The state of California is well known for its lemon groves, unfortunately there are also lemon vehicles in the state. If you purchased a new car in California and it is in the shop more often that it is in your garage then you have recourse under the California lemon law.
The lemon law applies to vehicles that have serious defects, if the defect cannot be repaired after a certain number of tries by the manufacturer or the manufacturer’s agent then you may be entitled to a new car or a refund of the money you originally paid.
In California, what constitutes a lemon vehicle?
In the state of California a vehicle is deemed to be a lemon if, within 18 months of the date it was delivered or 18,000 miles on the odometer:
* Two attempts were made to repair a defect which is covered under warranty and is serious enough that it could cause death or serious injury.
* Four attempts have been made to solve the same warranty problem
* The vehicle has been in for repairs for 30 days or more, and
* The problems are not a result of owner abuse
Once the car qualifies as a lemon under the rules listed above the manufacturer is obliged to replace the car or refund the purchase price.
Keep records:
There is really no way of knowing if the new car you bought will turn out to be a lemon or not. To be on the safe side it is important to keep records of everything including the number of repair attempts, the days the car was in for repair and details of the nature of the problem.
When you take the car in pay attention to the way the job order is written up, although it might be rare there have been cases where the dealer has attempted to switch the diagnosis or report as a new problem one that you know you have faced before. Visit US to know your lemon law.
