Well, it looks like it's time to file a lemon law claim. My car has been in the shop for over 30 days and they still can't fix my fuel gauge problem. When I went to pick up my car last Friday, my fuel gauge showed 3/4 full but the nav only showed that I had 143 miles to empty. On top of that my side mirrors don't work anymore. I decided to leave my car at the dealer one more time for them to "fix" the problem, although I doubt that they can.

For those of you that have dealt with the lemon law before in California, how difficult/easy was it handling it yourself directly with the manufacturer? Did you find the need to be represented by a lawyer? I've researched this subject here and on the web, and have spoken to a couple of lawyers, but I'm a little concerned that if an attorney gets involved that if I was offered a refund, that the lawyers would have their 35% stake in it. I know the manufacturer is to pay for all attorney's fees, but I also saw somewhere that the laywer was entitled to a portion of a cash settlement. Any and all advice would be greatly appreciated.

 

I don't know a lot about California Lemon Laws, but usually LL Claims are handled by arbitration, not civil litigation. If you have saved all your service records and have done your homework, I would think that you could proceed pro se (if you have the time). If I'm not mistaken though, I think you have to give the dealer once last chance to repair after filing / providing notice of a LL Claim. Good luck.

 

get a lawyer. you will get all your money back, and the lawyer will claim his/her $$$ from the manufacturer, not from you. by the way, the LL claim has to be about specific re-occuring problem dealer cannot fix, NOT all different problems occuring over a period of time.

 

You want to file a lemmon law claim because of a faulty fuel gauge and side mirrors that don't work? Wow, this is a tough crowd.

 

The main reason I'm filing for an LL claim is because I've been in a loaner for 40 days. I've been back to the dealer 6 times now for the same problem. The mirrors stopped working when I went to pick up my car this last Friday. They've replaced the sending unit 5 times and just recently changed out the gauge cluster. A $35k car shouldn't have to go the dealer this many times after 4 months of ownership. My old '89 Accord was never in the shop this long, and I had it for 14 years.

 

I use to be a mechanic and I have to admit your problem does puzzle me. Back in the ole days we use to try to repair things, but nowadays mechanics simply replace defective parts. Replacing the gauge cluster should take care of your problem. As far as the mirrors not working, I have to point the finger at the mechanic who forget to reconnect all of the wiring. This should have never happened since a quality check should have been performed prior to releasing the car to you.

If it were me I'd arrange a meeting with the Service Manager and his boss, and review the history of this problem. You are certainly entitled to some compensation for all of your time. Only if I couldn't get satisfaction from them would I entertain a law suit. The problem I have with a law suit is the time required to pursue one. So that would be my last course of action.

If you meet with the Managers try to be as professional as possible, and if they are good business people they will bend over backwards to accomodate you. Good luck.