The Impact of Extended Vehicle Emission Warranties on California’s Independent Repair Shops

Lloyd Dixon

ResearchPublished 2005

To satisfy part of California’s Zero Emission Vehicle Program, automobile manufacturers will likely be producing large numbers of partial-zero emission vehicles. The emission-control systems of these vehicles must be covered under warranty for 15 years or 150,000 miles, far longer than current warranty requirements. When the California Air Resources Board adopted the extended warranty requirement, it expressed concern that extended warranties might adversely affect the independent vehicle-repair industry because repairs usually must be done at dealer repair shops to be covered under warranty. This report examines and quantifies the possible effects of extended vehicle warranties on the independent repair industry, estimating those effects out to 2020. It also identifies options for reducing or mitigating adverse effects from extended warranties on independent repair shop owners and workers, and the general public.

Topics

Document Details

Citation

Chicago Manual of Style

Dixon, Lloyd, The Impact of Extended Vehicle Emission Warranties on California’s Independent Repair Shops. Santa Monica, CA: RAND Corporation, 2005. https://www.rand.org/pubs/technical_reports/TR235.html.
BibTeX RIS

The research described in this report was sponsored by the California Air Resources Board and was conducted within RAND Infrastructure, Safety, and Environment (ISE), a unit of the RAND Corporation

This publication is part of the RAND technical report series. RAND technical reports, products of RAND from 2003 to 2011, presented research findings on a topic limited in scope or intended for a narrow audience; discussions of the methodology employed in research; literature reviews, survey instruments, modeling exercises, guidelines for practitioners and research professionals, and supporting documentation; and preliminary findings. All RAND technical reports were subject to rigorous peer review to ensure high standards for research quality and objectivity.

This document and trademark(s) contained herein are protected by law. This representation of RAND intellectual property is provided for noncommercial use only. Unauthorized posting of this publication online is prohibited; linking directly to this product page is encouraged. Permission is required from RAND to reproduce, or reuse in another form, any of its research documents for commercial purposes. For information on reprint and reuse permissions, please visit www.rand.org/pubs/permissions.

RAND is a nonprofit institution that helps improve policy and decisionmaking through research and analysis. RAND's publications do not necessarily reflect the opinions of its research clients and sponsors.