For more than three decades, Goodwrench has been the name of the service department of General Motors’ dealers. Its ad mascot was Mr. Goodwrench, a pleasant, clean-cut mechanic (though he was played with more sass by Stephen Colbert in a series of commercials in 2003).
But now that GM and its new marketing boss, Joel Ewanick, are putting an emphasis on the automaker’s four core brands, Mr. Goodwrench is getting the boot, reported The New York Times.
GM said it would phase out the Goodwrench name in the United States on Feb. 1.
“This is more than a name change — it is a declaration of our commitment to our customers,” said Steve Hill, vice president and general manager of GM customer care and aftersales.
Goodwrench will be replaced by the Certified Service tag for each brand: Chevrolet Certified Service, Cadillac Certified Service, Buick Certified Service and GMC Certified Service.
“Certified Service supports GM’s strategy to focus on the four brands,” said Hill, explaining that the new strategy provides “a natural extension of the customer’s vehicle purchase experience at the dealership.”