(1) Every manufacturer shall specify, and every dealer shall provide and fulfill, reasonable predelivery and preparation obligations for its equipment prior to delivery of the equipment to retail purchasers.

(2) Every manufacturer shall provide for the availability of repair parts throughout the reasonable useful life of any equipment sold.

(3) Every manufacturer or distributor shall provide to each of its dealers, annually, an opportunity to return a portion of its surplus parts inventories for credit. The surplus procedure shall be administered as follows:

(a) The manufacturer or distributor may specify, and thereupon notify each of its dealers of, a time period of at least 60 days’ duration during which each of its dealers may submit its surplus parts list and return the surplus parts to the manufacturer or distributor.

(b) If a manufacturer or distributor has not notified a dealer of a specific time period for returning surplus parts within the preceding 12 months, the manufacturer or distributor shall authorize and allow the dealer’s surplus parts return request within 30 days after receipt of such request from such dealer.

(c) A manufacturer or distributor must allow surplus parts return authority on a dollar value of parts equal to 6 percent of the total dollar value of parts purchased from the manufacturer or distributor by the dealer during the 12-month period immediately preceding the notification to such dealer by the manufacturer or distributor of the surplus parts return program, or the month such dealer’s return request is made, whichever is applicable. However, the dealer may, at her or his option, elect to return a dollar value of her or his surplus parts equal to less than 6 percent of the total dollar value of parts purchased by such dealer from the manufacturer or distributor during the preceding 12-month period as provided herein.

(d) No obsolete or superseded part may be returned, but any part listed in the manufacturer’s, distributor’s, or wholesaler’s current returnable parts list at the date of notification of the surplus parts return program by the manufacturer or distributor to the dealer, or the date of the dealer’s parts return request, whichever is applicable, is eligible for return and credit specified. However, returned parts must be in new and unused condition and must have been purchased from the manufacturer, distributor, or wholesaler to whom they are returned.

(e) The minimum lawful credit to be allowed for returned parts is 85 percent of the wholesale cost of the parts as listed in the manufacturer’s, distributor’s, or wholesaler’s current returnable parts list at the date of the notification of the surplus parts return program by the manufacturer, wholesaler, or distributor to the dealer, or the date of the dealer’s parts return request, whichever is applicable.

(f) Applicable credit must be issued or furnished by the manufacturer or distributor to the dealer within 60 days after receipt of her or his returned parts.

(g) The packing and return freight expense incurred in any return of surplus parts pursuant to the terms of this section shall be borne by the dealer.

History.—s. 7, ch. 84-217; s. 737, ch. 97-102; s. 6, ch. 2004-257.