Business Toolbox – Legal

Free Dealer Tools

Here are some tools that will help your dealership staff check recalls, read about voluntary protection products, find federal and state legal information, and learn about keeping your website ADA compliant.

 

Recall Search, Voluntary Products, and ASE

Free Auto Recall Search is a free Vehicle Recall Search Service, VIN-based search tool

Check To Protect a program of the National Safety Council that allows vehicle recall searches

Voluntary Products– a public website about the value of voluntary protection products such as GAP insurance and extended warranties.

ASE– Since 1972, the National Institute for Automotive Service Excellence promotes excellence in vehicle repair, service and parts distribution.

 

Federal Legal Information and Tools

Safe Car– Search NHTSA’s 5-Star Safety Ratings. The new Overall Rating that makes comparing vehicles simple: more stars = safer cars. A 5-Star Safety Rating measures the crashworthiness and rollover safety of vehicles.

NHTSA– Enter the VIN to see if a vehicle has not been repaired as part of a safety recall in the last 15 years.

NHTSA Recalls– Enter a VIN to learn if a specific vehicle needs to be repaired as part of a recall.

NHTSA Technology & Innovation works to advance the lifesaving potential of vehicle technologies.

Fuel Economy– Get the pdf version of the Fuel Economy Guide, search a vehicle’s fuel economy, and perform a side-by-side comparison. Includes hybrids, diesel, and alternative fuel cars.

National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (NPDES)– For information about wastewater permits, contact the National Pollution Discharge Elimination System (NPDES) permitting program.

Motor Vehicle Waste Disposal– EPA regulations for motor vehicle waste disposal. Also, visit this section for the EPA’s automotive waste laws and regulations.

Servicing Motor Vehicle Air Conditioning– EPA regulates the servicing of motor vehicle air conditioners (MVACs) and MVAC-like equipment.

Section 609 of the Clean Air Act: MVAC. The Factsheet provides a general overview of EPA regulations under Section 609 of the Clean Air Act, which is focused on preventing the release of refrigerants during the servicing of motor vehicle air-conditioning systems and similar appliances.

Consumer Complaints– Where consumers file car related complaints.

Federal Labor Law– Learn about some important employment laws and issues.

BLS Occupational Outlook Handbook– Career outlook of automotive service technicians and mechanics.

Traffic Safety– U.S. DOT traffic safety marketing programs.  Promote these events on your website and in your stores to stay visible to your consumers while promoting road safety.

 

Florida Legal Information and Forms

Tax Information for Motor Vehicle Dealers is the training aid from the Florida Department of Revenue to help dealers understand motor vehicle taxes

Fuel and Pollutant tax rates– tax rates to be paid by an entity handling fuel and pollutants such as motor oil

Florida tax forms– all forms used to report and pay taxes on everything including taxes on fuel and pollutants and Motor Vehicle Fees

Dealer License– Florida dealer license requirements.

Florida Statue 320.27 Motor vehicle dealers- Information of what constitutes a motor vehicle dealer in Florida. Statue 320.27(6) also addresses recordkeeping (paper vs an electronic copy)

Legislative and Executive Branch Lobbyist– Florida lobbyist search and directory

Hope Scholarship– Legal information on the Hope Scholarship and dealer responsibilities

Step Up for Students Hope Scholarship– Background information on the Hope Scholarship for dealers

Florida Consumer Protection offices- State and Local Consumer Agencies in Florida. The city, county, regional, and state consumer offices offer a variety of services like mediate complaints, conduct investigations, prosecute offenders of consumer laws, license and regulate professional service providers, provide educational materials and advocate for consumer rights.

 

ADA Compliant Websites

ADA online toolkit- Website accessibility guidelines to help you understand ADA compliance

WCAG Website accessibility guidelines– Full set of accessibility guidelines from WCAG 2.1

WAVE– Web Accessibility evaluation tool

Web Accessibility– ADA web accessibility tool

Lighthouse–  Open source tool for improving the quality of your website

List of tools– to check ADA compliance

 

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