Lemon Law Attorney in Orange County, California
How much you pay for a car is inversely proportional to the amount of money you expect that you will need to spend fixing it during the first few years of vehicle ownership. This is why new and certified pre-owned vehicles that are still under the manufacturer’s warranty tend to cost top dollar. When you buy a used car for which the warranty has long since expired, sometimes you get lucky and do not have to repair it until after you have been driving it for a long time, but sometimes you have to sink money into repairs right from the beginning, even if you bought it from a used car dealership instead of from a rando on Craigslist or Facebook Marketplace. AS long as your car is under warranty, though, you have plenty of protection against heavy financial losses. You do not have to pay for the repairs that the car needs while it is under warranty, and if it has serious problems that resist repair, the manufacturer must reimburse you or replace the car, pursuant to California’s Lemon Law. While the law makes it easy to get your money back for a defective new car, manufacturers do not, which is why you need an Orange County Lemon Law attorney.
Did You Buy a Lemon in Orange County?
The legal definition of a lemon is a car, SUV, van, pickup truck, or motorhome with a manufacturer’s defect that becomes symptomatic while the vehicle is still under warranty by the manufacturer. You can get a refund of the purchase price or a replacement vehicle of an identical make and model to your lemon as long as the vehicle is still under the manufacturer’s warranty and satisfies one of these criteria:
· Its manufacturer defect is serious enough that it carries a high risk of causing an accident with severe injuries
· You have taken it to the dealership for repairs on multiple occasions
· The vehicle has spent at least 30 days in the repair shop, although the days do not need to be consecutive
You have recourse to the California Lemon Law if you bought your vehicle in California. If you are active-duty military, you can pursue a Lemon Law claim in California even if you bought your vehicle in another state.
California’s Lemon Law Can Help If Your Chevy Is a Lemon
California’s Lemon Law states that the vehicle manufacturer must compensate you if your new or certified pre-owned car, truck, or SUV is a lemon. The responsibility for replacing your vehicle or refunding you the purchase price belongs to the car manufacturer, not to the dealership where you bought it. Therefore, you should start your Lemon Law claim by calling Chevrolet customer service, not by storming into the dealership with the colorful balloons and the free coffee.
Should You Ask for a New BMW or Just Get Your Money Back?
One of the perks of the California Lemon Law is that you get to choose whether to get a replacement vehicle or to ask for your money back. Neither option is a perfect solution, even though California’s Lemon Law is one of the most consumer-friendly ones in the country. If you ask for a replacement vehicle, it must be an identical make and model to the vehicle you are trading in; you can’t ask for a less expensive model of car and then get the difference in cash. Likewise, if you request a refund of the purchase price, the manufacturer is only obligated to refund you the base purchase price of the car. The manufacturer will not refund you for any upgrades you made to your old vehicle before or after buying it.
Orange County GMC Lemon Law Attorneys
Vehicle manufacturers do not go out of their way to give customers their money back. Conversely, the manufacturer will probably try to nickel and dime you on the purchase price of the vehicle. One of the ways manufacturers does this is by pressuring consumers to resolve their Lemon Law claims through arbitration. The customer service department at the manufacturer’s company will also give you the runaround by endlessly redirecting your phone calls and emails in the hopes that you will give up. You can save yourself a lot of hassle by having an Orange County lemon lawyer deal with the arbitrators or the customer service representatives on your behalf so that you can get your money or your replacement vehicle sooner.
Mercedes-Benz Lemon Lawyers in Orange County
If you bought a car in Orange County and soon discovered that it is a lemon, it is not too soon to contact us a lemon lawyer at 818-514-7823. The Orange County Lemon Law attorneys at The Lemon Lawyers, Inc are here to help you make lemons into lemonade by getting a sweet new car or a full refund for the defective one.