If your vehicle has been sitting at the dealership for an extended period of time, or if it keeps going back for the same issue over and over again, you may have legal options under California’s lemon law. Under the Song-Beverly Consumer Warranty Act, a vehicle that has been out of service for a cumulative total of 30 or more days for warranty repairs may be presumed to be a lemon. The longer your car is out of service, the more compelling your potential claim may become.
Continue reading to learn about how repair timelines factor into lemon law cases and when it may be time to take legal action. Contact our Los Angeles lemon law lawyers today.
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What Does California’s Lemon Law Say About Repair Time?
The California lemon law does not impose a specific, absolute deadline on how long a dealer can take to complete a repair. However, the law does take total time out of service into account when determining whether a vehicle qualifies as a lemon.
As mentioned above, a rebuttable presumption in the consumer’s favor arises when the vehicle has been out of service for warranty repairs for a cumulative total of 30 or more days. This does not have to be 30 consecutive days. The total is calculated by adding up every day the vehicle was at the dealership for warranty-related work across all repair visits.
What Should I Do if My Car Has Been at the Dealer for Weeks?
If your vehicle has been at the dealership for an unusually long time, there are a few steps worth taking to protect your consumer rights:
- Ask the service advisor for a written explanation of what is causing the delay and when the repair is expected to be finished
- Document everything related to the repair visit, including text messages, emails, and repair orders
- Keep a log of every day your vehicle is out of service, noting drop-off and pick-up dates
- Request a loaner vehicle or rental car reimbursement if the dealer offers one
- Contact a lemon law attorney to find out whether your situation may already qualify for legal action
You should not have to go without reliable transportation indefinitely while the dealer takes its time figuring out what is wrong with your car. It’s circumstances like these that may entitle you to take legal action under the lemon law in California.
Contact My Lemon Firm Lemon Law Lawyers To Schedule a Free Consultation
If your vehicle has spent more time at the dealership than in your driveway, California’s lemon law may be able to help. Schedule a free consultation with My Lemon Firm to get started with your case today at (844) 40-Lemon.
We focus exclusively on these kinds of cases and are confident we can help you take on the manufacturer and secure winning results. We also work on a contingency fee basis, which, in combination with the lemon law’s fee-shifting provisions, means you can potentially hire us and win your case without paying a cent up front or out of pocket.