Purchasing A Vehicle Online?

Found a vehicle at an amazing price online?  Wonder if it is too good to be true?  It might be, so make sure to do these four important things before purchasing it.
  

1. Print and save the online advertisement.  Many care dealers quickly delete their advertisements after the vehicle is sold, so you want to save your evidence in case something goes wrong.  This way, if you get involved in a legal battle with the dealership, you will have proof of the representations that the dealer made about the vehicle in writing.


2. Pay to have the vehicle inspected by a local dealership.  Many people want to save the money and trust what the dealer tells them about the vehicle.  However, if you are purchasing the vehicle online out of state, it is much easier for the dealer to unload a "lemon" vehicle on you, and much harder for you to get the dealer to take it back after the fact.  The logistics of an online purchase can be a nightmare if the vehicle has problems at delivery, so spend the extra money to make sure that the vehicle is reliable and as advertised.  How do you choose an auto shop to inspect?  The best bet is an authorized dealer.  They will know the vehicle better and have access to information from the manufacturer that a local shop will not.  Spend the extra money.  It is worth it in the long run on such an expensive purchase as a motor vehicle.

3. Get a CarFax Vehicle History Report. A CarFax Vehicle History Report will  list all reported repairs and accidents, and will show the title history string.  While the report will not have unreported repairs or unreported accidents listed, getting a CarFax Vehicle History Report is still much better than going into a motor vehicle purchase blind.  To get a CarFax Vehicle History Report at www.carfax.com. 


4. Get all promises in writing. Car dealers love to make promises to buyers to get them to purchase a car, but aren't very willing to put those promises in writing.  If the car dealer won't put the promises in writing on what is called a "we owe" form, then there's probably a reason.  In other words, good car shopping.

Unfortunately, none of these things are completely foolproof-- there is always a risk that the salesman is lying and you won't catch him until its too late.  However, if you are going to make an online purchase anyways, make sure to do your homework so you aren't fooled!

Beth Wells

www.BurdgeLaw.com

www.OhioLemonLaw.com

www.KentuckyLemonLaw.com

Helping Consumers Get Rid of Lemons, 12 Years Running

How Manufacturers Are Trying to Avoid the Lemon Law

Instead of standing behind their warranties, and the vehicles that they build, most motor vehicle manufacturers have taken the easy way out.  What is the easy way out?  The easy way out for most motor vehicle manufacturers is "no problem found" or "operating as designed".  In reality, and in practice, it's just another way of saying we're not going to fix the problem that you're having with your car of truck; we're not going to stand behind your warranty and we are going to refuse to make any repairs.  

In fact, many motor vehicle manufacturers actually have a written agreement with their authorized dealers on how to handle intermittent problems or model wide problems that they do not know how to fix-- don't handle them at all.  And, under these agreements, the manufacturer typically can "cancel" the dealer's franchise agreement if they fail to follow the rules set by the manufacturer in performing warranty repairs.  

So, if you take your vehicle into the shop for repairs under warranty for an intermittent problem, it is highly unlikely that the dealership will even attempt a repair under warranty.  This is because most car dealers are required by manufacturers to verify or witness the defect occur before they can do any repairs under warranty.  And, if they do not verify the defect in a short test drive, then the vehicle will likely be returned to you unrepaired with "no problem found" written on the repair invoice.  This can be anywhere from frustrating to frightening for a consumer, depending on the severity of the defect.

Or, if you take your vehicle into the shop for repairs under warranty for a defect that is a model wide problem that the manufacturer does not know how to fix, then you will likely be told that the vehicle is "operating as designed" because another vehicle of the same year, make, and model on the dealership's lot exhibits the same known defect.  Again, this can be anywhere from frustrating to frightening for a consumer, depending on the severity of the defect.     

From where I sit as a lemon law attorney, the stance is puzzling to me.  What many motor vehicle manufacturers don't seem to realize is that if they actually let their dealers try to repair that "hard to find" or "hard to repair" defect, most consumers would be more forgiving, slower to file a lawsuit, and grateful for the help and the effort.  Instead, I routinely see many lifelong, brand loyal consumers refuse to ever buy that brand of vehicle ever again.  They are upset, angry, and looking for an explanation.  All they want is their vehicle to be fixed.  Instead, what they hear, the manufacturer telling them that they are imagining the problem or that the problem is simply normal when they know full well that it is not.

If you have been given the run around by your dealership and told "no problem found" or "operating as designed", and the problem is not fixed, consider talking to a lemon law attorney in your state.  You may be able to get out of that "lemon" vehicle yet.  Click here for a free online 50 state list of consumer law attorneys.  

Beth Wells

www.BurdgeLaw.com

Helping Consumers Get Rid of Lemons, 9 Years Running

Car Repair for the Female Consumer- Part 7: Contacting an Attorney

Get Beth Wells for Your Lemon Law Case
And Get Justice

If you have repeatedly taken your vehicle in for repair like we talked about before, but the defect has still not been fixed, then you may want to consider contacting an attorney who specializes in new and used motor vehicle lemon law in your state. 

For a nationwide listing of consumer law attorneys by state, click here.

If you bought your car in Ohio, click here and let me know about it - I'll get right to work to help you get rid of your lemon!

Beth Wells

www.BurdgeLaw.com

Helping Consumers Get Rid of Lemons, 9 Years Running

Car Repair for the Female Consumer - Part 1: Documenting the Defect

Are you a female consumer sick and tired of how you are being treated when you take your car into the shop for repairs?  Then follow my 8 part blog!  I'll give you some helpful hints for getting your car repaired and getting the respect that you deserve at the dealership.

Step 1: Documenting the Defect

The keys to identifying the cause of a motor vehicle defect are to be able to describe the defect to the mechanic in a way that he will understand, and to be able to identify under what circumstances the defect most often occurs. The best way to do this is to keep a notepad and pen in the vehicle. When you experience the defect, note the time, the mileage, the temperature, how long the engine has been running, what speed you are going, whether you are accelerating, at idle, or turning, and how long the defect occurs.


Additionally, if the defect is something that can be seen visually, then you may also want to take a video or photograph of the defect which you can present to the service adviser when you take the vehicle into the shop for repairs.

Your defect diary, photograph, and/or video should arm you with the information that you need for a successful repair, and make it much more likely that you will be taken seriously when you take your vehicle into the shop for repairs.

Beth Wells

www.BurdgeLaw.com

Helping Consumers Get Rid of Lemons, 9 Years Running