Mr. Goodwrench got his pink slip yesterday. The iconic General Motors auto service brand will be phased out effective Feb. 1, 2011 in the United States. Buick, Cadillac, Chevrolet, and GMC will each have its own Certified Service brand, creatively named: Buick Certified Service, Chevrolet Certified Service, Cadillac Certified Service, and GMC Certified Service. GM is doing this as "part of a larger strategy by the company to strengthen the relationship between the customer and the four brands."

Goodwrench was started in 1974 as a way of standardizing GM's auto service and maintenance across its dealers and brands. Through its sponsorship of NASCAR and ads—from this very dated 1980s one to a more recent one featuring Stephen Colbert—Mr. Goodwrench became synonymous with a handy person who could fix almost anything. Though Mr. Goodwrench is dead in the United States, the brand will live on in Canada.