If you have a lemon car, it can be a huge disappointment for someone buying a brand-new car. No one buying a car expects that it is going to be a lemon car. New cars sit all bright, shiny and ready on the car dealership showroom and outside car lot. New car buyers look at the new cars and choose the best one to suit their needs. It is a happy time in your life to buy a new car, and there is much anticipation once you sign the paperwork to take your car home. But taking home a lemon car can be frustrating at best, because you can’t drive it as it is, and something else needs to be done to make this car a good purchase for you right now.
If you are unfortunate enough to have bought a car riddled with defects and it is a lemon car, you are going to want to have the opportunity to get it fixed. Your new car is more than likely still under the original manufacturer’s warranty. If that is the case, you can take the car back to the car dealership where you bought it, to see if they can fix the issue that is making your car a lemon vehicle right now.
Your Car Can Still Be a Lemon If You Take It to a Different Shop to Get Fixed
The issue of whether your car will still be a lemon car can be resolved fairly easily. If your car has issues, it is going to be looked at by a mechanic. If you take the car to a mechanic and it is deemed to have defects that you did not make, but were already defective when the car was new, then it is highly likely that your car is a lemon car.
Now, if you take your car back to the car dealership where you bought it, or to an authorized dealer for that brand of car, then the dealership is under an obligation to repair your lemon car. That lemon car will be repaired at an authorized dealership – for free. The car dealership has an agreement under your warranty that includes a partnership with the manufacturer of the car. This agreement says that they will repair manufacturing defects. If they cannot repair the defect, they may have to buy back your car, and even give you another new car in its place.
You Need to Report the Issue of a Manufacturer’s Defect to the Car Dealership Where You Purchased Your Car
In the unlikely event that your car has a manufacturer’s defect, you need to report this to the car dealership where you bought your car. Your car is a lemon car if it does have a manufacturer’s defect. The car dealership in all likelihood may be aware of the defect, or may not know of the defect. In that case, they will still want to make amends to you, buy scheduling you to come and take your car into the shop to try to get it repaired. If after three tries and up to around one month the shop can’t repair your lemon car, you might be eligible for a new car from the manufacturer.
There can be updates, recalls and other part changes that will affect your car. If you take your car that has a known defect to the car dealership where you bought it, there is a greater chance that the dealer’s mechanic shop will have the correct parts to fix your car’s defect. If you don’t report the issue to the car dealership, then they may not know that your car has any safety issue or defect at all. You might assume that the car dealership should know, but aside from checking the car in and running the car through an all points test when it is delivered, that new car has not been driven that much. Most people buying a “new” car don’t want it to have several hundred miles on it. For that reason, car dealerships will limit the number of miles that they put on a car, even when they need to drive it to test that they are sure nothing is actually wrong with their cars as delivered.
“Help, I Took My Lemon Car to a Repair Shop, and They Are Charging Me for the Repairs!”
Unfortunately, that sounds about right, that an unauthorized shop or independent mechanic will charge you to fix a lemon car’s defects. If you bought your car at a car dealership, and the car dealership shop will more than likely fix the car defects for free, then it begs the question: Why would you take your car to a different shop for repairs? There can be several reasons why you did not go back to the car dealership to get your lemon car repaired. Some reasons might include:
- You have moved house and no longer live near the original car dealership
- You did not have a pleasant experience at the car dealership
- The car dealership has an overworked repair shop and you can’t get an appointment
- The car dealership shop is understaffed, and there are no open slots for getting your car fixed
- You have a close friend who wants to try to repair your car for you
- You are in the car dealership industry, and you will get a discount if your employer works on your car for you
Either way you look at it, you can have any reason you want for taking your car to someone else to get the manufacturer’s defects repaired. But you must look at it from a standpoint of fairness. If you take your car to a different person to get the defect repaired, that individual or shop does not have a warranty relationship with the manufacturer who produced and made your car. In that case, you owe the money for the repairs to the shop who repaired your lemon car.
