Jan. 31, 2014—The Washington Metropolitan Auto Body Association (WMABA) recently announced its support of Maryland's 2014 Senate Bill 487 (House Bill 574). The consumer-protection bill will prohibit insurer-mandated parts procurement processes or vendors, and the usage of aftermarket parts for the first three years of the vehicle.
WMABA said in a press release_notes that when consumers purchase or lease a new vehicle with an existing manufacturer's warranty or lease agreement that specify particular parts for the vehicle in the event of necessary repairs, they inherently expect that the repair process will not conflict with those interests, and that their insurance policy would cover this expectation as well.
"These are issues any consumer can identify with," says Jordan Hendler, executive director for WMABA. "And at the end of the day, that's what each of these legislators are. It's about the belief that cost containment cannot come from consumer harm. Our industry recognizes that there is a place for aftermarket parts, but not when their use would be direct conflict with existing warranty, lease or lienholder agreements. We know of vehicles with as little as 15 miles on them [that] have been written for aftermarket parts. It's just not fair to our customers to pay the difference, and that's what we're seeing happen."
WMABA said that the legislation is a step in the right direction to protect the collision repair industry's customer during the process of repair.
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