Saturn Recall Pr: Pamper Customers

ST. PAUL, Minn. - When it comes to service, Saturn said from the beginning it was going to drive rings around other low-priced cars. Now, its dealers are spinning an apparently successful consumer campaign to make good on the company's promise.

Faced with a massive recall of 380,000 vehicles last month, Saturn challenged its dealers to maintain customer goodwill while replacing a six-inch wire cable between the battery and the generator.

Dealers responded with their own brand of PR. Some stoked barbecues for customers as they waited, others peeled off a roll of movie tickets, a bunch delighted drivers by filling up their tanks, and a few even picked up the cars and returned them, gratis.

Sellers of high-end models have pampered customers since the dawn of sunroofs, but purveyors of low-budget wheels have been slow with the charm.

"This might be the wave of the future," said Brett Smith, a research associate at the University of Michigan. "It might be how you keep your customers."

On Aug. 11, Saturn voluntarily recalled 80 percent of all its cars to address the electrical problem that caused engine fires in 34 Saturns. With fall car campaigns coming up, marketing professionals considered Saturn's handling of the recall to be a test of its mettle.

Saturn spokesman Bob Tripolski said from Detroit that the company can't risk doing business any other way.

"The Saturn philosophy is that the customer comes first," he said.

NEW RULES TO CLEAR AIR BEHIND NEW DIESEL BURNERS

As of Oct. 1, new federal regulations go into effect that will make the clouds of black smoke from new diesel cars virtually disappear, according to Martha Casey of the Environmental Protection Agency.

New diesel cars will meet the same federal standards for emissions of nitrogen oxide, carbon monoxide and hydrocarbons as gasoline-powered cars, plus one additional standard for particulates.

These new rules are designed to reduce the sulfur in diesel fuel by 80 percent. Sulfur is the main culprit behind the 30 percent to 70 percent more particulates from diesel-car exhaust, although soot from diesel burners doesn't appear to contribute to air pollution more than other cars because it mostly settles to the ground.

WHO POCKETS MOST AT CAR DEALERSHIPS?

Ever wonder how much of the price of your new car or oil change goes into the pockets of dealership employees?

A survey by National Automobile Dealers Association showed that average pay for a dealership general manager last year was $81,200, while a salesperson makes $29,700 annually and a mechanic's average pay was $29,500. Earnings for the managers who set up financing and insurance fell 3.2 percent from 1988 to $48,000; lease managers' pay rose 1 percent to $41,900.

The survey excluded pay figures for dealership owners.

Car Briefs copy provided by Times news services