The Automotive Service Association (ASA) is calling on the Oklahoma Legislature to oppose Senate Bill (S.B.) 1853. This legislation, ASA states, would make it harder for auto repair businesses to return a vehicle to safe operating condition by imposing a litany of price mandates and other unfair rules.
Some of provisions include:
- Charges assessed by a tower or wrecker must be passed on to the responsible party without a repairer charging a markup even though the repairer assumes risk and labor costs for intaking the vehicle
- Repairers cannot charge storage fees for a vehicle that a shop has finished repairing
- Repairers cannot charge storage fees for a total-loss vehicle until the insurance company determines the vehicle to be a total-loss, and only from the moment of such determination can storage fees begin to accrue
- Repairers cannot charge more than $39/day for indoor and $24/day for outdoor storage fees for vehicles less than 20 feet long
- Vehicle disassembly cannot exceed four hours to complete nor cost more than $60/hour
- Administrative activities cannot take more than four hours to complete nor cost more than $60/hour. Administrative charges include parts identification, COVID or bio-cleaning, pre-repair diagnostic scans, researching and creating a repair plan, securing removed parts, moving vehicles from different locations, etc.
“Every aspect of SB 1853 is problematic for independent auto repairers,” said Scott Benavidez, chairman of the board of directors for ASA. “Technicians are trained to treat each vehicle differently to ensure it is returned to its owner in a condition safe for operation. By contrast, this bill tells repairers to lump all vehicles together and treat them the same.
“One reason many repairers have had to increase storage fees in recent years is because insurance companies are taking longer to complete their claims process, leaving vehicles in my shop for extended periods of time. These vehicles take up valuable space in my shop and can prevent me from providing service to other customers. Additionally, I am responsible if something happens to a vehicle while it is in my shop. Telling a repairer they can only charge $24 each day to store a vehicle is offensive.”
ASA is encouraging automotive repair professionals in Oklahoma to join the repair community’s efforts to stop this bill from becoming law. Auto repairers in Oklahoma can educate their elected officials on the harms posed by S.B. 1853 by writing a letter to them using ASA’s Taking the Hill advocacy platform. The link to take action is here.
For more information on ASA, visit asashop.org.
