One of the most frustrating things a person can experience is the realization that they have a lemon on their hands. We all hope that it doesn’t happen to us but very few know what their immediate next step should be. Here, we’ll go over each step of your lemon-based resolution so that you can come out the other side with either your money back or a suitable replacement vehicle that actually works.
Step #1. Check Your Vehicle’s Warranty
The first thing you want to do is to check the vehicle for a warranty. While this should be fairly cut and dry for new or certified used cars, there may be a bit of an issue when it comes to random used dealers or when buying directly from a seller.
A warranty is important as it acts as a written guarantee that the vehicle is good. If you’re experiencing these issues and you do have a warranty, you should be able to simply have them work on the problem with a significant discount to you or outright free.
Step #2. Try To Fix The Issue With Your Dealer
Whether or not manage to produce a warranty, make sure to resolve this issue with your dealer if at all possible. This means going to them first to handle the issue or have the car looked at. If you don’t have a warranty or they’re acting so strange, simply head to a reputable and certified repair shop and try to have the issue fixed.
Step #3. Record & Hold Onto All Notes & Info
If your dealer won’t have the car repaired, if you’re constantly taking it for specific repairs, or you find your car needing over 30 days of time for it to be repaired, you’re probably going to need some legal assistance to handle this issue. In this case, you’ll want to make sure to hold onto as much information as possible. This should include all information gathered that specifically deals with the issues surrounding the car or its overall value. This should include the following items:
- Purchase Order
- Finance Or Lease Agreement
- Repair/Service Orders
- ANY Correspondences Between You And The Dealer Or Manufacturer
- Any Additional Documents
Step #4. Speak To An Attorney
Ultimately, once you’ve determined that you won’t be able to resolve this without legal assistance, you’ll want to get an attorney to look at your case and go to trial with you. There are a lot of different options available to you, but you ideally want to take on a lawyer that is professionally and specifically trained in lemon laws. For example, the law office of Jacob K. Kashani in California is a firm that specializes in lemon laws and helping individuals win their cases and get fairly compensated for their loss. They have a 99% success rate and are one of the best in the field. Even if you aren’t in the California area, understanding what to look out for in a lemon law attorney is very important and something to take seriously before going to trial.