Is Your Car A Lemon?: A Few ConsiderationsYou've finally purchased your first new car, but you're already having serious mechanical problems. In the six months you've had the car, the engine has been checked out four times-all with assurances that the problem was solved. Yet, the issue persists. You may wonder, is your car a lemon? There are a few factors that may answer this question including status of the car, the number of repair attempts, or a single attempt in location that has serious impact on function or safety. Knowing what lemon law has to say can be helpful too. All of these points will be addressed in what follows and will hopefully provide a suitable answer to whether your car is a lemon or not. So is your car a lemon? The first point you should bear in mind is age or status of the car. Naturally, if the vehicle is truly a new one right off the lot and already having problems. You may find that there are certain parameters already in place under the warranty, such as what constitutes a breach of the warranty that can help you determine if the vehicle could be considered a lemon. Since a vehicle's new, used, or leased status can have bearing on the case it is a good first consideration, but there are others that have more to do with vehicle performance. Next, you may want to consider how many times the car has been sent into the shop to be fixed for same problem. If there has been no lasting benefit from money and time spent, your car's lemon status should not be in doubt. Furthermore, the number of times you had repairs attempted if numbering three or more will afford the vehicle lemon status in most states. But, what is the nature of the mechanical problem and how can this help to determine if your car is a lemon? The extent or location of a mechanical problem or defect may immediately determine whether your car is a lemon. Persistent problems that affect the functioning of systems like brakes, steering, transmission, electrical system, or suspension are prime candidate for declaring a vehicle a lemon. While in some states lesser defects may determine a lemon, it generally must be something that significantly impairs the proper functioning and safety of the vehicle-like those areas cited above. A final consideration may be what the law itself says. State and federal lemon laws often provide more clarity and can help a car owner determine if their vehicle actually meets the bare minimum requirements for lemon status. It is true that some of the finer points will vary from state to state but the essential points of lemon law are meant to be applicable across state lines and to regulate affairs nationally. So, is your car a lemon? You should have plenty of information to answer that question effectively. Once you have determined that your car is a lemon, the next step finding out what you can do to get restitution or refund for the defective vehicle. Thankfully, lemon law is there to assist you in this course of action. |