©2026 The Reynolds and Reynolds Company. All Rights Reserved. Printed in the USA. 05/26. Take advantage of your free F&I Document Review. Visit us at law553.com/cp/complianceconsultants From Statute to Strategy: Helping Dealers Navigate the CARS Act Beginning on October 1, dealers will face additional obligations under the California CARS Act (“the Act”). California dealers are no strangers to the complex regulatory environment, and staying prepared has always been important if government regulators or private plaintiff attorneys come knocking. There are many ways dealers can protect their business, but proper documentation remains a cornerstone of any legal defense. LAW® F&I documents have been trusted by California dealers for decades. Working closely with CNCDA, Reynolds’ product development team is updating the California LAW F&I Library® with new and revised documents designed to help dealers meet the Act’s strict requirements. Matt Chacey, Product Development Attorney and Manager of Reynolds’ LAW F&I Library development, has been leading Reynolds’ CARS Act response and coordinating with CNCDA for more than a year. “Our partnership with CNCDA is built on a shared commitment to helping dealers navigate the real-world regulatory complexity of selling and leasing vehicles. By collaborating early on legislative changes like the California CARS Act, we create practical solutions that drive compliance, promote clear and transparent transaction terms, and build trust between dealers and their customers.” Chacey joined CNCDA’s Chief Legal Officer, Anthony Bento, for a webinar to provide dealers with a practical walkthrough of their new obligations and the LAW documents crafted to help meet them. If you missed the webinar live, it’s available to purchase anytime at www.cncda.org/events. When regulators investigate or plaintiffs file suit, documentation is often critical to the outcome. Dealers who can produce signed, clearly worded documents showing full disclosure, customer understanding, and an opportunity to ask questions are in a far stronger position than those relying on staff memory or inconsistent paperwork. LAW F&I documents are crafted by attorneys well-versed in automotive sales and finance law and serve multiple functions when it comes to helping dealers protect their business. They establish a clear record of what customers were presented and agreed to, while also demonstrating the dealership follows a consistent, policy-driven process. Both are critical to building a strong defense. Given the importance of proper documentation, dealers should partner with a trusted provider. Documents that are outdated, missing important information, or inconsistent with current state and federal laws don’t just fail to help, they can actively work against dealers. Courts and regulators are not sympathetic to compliance gaps, and obsolete or incomplete documents invite further scrutiny. That’s why partnering with an F&I documents provider that actively monitors legislative and regulatory changes, and updates its library accordingly, is essential to running a dealership. LAW’s decades-long collaboration with CNCDA reflects that commitment, ensuring California dealers have the documents they need to help protect their businesses.
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