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Show Fall CAR CARE, 2010 Page 5 LEMONS, NOT LEMONADE: Protect yourself from a defective vehicle When you have lemons, make lemonade -- or so the saying goes. It may be tried and true for some of life's roadblocks, but not every sour situation has such a sweet outcome. When it comes to buying a car and finding out it's a lemon, the circumstances result in more than just a bad taste in the mouth. How do you know if you have a lemon, and what can you do about it if you do? How do you avoid buying one in the first place? A lemon, purely as it relates to cars, is "a vehicle that has a defect that cannot be repaired within a reasonable amount of time or amount of repairs," according to Marshall Meyers, managing partner for Weisberg & Meyers, a law firm specializing in lemon law litigation headquarted in Arizona. Defects that determine whether a car is a lemon include: considerable problems caused by the manufacturer jeopardizing safety, affecting the market value of the car and the ability to use the vehicle. Recurring brake problems or doors that don't operate properly due to manufacturer error are examples of this. The owner of a lemon can be compensated with a refund or a car replacement if it is covered under law. It's important to research both state and federal laws to know for sure. "State remedies offer refunds or replacements from use, market value or safety defects, and federal remedies provide cash compensation from diminished value," Meyers said. Each state has its own rules regarding what qualifies, but generally the car shouldn't be older than 30 months as of the retail delivery date. There are also mileage limitations. For some states, once a car has three repairs for a problem under warranty, it may be fit for lemon territory. It is even possible a used car will be covered. First, find out what qualifies as a lemon where you live. Carlemon. corn provides lemon law summaries and statutes for each state, as well as information on the Federal Magnuson-Moss Warranty Act, enacted in 1975, which "makes breach of warranty a federal law." If the car doesn't qualify as a lemon in your state, the site lays out other resources that will help. Meyers recommended documenting all repairs in order to have a case. "If you have a problem you can't fix, bring it in for repairs and keep records," he said. "That's the purpose of a warranty -- to help repair 1114p,,CNIT Foreign & Domestic Auto Repair your car." Make sure all documentation is accurate and the problems written by both the vehicle owner and dealership are detailed and consistent. Keep all logs of repairs or random breakdowns, noting mileage and exactly what happened. These are the basis of determining and filing a car See LEMONADE, page 7 Putting the brakes on auto sales With the economy grinding to a halt, vehicle sales have declined as well. Here's a look at how cars have sold in recent years: NEW MOTOR VEHICLE SALES 1990 - 2007 In thousands, includes leases 0 O 17,445 17,297 17,048 16,971 14,137 17,137 17,806 2002 2004 2006 1990 2000 LIA.agam DErfkag 2003 2005 2007 Creators.com / Eri Hashimoto Call NOW for an appointment! 435-752-1246 502 West 1400 North ' Louin lArww,..unpont-auto_riiz " Your European & Asian Specialist --L 4 27. YEatiNET • Limitcd 2 War Warrancy on parrs Se a bin r Subaru, Toyoco. is:T ionda RA Professioolai AUTO SZIVIC ▪ F.XCCIICZ1t Scrvicc f you .1inci your car! ▪ Wc sincialin in. &>a cis 1..roIksilvagcrL. 16,462 Approved Auto Repair |