LEMON LAW TIPS
- Remember, the dealer is not your friend.
- Keeping records and documents of all service work and communication with your dealer is critical to protecting your rights. When servicing your vehicle, you should always do the following:
Service Orders
- Make sure you get and keep records of your service visits.
- When you go in for service, ask the dealer to note on the work order why your vehicle is in service.
- Make sure that each and every concern is documented properly (to your description) before signing the Service Order.
- If your vehicle is in service multiple times for the same problem, ask the service department to write on the paperwork how many times your vehicle has been in service for the same problem. For example: If you have taken your vehicle in for a problem with the brakes for the third time, ask the dealer to note on the service paperwork that this is the 3rd time your car has been brought in for the same problem with the brakes not working.
- If every concern is not documented properly (i.e. it's not clear or is not detailed,) either have the service department rewrite the Service Order or hand-write the concern in yourself before signing. DO NOT sign the Service Order if your concern is not accurately documented.
- Always make sure that the Service Order has the date and time that you leave your vehicle at the dealership for repair. Vehicles may also qualify as a Lemon by spending an excessive number of days in the repair facility.
- Never leave the dealership without a copy of your Service Order.
Service Reports/Repair Invoices
- Make sure that the dealer has written down all work performed on your vehicle and check the work completed to see that it matches what you brought the vehicle in for.
- If a concern from your Service Order was not addressed, ask the dealer to document the reason on your Service Report.
- If an issue was not fixed because a mechanic could not duplicate it, demand that the service manager take a test drive with you to duplicate the complaint. If the complaint is duplicated on the test drive, have the Service Report show that the concern was duplicated and who verified it on the test drive with you. Always get their name and position at the dealership before leaving.
- Never leave the dealer without a copy of your Service Report. Make sure that it is accurate, that you have signed it, and keep it in a safe place for your record.
After You Leave The Service Department
- If you leave the dealer and have the same or a different problem, make sure when you bring the vehicle back to the dealership and that a new Service Order is created. DO NOT allow the dealer to add the concern onto the old Service Report.
- To protect your rights and see if your vehicle may qualify to be replaced or repurchased under the California Lemon Law, you should contact TheLemonLawyer.com at (844) 227-7762.
Remember, it is your right to get a copy of your service paperwork. Even if you have lost your copy of the paperwork, you can still ask the dealer for another copy, and they must give it to you.