I know this is an old thread but I thought someone may do a search on certified cars and find this, so I thought I would explain what a GM certified car really is.
First of all it is a 117 point check, not 32. Second, the dealership decides which cars get certified, not the salesman.
At our dealership we sell mostly certified used GM vehicles. We can sell any GM vehicle as a certified car or truck except for the Caddys. (They can only be certified by a Caddy dealer.) The same used to be true with Saturn, but as they went belly up we now do them too.
As for the windshield problem, if you had contacted GM you would have found the dealer would have HAD to replace it for you. Replacement or not. In fact it should never have passed the certification in the first place and should have been replaced before it was sold.
As for warranty, "everything" is covered on a certified car for the first 12 months 12,000 miles, including rotors and wiper blades and even bulbs. Same as if it were "a brand new car." The warranty on the drivetrain after the 12/12 is up however is the remainder of the 5 years from original date of purchass by the original owner or 100,000 miles, which ever comes first That also includes roadside assistance for the entire time.
It costs the dealer approx $500 per vehicle to make a car GM certified, not counting the repairs it may need to reach that point. We are inspected every 3 month by GM to make sure we hold up our end of the inspection and certification because a certified GM car IS covered "anyplace in the USA at ANY GM dealer." With ZERO deductable on both the full coverage, and the powertrain. As GM PAYS for these repairs, they are going to make sure what the dealer sells DOES pass the 117 point inspection or they will revoke their right to sell a car as a GM certified car.
Buying a major guard warranty does NOT make it a certified car. I agree, it IS a good idea to buy the extended warranty, and no, the salesman does not make a commission on it normally, the F&I guy does howver. That is why HE is the one pushing it to you. We as salespeople like that you buy it simply because if something goes wrong on a "non certified car" you will be taken care of by the warranty and not blame us for selling it to you.
I dont usually recommend a person buy a extended warranty on a certified car because that warranty runs along at the same time the extended one does..so to ME you are just wasting 12 months that would have been paid for by GM to begin with. Wait until the Certified warranty expires and then pick up the extended warranty from the dealer or from GM directly. And yes, you can by it from the dealer at ANY TIME, before or after the warranty has expired up to a certain number of miles. The higher the milage on the vehicle the more the warranty will cost of course, depending on the length of time you decide to buy it for, and what you want it to cover. Complete coverage, or just powertrain.
As for the guys in the back having a chance to UP SELL the salesmen, that is a fact. It is because of this that many cars are NOT sold as certified cars. I had service reps tell me it would cost over $5000 to certify a 2005 impala with 42K on the odometer just last week!! I drove the car, I think I would have noticed if it needed five grand worth of work!! (Especially when I wholesaled the car because of what the shop bill WOULD HAVE COST, and the people in the back then TRIED to buy it from the wholesaler cheap.) They would not sell it to them of course, because they knew it did not need anyplace close to that much in repairs. I was told later by the person that retailed it that it needed new brakes all the way around and a set of tires. that was it.
You have to remember folks, service departments make a LOT more money from the used car department in a big dealership than they ever will from warranty work or customer repairs. Most customers do not bring their cars back to the dealer once the warranty expires, they have it done else where because it is almost always a LOT cheaper than at the dealer.
I hope this clears up what a real GM Certifed Used Car is, and what is covered on them. Everything..simple as that. I know this because for the last 5 months I have been the number one "certified" used car salesman in our north east zone. I sell them only because I believe in them.
Thank you for your time. If you have any questions you are welcome to contact me.
Certified Used Vehicle?
