Mr. TooGoodWrench?

In this Not-So-Great Depression you know something is out of whack when Mr. Goodwrench will be out of a job Feb. 1 -- for doing his job too well.

A GM release said that General Motors wants to stress individual brands, so will shift to "certified service" with each brand's name to "better connect" with customers. It seems Mr. Goodwrench, who's been around for 37 years, did such a good job that people didn't see or feel loyalty to Chevrolet, Pontiac (RIP), Oldsmobile, GMC, Cadillac.

Among actors who portrayed Mr. Goodwrench in commercials since 1974 was comedian Tim Allen.

GM spends more on advertising online, TV, radio and magazines than it does in newspapers. Only billboards get less of GM's advertising money.