American Isuzu Motors Inc. (AIMI), the distributor of Isuzu commercial vehicles, has introduced a program that allows fleets to pre-pay for scheduled maintenance when they take delivery of a new Isuzu truck, putting the cost of the service into their monthly lease or purchase payment.

Called the Assured Maintenance Program, it can be used by fleets for all new Isuzu N- and F-Series models.

The new Assured Maintenance Program is designed to reduce lifecycle costs, minimize vehicle downtime, and make vehicle maintenance less complicated. Available for all new Isuzu N-Series Diesel, N-Series Gas and F-Series models, the plan is pre-paid at contract conception, allowing fleet managers to predict maintenance costs over the entire service life of the vehicle.

Program terms offer a variety of coverage plans, from 50,000 miles to as long as 200,000 miles or seven years. The Assured Maintenance Program can also be financed through Isuzu Motors Acceptance Corp., GMAC, or other financing organizations when included on the sales or lease contract. This allows the customer to defer vehicle maintenance costs over the length of the contract. Additionally upon the resale of the truck, any remaining portion of the service contract can be transferred to the new owner at no cost.

The Assured Maintenance Program covers all scheduled maintenance and is performed by Isuzu-trained technicians. AIMI will automatically send the fleet manager a "maintenance due" postcard prior to the scheduled service date, followed by a phone call to both the fleet manager and dealer to assure the appointment is scheduled.

Fleets who purchase Assured Maintenance will receive a decal to be applied to the driver's side door jamb, which the dealership service personnel can use to record the date when the maintenance was completed. This decal remains on the vehicle, helping to boost its trade-in or residual value when it is resold. In addition, the service technician will attach a sticker to the windshield of the customer's truck during each visit to serve as a reminder of when to come back for the next round of service. The contract permits fleets to redeem the pre-paid service at any authorized Isuzu dealership.

The Assured Maintenance Program can relive fleet managers of keeping maintenance schedules for vehicles such as this Isuzu medium-duty truck.

Isuzu Motors' Assured Maintenance Program Highlights

• Service performed by Isuzu factory-trained technicians.

• Utilizes only Isuzu parts.

• Oil, chassis, and filter service every 6,500 miles.

• Complete service records for each vehicle in the fleet.