Indiana Warranty Reimbursement Law

9-32-13-15 Retail rates

(a) It is an unfair practice for a manufacturer or distributor to fail to compensate a dealer at the dealer’s retail rate for the work and services the dealer is required to perform in connection with the dealer’s delivery and preparation obligations under any franchise, or fail to compensate a dealer anything less than the dealer’s retail rate for labor and parts under the manufacturer’s warranty agreements as long as the dealer’s retail rate is reasonable. Judgment of the reasonableness includes consideration of charges for similar repairs by similarly situated repair facilities in Indiana.

(b) This section does not authorize a manufacturer or distributor and its franchisees in Indiana to establish a uniform hourly labor reimbursement rate effective for the entire state.

(c) This section does not apply to manufacturers or distributors of manufactured housing, heavy duty vocational vehicles (as defined in 49 CFR 523.8), or recreational vehicles.

9-32-13-15.5 Compensation for warranty services

(a) This section does not apply to manufacturers or distributors of manufactured housing, heavy duty vocational vehicles (as defined in 49 CFR 523.8), or recreational vehicles.

(b) Unless otherwise agreed, it is an unfair practice for a manufacturer or distributor to fail to compensate a dealer anything less than the dealer’s retail rates for parts or labor the dealer uses in performing the warranty services of the manufacturer or distributor, or for a manufacturer or distributor of a separate vehicle component or major vehicle assembly that is warranted independently of the motor vehicle to fail to compensate a dealer anything less than the dealer’s retail rate for the parts or labor the dealer uses in performing the warranty services of the manufacturer or distributor. The dealer’s retail rate for parts must be a percentage determined by dividing the total charges for parts used in warranty like repairs by the dealer’s total cost for those parts minus one (1) in the lesser of one hundred (100) customer paid sequential repair orders or ninety (90) consecutive days of customer paid repair orders. The dealer’s retail rate for labor shall be determined by dividing the total labor sales for warranty like repairs by the number of hours that generated those sales in one hundred (100) customer paid sequential repair orders or ninety (90) consecutive days of customer paid repair orders. A retail rate may be calculated based only upon customer paid repair orders charged within one hundred eighty (180) days before the date the dealer submits the declaration.

(c) The dealer’s submission for retail rates must include a declaration of the dealer’s retail rates for parts and labor along with the supporting service repair orders paid by customers. A manufacturer or distributor may challenge the dealer’s declaration by submitting a rebuttal not later than sixty (60) days after the date the declaration was received. If the manufacturer or distributor does not send a timely rebuttal to the dealer, the retail rate is established as reasonable and goes into effect automatically.

(d) If a rebuttal in subsection (c) is timely sent, the rebuttal must substantiate how the dealer’s declaration is unreasonable or materially inaccurate. The rebuttal must propose an adjusted retail rate and provide written support for the proposed adjustments. If the dealer does not agree with the adjusted retail rate, the dealer may file a complaint with the dealer services division within the office of the secretary of state.

(e) A complaint filed under subsection (d) must be filed not later than thirty (30) days after the dealer receives the manufacturer’s or distributor’s rebuttal. On or before filing a complaint, a dealer must serve a demand for mediation upon the manufacturer or distributor.

(f) When calculating the retail rate customarily charged by the dealer for parts or labor under this section, the following work may not be included:

(1) Repairs for manufacturer or distributor special events, specials, or promotional discounts for retail customer repairs.

(2) Parts sold or repairs performed at wholesale.

(3) Routine maintenance not covered under a retail customer warranty, such as fluids, filters, and belts not provided in the course of repairs.

(4) Nuts, bolts, fasteners, and similar items that do not have an individual part number.

(5) Vehicle reconditioning.

(6) Accessories.

(7) Repairs of damage caused by a collision, a road hazard, the force of the elements, vandalism, or theft.

(8) Vehicle emission or safety inspections required by law.

(9) Manufacturer or distributor reimbursed goodwill or policy repairs or replacements.

(10) Replacement of tires.

