You've spent a lot on your new
automobile and sometimes this investment can go sour. We
provide you with 6 quick tips to make sure you are as
protected as possible including links to websites where you
can do some research.. These tips are
aimed at educating consumers so that your headaches are
minimized.
Lemon law lawyers like it when everything is in place before taking
on the automotive dealers. It's important to make sure your
documentation is in place from the very beginning. Following
these six tips may help you when your vehicle is in the shop:
1. NEVER LEAVE THE REPAIR FACILITY without a copy of the
work orders. A complete record of the vehicle history is very
important, especially with repeated problems. Although not
absolutely necessary to prove your claim at a later date,
copies of the records prevent the dealer from writing several
repair visits as one, a common practice.
2.GET AS MUCH INFORMATION as you can. Comprehensive work
repair orders are especially valuable. Try to get it as
detailed as possible and make sure they include the dates.
Accurate reporting is very important.
3. ASK ABOUT TSBs - TSB (Technical Service Bulletins) are instructions from the
manufacturer that alert dealerships about defects or repairs in certain
models. However, dealerships do not generally tell the
customer about TSBs unless asked. So speak up. Ask the
dealership to write your TSB request on the repair order even
if told no TSBs exist for the concerns you are experiencing.
4. DEMAND RESPECT - You paid a lot for your vehicle...so
don't be afraid to go over anyone's head if your vehicle isn't
repaired properly. Part of the price of the car is the
warranty service for which repairs are being made. You paid
for it, you should get your moneys worth.
5. ARBITRATION - At present, the Federal Trade Commission
has determined that no manufacturer has in place an
"arbitration program" which complies with Federal
minimum standards. What this means is that the FTC finds these
programs to be unfair to consumers.
6. DON'T BE MISLED - In some situations, the dealership may
claim that the consumer is causing the problem. This is a
common tactic when the dealership cannot fix the problem or
the manufacturer has no repair to correct the condition. Ask
about the TSBs as stated above and stick to your guns. Your
situation is not as unique as the dealership represents.
Helpful websites:
To obtain a vehicle history on your car, check http://www.carfax.com
To obtain the value of your car for sale, go to http://www.kbb.com
To find out if technical repair bulletins or recall have
been issued for your vehicle, choose http://www.nhtsa.gov.
Naturally
,
we feel it is important to get in touch with a lemon law attorney as soon as possible but the most
important thing is to do your homework and have everything in
place so that you don't jeopardize your claim.
~Paul Fleming represents Kimmel & Silverman who have been
providing cost-free, quality legal representation to
distressed consumers of "lemon" cars since 1991. Contact
them at www.lemonlaw.com if you need lemon law help
