What is Lemon Law?
If you have experienced repeated problems with your vehicle, you may have purchased a lemon. A lemon is a product, like a car or truck, that is in substandard condition. In Los Angeles as with the entire nation, there are laws that protect consumers against such practices.
California’s Lemon Law is an umbrella that protects consumers from being stuck with a lemon – or faulty vehicle. Lemon Law Attorneys Los Angeles can help you navigate through the legal system to recover your losses.
What Classifies a Vehicle as a Lemon?
To be legally classified as a lemon, the vehicle must meet certain criteria. The problem or defect must be serious and irreparable. Furthermore, a vehicle must meet the following conditions:
- A substantial or serious defect in the vehicle that occurs within a given period of time after it is purchased
- A defect that is covered by warranty
- The defective condition or conditions continue even though several repair attempts have been made
The law states that serious issues qualify under the law once two reasonable attempts have been made. An example would brake that are faulty or an engine that shuts off during transit. Less serious issues are given a longer allotment of reasonable time – typically four attempts are sufficient for qualification.
Leased vehicles and used cars are covered in the protections as well as long as they meet the criteria lined out under the Lemon Law. There are stipulations on coverages. The law can get complicated. It is best to seek representation from one of the Lemon Law Attorneys Los Angeles to ensure that your claim is successful.
Lemon Law California
Los Angeles is under the State of California where the Lemon Law is concerned. Under the Lemon Law, qualifying vehicles (and specified other large purchases) are protected from being irreparable lemons. If your vehicle qualifies, you are entitled to a complete refund or an exchange of the exact same vehicle. You can go through the procedure using an arbitration system where you attempt to come to an agreement with the manufacturer or you can hire one of the Law Attorneys Los Angeles and go through the court system.
If you go through the court system, you can represent yourself but it is not generally wise to do so since you’ll be up against the lawyers of the dealership. Your attorney will tend to all legal matters for you and go head-to-head with the opposing lawyers if you hire help. Initially, an attempt will be made to settle prior to court and if that is attained, you’ll be able to settle up and recover your losses or be given an identical vehicle minus the issues. If no agreement is reached, you’ll move on to trial and you’d never want to do that without proper legal representation.
If your time limit is up due to the manufacturer taking too long, an experienced Lemon Law Lawyer may be able to get your case reinstated but don’t count on it. Don’t delay. Call an attorney who specializes in Lemon Law in Los Angeles today.
How Long is the Lemon Law in California?
While it may be a hassle to continue taking your car in for repairs, it’s imperative that you do so in a timely manner because if it is deemed a lemon, you want to allow time to act before the Lemon Law time limit is up.
In the State of California, you have four years to file a lawsuit against a manufacturer under the Lemon Law. There are discrepancies regarding the Lemon Law time limit though and they aren’t always cut and dry. Mileage can play a role in the eligibility as well so it’s important to not delay filing your case.
But there are steps that must be taken prior to filing so you’ll want to get the process underway immediately. There are many nuances that can be involved when determining when the time frame starts and ends. Typically, it begins the moment you take over ownership of the vehicle and ends when you file a claim. What happens if the dealerships continually keep the car, supposedly doing repairs or attempting to? The time clock is ticking and it’s out of your control. When you turn to Lemon Law Attorneys of Los Angeles, all the complicated details of your case will be tended to by an expert in Lemon Law as it applies in LA.
How to File a Lemon Law Case?
In order to take advantage of the protection you have under Lemon Law, you must file a case against the manufacturer of the vehicle. The steps include:
- Take your vehicle to the dealership to have it repaired.
You must take it to a place that is a “representative” of the manufacturer, not just anywhere you want to bring it. The dealership is allotted a reasonable amount of attempts on trying to remedy the issue. - Acquire the dealership orders.
This will serve as your formal proof that a given number of attempts have been made to no avail. Have the orders be as detailed as possible. - Give the dealership a reasonable number of attempts.
This is when you will document each attempt and give the results. There are stipulations under law as to how long the manufacturer can keep the car and leave you carless. Your attorney can help you with this area. - Gather all relevant documents.
Collect all relevant information such as your purchase agreement, warranty at the time of purchase, all repair bills and results, and anything else that pertains. - Check the warranty.
If the car was under warranty when you purchased it and when the problem began, you are covered even if the warranty has since expired. - Hire an experienced Lemon Law Attorney.
You will need a Lemon Law Lawyer to help you file a lawsuit against the dealership under the Lemon Law and to navigate the legal system you’ll be entering. You can represent yourself but it is not advised. - Know what is and isn’t required.
A demand letter is not required and neither are you required to enter into arbitration. Manufacturers may lead you to believe otherwise which is why you want legal representation. - Proceed to trial. If no agreement is reached between your lawyer and the manufacturer’s lawyer, you’ll move on to trial. Your attorney will tend to the details.
Lemon Law Attorneys Los Angeles
If you are looking for an experienced Lemon Law Attorney Los Angeles, turn to the experts at Point Law Group. Call today to set up a no-cost, no-obligation consultation at (310) 560-0606.
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