Lemon Law

A Guide to Lemon Law Attorneys Southern California

Whenever you're buying a car, there are those that don't seem to meet your standards. These are called lemons, and they are the bane of every car buyer's money. To protect the people, lemon laws are in effect. For those who got stuck with a lemon, call lemon law attorneys southern California to get back at those who have wronged you. Upon qualification, it becomes a “no cost to consumer” lawsuit.

For example, you just bought a car that you thought was nice and had all that you ever need. But suddenly, the engine dies on you when it rained. You may have gotten it fixed, but it would die again the next time it rained. In Southern California, it only rains in winter, so it's not so bad. But still, why own a car that breaks down during rain?

Also imagine that it happens to be a sports car. With the body close to the ground, its inner parts will get wet when you hit a puddle. That would make it break down then and there, regardless of rain. This means that you have been sold a lemon and have been scammed. You have tried everything you can to fix it like spraying coatings on the distributor wires to waterproof them, but to no avail. This calls for a lemon law attorney.

You know that you're going to need one if you actually took this car to the dealership and had them work on it until it got fixed, but breaks down at the next possible chance. If this happens, then numbers have to be crunched or heads will roll. A lemon law attorney will help you with this by making sure that you get compensated for being sold a wreck.

Lemon laws apply to many products, but it has been mostly applied to motor vehicles. The California Lemon Law protects the consumer from the consequences of buying or leasing a defective automobile, making either dealership or manufacturer responsible for it. While the warranty still stands, the manufacturer is responsible for having the car in perfect working condition if ever it is taken in for either repair or replacement.

In California, the consumer is protected by a set of laws that are there to ensure the integrity of the trade and to thwart deception in transactions. With these laws, defective cars will have to be replaced and may even incur huge penalty fees for those who deliberately make fools out of their customers. They also ensure the enhancement of the driver and passengers' basic safety by having the cars more carefully manufactured and monitored. This observance of consumer rights ensures that the customer always gets it right.

Take note that these lemon laws also apply to leased cars, as long as they are under warranty upon lease. The warranty itself should not be invalidated upon reaching 18,000 miles or 18 months if it indicates higher values. As long as they apply, then the lemon laws definitely apply. Also, by the first repair attempt within the warranty period, they do apply even after the warranty.

Upon hiring lemon law attorneys southern California, you can get a refund or complete repair for a purchased or leased secondhand vehicle in the same way as a brand new one if it was bought for non-commercial private use. These lemon laws can also apply to RV's, motor homes, motorcycles, boats, and many others.

The California Lemon Law

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A customer has rights when he or she purchases a vehicle. The Song-Beverly Consumer warranty act which is the lemon law of California was enacted to give this protection to the buyer.

The lemon law of California applies to vehicles which auto dealerships have failed to repair within a warranty period despite being given a reasonable number of times to do so.

There is no specific number of visits to make such a claim but typically 4 visits will suffice. The law is also on your side if the vehicle has been in the shop for a total of more than 30 days for warranty repairs. But you have to know that everything is assessed on a case by case basis.

If your vehicle meets these conditions, the manufacturer must give your money back and pay off any outstanding loan balance or replace the vehicle with a similar model. The law also requires the manufacturer to pay the customer’s hourly attorney’s fees on a meritorious claim which is very convenient especially for those who cannot afford one.

You can even file for a claim if the problems of your vehicle did not occur within the unit’s first 18 months or 18,000 miles of use.

The California lemon law also applies to used and leased vehicles including boats, motorcycles and recreational vehicles which should be primarily for family, personal or household use. This is also applicable for business purposes as long as the gross weight is not over 10,000 pounds and not more than 5 vehicles are registered in this state.

As the customer, you are not required to first arbitrate your case. However, if the manufacturer maintains a state certified arbitration program, you have to submit the warranty dispute to them first before you can go to court. Information about arbitration must be described in the warranty or the owner’s manual but in most cases, this will just tell you to bring your vehicle back to the manufacturer for repairs.

