Past state ASA chairman speaks out against super warranties

Charlie Elder, AAM, immediate-past chairman of the Automotive Service Association (ASA) board of directors, testified before a Florida state committee earlier this week in opposition of super warranties.

He spoke before the Florida Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) at a third workshop March 18 in Tallahassee, Fla., on greenhouse gas emissions reduction and the potential adoption of California motor vehicle emissions standards in Florida. Elder, owner of Ray Gordon Brake Service in Tallahassee, testified that ASA prefers a federal emission program rather than a state-by-state approach.

This will enable the program and financial impact to be uniform so that the playing field remains level for everyone in the marketplace. He continued by noting that Florida’s economy is suffering and that an economic impact study should be conducted before the rule continues. Elder noted that the California studies are very dated and irrelevant to Florida in terms of estimating the benefit to Florida citizens in relation to the cost involved to implement and run the program.
           
Similar workshops were held in Florida on this topic in August and December 2007 and provided the opportunity for interested parties to provide comments at the outset of the proposed rule development project. Elder also participated in those workshops on behalf of ASA.
           
While ASA supports clean car programs that improve air quality, it believes they can exist and prosper in states without expanding or extending warranties at the expense of independent repair facilities. At a minimum, ASA believes Florida should follow the lead of the state of Washington, Vermont and most recently the proposed rules in Arizona, by adopting a Clean Car Program without a super warranty provision.

For additional information, visit www.ASAshop.org or ASA’s legislative Web site at www.TakingTheHill.com.