The Lemon Law, What You Should Know!

United States car lemon laws were enacted to protect consumers against buying defective, unrepairable vehicles. The major automobile manufacturers mass-produce their products, and generally the quality control is very good. However, when you connect more than a few parts together, you have a chance for a lemon.What is a lemon car? A lemon or lemon car is an automobile that has a defect that cannot be repaired by the consumer after a reasonable number of attempts. Alternately, if the car has been in a repair garage for 30 calendar days or more for repairs on the same defect, it may also be classified as a lemon car. The term can also apply to a vehicle in which the defect negatively affects the value and safety of the vehicle. Car lemon laws vary by state, so you should consult your own state laws to determine the exact definition that applies to you.Why is a terminally defective car called a lemon? One can only speculate why the name of a tart yellow citrus fruit came to be associated with defective cars. Lemons are very sour in taste, and traditionally sour tastes have been associated with bad luck. If something negative happens to a person, he or she might say, "It left a sour taste in my mouth." A salesperson whose big deal falls through might say, "The deal went sour." It seems plausible that the sour taste of the lemon, with its negative connotations, was used to coin the phrase "lemon car" to describe a car purchase gone sour.Why were lemon laws needed to protect car consumers? Look at the general definitions of lemon cars shown above. Some quick math will show that a lemon car can be an extreme financial hardship. The last time you picked up your car from the repair garage, were you happy with the bill, or were you dreading it? A car with four to six (or more) attempted repairs, with all the parts and labor charges, can easily add up to thousands of dollars. If your car is stuck in a repair garage for 30 days or more, with the mechanics billing hour after hour of labor, the bill might approach the price of the car itself!If your car meets your state's lemon car criteria, you have the right to seek a refund or replacement from the car manufacturer (not the dealer from which you bought it). You are probably entitled to be reimbursed for related costs such as towing, rental cars, and maybe even long distance calls to the manufacturer. Be absolutely sure to keep all bills and invoices related to your attempts to get your car repaired.If you decide to proceed with a lemon law claim against the manufacturer, it is beneficial to consult with a lawyer that specializes in lemon law cases. A lawyer can help make the stressful process go more smoothly. No doubt are already stressed enough over your lemon car.Some states have passed lemon laws to protect consumers against defective purchases of boats and even pets. Regardless of the origin of the term, lemon laws are here to protect you. The car manufacturers can hire teams of expensive lawyers, and they know you can't. Car lemon laws help to level the playing field in your favor.

Extreme Off Roading

Trucks reign supreme in a large portion of the country, despite environmental concerns.
Forget the pending oil crisis or the damaging effects of automobiles on the environment. Like it or not, this is America, where everything is big - including the cars.
Light-duty trucks (vans, pickups, 4x4s, and SUVs) reported increased sales for the eighth straight year, reaching an all-time high of 8.2 million units in 1999, according to the National Automobile Dealers Association. In fact, light trucks' share of the new vehicle market currently stands at a record 48.5 percent, up from 40.3 percent in 1994. These vehicles are heavier, stronger, and more powerful than their counterparts of 20 years ago. They're also less fuel-efficient than your typical passenger car. The Bureau of Transportation Statistics reports that all gains made over the past two decades in the fuel efficiency of light trucks has been offset by the increased weight and horsepower of models on the market today. According to the bureau, this environmental loss has been driven primarily by the consumer battle cry of "bigger is better."
But sitting behind the wheel of a big rig doesn't automatically make you an environmental hazard. Truckers, it seems, mirror their passenger car counterparts in terms of environmentally-friendly consumer choices. According to Simmons Market Research Bureau, 40 percent of truckers buy products in recycled packaging, and 38 percent believe there should be a ban on products that pollute the environment. (These attitudes and behaviors are on par with the national average of 40 percent.) In this issue of American Demographics, we take a look at the truck-phenom, and the drivers behind the wheels of these big autos. Doctors have joined the chorus of attacks on 4x4 vehicles with a warning that owners are recklessly putting other road users at risk by flouting laws over the use of mobile phones and seat belts.
Researchers who studied the behaviour of drivers of the off road vehicles say that they took more risks because they felt safer than drivers of smaller cars. Scornfully known as Chelsea tractors due to their increasing appearance on urban streets, few 4x4s have seen more mud than can be picked up on a private school sports field. Teachers have tried to ban them and politicians want to impose penal tax rates on them - up to pounds 2,000 a year, 10 times the normal road tax, in the latest proposal from the Liberal Democrats. They have been widely condemned as gas-guzzling, road- hogging and environmentally damaging. And the new front opened by the medical profession is bound further to inflame the debate on Britain's most controversial vehicle.
Although passengers in a 4x4 are less likely to suffer harm in an accident than those in a smaller vehicle, their owners are increasing the risk of injury to themselves and others by their failure to observe common safety measures, according to research from Imperial College, London, which is published in the British Medical Journal.
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