(1) Each warrantor shall:
(a) Specify in writing to each of its dealer obligations, if any, for preparation, delivery, and warranty service on its products;
(b) Compensate the dealer for warranty service required of the dealer by the warrantor; and
(c) Provide the dealer the schedule of compensation to be paid and the time allowances for the performance of any work and service.
The schedule of compensation must include reasonable compensation for diagnostic work as well as warranty labor.
(2) Time allowances for the diagnosis and performance of warranty labor must be reasonable for the work to be performed. The compensation of a dealer for warranty labor may not be less than the lowest retail labor rates actually charged by the dealer for like nonwarranty labor as long as such rates are reasonable.
(3) The warrantor shall reimburse the dealer for warranty parts at actual wholesale cost plus a minimum 30-percent handling charge and the cost, if any, of freight to return warranty parts to the warrantor.
(4) Warranty audits of dealer records may be conducted by the warrantor on a reasonable basis, and dealer claims for warranty compensation may not be denied except for cause, such as performance of nonwarranty repairs, material noncompliance with the warrantor’s published policies and procedures, lack of material documentation, fraud, or misrepresentation.
(5) The dealer shall submit warranty claims within 45 days after completing work.
(6) The dealer shall notify the warrantor verbally or in writing if the dealer is unable to perform material or repetitive warranty repairs as soon as is reasonably possible.
(7) The warrantor shall disapprove warranty claims in writing within 45 days after the date of submission by the dealer in the manner and form prescribed by the warrantor. Claims not specifically disapproved in writing within 45 days shall be construed to be approved and must be paid within 60 days.
(8) It is a violation of ss. 320.3201-320.3211 for any warrantor to:
(a) Fail to perform any of its warranty obligations with respect to its warranted products;
(b) Fail to include, in written notices of factory campaigns to recreational vehicle owners and dealers, the expected date by which necessary parts and equipment, including tires and chassis or chassis parts, will be available to dealers to perform the campaign work. The warrantor may ship parts to the dealer to effect the campaign work, and, if such parts are in excess of the dealer’s requirements, the dealer may return unused parts to the warrantor for credit after completion of the campaign;
(c) Fail to compensate any of its dealers for authorized repairs effected by the dealer of merchandise damaged in manufacture or transit to the dealer, if the carrier is designated by the warrantor, factory branch, distributor, or distributor branch;
(d) Fail to compensate any of its dealers for authorized warranty service in accordance with the schedule of compensation provided to the dealer pursuant to this section if performed in a timely and competent manner;
(e) Intentionally misrepresent in any way to purchasers of recreational vehicles that warranties with respect to the manufacture, performance, or design of the vehicle are made by the dealer as warrantor or cowarrantor; or
(f) Require the dealer to make warranties to customers in any manner related to the manufacture of the recreational vehicle.
(9) It is a violation of ss. 320.3201-320.3211 for any dealer to:
(a) Fail to perform predelivery inspection functions, as specified by the warrantor, in a competent and timely manner;
(b) Fail to perform warranty service work authorized by the warrantor in a reasonably competent and timely manner on any transient customer’s vehicle of the same line-make; or
(c) Misrepresent the terms of any warranty.
(10) Notwithstanding the terms of any manufacturer/dealer agreement, it is a violation of ss. 320.3201-320.3211 for:
(a) A warrantor to fail to indemnify and hold harmless its dealer against any losses or damages to the extent such losses or damages are caused by the negligence or willful misconduct of the warrantor. The dealer may not be denied indemnification for failing to discover, disclose, or remedy a defect in the design or manufacturing of the recreational vehicle. The dealer shall provide to the warrantor a copy of any suit in which allegations are made that come within this subsection within 10 days after receiving such suit.
(b) A dealer to fail to indemnify and hold harmless its warrantor against any losses or damages to the extent such losses or damages are caused by the negligence or willful misconduct of the dealer. The warrantor shall provide to the dealer a copy of any suit in which allegations are made that come within this subsection within 10 days after receiving such suit.
History.—s. 6, ch. 2007-258.