Wednesday, January 12, 2011

State Lemon Laws

By Stuart Simpson

If you are fortunate, you can purchase a brand new car. If your fortune takes a turn after you purchase the car and problems arise with the car, what can you do? Are you covered under the state lemon law? Can you just return the car? Will the dealer talk to you? What requirements must my car fit in to be called a "lemon"?

Do you have a lemon? You may not like something about the car, but that doesn't qualify it as a lemon. Now, if the brakes don't work or the car won't go into gear or it won't run over 30 mph, then you might have a lemon. But, you must give the manufacturer an opportunity to fix the problem. In most states, 10 different defects during the warranty period do not constitute that the car is a lemon. In some states, a single defect that might cause serious injury makes your car a lemon if the manufacturer cannot fix the problem within 1 attempt. First rule: Keep up with all of your receipts and repair history.

State laws vary, but a rule of thumb is if the car problem can't be fixed with 4 tries or the car has been out of commission for more than 30 days during the first year or 12,000 miles.

Before you buy the car, you should have checked out the car's repair history. Did you check the VIN number on some popular websites to see if the car was in an accident?

The manufacturer doesn't have to replace or refund the car if the defects do not impair the use and value of the car or the condition of the car was due to customer's abuse, neglect, or unauthorized alterations. Be careful, as you can get yourself into a pickle.

A lawyer that is familiar with state lemon laws can help you determine a variety of problems like whether the car was damaged at the time of delivery. Was there fraud or deception in your financing paperwork? Were repairs attempted beforehand to cover up defects? Lawyers go through an extreme investigation on your vehicle to make sure how these items affected your value, safety, or use.

The lawyer will submit a detailed account to the manufacturer, usually after hiring an ASE certified mechanic to go over the car. Did you know that the auto repair shops use several work orders? They have one for you to look at, but they also have one for the technician. If the problems are too hard to fix, they may be told not to fix the car. Your lawyer will drag all of this out in front of the manufacturer or judge, if necessary.

In summary, you understand now that if your paint is peeling, then you don't have a lemon. If your brakes aren't working and the dealer can't fix them, then you may have a lemon.

Stuart Simpson [http://www.state-lemon-law.info]

Article Source: EzineArticles.com

Monday, January 10, 2011

California Used Car Lemon Laws

By Richard Romando

As long as a secondhand car is sold with a written and specific warranty, it qualifies under the California Lemon Law. The car should not have been purchased for commercial purposes. As with all other applications for vehicles, the California Used Car Lemon Law only covers a secondhand car that was purchased for personal, family or household use.

Care should be taken to have the defects and inherent problems of the car established by a certified mechanic at the time of purchase. If the vehicle was bought without a warranty that covers these defects, the buyer will have a very difficult time making a case under the California Used Car Lemon Law. Unscrupulous sellers will not shy away from trying to sell a buyer a 'lemon' previously returned for these very defects.

California Used Car Lemon Law also applies to leased vehicles, as long as they have been leased under warranty. With all vehicles, such a warranty is not invalid once 18,000 miles of road use or 18 months since purchase have expired, if the warranty specifies a higher mileage or period.

As long as the first repair attempt took place within the specified warranty period, a leased or purchased vehicle can qualify under the California Used Car Lemon Law even after that period.

Basically, one can get a refund or complete, satisfactory repair for a secondhand purchased or leased vehicle as easily as one can for a brand-new car, as long as the used car was purchased for private, non-commercial use. Secondhand cars are not the only vehicles covered by the California Used Car Lemon Law. It applies equally to recreational vehicles (RVs), motor homes of all kinds, motorcycles, boats and other vehicles. [http://www.WetPluto.com/California-Computer-Lemon-Law.html]California Lemon Law provides detailed information on California Lemon Law, California Computer Lemon Law, California Boat Lemon Law, California Lemon Law Attorneys and more. California Lemon Law is affiliated with [http://www.i-lemonlaws.com]Boat Lemon Laws.

Article Source: EzineArticles.com
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