Part Warranties

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.

Setting Up a Warranty

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.

Changing a Warranty

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.

Deleting a Warranty

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.

Warranty Notification

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.

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.

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.

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.

Warranty Claims

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.

Viewing Warranty Claims

  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.

Manually Creating a Warranty 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.

Processing a Warranty Claim

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'.



Warranty Reports

Warranty Parts

The Warranty Parts report prints a listing of all warranted parts currently installed on vehicles. When sorted by part number, it's easy to find out which vehicles have a particular part installed on them—this can be handy for recall purposes or when testing out a new part and you want to find out how it's performing. When sorted by vehicle number, this report can be helpful in preventing breakdowns caused by part failure. Work order information is included on the report making it easy to see when parts were installed and the accumulated time they've been on the vehicles. To generate the Warranty Parts report, do the following:

  1. Select Reports > Warranty > Parts from the RTA main menu (RWP).
  2. Select a radio button indicating the sort order. Select Part number to sort by part number to see the vehicles that warranted parts are currently installed on. Select Vehicle number to sort by vehicle number to see the warranted parts currently installed on each vehicle.
  3. Enter the starting and ending facility number(s) or press F1 to select the facility number(s) from the lookup list.
  4. Enter the starting and ending part number(s) or press F1 to select the part number(s) from the lookup list. OR

Enter the starting and ending vehicle number(s) AND the starting and ending VMRS code(s) or press F1 to select the vehicle number(s) and VMRS code(s) from the lookup list.

Part Failure Analysis

The Part Failure Analysis report provides failure statistics for warranted parts and is great for determining the quality of specific parts, brands, manufacturers, etc. Be patient! It will take some time before good, valid statistics are available for your fleet, especially if parts last for months or years. However, once enough statistics are available, this report can provide useful information that will help in making wise purchasing decisions for your fleet.
Each column will list how many parts have failed within a certain mileage or length of time. By reviewing this report, you'll be able to see money-saving trends on part performance such as parts from Manufacturer A have a tendency to fail about six months before parts made by Manufacturer B OR Brand Regular doesn't last quite as long as Brand Supreme, but cost-wise it has a lower cost per mile even with the more frequent replacements required. To analyze part failures, do the following:

  1. Select Reports > Warranty > Part Failure Analysis from the RTA main menu (RWF).
  2. Enter the starting and ending facility number(s) or press F1 to select the facility number(s) from the lookup list.
  3. Enter the starting and ending part number(s) or press F1 to select the part number(s) from the lookup list.

Notice that between the mileages of 41,140 and 51,425, two batteries have failed in the current period, six have failed this year, and nine have failed since tracking warranties for this part. This report continues to track the failure statistics even after the warranty has expired. Notice in the example that the warranty coverage is 36,000 miles or 36 months. The actual warranty always falls between the fourth and fifth column, but the failures are still tracked for the life of all warranty parts. When reviewed on a regular basis, this report may show a pattern that will help determine when or if a component should be replaced before failure. For example, if the statistics on a water pump for a Caterpillar 3406B engine consistently show that failures tend to happen around 300,000 miles, you might want to add a PM every 250,000 miles to replace the water pump. This could possibly eliminate a future road call and critical down time.
NOTE: Failure statistics may also be viewed by calling up and viewing a part record (MPM) and then selecting View > Warranty Stats from the menu or by clicking on Warranty Stats icon in the toolbar.

Warranty Part Transactions

The Warranty Part Transactions report shows each warranty part installed for a part number or date range. This report can be printed on a daily or weekly basis to determine if the replaced parts are still covered under warranty. The messages located on the right side of the report makes it easy to see which parts were within warranty. To generate the Warranty Part Transactions report, do the following:

  1. Select Reports > Warranty > Part Transactions from the RTA main menu (RWT).
  2. Select a radio button indicating the sort order. Select Part number to sort by part number to see part history. Select Date range to sort by date to see which parts were replaced and submit for reimbursements for those covered under warranty.
  3. Enter the starting and ending facility number(s) AND the starting and ending part number(s) or press F1 to make the selection from the lookup list. OR

Enter the starting and ending date(s) or press F1 to select the date(s) from the calendar.

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