If you suspect that your vehicle may be a lemon, you may be considering filing a lemon law claim. It’s important to gather as much evidence as possible to support your lemon law claim against the auto manufacturer. If you are not sure what to gather, a lemon law attorney will gladly advise you on what materials to gather for an initial review. Repair orders, otherwise known as repair invoices or work orders, are vital to your lemon law claim. However, you should also know what other forms of evidence to present to your lemon law attorney.
We have written a non-comprehensive list of types of evidence that could strengthen your California lemon law claim:
- Repair invoices or work orders: Keep copies of every repair invoice or work order that shows the times you’ve given the auto manufacturer or dealership a chance to repair the defect. These invoices or repair orders should show the date of the repair visit, the problems you reported, the work performed on the vehicle and whether it was warrantied.
- Recalls or technical service bulletins: Research any recalls or technical service bulletins related to your vehicle. You can do this by visiting nhtsa.gov, clicking the “Recalls” tab and typing in your vehicle year, make and model. You can find the profile of your vehicle type and read through recalls, complaints and manufacturer communications.
- Warranty documents: Keep a copy of your vehicle warranty. Your warranty will show which components are covered, and for how long they are covered (as they have time and/or mileage limits).
- Photographs and videos: If possible, take photos and/or videos of your vehicle problems when they occur. Sometimes, vehicle defects are intermittent and the mechanic or technician can’t always replicate them.
- Maintenance records: Work orders or repair invoices for maintenance repairs can help ensure that your vehicle problems are not seen as a result of vehicle abuse or neglect.
- Witnesses: Who else saw your vehicle problem? If someone was a passenger in your vehicle or drove your vehicle when the problem occurred, they may be able to report their experience with your vehicle defect.
- Expert opinion: Get your faulty vehicle inspected by a third party mechanic or engineer. If the inspection yields evidence of your vehicle’s defect, you will want that assessment as evidence in your lemon law claim.
- Correspondence: Have you written, emailed or called your auto manufacturer or dealership regarding your vehicle problems? Keep copies of letters and print your emails. If you took phone calls, gather whatever notes you took of that phone call.
You may not be able to gather all of this evidence before reaching out to a lemon law attorney. However, it helps to gather as many documents as possible for your initial review. When conducting a consultation, your lemon law attorney will want to review your repair invoices or work orders. From here, the lemon law attorney might determine the viability of your potential lemon law claim.
During your consultation with a lemon law attorney, you may ask what else you should gather to demonstrate your good faith efforts to get your vehicle repaired. That initial consultation is free. Should you decide to proceed with a lemon law claim, you will not have to pay anything out of pocket for lemon law services. The lemon law attorney only gets paid if you win, and the auto manufacturer is on the hook for the attorney’s fees and costs as part of the settlement.
Call us for a free lemon law consultation at 877-217-7676.
Lemon Law Help by Knight Law Group is an automotive lemon law firm that exclusively practices in California. If you are a California resident who purchased or leased a defective vehicle from a licensed dealership in California, we may be able to help you get rid of your potential lemon and recover significant cash compensation. Model year restrictions apply: 2020–Present vehicle models only.
However, we cannot help those who reside outside of California or purchased their vehicle outside of California unless they are active duty members of the Armed Forces, nor will we be able to refer those to a lemon law firm in their states.
To learn more about the California Lemon Law and your legal rights, visit our guide on the California Lemon Law for more information.
