The Illinois General Assembly’s House of Representatives has days to advance legislation that would increase the booked time of repairs of vehicles under manufacturer warranty.

Legislation that originates in the House must clear that chamber by April 23 and then move to the Senate. House Bill 3940 was placed on the calendar for a second reading on April 8. Legislation must pass three readings in each chamber.

Dealers and their technicians should contact their representatives and urge support of the bill.

The legislation would amend the Illinois Motor Vehicle Franchise Act to define and expand upon how vehicle manufacturers are required to compensate franchised dealers for labor and parts associated with warranty work. It also would make changes to manufacturer calculations for time allowances for repair work, and guarantee compensation for vehicles under warranty equal to work performed out of warranty. 

Mechanics Local 701, the union representing area technicians at dealerships, is working with the CATA to advance the legislation. Technicians say many warranty jobs just can’t be performed in the booked time allowance, meaning they sometimes work without compensation.

Under House Bill 3940: "Adequate and fair compensation requires the manufacturer to pay each dealer no less than the amount the retail customer pays for the same services with regard to rate and time. Any time guide previously agreed to by the manufacturer and the dealer for extended warranty repairs may be used in lieu of actual time expended. In the event that a time guide has not been agreed to for warranty repairs, or said time guide does not define time for an applicable warranty repair, the manufacturer’s time guide shall be used, multiplied by 1.5."