by: Earl Powers

When people think of Florida, they think of the Sunshine State and their top agriculture product - oranges. However, it is the lemon law Florida enforces that makes vehicle owners see yellow. Lemon law attorneys are almost as abundant as the orange crop in Florida, so just remember them when you decide to seek any legal counsel. However, you can research your basic car lemon law just by browsing the internet or reading below for the highlights on your rights as a consumer when it comes to owning a car lemon.

The late 1980's saw a new lemon law that holds car makers accountable, by particular situations of course, for refunding the purchaser's money or exchanging the problem vehicle with a new, comparable model. This law does not cover a used car lemon nor does it provide coverage for ATV vehicles, motorcycles, dirt bikes, motorized scooters or large trucks with a weight of over 10,000 pounds.

This lemon law Florida has also only covers new vehicles, either bought or leased in the state. There are very few exceptions. Defective operation or a major flaw in the car has to be present which would impede the safe use of the vehicle. You have heard that beauty is in the eye of the beholder? Well, the same goes when judging whether or not your vehicle has a legitimate defect.

The owner of the car has to have had wasted a lot of time taking the vehicle into the dealership or certified service provider, losing family time and possibly loss of wages due to missed work. Ok, so the lemon laws do not exactly say that, but that is the reality of it right? Technically, you had to have taken the vehicle in at least three occasions for identical problems or have had the car out of commission for fifteen straight days due to the flaw or defect.

Here is where it starts getting irritating. After all this time and aggravation of taking your vehicle in without the problems being fixed, THEN you have to fill out a form from the lemon law Florida handbook. You can state your grievances on there and describe your vehicle problems. The next step is mailing it straight to the manufacturer via certified or receipt mail and waiting for a response. (All this hassle almost makes you want to make lemonade with that car lemon, doesn't it?)

The manufacturer has ten days to pony up a response to your grievance. If you do not hear from them, then their rights are waived. Usually though, you will hear back from the manufacturer where they will direct you to yet another authorized service provider for another inspection of the alleged car lemon. Sounds like a lot of fun!

If you get disgusted with the entire process, do a search on the internet or ask around for some reputable lemon law lawyers that can fight the battle for you. Just be sure to keep track of all your repair receipts, any rental car fees due to your vehicle being out of commission and any other warranty work. Documentation is important to following any car lemon law. Good luck in your quest. Let's hope that you will soon start seeing green, the color of money instead of car lemon yellow!