Co-Sponsorship Memo Details

Act 134 of 2018 appropriately created a separate section (Chapter 5) for recreational vehicles (RVs) in the Board of Vehicles Act. There are many distinctions between the automotive and RV industries, so they needed to be differentiated in law.

Since implementation, the RV industry, which includes the dealers and manufacturers, identified several areas of the law that need further clarification.

I plan to introduce language that will provide minor formatting changes to the Board of Vehicles Act and:

• Shift the RV specific definitions from Chapter 3 (Vehicles) to Chapter 5 (Recreational Vehicles); and
• Shift the RV specific section (332.1) pertaining to RV events from Chapter 3 to Chapter 5.

The language will also:

• Clarify that RV dealers shall be permitted to purchase available warranty parts from a supplier other than the manufacturer. This will help ensure that warranty repairs are completed efficiently for consumers.

 

• Clarify the language regarding labor rates for warranty service, which is currently based on “reasonable compensation.” The new language will mirror the automotive dealers’ formula for establishing warranty service labor rates for dealer compensation by the manufacturer. This will provide for more consistent rate setting and prices.

 

• Protect consumers from rogue dealers who host pop-up-style RV events. Established RV dealers have agreements with RV manufacturers that outline the dealer’s area of sales responsibility. When dealers disregard this and go outside their territory, they put unknowing consumers at risk of flawed warranty policies. Consumers may struggle to get warranty service from pop-up dealers if the dealers are located out-of-state or hours away from the location of the pop-up event. To address this issue, my language will clarify that RV dealers are not permitted to operate outside of the area of sales responsibility if that dealer is the only participating dealer in the event.

Please join me in updating the RV law and most importantly, protecting the consumers of Pennsylvania’s RV and camping industry.