ASSEMBLY PLANT INFORMATION REQUESTS-DPTV

As part of our continuing commitment to customer satisfaction, GM assembly plants have started to use a new quality information reporting process called Discrepancies Per Thousand Vehicles or DPTV. One key element of the DPTV process is to provide feedback on warranty claim information directly to the assembly plant floor. This enables the plant personnel to more efficiently monitor and improve our vehicle build processes.

In some instances the plant personnel will require more detailed repair information than that included in the warranty claim. They will call individual dealers to obtain more information about the warranty repairs. The plant representatives initiating the calls will be equipped with the VIN, warranty repair order number, and Labor Operation. They will request a detailed description of the condition, cause, and correction taken from the repair order in the vehicle history file.

At the end of the call our plant representative will be able to pursue the root cause of the warranty event.

Individuals calling the dealership will be UAW member assemblers, plant quality and reliability engineers, and car division product engineers. All have received training as to how to conduct the call and are striving to develop a continuous improvement production process. These DPTV personnel are not trained in providing technical assistance, parts ordering assistance, warranty authorizations, or customer relations assistance. We encourage you to utilize your normal communication channels for these and related services.

Please extend your usual fine cooperation to the callers from the assembly plants. The information that you provide will be summarized and given directly to the assembler, his foreman, and other members of the vehicle assembly and engineering teams. DPTV is intended to shorten the response time from problem identification to improvement of our vehicle build processes.

Some DPTV follow-up calls are being made now. The assembly plant personnel have been very favorably impressed by the responsiveness, helpful attitude, and professionalism displayed by all dealerships contacted. The one-on-one communication from GM assemblers to service managers and technicians is creating a feeling of partnership between the assembly plant and the dealerships and making the assemblers much more aware of the efforts put forward in the field for customer satisfaction. Your continued strong support is needed to make the program a success.

General Motors bulletins are intended for use by professional technicians, not a "do-it-yourselfer". They are written to inform those 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 a General Motors dealer servicing your brand of General Motors vehicle for information on whether your vehicle may benefit from the information.