Some insurance companies do not want you to know the law. There is a good reason. The California legislature passed Senate Bill 551, which was signed into law on October 10, 2003, by Governor Gray Davis. The bill, which became a regulation in our state, makes it illegal for an insurer to require that an automobile be repaired at a specific repair shop and establishes strict rules for referring customers to network shops. Insurers are stomping all over this state law with deception and intimidation designed to confuse the customer. Some of these kinds of shops are coerced to do repairs per the insurance companies demands that consider cost first and quality second. An important feature of the California law is that if the policy holder chooses to have their car repaired at the shop of choice, the insure cannot limit the repair costs to that which would have been incurred had the car been repaired by the recommended shop. Senate Bill 551 provides legal redress for those parties injured as a result of this type of misdirection and allows recovery of legal costs in bringing those actions if they prevail in court.
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Recent Questions
Q. My car is still under warranty, do I have to take it to the dealer for service?
A. No. Your obligation to the warranty contract is to service your vehicle according to the manufacturer’s recommendations. As long as you are having the services performed by a licensed repair facility, you are fulfilling your end of the contract.
Q. How can I determine when my car needs to be serviced?
A. Cars are designed to be serviced by time or mileage intervals, whichever comes first. If you do not drive the average of 15,ooo miles a year, your car should be serviced according to the time intervals.
Q. This is my second car, and is only driven a few miles a year, when should I bring it in for service?
A. Use the time (months) interval to determine when your car is due for service. If you don’t remember when you first bought your car, that’s ok, just look for the sticker in the drivers door jamb. It will have the date your car was built. Use that date to determine the time interval. See your owner's manual or see our maintenance page.
Q. Is it really necessary to service my car even though I don’t drive it that often?
A. Yes! Cars were made to be driven! Short trips and infrequent driving patterns put even more wear and tear on critical components than normal driving patterns. Servicing your vehicle according to the manufactures recommendations is critical to keeping you vehicle investment safe and reliable.
Q. I’m so busy at the office or home. How can I get my car serviced?
A. If you drive your car into Auto Analysts, we will be happy to drive you to work or provide local cab fare.
Q. Isn’t it cheaper to get an oil change at a discount fast lube?
A. In the long run, no. When changing the oil we also perform a complete safety inspection which could find problems at an early stage and save you big bucks in the future.
EXPERTS
