NC Lemon Law: Protecting Yourself First

There is no doubt that humans are a race of consumers. It's been this was since the beginning of our history, and as long as our system of economics has been in place, there have been victims of bad deals. Nowadays, nowhere are shady transactions more prevalent than in the realm of automobile sales. Have you been in and out of the mechanic ever since you bought your "brand new" car? Do the repeated repairs seem to be doing more harm than good? Are you worried that you may have bought a lemon? Do you want to avoid being swindled in the future? Who doesn't?

There is a statute under lemon law (NC, specifically) called the “Motor Vehicle Repair Act.” This act states that a motor vehicle repair person must present the repair order paperwork to the customer, obtaining their signature before attempting any repairs. In essence, this is an authorization to repair the vehicle. This act, in accordance with North Carolina lemon law, also requires that the repair shop give an invoice to the customer, upon releasing the vehicle, that states what was done to correct any problems. Many dealerships conveniently "forget" to give these documents to the customer, so they can fill them out later and leave off any problems they're unable to address. This is a violation of the Motor Vehicle Repair Act. How often has this happened to you? Looking back, it has happened to me more times than I can count.

The most crucial thing you can do as a new vehicle owner is keep good documentation of your warranty repairs. Save all of your repair orders or invoices, and make sure they all contain the correct information. A Repair Order (or R.O.) is what you receive when you drop off the vehicle at the mechanic. Make sure you always get one of these, and that it contains detailed accounts of your complaints. If you're not careful about it, dealership personnel or staff at the mechanic shop may make their own little adjustments to your repair orders in an attempt to hide, minimize or get themselves out of addressing your concerns with the vehicle.

If a claim qualifies to be brought under lemon law, NC or otherwise, it helps to have a "repeat concern." This is how it works under The New Motor Vehicle Warranty Act. The dealership service writers are trained in Lemon Law. North Carolina is no exception to this phenomenon. One of the tricks they use is to make your complaints sound different each time you bring in the vehicle for repairs. Maybe it was a "ticking noise" one time, a "clicking noise" another time, and then, just "noise." Here's the kicker--later they will argue that the noise came from three different problems, when, to you, it was always the same noise. Consumers need to make sure the repair documentation reflects their actual complaints before they leave the vehicle with a mechanic.

Comments? Questions? Email Here

© HowtoAdvice.com

How to Advice .com