First you have to understand the Indiana Lemon Law and what it covers and then you have to know how to use it. This How-To guide can help you get rid of your lemon motor vehicle.
1
What can the Indiana Lemon Law do if I have a lemon vehicle?
Under the right circumstances, it can make the manufacturer replace or buy it back if your car or light truck had a defect that substantially impaired the use or value or safety of the vehicle and that was not, or could not, be fixed in a timely manner. In a motorhome vehicle case, however, the Indiana Lemon Law does not apply at all.
2
What vehicles are not covered by the Indiana Lemon Law?
The Indiana Lemon Law does not cover all vehicles. It doesn't cover conversion vans, motor homes, farm tractors, and other machines used in the actual production, harvesting, and care of farm products, road building equipment, truck tractors, road tractors, motorcycles, mopeds, snowmobiles, or vehicles designed primarily for off road use. But you may still have lemon law rights under the federal Lemon Law (technically called the Magnuson Moss Warranty Act), if your product was designed for consumer use. This federal Lemon Law requires the manufacturer to repair a warranty-covered defect within a reasonable amount of time and a reasonable number of chances. You can read about it at this How-To Guide: How to Get Rid of a Lemon Rv or a Lemon Motorhome, http://www.avvo.com/legal-guides/ugc/how-to-get-rid-of-a-lemon-rv-or-a-lemon-motorhome
3
How do I know if I have a lemon?
The manufacturer's dealer is only allowed a limited number of chances to repair defects in your vehicle. If one or more of the following circumstances occurs within the first 18 months or 18,000 miles of operation, then the manufacturer (through its repairing dealer) is automatically presumed to have made a reasonable number of attempts to repair the vehicle, and you've got a lemon. A lemon motor vehicle in Indiana is one where: the same defect has been repaired 4+ times and isn't fixed, or it's been out of service for a total of 30+ business days.
4
I think I have a lemon, so what do I do now?
Contact the manufacturer directly and start negotiating. Write a letter, write an email, send a fax, make a phone call. And make notes of everything as it happens. And send copies to the dealer too. If the problem has not been fixed and you meet any one (or more) of the definitions of a lemon vehicle, ask them to replace it or buy it back. You get your choice. If they won't do it, then you may want to complain to the Indiana Attorney General's Consumer Protection Office or contact a private attorney. Make notes of everything that you say to them and they say to you, so you have a record in case you need it later.
5
The manufacturer wants to charge me for my mileage (a "usage fee"), do I have to do that?
Yes. In Indiana there is a deduction allowed, based on the miles driven multiplied by 100,000 miles, so you can expect they may ask you to do that in order to get a quicker settlement. For instance if you paid $30,000 for your lemon and drove it 50,000 miles, then you get half your money back ($15,000)
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