Is your car in the shop more than it’s on the road? If so, you may have a lemon. Luckily, our team at Timothy Abeel & Associates is ready to help you turn it into lemonade. We can win you a refund, settlement, or replacement vehicle.
Don’t live with a lemon any longer. Our San Francisco Lemon Law attorneys are ready to help you get the remedy you deserve!
San Francisco Lemon Law Explained
You could be entitled to certain compensations under California Lemon Law if you’ve purchased or leased a defective vehicle. Officially titled the Song-Beverly Consumer Warranty Act,, this legislation mandates that manufacturers take responsibility for defective vehicles. Under California Lemon Law, a manufacturer must compensate you if you receive a lemon and certain conditions are met.
If your vehicle presents with issues within the first 18 months of purchase or 18,000 miles, you could be entitled to a replacement vehicle, refund, or cash settlement. We use three methods to resolve your claim:
- Arbitration
- Litigation
- Settlement
If your manufacturer offers arbitration, you’ll need to accept it if you want to receive certain presumptions in court. If you don’t want to arbitrate, we can litigate for you, but you’ll need to prove in court that your vehicle is a lemon.
The good news is that we manage to settle most cases without litigation. If you’re looking for a Lemon Law attorney in the Bay Area who will advocate for your rights and get a swift outcome, schedule your free consultation with Timothy Abeel & Associates. We’ll negotiate on your behalf and earn you a fair remedy.
Qualifying for Compensation Under the Lemon Law in San Francisco
Not every lemon is covered under California Lemon Law. You could be eligible for compensation if your vehicle came with an express warranty and your issues first appeared within the first 18,000 miles or 18 months of ownership or lease. Should your problematic vehicle meet this criteria, it is presumed a lemon when the following has occurred:
- The dealer has tried two or more times to fix a life-threatening defect
- The dealer has tried four or more times to fix a non-life-threatening defect
- The defect has left your vehicle unusable for 30 cumulative days
Note that your vehicle doesn’t need to be in the shop for 30 consecutive days. So long as the defect has left your vehicle undrivable for 30 total days, it is presumed to be a lemon. When your vehicle meets the above criteria, the law assumes it is a lemon, and you don’t need to prove it to be a lemon in court.
Here are the remedies you may receive:
- Additional repairs
- Vehicle replacement
- Full or partial refund
In the event that the manufacturer refunds you, they will reclaim the vehicle and reimburse you for the following:
- The original purchase price (plus sales tax)
- Any lease or loan payments you have made
- Trade-in allowance you used in the purchase
- Licensing and registration fees
- Repair costs
- Towing costs
- Rental costs
If you choose a replacement vehicle, expect the following:
- A replacement of a comparable make, model, and trim level
- Credits for all of the payments you’ve already made
- Your loan balance resumes where it was
- Reimbursement for repair, towing, and rental costs
You can select the remedy you receive. Regardless of your compensation, the manufacturer is responsible for paying for your legal expenses, including attorney’s fees and court costs.
How It Works
We’re here to ensure you understand how Lemon Law cases work and will walk you through each step. Below is an overview of our process.
1. Complete Our Online Form
Before assessing your case, we’ll need to gather some basic information about your vehicle, which you can provide through our online form. A San Francisco Lemon Law attorney from our firm will review these details and conduct a free case assessment, during which they’ll give you a sense of what you can hope to win and go over their strategy for your case.
2. Send Documentation
We’ll need the following documents to build your case:
- Vehicle purchase documentation
- Repair shop records
- Receipts for repairs
- Receipts for towing or rentals (when applicable)
While we work on your case, we advise you to keep up with payments and any dealer-recommended repairs. Our team can provide you with additional tips on how to build a strong lemon case.
3. Let Us Do The Work
After we have the pertinent information and documents, we’ll get started on building your case. We’ll handle everything for you, including negotiating with the manufacturer and, when necessary, arbitrating or litigating. You won’t see a bill from us because we work on contingency — we only get paid when you do, and we’ll bill the manufacturer for any legal fees incurred during the process. We’ll communicate thoroughly with you and guide you, always ensuring your rights are upheld.
