Lemon Law Texas covers all vehicles, from motorbikes to mobile homes, as long as you purchased them new from the manufacturer. Lemon Law Texas does not include coverage of used or second-hand motor vehicles, or repossessed vehicles of any kind.
If you have purchased a defective car, Lemon Law Texas requires the manufacturer to immediately take a look at the faulty vehicle and make necessary repairs. For minor problems, Lemon Law Texas gives the manufacturer 4 chances to fix the car. For more critical problems, like those involving the brakes or steering, Lemon Law Texas will only grant the car manufacturer 2 opportunities to fix the damage.
All these repairs must be completed within a year from the original date of purchase, or 12,000 miles, whichever comes first, according the Lemon Law Texas. When the manufacturer has unsuccessfully tried to repair the defects and the time period has elapsed, the Lemon Law Texas allows the consumer to demand a refund.
This is good for the consumer, but Lemon Law Texas does not take unnecessary advantage of the manufacturer. Lemon Law Texas does grant a refund, but it will be adjusted according to the owner's car usage. So if you have used the car heavily since you bought it, Lemon Law Texas will still give you benefits - but do not expect a full refund.
Although the Lemon Law Texas is strict in this manner, it does grant you reimbursements in other ways. Lemon Law Texas will qualify you for refunds of all expenses incurred for repairs of the vehicle. Lemon Law Texas also ensures that you will be repaid for any towing services or rental car expenses that you had when the defective car was not in the garage for repairs.
These are all great benefits to the consumer, but in order to avail of them, Lemon Law Texas states that you have to abide by certain conditions as well.
1. At the time you bought the vehicle, it has to be new. Used or repossessed vehicles are not qualified under Lemon Law Texas.
2. All repairs done to the vehicle from the date of purchase must have been done in an authorized service center. Lemon Law Texas will not work for you if you had your car repaired by unauthorized shops.
3. Lemon Law Texas will not cover defects that came from the owner's negligence or misuse of the vehicle. Lemon Law Texas will also not cover defects resulting from the owner's alteration of certain parts of the vehicle.
4. You must keep all your paperwork in order. This includes your written claims, receipts, estimates and all other documents pertaining to the defective vehicle. Missing documents may hinder you from benefiting from Lemon Law Texas. For more info see http://www.knowlemonlaw.com/Articles/Boat_Lemon_Law.php on Boat Lemon Law.
When you have followed all these conditions, then there is no need to worry. Lemon Law Texas will ensure that you will get the claims that you deserve. There are some car manufacturers, however, that will not cooperate even when faced with litigation under the Lemon Law Texas.
In this case, you might need the services of an attorney to help you in the proceedings of filing complaints and other processes as required by Lemon Law Texas.
The 2009 Car Complaint Index has just been published, showing the ranking, by vehicle, of cars receiving the highest ratio of complaints to sales. Complaints are fielded by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), results are published yearly and this year shows the Land Rover LR2, the Mitsubishi Lancer, the Pontiac Solstice, the Dodge Avenger and Subaru Impreza to be the top offenders.
Attention is sharply paid to vehicles with high complaint ratios for good reason: the percentage of defective vehicles, or lemons, is astoundingly high, especially from the U.S. ?Big Three? automakers. To add insult to injury, when a defect is found in a vehicle, a manufacturer will do as much as possible to cover it up so that they are not plagued with demands for refunds or replacements.
There is, in fact, something called a ?secret warranty? that can act as a deflection to consumers with valid lemon law complaints. ?A secret warranty is a strategy that manufacturers use to avoid a recall,? explained California lemon law attorney Norman Taylor. ?Under a secret warranty, manufacturers will pay for repair of a particular defect in a particular kind of vehicle, even after the warranty has expired. They call them ?warranty adjustment policies? or ?goodwill gestures.? And even these have to be pried from the manufacturers by loudly complaining consumers?only the squeaky wheel actually gets the grease.?
Taylor has witnessed such practice many times over the years. He has been a lemon law specialist since 1987, and he and his firm, Norman Taylor and Associates, have handled over 6,000 cases for consumers with a 98 percent success rate. He is one of the leading lemon law attorneys in southern California.
It comes as no surprise that manufacturers will resort to such tactics to avoid a recall. If the NHTSA discovers safety-related defects and orders a recall, the manufacturer must arrange to repair the defect at no charge or, if the manufacturer chooses, can replace or repurchase the vehicle or defective component. The manufacturer must also file a public report with detailed information on the recall, must notify all owners of affected vehicles, and take numerous other costly steps to right the wrong.
Because manufacturers can and do take every measure to avoid replacement or refund of defective vehicles, it behooves any consumer who believes he or she may have purchased a lemon to contact a qualified lemon law attorney right away.
About Norman Taylor & Associates
Norman Taylor and Associates have been assisting consumers since 1987. At Norman Taylor & Associates, the goal is to provide clients with the highest quality of legal representation if they're one of the unfortunate residents of California who've had the misfortune of purchasing defective vehicles or goods and who have recourse under the Lemon Law. They represent consumers in Los Angeles, Orange, Riverside, San Bernardino, Ventura and Santa Barbara counties. With a twenty two year history of successful cases, Norman Taylor & Associates has established their reputation as a firm of consumer advocates that get the job done.
Both David Faulkner & Norman Taylor are contributors for EditorialToday. The above articles have been edited for relevancy and timeliness. All write-ups, reviews, tips and guides published by EditorialToday.com and its partners or affiliates are for informational purposes only. They should not be used for any legal or any other type of advice. We do not endorse any author, contributor, writer or article posted by our team.