Philly Council Passes Used Car Bill
At 1-800-LEMON LAW, we receive countless calls from folks who purchased a used car and ended up being taken for a ride. Sometimes the car has a salvage title, or it will not pass inspection, or it just falls apart. Many times, these distressed drivers have little or no protection under the State and Federal Laws we work with. Now, Mayor Nutter’s consumer advocate Lance Haver is working hard to change that in Philadelphia.
This past Monday, The Philadelphia City Council has approved a lemon law bill for used cars, and if that bill becomes law, drivers will have 72 hours to get their car checked out by a mechanic following the purchase. If the car is not drivable, the dealer will either have to fix the problem or allow the consumer to return the car for a full refund.
This is a bill whose time has come, according to Kimmel & Silverman Founding Attorney Craig Thor Kimmel. “In Philadelphia, used car sales occur with greater frequency than in less populated areas for the simple fact that insurance on a used car in the city is cheaper than insurance on a new car. Often people who buy used must rely entirely on what they are told from their salesperson, as there is little or no warranty remaining. In the case of new cars, repairs are covered under warranty for free but sadly, that is not often the case for used cars. Avoiding an unreliable car and its high repair bills is critical. This type of consumer protection would certainly be welcomed.”
As you know, the Pennsylvania Lemon Law currently does not apply to used cars. However, if you are under a manufacturer’s warranty and you have been back three or more times, you could be entitled to monetary damages under a Federal law known as the Magnuson Moss Warranty Act. Like the Lemon Law, representation under this Law is completely cost-free. For more information, call us at 1-800 LEMON LAW or visit www.lemonlaw.com.
October 8th, 2014 at 1:55 pm
Hi my husband and I purchased a vehicle a little over 17 months ago.. 10 days after driving off the lot our engine blew. We had our taken to where we purchased but there were no audi techs so they subbed out to audi dealer..warranty replaced the motor and I was told it was ready for pick up.. went and picked the car up and on way home couldn’t go over 30 miles an hr. Took back here one of the techs realized wrong motor was installed they removed and replaced. 6 months went by and check engine light came on. Took back it was a misfire issue. They tuned up car and found that there was sludge in engine we I’d well warranty should cover.. wrong they don’t cover sludge so we asked who was responsible for checking dealer told us warranty company so called them and tried to fight. They said dealer.. ok so we paid out of pocket for sludge removal a little over 6 months went by check engine light came back on took to private mechanic to plug in and see what problem was. It was a misfire issue so we replaced spark plug. When mechanic pulled the spark plug out he said that it had detonated inside the engine and there was no compression in cylinder 1 took to dealership with plug in hand told them our spark plug had detonated inside engine and no compression in cylinder 1. Warranty refuses to pay for engine and we talked to dealer here they tried to say they removed the plug and we brought car in for misfire. None of what we said and funny how we had the plug in hand when we went in.. theu didn’t know what to say.. but we are out of car and need to fight this isn’t anything we have done. We have all services rendered on paper and all oil changes my husband had done on record.. please help it’s an 2006 audi a4 Quattro 4dr sedan awd when purchased had a little over 63000 miles
October 10th, 2014 at 9:44 am
@Krystal: Please fill out your info at https://www.lemonlaw.com/rid.html and we will review it and get back to you.