Our California lemon law attorney in Los Angeles at Shainfeld Law, P.C. knows multiple inconveniences accompany car trouble.
First, it is the car trouble itself. Even if your vehicle is still under warranty, so you pay no out-of-pocket costs for the repairs, being without your car, truck, or SUV impedes your ability to get to work, school, or even the grocery store on your schedule.
Next, it is alternate transportation. How else are going to get to where you need to go? For many years, California car dealerships would supply customers with rental cars, or loaner vehicles while repairs to their vehicles were being made.
In most cases, these courtesy cars are rarely available, or even offered to customers who will be without their vehicles during repairs. The question becomes, are you entitled to a rental, loaner, or courtesy vehicle if you take your car in for warranty repairs?
Our Los Angeles lemon law attorney has answers, and how you can keep track of your alternate transportation costs.
Do the Terms of Your Warranty Include Language Regarding a Courtesy Car?
The simple answer to the question, “Am I entitled to a rental, loaner, or courtesy vehicle when I take my car in for warranty repairs?” is, no. You are not automatically entitled to the free use of a vehicle because your car is at the dealership for repairs that are covered by your warranty.
That is true unless your vehicle warranty explicitly covers a courtesy car when you drop your vehicle off.
Unfortunately, the terms of most manufacturers’ warranties only cover the warranty repairs — not alternate transportation. In some cases, you may not have a choice but to get a rental vehicle, use a rideshare service, or public transportation to get to and from where you are going.
This means you are incurring expenses you never planned for, which leads to the next question, are those out-of-pocket costs recoverable? The answer is, maybe.
If Your California Vehicle is a Lemon, All Out-of-Pocket Costs May Be Pursued in Your Claim
According to the California Lemon Law, if your vehicle has endured a qualifying number of repair attempts, or has been in the repair shop for a total of 30 days or more, with no success in fixing the same issue, you may qualify to file a lemon law claim.
When you do, the manufacturer will be liable for all transportation costs that resulted from your vehicle being a lemon. That includes rental car expenses, rideshare costs, public transportation, and taxi fares. Be sure to keep track of these expenses, and record each going forward, so you know exactly what your lemon purchase has cost you.
In addition, the vehicle’s manufacturer will be liable for our legal fees, so you will never pay any out-of-pocket costs to pursue a positive outcome.
Contact Our Skilled California Lemon Lawyers Today for Help
We will pursue the vehicle’s manufacturer for a legal remedy that fits your needs. We have a 99% success rate, and typically produce results for our California lemon law clients in as little as 30-60 days. Contact our experienced Los Angeles County lemon law attorney at Shainfeld Law, P.C., today by calling 310-295-1888 or request a free consultation online.