GM Quietly Drops Holden Capped Lifetime Servicing

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More than 2 million owners of Holden cars across Australia no longer have access to a “lifetime” guarantee on the cost of routine servicing on every Holden made since 1948 – and which had been promised to customers since 2015.

The revelation comes as Holden customers claim there are lengthy delays in service bays – and it has become difficult to access replacement parts – since the closure of the Holden brand at the end of last year.

Since the shutdown, some of the former Holden dealer network had signed on to continue to offer parts and service back-up for at least five years.

However, routine maintenance on Holden cars – and demand for genuine Holden parts – through the skeleton dealer network that remains has plummeted since Holden was suddenly axed in 2020.

Now US car giant General Motors has quietly killed off the “lifetime” guarantee on routine maintenance on all Holdens sold since the first one rolled off the line in 1948, with the blessing of then Prime Minister Ben Chifley.

In early 2015, a little more than a year after General Motors announced in late 2013 Holden would shut its local car factory in 2017, the company made a pledge to the owners of more than 2 million Holden cars that it was “here to stay” and “here for the long haul” even though it would close its Adelaide assembly line.

Holden’s ground-breaking, industry-first, “lifetime” capped price servicing program – backdated to every model it made since 1948 – was intended to give owners of all Holden cars peace of mind, no matter how old the vehicle.

Now US car giant General Motors has discreetly scaled back its guaranteed capped-price program to just seven years from the date of purchase when new, up to a maximum of 105,000km – and only for cars dating back to 2015, rather than 1948.

A revised online price list for Holden servicing shows only late-model Holdens now have access to a fixed-price scheme.""
https://www.drive.com.au/news/holden...HFeC9lrarqEIe4