What A Service Campaign Means For Your Car

Posted on: 10 April 2015

In recent years, especially with German car manufacturers, many companies have begun issuing notices of service campaigns as opposed to waiting for a government to issue a recall in order to fix a consistent issue with a particular model. The difference between a recall and a service campaign is fairly slight, but have fairly large repercussions to the owners of affected vehicles. Here is what happens if a service campaign is announced for your car. 

Difference from a Recall

The main difference between a federal recall and a service campaign is that a service campaign is fully enacted by the auto manufacturer, and often it's a way to show that the company is being proactive about the safety of its customers, though legally a car company does not have to notify you of a service campaign like they do with a recall. A federal recall, however, is a mandate from the government that the issue get fixed at the expense of the manufacturer because it is a safety issue. Another difference from a recall is that you are on the hook for repairs related to a service campaign, which is not the case for a recall. 

Urgency

In general, a service campaign can only be issued if the problem at hand is not an immediate safety issue. Therefore, if you find out that a service campaign has been effected for your car, your next stop doesn't have to be the mechanic's shop. Instead, you might just have to deal with a faulty radio or air conditioning until you can make it to the repair shop. 

Procedure

If you find out that there is a service campaign bulletin in place for your car, take it to a licensed repair shop. When one of these campaigns is issued, the manufacturer will send a pamphlet detailing repair instructions to all of the licensed repair shops so that they are prepared to fix the issue when consumers inevitably come in with the issue. 

A service campaign can be a big issue if one is issued for your car, especially if you don't know it. Checking online for recalls and service campaigns should be done with regularity, as this will help to make sure you're getting all of the necessary service for the specific needs of your car. If have reason to believe that there could be a service campaign enacted for your car, check online and follow the above steps, and you'll be on your way to a mint-condition car in no time at all. 

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