Let Timothy Abeel & Associates Help You
Our dedicated and knowledgeable team of California Lemon Law lawyers is ready to take your case! You don’t have to live with a lemon. Here’s what you’ll get when you partner with us:
Experienced and Knowledgeable Attorneys
Our lemon lawyers have extensive experience fighting for San Francisco drivers stuck with a lemon. We understand the intricacies of Lemon Law court in the Bay Area, so we know how to get you a fair and swift outcome. Work with us and benefit from decades of combined experience among our Lemon Law attorneys.
Free Case Reviews
A Lemon Law attorney in San Francisco is ready to review your case for free at Timothy Abeel & Associates. To get started, we need a few details about your vehicle and your experience with your lemon. Determining whether you have a case and what you could win costs you nothing, so call us today!
No Legal Fees
California Lemon Law requires that any manufacturer of defective vehicles has to cover the legal costs of impacted drivers. So you won’t receive an invoice from us. We’ll bill the manufacturer for attorney fees, filing fees, court costs, and any other legal expenses incurred throughout your case. The bottomless pit of spending on your lemon ends today.
Frequently Asked Questions
Looking for more information on Lemon Law cases in San Francisco? Find answers to commonly asked questions below.
To be eligible for Lemon Law protections, your vehicle must:
- Be used primarily for personal or household purposes
- Be a non-commercial vehicle
- Have been purchased from a California dealership
Suspect you’ve got a lemon? The first thing you need to do is inform the dealer or manufacturer of the problem and give them the allowed number of attempts to fix it. Never attempt to repair the issue yourself — this could worsen the defect and hurt your case.
Keep up with your usual payments and follow the dealer’s advice for repairs. In the meantime, call a San Francisco Lemon Law attorney at Timothy Abeel & Associates. We can start building your case, so if the dealer cannot fix your defect, we’ll be ready to proceed with legal action.
While every defect can cause major frustrations, only the following criteria make your vehicle a lemon:
- The dealer or manufacturer’s written warranty covers the issue
- The dealer made the legally-mandated number of attempts to fix the issue
- Your vehicle is undrivable for 30 cumulative days (with or without repair attempts)
- You can show an itemized receipt for labor and parts from each repair visit
Under California Lemon Law, you can expect one of the following remedies:
- Repurchase: The manufacturer buys the vehicle back from you and reimburses you for the original purchase price, trade-in allowance, sales tax, any lease or loan payments made, and registration fees.
- Replacement: The manufacturer replaces your lemon with a functioning vehicle of a comparable make, model, and trim. You will still be credited for any payments made, and your loan balance will resume at its current amount.
In either scenario, the manufacturer is responsible for your legal costs plus the cost of repairs, towing, and rentals.
Unfortunately, if your issues first appeared after the 18,000-mile or 18-month mark, you won’t be eligible for Lemon Law protections. However, you might qualify for compensation under other consumer legislations. Reach out to a consumer rights lawyer to explore your options for older vehicles.
Because every case has unique circumstances and complications, we can’t give you an accurate guess as to the timeline of your case. However, if we’re unable to reach a settlement with the manufacturer within 90 days, we’ll proceed with arbitration or litigation.
Never! Filing fees are legal costs, and the manufacturer must pay for all of your legal expenses under Lemon Law.
Recreational vehicles such as boats, motorcycles, and off-road vehicles are not considered “personal” or “household” use vehicles. As such, they are not protected under Lemon Law. However, you might receive protection under other legislation, especially if there is a breach of warranty.
No, you’re not required to retain a lawyer for your lemon case, but we strongly recommend you do. Lemon Law cases can be complex, and the best way to improve your chances for a fair outcome is to work with an experienced lemon lawyer. Because you won’t pay a single dollar upfront, there’s no downside to partnering with one of our experienced attorneys in your lemon case, so call Timothy Abeel & Associates for your free consultation now!