My Vehicle Is A “Lemon.” Where Do I Start?

In this article, you will discover:

• The first step you should take to build your Arizona Lemon Law case.
• What not to share with the repairing dealership.
• Whether you should continue making payments for your “Lemon” vehicle.

Once you suspect you have a “Lemon” vehicle, the first step is to ensure you have all of the vehicle repair records/repair orders from repairing dealers, leaving nothing out that was done to diagnose and repair your vehicle as well as accurately documenting the time your vehicle was in the repair shop. These repair records are the number one piece of evidence in Arizona Lemon Law cases.

Anybody can claim they have a “Lemon,” but you need written documentation backing up your defect and repair complaints about your vehicle. Dealership repair orders are great evidence of that because they are business records produced at the time repairs are undertaken by the actual warranty repair agents of the vehicle’s manufacturer.

If any repair records are missing, they should be requested from the repairing dealer(s). When doing this, it’s very important not to mention the Arizona Lemon Law or Arizona Lemon Law Attorneys.

Here’s why:

Although the Arizona Lemon Law, which pertains to unreasonably numerous or lengthy warranty defect repairs, applies to your vehicle’s manufacturer, the dealer has an ongoing business relationship with the manufacturer. Because of that, dealers will often try to protect the producer of a Lemon vehicle.

After all, the repairing dealer sells the manufacturer’s vehicles and gets paid by the manufacturer to do warranty repairs. So if the dealer believes there is a potential Arizona Lemon Law claim brewing, it will do what it can to look out for and protect the manufacturer.

As the consumer, you’re under no duty to volunteer that you’re considering an Arizona Lemon Law or breach of warranty claim if you’re requesting missing vehicle repair records—that is none of the dealership’s business. Often, just asking for a copy of the repair records is sufficient; the dealer won’t ask you anything further.

If the dealer does ask “why?”, you can easily reply, “I just want to have complete records on file of what’s been done to my vehicle.” That is all you really need to say.

If the dealer pushes beyond that answer, you can add, “I’m having repeat problems, and I don’t want to be blamed for not seeking repairs if the problem reoccurs or potentially be accused of misusing my vehicle.”

Remember, you’re not required to tell the dealer your life story and you have a right to obtain the repair records for your vehicle as the owner of it.

After getting the repair records, we recommend visiting our website to get educated about the out-of-court Lemon Law resolution process.

You can also get educated on details of the Arizona Lemon Law and the Federal Lemon Law to see if your vehicle may qualify.

If you believe there’s even a chance you qualify, you should call our firm toll-free at (866) 904-2627 or locally at (480) 887-9924.

We offer a Free No-obligation Lemon Law Evaluation. During this consultation, we’ll collect information about your vehicle.

If it appears the vehicle may qualify under the Arizona Lemon Law, or other breach of warranty laws, we’ll ask to review your repair records. The records can be emailed, faxed, or even texted to us, as long as legible pictures of the records are taken with a smartphone.

We’ll evaluate the repair records, and if your vehicle qualifies, we set up a time to discuss your rights and compensation options.

Should I Continue To Make Payments On My Lemon Vehicle?

If you are required to make payments on your vehicle because you signed a financing agreement for it, you should continue making them, even if your vehicle is determined to be a “Lemon.” Here’s why…

Under the law, two wrongs don’t make a right. You have a contractual obligation to make payments on the vehicle until a Lemon Law resolution is (hopefully) obtained.

The good news is that you’re not just stuck making payments on a “Lemon” until it’s paid off if you take the right action by seeking Free Out-of-Court Lemon Law help. After all, there is a process under the Lemon Law for you to get your vehicle bought back or replaced.

Specifically, the Arizona Lemon Law gives you the ability to get a Lemon Law Buyback, which will provide a refund for your purchase, minus mileage, and typically a payoff of any outstanding loan balance. You can also potentially get a new vehicle replacement valued sticker price to sticker price, keeping the same loan, or cash compensation for breach of warranty in the alternative.

However, the law does not support taking matters into your own hands and violating your financing agreement. That would cause you major problems…

Not paying on your loan could ruin your credit and lead to your vehicle being repossessed. Judicial opinions say you can’t seek an Arizona Lemon Law Buyback or new vehicle replacement if you don’t have the “Lemon” vehicle to give back to the manufacturer. If the bank owns your vehicle, you won’t have it to give back as the Arizona Lemon Law requires. In other words, if the vehicle is repoed for non-payment, you’ve unintentionally killed your Arizona Lemon Law case.

Don’t get us wrong, it’s very challenging to pay for something that’s not working properly. You feel ripped-off and justifiably so.

Regardless, the proper way to deal with this unfair situation is by pursuing your Arizona Lemon Law and breach of warranty rights, not letting the manufacturer off the hook while ruining your credit. Simply put, stopping payments on your vehicle will backfire severely and is shooting yourself in the foot. That’s why we strongly recommended not to stop making monthly payments if you have a “Lemon” vehicle.

Here’s what you should do instead…

Invest a small amount of time (typically 30 minutes or less over an average of 3 months) in pursuing a Free Out-of-Court Arizona Lemon Law Resolution Process with Amar Law Group that has a 95% Success Rate.

This will require a bit of patience, but you’ll have the opportunity to obtain an Arizona Lemon Law Buyback or New Vehicle Replacement.

Alternatively, you could get substantial cash compensation while keeping your credit intact and holding the manufacturer financially responsible for producing your defective “Lemon” vehicle.

Instead of getting mad and doing something understandable but foolish, get even as you’re legally entitled to.

For more information on the Arizona Lemon Law, a Free Lemon Law Evaluation is your next best step. Find out if your vehicle qualifies for Free Lemon Law Help by calling (480) 237-2744 today.