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Owners of Cadillacs, Buicks and some other General Motors products with warranties may have to look somewhere else to have it serviced.

"We quit doing warranty work (on GM vehicles) last Friday (Feb. 5). Our decision to quit was due to communication inadequacies between GM and its dealers," said Fisher Motors owner John Stewart. "We're worried about doing warranty work and not getting paid."

Fisher sold several GM products Cadillac, Buick and Pontiac until June 2009 when they were informed by GM that the dealership was among more than 1,300 across the country that were being cut as part of the company's bankruptcy restructuring plan. Through the Wind-Down Agreement between Fisher and GM, the severance would take place sometime between January and October 2010 unless the dealership sent a letter to GM requesting an early termination, which Fisher did.

"We sent a letter December 4 (2009) saying that we wanted the relationship to end," Stewart said. "It was suppose to be done 30 days later but then the arbitration legislation came from Congress."

In December 2009, federal lawmakers approved legislation that established arbitration between the automakers and the approximately 1,400 dealers nearly half of all dismissed dealerships who are seeking to keep their franchises. Congress has required that the process be completed within six months in most cases.

Fisher waived its right to arbitrate, Stewart said, because he didn't see any benefit in doing so.

"As a businessman for more than 30 years, I understand that bankruptcy is a powerful tool and people will use it to their advantage," he said.

The company will still provide non-warranty service work on all vehicles, Stewart said, adding that customers who purchased private warranty products for their new or used cars through Fisher will still be able to have their vehicles serviced there.

With no Cadillac dealerships within a 100-mile radius, what are owners in Minot to do?

"We prefer them to go to a Cadillac dealership because they receive the most training (for Cadillacs) and have all of the tools needed, but if it's a great inconvenience, a customer could have their Cadillac serviced at any GM, Chevy or Buick dealership," said Cadillac spokesman Nick Twork.

For GM's Buick and now defunct Pontiac brands, Twork said vehicle owners could take them to any GM or Chevrolet dealership for warranty work.

As for Fisher, Stewart said the company is hanging tough despite recent events.

"There have been rumors flying ever since this all happened last year. I can tell you there's nothing going on," he said. "We're a stand-alone Honda dealer now. We may look at other products in the future, but right now, with the national industry slump, most manufacturers aren't looking to expand."

As for taking on Honda's blue image, Stewart said no decision has been made yet.