In the near future, I will be introducing legislation that amends the Board of Vehicles Act to clarify and modify certain dealer and manufacturer requirements, reflect changes in the industry since the Act was last amended in 2018, and establish a new section pertaining to customer data protection.
 
The proposed updates in this legislation are reflective of the needs of franchised dealers in our local communities and are consistent with laws enacted in other states. These proposed changes include:
 

• Updating warranty reimbursement language to ensure technicians are compensated at the retail rate. Act 84 of 2013 established requirements for manufacturers to pay retail rate reimbursement for parts and labor. Since then, manufacturers have set unreasonable time restraints on repairs that do not reflect market conditions and result in dealers subsidizing technicians when performing warranty repairs on behalf of the manufacturer.
• Clarifying the definition of a manufacturer to include affiliates. This prevents manufacturers from establishing a "sister" brand to sell direct to consumers while undercutting their franchised business partners and competing directly.
• Expanding vendor choice to permit dealers to choose substantially similar vendors to provide software solutions, websites, and customer relations systems. Act 84 of 2013 permitted dealers to use substantially similar goods and services when upgrading their facilities.
• Requiring manufacturers to reimburse dealers for manufacturer-required vehicle loaner programs and compensate dealers for subscriptions for products sold through software upgrades and apps.
• Adding a section on data protection to limit the access of manufacturer and third-party vendors to protect customer data.

 
This legislation is supported by the Pennsylvania Automotive Association which represents the 1,000 new vehicle dealers doing business in Pennsylvania.
 
Please join me in co-sponsoring this legislation.