Oct 15 2009
Squeezing a Case Out Of the Lemon Law
California Lemon Law is aimed at protecting the consumer’s right to return the defective vehicle to the manufacturer if it has problems that impact its use, value, or safety. In order to apply for the Lemon Law, the vehicle needs to be under the original manufacturer’s warranty, have reasonable number of repair attempts, or stayed at the service for repair for over 30 days (for the same problem).
Vehicle manufacturers generally do not want to refund and attempt to argue that the vehicle was misused or altered by the vehicle owner in such a way that void the warranty. Even though the vehicle manufacturers dislike repurchasing their own products, they will generally be persuaded to go along with the purchaser if the automobile really is a Lemon according to the Lemon Law.
After buying a vehicle, it’s wise to follow the suggestions below.
- You should precisely follow the suggested maintenance schedules and take the vehicle to a dealership to have all warranty repairs performed.
- Even if the garage made no repairs, you should keep the receipt.
- You should take your vehicle to the dealership straightaway if it is not behaving correctly. Your rights under your warranty may be forfeited if the problem worsens due to not being recognized.
- A continuous problem needs to be reported to the dealership’s service manager and the manufacturer’s rep in writing.
- Never alter the stock vehicle configuration with non-stock parts. Van conversions are a potential problem because after they are converted, they are no longer considered stock.
- The California Lemon Law does not cover defects resulting from misuse, unauthorized or unreasonable use of the vehicle.
By using these tips, you can improve the chances of a successful Lemon Law case.