Have you bought a new or used vehicle recently and found it to give you countless problems that require you to spend time and money taking it for repairs? If so, you might need to consider filing a lemon law claim against the auto manufacturer.
Should you discover your car is a lemon, it’s vital to keep all repair receipts and records concerning the vehicle, as the burden will be on you to prove your vehicle’s faults lie with the manufacturer. For most people, hiring an Orange County lemon law attorney during this claims process is hugely beneficial and can make the process easier.
What Exactly Is Lemon Law?
Lemon laws were created to protect citizens against auto fraud and ensure auto manufacturers honor the various warranties tied to their products. Under lemon law, most auto manufacturers are required to either reimburse a consumer or replace the consumer’s product if it’s found to be defective through no fault of the consumer.
The following criteria apply to lemon law and can help you determine if you have a valid claim:
● Your vehicle has a factory defect that impedes its functionality, safety, and value.
● Your vehicle has been out of commission and undergoing repairs for more than the allocated number of recommended days.
● You have repeatedly taken your vehicle to an authorized repair center, and they have been unable to repair the recurring issue each time you have taken it to the facility.
The lemon law in California is also known as the Song-Beverly Consumer Warranty Act. This law provides additional benefits to consumers called the lemon law presumption. The lemon law presumption allows for the legal assumption that a vehicle is a lemon if a select set of criteria applies.
Why Are Repair Records Important For Lemon Law Claims?
Repair receipts and records are crucial if you hope to win a lemon law claim. Without them, you might not have adequate proof of the attempted repairs. With repair receipts, you will be able to prove that a dealer was unable to repair the reoccurring issue repeatedly. Ultimately with clear, concise, and accurate receipt records from a car dealer, you will have a more substantial likelihood of winning a lemon law case.
What You Should See On Your Repair Record
Below sets out what you should specifically look for on your repair record receipts. Should you have partial or incorrect information on the repair receipts, it will be much harder to make a claim.
● There should be a generalized description of the presumed reason for you taking the car to the repair center.
● A date should be written clearly and be the actual date you took the car to be repaired.
● A complete list of all the parts that the dealer replaced when repairing the vehicle.
● A notarized odometer reading from the day the vehicle was repaired.
● The description of the labor performed on the vehicle.
● A written date of when the vehicle was returned to the owner.
● There also needs to be a written identification and description of the defect or condition that the dealer found.
If a consumer keeps a complete record of all repair receipts and other valid documentation, their lemon law claims process can run much more smoothly. By not having legitimate records, a consumer’s claim will be more challenging and potentially deemed not legitimate.
