We all love new vehicles for a good reason. The feeling of a brand-new car, promising many exciting miles on the road, can hardly be compared to anything else. It’s a feeling of power, comfort, of prestige. People toil for years and then use hard-earned savings to buy their favorite model. Cars are big parts of our daily lives, and it’s perfectly understandable why people get so passionate about them.
Also, you can understand their enormous frustration when a new car proves faulty. Defects are never fun, even with a 30-year-old auto that breaks down every second day. But if it happens to a new one, we have a major problem. Imagine getting all your friends together to show off the Camaro you’ve always wanted, to show them a bad machine in the end. It’s nothing short of a horror story.
If the title of this article seems confusing, you’re far from the only one. What does the sour fruit have to do with faulty vehicles? Some argue that both leave a sour taste in the mouth – a perfectly valid theory. But leaving etymology aside, let’s explore some more practical aspects.
Legal Protection
Arguing with a manufacturer or dealer about a defective product can leave you in tears. You may be lucky and find an understanding dealer who will listen and remedy the situation. But more often than not, sellers can be downright arrogant and defensive to the point where the car’s problem somehow becomes your fault.
And so, some ingenious folks got together and protected customer rights by establishing the lemon law. Under this piece of legislation, lemons are cars that are unfit for daily transportation and use.
In other words, they don’t live up to their warranties. And warranties come from manufacturers. This law also says that a customer can contact the car company for a refund, repair, or replacement. Whatever the choice, the bad egg must be removed.
Of course, as a disgruntled customer, you will demand justice at any cost. But as Mick Jagger famously sang in the Stones’ 60s hit, “you can’t always get what you want.” Well, that’s not entirely true. You can, in fact, win a battle against the stubborn and unprofessional representative; you just need to play your cards right.
Warranty is Everything
New products are expected to work – end of story. It’s why you buy them in the first place. They must serve their purpose, whether a toothpick or a washing machine. For this reason, all manufacturers (the reputable ones, at least) provide their customers with warranties for a certain period, typically two years or more.
Now, how do warranties affect the lemon law? Well, the law only works if the warranty is still valid. Without that little piece of security, you are practically powerless. Some folks are careless enough to disregard the warranty period, even forget there is one. They’re just perfectly convinced in the quality of the product, thinking it will never fail. But the reality is often a lot harsher.
What’s a Reasonable Chance?
Manufacturers get a chance, awarded by federal law, to fix the broken car within a time limit. It would be unfair not to. After all, car companies are not some evil, conniving monsters who release faulty products to destroy your life. Defects are just part of human life.
Remember the Toyota recall from 2010? In February of that year, the company took back 8,000 Tacoma trucks because of problems with the front drive shaft. That’s a lot of cars and quite a large financial loss for the company.
But you would expect nothing less than a reputable and responsible manufacturer. Car defects can result in injury or death, and that’s simply unforgivable. Despite the recall, Toyota remains a highly respected car maker because they take their work seriously and put customers first.
Going back to legalities: in the case of a lemon, a manufacturer must do one of the following. Try to fix the vehicle a sufficient (reasonable) number of times, retain the out-of-service car for a month, or do repairs only in the first year of your ownership. These are all valid reasons – no two ways about it.
But what can you do if the other side refuses to comply? Instead of giving it all up, you can follow a proven process and still get your dream vehicle. Find out more on this link https://www.wikihow.com/Report-a-Car-Under-the-Lemon-Law.
Stating Your Case
The first obvious thing would be notifying the manufacturer about the problem. Theoretically, you could go to the company and shout your lungs out, but writing a letter is much more elegant. That way, you can state all your reasons for complaining in full detail, plus you’ll be taken much more seriously than if you were verbally aggressive.
A company with good customer support will never leave you hanging. Even if there is a conflict in the end, the least they can do is reply suitably and give you an explanation of what happened. If you don’t get a reply, you can always take legal action.
Going to Court
Sometimes, a company simply refuses to listen until you take legal steps. And that’s an entirely different ballgame. Once a case goes public, the company’s reputation is questioned. Logically, no manufacturer or dealer would let a lemon ruin its status in the competitive auto industry.
Hiring a lawyer can bring your case to a successful close, even if it seems like a desperate move. Don’t forget that California Audi Lemon Law protects you if you ever doubt your actions. You need to provide them with all relevant information so they can build a case. Lemons are more often than you think, so lawyers are generally experienced with them. Remember: no measure is too much if you’re in the right.
Neat Documentation
And last but not least – keep all the car records, especially repairs made by the manufacturer. Words without backup mean absolutely nothing in court. If they attempt to fool the jury with a made-up story, you can slam the records in their face and prove you’re right. Arguments are never easy, but doing what’s right is far more important.