It’s a Matter of Fairness as to Who Has to Pay for the Lemon Car Defect Shop Repair Work
Let’s look at the repairs of your car and decide on the basis of fairness, who should pay for these repairs. It’s quite simple really, but we can review this information for you now. If you take your car to an authorized car dealership, such as where you bought the car or to a similar authorized dealership – they will pay for the repairs to the lemon car.
If you take your car to an unauthorized dealership or an independent mechanic – then you will have to pay for the repairs. Your independent mechanic is typically not on the warranty for your car, and an unauthorized dealership may not even have the proper parts and tools to fix your car. For that reason, you may have to pay them for their efforts and repairs to your vehicle.
Is My Car Still a Lemon Car, Regardless of Who Repairs It?
Yes, your car is still a lemon car if it has a manufacturer’s defect. It may matter depending on the warranty attached to the car from the manufacturer, that the car dealership authorized to make the repairs does make the repairs. But it is still a lemon car at the end of the day. You may still be entitled to a full recovery on your car, even though it was repaired by another shop, and not the car dealership.
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Our lawyers are ready to discuss your lemon law case with you today. You can call us at the Guardian Lemon Law firm at 888.341.8537, to get more information on how to initiate a lawsuit based on the merits of your claim. We can discuss your case with you in any language that you prefer, including: English, Spanish, Portuguese, Tagalog, Armenian, Farsi, Arabic, Hebrew, Russian, French, German, and Korean. Call us now at the Guardian Lemon Law firm at 888.341.8537, to review your case for a lemon car with safety defects and issues related to the drivability of your vehicle.
We Handle Lemon Car Claims for All Major and Minor Car Manufacturing Companies
Our legal team is knowledgeable and ready to talk to you about your lemon law claim. No matter where you got your car repaired, we can review your case for you now, and get you to the winner’s circle fast on your lemon car claim. Just call us today at Guardian Lemon Law firm at 888.341.8537.
Common Defects
Some common defects related to the lemon cars are the following:
- Electrical system malfunctions
- Alternator issues
- Starter problems
- Visible leakage from the fuel lines
- Visible cracks in the mounting bolts and welds
- Failure of warning and brake lights to work properly
- Engine block cracked or damaged
- Frame and body cracks and corrective welds
- Rust in the structure of the auto body
- Leakage from the radiator
- Water pump not working properly
- Brake drum or rotors that are too thin and outside of specifications
- Transmission fluid leaking from unit
- Drive shaft vibrations
- Steering column not working
- Steering gear binds and jams upon hard turning
- Ball joints damaged
- Springs broken and damaged
- Shock absorber mountings loose and falling off of the car
This list can be amended by adding anything that is wrong now with your lemon car to the list. Any defect that you have on your lemon car can be compounded, and one component that is defective on a lemon car can easily affect other systems on the vehicle. If you have any questions regarding your lemon car claim, just call us today at the Guardian Lemon Law firm at 888.341.8537.
Recent Victories Related to Lemon Law Cases
Lemon law cases are more prominent in the news these days. That is because the big car manufacturers are becoming more responsible for the defects that are found in their new cars and trucks.
In 2021, a judge allowed the settlement of Hyundai Motor Company, with consumers for $1.3 billion. This result was related to the engine defects and software defects associated with consumer engine fires on their vehicles. When car manufacturers have safety issues that can cause serious accidents or death to the consumers driving those vehicles, it becomes a serious endeavor for the courts to allow a result consistent with providing restitution for consumers who have been injured by these defective vehicles.
Zero Fee Guarantee
We are here and can give to you a zero-fee guarantee, when you call us today regarding your lemon car claim. Call us now at Guardian Lemon Law firm at 888.341.8537, to speak to an attorney this afternoon regarding your lemon car case.
Contact Us / Free Case Evaluation
You can call us for a free case evaluation to determine the parameters of your lemon law lawsuit. All that you have to do to start the process is to call us at Guardian Lemon Law firm at 888.341.8537 right now. When you call, you will get access to our legal team of lawyers, with experience in lemon law settlements and successful cases. Just call us today, to get the process started on your lemon car claim.
