Are You Leasing A Lemon? Tips from Santa Monica's Top-Rated Lemon Lawyer
Leasing versus Buying: Does it Really Matter?
If you’re leasing your vehicle, chances are it’s covered under the manufacturer’s original warranty. If you’re lucky, the services are free (although this is becoming less and less common). But what happens if your car starts spending more and more time in service? Well, it’s entirely possible that you are driving a proverbial “Lemon” and are owed thousands (and thousands!) of dollars. You may be leasing a lemon.
Many consumers wonder whether California’s Lemon Law applies to leased vehicles, and the answer is yes. California’s Lemon Law actually makes no substantive distinction between leased and purchased vehicles, which is great because statistics show that more and more consumers choose to lease their vehicles rather than buy.
Continue reading to see what you should look out for with your leased vehicle and to better understand if you’re leasing a lemon, and if so, what you are owed.
What makes a Lemon?
Whether you’re leasing or purchasing, when life gives you a lemon, you hire Sina Rez Law of Santa Monica to handle your claim and ensure you’re not the one getting the squeeze. Sina Rez Law of Santa Monica can and will help make this tough situation better by forcing the manufacturer to buy back your vehicle and pay your attorneys fees. Here’s what you should look out for:
Any major, safety-related malfunctions. For example: engine failure, transmission failure, brake failure, other safety concerns.
Any issues that repeat or persist despite multiple repair attempts. For example: continuing issues with the vehicle’s navigation system, Bluetooth, key-less entry, etc.
Excessive time in service. For example, if your vehicle has been in service, cumulatively, for over 30 days.
What are my rights?
Handling a potential Lemon Law case on your own can be surprisingly difficult. It is important to have a trained attorney review your records to see if your vehicle meets one or more of the several legal standards that grant California consumers rights against the world’s largest vehicle manufacturers, such as Mercedes Benz, BMW, Audi, Porsche, Jaguar, Range Rover, Land Rover, Ford, Chevy, GM, Jeep, Dodge, RAM, Volkwagen, Subaru, etc.
In the unfortunate event that you do lease a Lemon vehicle in California, you are entitled to the following:
1. Have the manufacturer replace your defective vehicle with a new one or repurchase the vehicle deducting the mileage offset from actual price.
2. Have the manufacturer reimburse all the incidental damages that the customer suffered as a result of the vehicle’s defects.
3. Have the manufacturer pay a civil penalty if the latter willfully violated the California Lemon Law’s provisions.
4. Have the manufacturer pay the consumer’s attorney fees and costs, upon winning the Lemon case.