(g) If a manufacturer or distributor furnishes a part or component to a dealer at no cost to use in performing repairs under a recall, campaign service, or warranty repair, the manufacturer or distributor shall compensate the dealer for the part or component in the same manner as warranty parts compensation under this section by compensating the dealer the average markup on the cost for the part or component as listed in the manufacturer’s or distributor’s initial or original price schedule minus the cost for the part or component.

(h) A manufacturer or distributor may not require a dealer to establish the retail rate customarily charged by the dealer for parts and labor by an unduly burdensome or time consuming method or by requiring information that is unduly burdensome or time consuming to provide, including part by part or transaction by transaction calculations. A dealer may not declare an average percentage parts markup or average labor rate more than once in a twelve (12) month period. A manufacturer or distributor may perform annual audits to verify that a dealer’s effective rates have not decreased. If a dealer’s effective rates have decreased, a manufacturer or distributor may reduce the warranty reimbursement rate prospectively. A dealer may elect to revert to the nonretail rate reimbursement for parts and labor not more than once in a twelve (12) month period.

(i) A manufacturer or distributor may not impose a surcharge on a dealer for the purpose of recovering any of its costs related to the reimbursement of a dealer for parts or labor required under this section. This subsection does not prohibit a manufacturer or distributor from increasing the wholesale price of a vehicle or part in the ordinary course of business.

(j) If a dealer files a complaint with the dealer services division within the office of the secretary of state, the warranty reimbursement rate in effect before any mediation or complaint remains in effect until thirty (30) days after:

(1) a final decision has been issued by a court with jurisdiction; and

(2) all appeals have been exhausted.

9-32-13-16 Contract for uniform warranty reimbursement policy

(a) A manufacturer or distributor and at least thirty percent (30%) of its franchisees in Indiana of the same line make may agree in an express written contract citing this section to a uniform warranty reimbursement policy to be used by franchisees for the performance of warranty repairs. The contract must include reimbursement for parts used in warranty repairs or the use of a uniform time standards manual, or both. The allowance for diagnosis within the uniform time standards manual must be reasonable and adequate for the work and service to be performed. The manufacturer or distributor:

(1) may have only one (1) contract with regard to each line make; and

(2) must have a reasonable and fair procedure for franchisees to request a modification or adjustment of a standard included in the uniform time standards manual.

(b) A contract described in subsection (a) must meet the following criteria:

(1) Establish a uniform parts reimbursement rate that must be greater than the manufacturer’s or distributor’s nationally established parts reimbursement rate in effect at the time the contract becomes effective. A subsequent contract must include a uniform reimbursement rate that is equal to or greater than the rate in the immediately prior contract.

(2) Apply to all warranty repair orders written while the agreement is in effect.

(3) At any time during the period the contract is in effect:

(A) be available to any franchisee of the same line make as the franchisees that entered into the contract with the manufacturer or distributor; and

(B) be available to a franchisee of the same line make on the same terms as apply to the franchisees that entered into the contract with the manufacturer or distributor.

(4) Be for a term not to exceed three (3) years.

(5) Allow any party to the uniform warranty reimbursement policy to terminate the policy with thirty (30) days prior written notice to all parties upon the annual anniversary of the policy, if the policy is for at least one (1) year.

(6) Remain in effect for the entire original period if the manufacturer and at least one (1) franchisee remain parties to the policy.

(c) A manufacturer or distributor that enters into a contract with its franchisees under subsection (a) shall do the following:

(1) Certify to the secretary under oath, in a writing signed by a representative of the manufacturer or distributor, that at the time the contract was entered into at least thirty percent (30%) of the franchisees of the line make were parties to the contract.

(2) File a copy of the contract with the secretary at the time of the certification.

(3) Maintain a file that contains the information upon which the certification required under subdivision (1) is based for three (3) years after the certification is made.

Although the statutory text provided above represented that codified and in effect in the respective state at the time of publication of the above, Armatus Dealer Uplift, LLC bears no responsibility for deviations of the above from versions thereof subsequently in effect as a result of future statutory amendments.