When you buy a new car you expect it to last for a very long time, however, if the new car you bought is spending more time back in the dealer’s service bay than it is in your driveway there is definitely a problem; you may have bought a lemon. Although it is not necessarily a simple matter to get recourse, Arizona Lemon Law and California lemon law is in place to help you.
In California, the state lemon laws generally cover new vehicles that have serious defects that cannot be repaired over a certain amount of time or a certain number of miles driven. If you keep taking it in for repairs but the attempts fail, you can expect the manufacturer to provide you with a replacement vehicle of equal value or give you a full refund.
Records are very important:
When you buy a new vehicle you have no way of knowing in advance whether it is a lemon or not; only time will tell. In the event there is a problem it is wise to start from day one keeping accurate records of anything and everything that happens. If you have to take time off work; record it, record the days you have not been able to use the car and keep all service records that state the nature of the problem.
What if it looks like the vehicle is a lemon?
Decent dealers will try to help you get satisfaction, the trouble is; not all dealers are decent. If the dealer won’t help you will have to go straight to the manufacturer.
* Send a registered letter asking the manufacturer to buy the car back or provide you with another car.
* If the manufacturer balks, under California lemon law you can hire a lawyer or ask for arbitration
It is a good move to hire an attorney that knows the California lemon law well. The lawyer knows your rights and can often get a resolution much quicker than you would otherwise.
Like all states, the California Lemon Law is complex. For a full description of the law and an introduction to lawyers that specialize in lemon law cases you are invited to visit us
