When people think of Florida, they think of the Sunshine State
and their top agriculture product - oranges. However, it is the
lemon law Florida enforces that makes vehicle owners see yellow.
Lemon law attorneys are almost as abundant as the orange crop in
Florida, so just remember them when you decide to seek any legal
counsel. However, you can research your basic car lemon law just
by browsing the internet or reading below for the highlights on
your rights as a consumer when it comes to owning a car lemon.
The late 1980's saw a new lemon law that holds car makers
accountable, by particular situations of course, for refunding
the purchaser's money or exchanging the problem vehicle with a
new, comparable model. This law does not cover a used car lemon
nor does it provide coverage for ATV vehicles, motorcycles, dirt
bikes, motorized scooters or large trucks with a weight of over
10,000 pounds.
This lemon law Florida has also only covers new vehicles, either
bought or leased in the state. There are very few exceptions.
Defective operation or a major flaw in the car has to be present
which would impede the safe use of the vehicle. You have heard
that beauty is in the eye of the beholder? Well, the same goes
when judging whether or not your vehicle has a legitimate
defect.
The owner of the car has to have had wasted a lot of time taking
the vehicle into the dealership or certified service provider,
losing family time and possibly loss of wages due to missed
work. Ok, so the lemon laws do not exactly say that, but that is
the reality of it right? Technically, you had to have taken the
vehicle in at least three occasions for identical problems or
have had the car out of commission for fifteen straight days due
to the flaw or defect.
Here is where it starts getting irritating. After all this time
and aggravation of taking your vehicle in without the problems
being fixed, THEN you have to fill out a form from the lemon law
Florida handbook. You can state your grievances on there and
describe your vehicle problems. The next step is mailing it
straight to the manufacturer via certified or receipt mail and
waiting for a response. (All this hassle almost makes you want
to make lemonade with that car lemon, doesn't it?)
The manufacturer has ten days to pony up a response to your
grievance. If you do not hear from them, then their rights are
waived. Usually though, you will hear back from the manufacturer
where they will direct you to yet another authorized service
provider for another inspection of the alleged car lemon. Sounds
like a lot of fun!
If you get disgusted with the entire process, do a search on the
internet or ask around for some reputable lemon law lawyers that
can fight the battle for you. Just be sure to keep track of all
your repair receipts, any rental car fees due to your vehicle
being out of commission and any other warranty work.
Documentation is important to following any car lemon law. Good
luck in your quest. Let's hope that you will soon start seeing
green, the color of money instead of car lemon yellow!
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