{"id":24375,"date":"2024-09-17T10:00:13","date_gmt":"2024-09-17T10:00:13","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.etags.com\/blog\/?p=24375"},"modified":"2024-09-17T13:59:26","modified_gmt":"2024-09-17T13:59:26","slug":"feeling-the-squeeze-exploring-the-lemon-law","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.etags.com\/blog\/feeling-the-squeeze-exploring-the-lemon-law\/","title":{"rendered":"Feeling The Squeeze? Exploring the Lemon Law"},"content":{"rendered":"

Okay, first things first.\u00a0 What, pray tell, is a Lemon Law, you ask? And why should we bother to explore it here on our much-hallowed blog at eTags?<\/a> Well, you know we\u2019re obsessed with all things automotive related, and honestly, we\u2019d be remiss if we didn\u2019t broach the subject of the Lemon Law.\u00a0 We\u2019re so sure of the value of this topic, that by the end of the article, if you don\u2019t agree, we\u2019ll eat our hats. (Or driving gloves.)<\/p>\n

The Lemon Law is defined in a slightly different manner depending on where you live.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Each state in the United States maintains minor variations, but on the whole, their similarities outweigh their differences.\u00a0 At its core, the Lemon Law states that any new vehicle that has spent more than thirty (30) days in the shop for repairs or has been sent for alteration a certain number of times for the same issue and has still not been fixed must be eligible for a refund or replacement.<\/p>\n

\"The<\/p>\n

Yes, that was a hefty sentence right there. Let\u2019s break it down.\u00a0 Or better yet, let\u2019s dive into a true story told to us by one of our loyal clients (and biggest fans) about his first experience with the Lemon Law.\u00a0 A few years back, this gentleman \u2013 let\u2019s call him Max \u2013 purchased a high-end SUV for his family vehicle.\u00a0 Delighted with his buy and excited to ferry the family to and fro in their new, fancy ride, you can imagine his dismay when in the first few weeks of ownership, a major problem arose.<\/p>\n

The first thing to go on the vehicle was the turbo.\u00a0 No more quick acceleration, no more high-performance, and no more of the power Max was promised when purchasing his car.\u00a0 And so he brought his new vehicle back to the dealership, where, under warranty, they happily agreed to fix the mechanism.<\/p>\n

The trouble escalated, however, as the attempt to repair the damaged turbo went from one initial visit to several different visits.\u00a0 Meaning, the problem was recurring, and Max had less use of his new SUV than if he\u2019d simply borrowed a ride from a neighbor. In short, the new vehicle had spent over sixty days in a repair shop while Max labored in a loner car each time the turbo went kaput.<\/p>\n

Realizing that he\u2019d clearly not gotten what he\u2019d paid for, Max consulted an attorney, who told him about the Lemon Law.\u00a0 In his state, Max had already qualified for all the requirements necessary in order to file a Lemon Law suit against the dealership, and so he went forward with the claim.\u00a0 In the end, the dealership, recognizing that the fault was indeed in the manufacturing, returned to Max his down payment as well as all fees and installments paid over the time the SUV was under his ownership.<\/p>\n

This, friends, is what the Lemon Law can do.<\/h2>\n

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But it\u2019s not always as simple or as straightforward as Max\u2019s case.\u00a0 Depending on the jurisdiction of your state, the law will differ a bit. So we thought we\u2019d point out some key factors in what qualifies as a lemon in a few different territories.<\/p>\n

In California<\/a>, a new car, truck, can or SUV can be considered a Lemon if:<\/p>\n