Reporting Lemons

Here you are, all excited about getting your new car, and then disaster strikes. It keeps breaking down, or you are finding the brakes are not as efficient as they should be, giving you that feeling of dread every time you get in it.

What to do next? Well, naturally, you take it back to the seller and show him the faults. Give him time to remedy the faults but make sure that certain criteria are followed.

If the same fault keeps re-occurring make sure that your repair order form states exactly the same fault. Under certain lemon laws you must prove that the fault keeps occurring. Simply stating that brakes are faulty may not be enough to prove a re-occurring problem.

Ask for a receipt even if there was no charge for the repair. Many sellers will not want to do this but this is your proof positive that your car was off the road and out of your possession. Take notes of mileage etc., so that you can prove you are not using the car. This also stops the seller using your vehicle for his own purposes - crazy but it has been known to happen!

Many of us blindly trust that a new car will be perfect. Unfortunately this is not always true. Make sure to check out your state's lemon law before you buy if possible. This will give you great pointers about what to look for when buying a new or used car and the remedy, should it be necessary, to obtain compensation.

Is It A Lemon?

Have you ever bought something and no matter what you try, something is always breaking down or falling off? If this is true, you just might have purchased a "lemon". When it comes to purchasing cars care should be taken because lemons exist in this area too.

But what constitutes a lemon? Simple defects don't always add up this description. For example, if paint peeling occurs, or a lock needs a good jiggle to get it to work then all you have is minor faults. Perhaps the best way to describe a lemon is to say that if the car has faults that endanger the occupants or others then for sure it can be classed as a lemon.

Imagine a door flying open whilst the car is in motion or gasoline dripping from below the fuel tank. Either of these would qualify the vehicle for this dubious title. If any faults appear on your vehicle within the warranty period - or within a reasonable time from purchase if it is a used vehicle - you must give the manufacturer or previous owner an opportunity to correct the fault.

Should the same fault keep appearing time after time then of course this will also qualify it for the lemon award and you will have grounds to pursue legal action for compensation.

Help is at hand in most states of America. Unfortunately, there is no standardized test that can be applied since most states have different rules connected to this phenomenon.