If you are still not satisfied with the way you were treated by the manufacturer, then it is time to go to court. The first step is to hire a lawyer and then fill up a questionnaire or interactive complaint form from the Californian Vehicle Warranty Rights Act Department.

You should write her the make and model of the vehicle, the year of manufacture, current mileage, name, address and contact details of the dealer, date of purchase together with the copy of the document, details of the warranty, the list of problems encountered, number of attempts to fix the vehicle and the number of days it was inside the shop.

Once this form is submitted and approved, you will be given another form that outlines the eligibility parameters. Your attorney should be able to process the paperwork like filing a claim under the California lemon law by drafting a letter to the manufacturer.

The letter will let the manufacturer know you are initiating what is known as a breach of express or implied warranty. A copy of this document must also be submitted to the Consumer Affairs Department and the Attorney General’s office.

The California lemon law should help you get a refund or maybe a new car. This can only happen with the proper documentation and an experienced attorney who will be able to make the courts decide in your favor.

Motorcycle Lemon Law - 1800-Lemon-Law

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Lemon Law Advocate Craig Kimmel explains the protections that motorcycle owners currently have under federal and some state Lemon Laws. With an increase in motorcycle sales, it's more important than ever to ensure that your motorcycle is safe and that you are not left out of pocket if you do discover your motorbike is a lemon.

California Lemon Law - Get Rid of Your Lemon

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www.lemonlawspecialists.com
California Lemon Law Attorney Kurt Delsack on the CA Lemon Laws and how to avoid becoming a Lemon Law victim. Call 888.395.3666

Lemon Law in Rhode Island

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The Rhode Island Lemon Law applies to new cars, vans, motorcycles or trucks less than 10,000 lbs that were purchased, leased and registered in Rhode Island that have a defect or condition that has not yet been fixed after 4 attempts by the manufacturer. It may also apply if the vehicle has been in the shop for more than 30 days during the first year.

The problem must impair the vehicle’s use, value or safety and must be reported within the first 12 months or 15,000 miles whichever comes first. If your vehicle falls outside such guidelines, you can check what federal warranty laws may apply.

In order for the lemon law to apply in your situation, you have to give the manufacture some time to try and fix the problem. If they are unable to fix it after 3 attempts, you can already write them a formal notice stating that if this matter is not resolved, you have no other recourse but to demand for a refund or replacement. The manufacturer has 7 days to comply with this or face arbitration.

If nothing still happens, a hearing will be scheduled and a panel of experts will be called in to review your case. During the hearing, you will have to present documents that show you gave the manufacturer ample time to repair the problem. This law also applies to leased vehicles.

When the ruling is made in favor of the customer, you can choose whether to get a refund or have this replaced. Just remember that the manufacturer may appeal that ruling just like you if it did not go your way.

Should this happen, you can take this matter to court hoping that a judge will look favorable on your situation. If you win, you don’t have to worry paying for legal fees because under the law, the manufacturer is required to shoulder it.

It will take some time to find a lawyer that will handle your case. You can get help from the office of the Attorney General or look online to find someone who specializes in these matters. So you know that this person will be able to devote their time and effort, ask them some questions like what is their workload, how often have they done this and the length of time it will take before a decision is made.

If you think that the fees that the lawyer will be charging are way beyond your budget, don’t worry because if the judge sees that your car is indeed a lemon, the manufacturer will be instructed to pay for the legal fees.

The Rhode Island lemon law only applies to new cars so if you can’t argue this if you are driving an old car. Will you be able to tell at once if your car is a lemon? The answer is no because this is something you will know in time when you are already behind the wheel and get the chance to drive it.

If a problem appears, take note of it and keep track if it happens again. Remember, one instance is not enough to tell you that your car is a lemon. By law, there has to be four repair attempts to try before you can exercise your right to get a refund or a replacement.