by job card line are required on the technician’s time ticket for add-on repair(s) performed.
Note: Punching on/off physical job cards does not meet technician timekeeping requirements and is non-compliant and unacceptable.
Regardless of the date, subsequent warranty customer concerns based on multi-point vehicle inspections are considered added customer concerns and will
be treated as such.
Reference: GM Service Policies & Procedures Articles 3.2.12
Frequently Asked Questions
Frequently Asked Questions
Q: Is straight time considered to be OLH and how does it relate to time accounting?
A: Straight time is not considered to be OLH. Straight time requests need to be authorized by service management prior to claim submission.
Q: Do I have to punch on/off per job card line for warranty/policy repairs?
A: If one technician is working on the vehicle, he/she is only required to punch on/off their time ticket once per job card, unless the vehicle has an add-on line,
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other labor hours, or additional diagnostic time needed for the repair.
Q: Do time punches on job cards qualify as acceptable time documentation?
A: No. The only acceptable time documentation is what is recorded on the time ticket for the technician. Technician timekeeping on the job card is noncompliant and unacceptable.
Q: I have a job card with two or more (multiple) warranty lines that does not require any additional add-ons, OLH, or diagnostic time. How many time punches
are required for this repair?
A: Two. One at the start of the repair and one at the end of the repair.
Q: At the initial write-up of the job card, there were two or more (multiple) warranty lines on the card. It was discovered that the vehicle had an open recall and
that line was added after initial write-up. Do I need to secure the Service Manager’s approval for the add line and do I need to punch on/off for the repair?
A: Yes. Technicians must obtain service management approval for add-ons and punch on/off the time ticket by job card line.
Q: Can you provide me a couple of examples of the number of punches needed on a time ticket that contains OLH or add-on repairs?
A: Examples provided below.
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One OLH item on the job card would equal a total of 4 punches.
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Punch on/off for the overall job card (2 punches)
Punch on/off for the OLH approved work (2 punches)
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Note must have the date, time, reason why the OLH was approved and the Service Manager’s signature or initials on the job card approving
OLH prior to work being performed.
An added line to a written job card and one OLH item would equal 6 total punches
•
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Punch on/off for the overall job card (2 punches). The start and end time for the total repair.
Punch on/off for the OLH approved (2 punches)
• Note must have the date, time, reason why OLH was approved and the Service Manager’s signature or initials on the job card approving OLH
prior to work being performed.
•
•
Punch on/off for “Add-on” line item approved (2 punches)
Note: After initial write up, technicians are required to punch on/off any time a line item is added, or OLH, or additional diagnostic time is added to a job
card.
Q: How must the technician time ticket be documented?
A: Each job card that a technician works on, regardless of the number of warranty lines on the ticket, must contain the following:
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Job Card Number
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Technician
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Actual date of the repair
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Start and stop time for the repair (electronic or manual clock on/off; cannot be handwritten)
Q: Can a technician work on multiple vehicles at once?
A: Yes, as long as the repairs are of the following types:
•
Single standard warranty and/or policy repair event simultaneously with a customer and/or internal repair event
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Service Update Bulletin or Field Action that involves reprogramming
•
Service Update Bulletin or Field Action which requires an inspection (no parts replacement)
Note: For service update bulletins or field actions, when multiple VINs are worked on at once, the VIN list from the “Open Recall” report or an IVH screen print
must be attached to the job card. (Per P&P, the documentation must be retained for a minimum of 24 months.)
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Q: As the technician is not required to punch on/off of customer pay work, how do I handle time accounting documentation for repairs that may have started out
as customer pay, but end up being warranty/policy?
A: The Service Manager must document the situation in detail on the job card, along with the date, time and signature (or initials) per the standard service
management authorization procedure.
Q: If my total repair elapsed time is on the customer pay line of the job card, but the job card had one customer pay line and two warranty lines on the same
ticket, would I be debited back for the repairs?
A: No, as long as the total elapsed time on the time ticket is reasonable to complete all the repairs outlined on the job card.
Q: Is Certified Pre-Owned (CPO) considered a Brand Maintenance Program?
A: For the oil change portion of the program the answer is yes and technicians should follow the Brand Maintenance guidelines outlined in this bulletin. All other
repairs under the warranty portion of the CPO program should follow the warranty guidelines outlined in this bulletin.
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.
WE SUPPORT VOLUNTARY TECHNICIAN CERTIFICATION
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