Automotive Tips: Lemon Law Guidelines

No one really pays attention to lemon laws until they are in a situation with a bad vehicle. Lemon laws are to protect consumers from being stuck with a vehicle that does not perform as expected from the manufacturer. If you do in fact have a lemon of a vehicle, the manufacturer is obligated to repair, replace or refund the price of the vehicle. Lemon laws cover not only cars but trucks, vans, boats, some trailers, motor homes, RVs, some mobile homes, motorcycles and buses. There are many problems or defects that can lead to your car being found as a lemon. Some of these defects may be:

•Engine problems

•Transmission problems

•Water leaks

•Paint defects

•Electrical problems

•Brake problems

•Steering problems

•Vibrations

•Bad smells

•Rattles

•And many other defects

If you think your vehicle may be a lemon you can hire an attorney to help you prove your case according to lemon laws in your state. You can go through the procedure without a lawyer but the steps can be complicated. You should start by trying to have your car repaired by the dealership. These repairs should be free if it an actual defect in the vehicle. If it has been repaired at least four times and the problem has not been fixed, the car is a lemon. Make sure you keep records of every repair done or attempted on your vehicle. Without records you will not be able to prove your case. After the fourth attempt to fix your vehicle, talk to the service manager about the problem. The manager should be able to identify the problem even if they can not fix it. After you do this you should contact the manufacturer. Car manufacturers have specific service departments who deal with these kinds of problems. After talking to customer service you should be able to come to a reasonable solution to fix your problem. If the manufacturer does not offer to fix your problem, report them to the local Better Business Bureau after telling them this will be your next course of action. Your next step will probably be to contact an attorney dealing with lemon law cases. You should bring all of your service receipts and copies of any paperwork that you have generated or received while dealing with the dealership and manufacturer. The more documentation you have of the problems and your steps to fix them, the easier it will be to prove your case in court, if it comes to that. Most manufacturers do not want cases to go that far. They will normally offer to repair the problem for free if repair is possible, refund your money spent on the vehicle or replace your vehicle with the same model, or one of equal value. Lemon laws vary from state to state but will cover your car if you have a genuine claim and can prove that you have tried to have the problem repaired by an authorized dealer.