Many parts such as batteries, starters, and alternators come with a warranty. Taking advantage of these warranties can save your fleet hundreds of thousands of dollars annually, but in order to do so you must have a good system for tracking all the warranties. Manually tracking the parts that have warranties, the vehicles on which they are installed, when they were installed, and so forth is a tedious task that's nearly impossible to keep straight.
That's where the Warranty Tracking feature in the RTA Fleet Management Software comes in. This feature is extremely easy to set up and use, and it will save your fleet money! Once a warranty is set up, the RTA system handles the rest-there's no need for you to ever have to research whether a part is covered under warranty; if it's covered, the RTA system will let you know.

Benefits of Tracking Part Warranties:

• Save and recoup thousands of dollars in part costs

• Effectively and efficiently track part failure statistics

• Predict part failures and take necessary action to prevent costly breakdowns

• Analyze performance statistics of like parts from various manufacturers or vendors

• Track multiple installations of the same part on a single vehicle or piece of equipment

The Setup:
The only thing that needs to be done in order to start tracking part warranties is to set up part records with the warranty information (VMRS code and warranty coverage period). Easy!

The Procedure:

• Post parts to work orders using the Work Order and Paperless Shop modules as usual.

• Warranty notifications display for repairs covered under warranty. If the part can be installed in multiple locations on a single vehicle, you will be presented with a list of all installed items and asked which one is being replaced.

• Post warranty credits received from dealers or vendors. Refer to "Posting Work Order Transactions" for instructions.

• Review statistical reports.

To track warranties for a part, do the following:

1. Select Master > Part > File Maintenance from the RTA main menu (MPM).

2. Enter a part number or press F1 to select a part from the lookup list.

3. Enter a VMRS code or press F1 to select a VMRS code from the lookup list. The system uses the VMRS code to determine if a part is being replaced, not the part number. If the VMRS code has multiple location tracking enabled, the system will track each installed part separately and ask the user to select which one is being replaced. If multiple location tracking is not enabled for the VMRS code, it is assumed that there is only one item to be replaced and no additional prompts are given.

4. Select the Track warranty checkbox; the Warranty Statistics window comes up.

5. Enter the number of miles and months the part is covered under warranty. Enter a value of 0 if a method is not in use (e.g., enter 0 miles if warranty only tracked by months). Enter all 9's for the values if it's a lifetime warranty. The remaining fields in this window are updated each time parts are installed on and removed from vehicles.

6. Choose OK to close the Warranty Statistics window and return to the part record.

7. Save the part record.

To change a part warranty, do the following:

1. Select Master > Part > File Maintenance from the RTA main menu (MPM).

2. Enter a part number or press F1 to select a part from the lookup list.

3. Change the VMRS code

4. Save the record.

To delete a part warranty, do the following:

1. Select Master > Part > File Maintenance from the RTA main menu (MPM).

2. Enter a part number or press F1 to select a part from the lookup list.

3. Deselect the Track warranties checkbox.

4. Choose Yes or No when prompted to delete the component record (warranty statistics). If you choose Yes, the component record is immediately deleted from the system regardless of whether the changes to the part record are saved.

5. Save the record.

NOTE: This feature is only available through the Work Order module and Paperless Shop add-on option (WW, WB, WP); the Misc WOs option does not check warranty coverage (WM).
After warranty records have been set up, the RTA system does the rest. Every time a part is posted to a work order, the system checks to see if warranties are tracked for that part. If so, the system checks to see if the same type of part has previously been installed on the vehicle (this is determined by the part VMRS code and not the actual part number). If so, the warranty is checked and various messages are displayed depending on the warranty status.
UNKNOWN ATTACHMENT

The first time a warranted part is installed on a vehicle (i.e., posted to a work order), the message shown to the right pops up as a courtesy reminding you that since the new part installed is covered under warranty, the replaced part may also be covered under warranty.
UNKNOWN ATTACHMENT

Once a warranted part is installed and tracked by the system, the next time it's replaced the system will display one or two messages stating that the part is either within or out of warranty coverage, based on the miles and/or months tracked for that part.
UNKNOWN ATTACHMENT
If the part VMRS code indicates that a vehicle may have more than one of this component installed, you will be prompted for the part location. The part location is a two character field. If one of the previously installed components is being replaced, highlight that item and then click OK. If a new part is going to be tracked, then type a new part location code and click OK.
The actual part number is insignificant when it comes to tracking part warranties; the system uses the VMRS code from the part record and the position code to determine if a warranted part is being replaced. For example, if part number 7231, a three-year battery was installed on a vehicle and two years later a different type of battery was installed, part number 2472P, the system would know the first battery failed as long as the VMRS code in both part records are identical. This method allows you to track failure statistics for different parts to see which has a better performance record.

The warranty claims tracking module allows you to print claim submission forms for your vendors. Warranty claims assist in monitoring what happens after the system notifies you that a part is still covered by warranty. You can track when the part was returned to the vendor, when the vendor issued you a credit or reimbursement check, and post the credit back to the vehicle.
To enable automatic warranty claims creation, it must enabled in the Main System Parameters (SSM), option 41.
When the system determines that an item is covered under warranty, a claim record will be automatically created for you. If the item being replaced is a warrantable item, but the system doesn't have sufficient information to determine if it's still covered under warranty or not, the action performed will be determined by the second setting in the Main System Parameters (SSM), option 41. You may configure it to create a claim anyway, not create a claim, or prompt the user to decide if a claim should be created.

1. Select Work Orders > Warranty Claims from the RTA main menu (WR).

2. Select the checkboxes indicating which types of claims you wish to view and click the OK button.

3. The list of warranty claims is displayed. The top half of the screen lists each claim and the bottom half of the screen shows more detailed claim and settlement information about the currently highlighted claim.

Normally, warranty claims will be automatically created by warranty notifications in the work order module. However, in some cases you may want to submit a claim for an item not being automatically tracked by the system.

1. Select Work Orders > Warranty Claims from the RTA main menu (WR).

2. Select the checkboxes indicating which types of claims you wish to view and click the OK button.

3. Click the Add Claim button on the toolbar.

4. Fill in information about the item, enter an associated work order number (or press F1 to search for the correct work order), optionally enter purchase information about the item, and enter an amount claimed.

5. Click the Save button on the toolbar. The claim is now added to the list of pending claims.

Once a warranty claim has been created, there are three steps to completely processing that claim. You need to submit the claim, receive settlement for the claim, and post the claim. The claim process may take weeks or even months. The warranty claims screen will help you monitor the current status of each outstanding claim and displays color-coded aging information for each claim.

1. Select Work Orders > Warranty Claims from the RTA main menu (WR).

2. Select the checkboxes indicating which types of claims you wish to view (generally you would uncheck 'Closed' here) and click the OK button.

3. Double-click on a claim record.

4. Submitting the Claim: Click the Submit icon on the toolbar. If any important information is missing, you will be reminded of this. Enter the date that you submitted the claim to the vendor. Next, you may print a claim form and other supporting documentation, if available, about the item. This documentation can now be sent to the vendor with the item.

5. Receive the Claim Settlement: When you receive a credit or reimbursement check from the vendor, you will bring up the claim record (steps 1-3). Fill in a vendor claim ID, check number, and amount received. Click the Receive button on the toolbar and enter the date you received the settlement.

6. Post the claim: The final step of the claim process is to post the credit amount to the work order. Click the Post button on the toolbar. Verify the work order information and the post date you would like the transaction recorded with. A warranty transaction for the credited amount is posted to the work order and the claim status is now 'Closed'.