The Lemon Law Attorney's most JAW-DROPPING cases
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#LemonLaw #NewCars #ConsumerAdvocate
There are some truly fascinating aspects of lemon law practices in the US. I am so glad Steve could shed light on some of them here.
These are not only great car stories, but greatly informative depending on the topic discussed.
Oh, this is just a "dip a toe in the pond" of Lemon Law stories. Some issues aren't even caused by a factory defect. Ask him about the Chrome Rims story. (I'm guessing Steve may have been the catalyst for manufacturers to stop working with a couple of dealerships in Mi.)
Oh, and I find it Deliciously Ironic that you go after the kinds of cars Steve would advice people to avoid. Also, how you mention that part of the cost of ownership of a high end or an exotic car kind of sounds like a system that just takes the car being a lemon as part of the price of ownership. (*COUGH* Land Rover *Cough*)
Thanks Ed.
Thanks for helping him share his knowledge Ed.
I once bought a 78 Camaro from an older lady. She said it had always been a great car. Except that it magically produced toothpicks. She said that she was finding toothpicks on the floor since it was new. About a year after I bought it,I had the headliner replaced. When I went to pick it up and pay the guy. He hands me a bag of toothpicks and said he found them under the front upper trim,by the sun visors. There was almost 400 toothpicks in there. Red ones,blue ones,green ones. There was also flat ones along with ones with paper wrapped ones from some restaurant in California that went out of business. 😆 Somebody at the Camaro factory had a sense of humor. LOL!
My Dad would get a toothpick at every restaurant he ate at ... actually, probably 2 or 3 for good measure ... and stick them in the headliner trim above the driver door or near the A pillar. When he had about a dozen or so, my mom would tell him to throw some away.
@@AllAmericanGuyExpert Why did he do that tho? lol
That guy was pissed he lost his toothpicks
Sounds like a dream come true. Come out of a restaurant with some food stuck in your teeth, smack your visor and get a toothpick
That was a thing back then people didn't litter they would use there ashtray or the corner pillar up by the ceiling nto put there toothpicks sometimes it would fill up lol
I have literally been the mechanic stuck in this situation at a dealership. That's why good mechanics don't stay at dealerships very long and go to aftermarket shops.
I have a co-worker that used to work for a Dodge dealership and he said that the Dealership Mechanics actually get paid a Reduced Hourly Rate for Warranty Work. Now, when you purchase a new vehicle, what is the Salesman always trying to push: Extended Warranties. Do you really think the Mechanic is gonna go the extra mile?
@@gfoursux9 Your friend is 100% correct.
Facts!
Yup. Because we get all the shit work, and don't get paid as much as the other ones below us.
@@gfoursux9, I bought a '70 Dodge Challenger when they first came out. Best handling, fun to drive car I've ever owned. It had one problem, it used oil like it had no rings of any kind in the engine. Short block failed in Alaska (from another problem) while it was still under warranty. Dealer replaced it, no problem. It still used oil like crazy! I get the car home to Florida and I take it into the local Plymouth after the Dodge dealer refused to look at it. An hour later the shop manager calls me to come back to the dealership. I walk in, my car is completely fixed and the service manager points to an intake manifold sitting on the floor. One side of it had never been ground down from when it was caste, thereby making the engine a four cylinder oil pump! So, as in the case of the seven engines Steve talks about, replacing the short block accomplished nothing as far as what was really wrong with the car. After that the car never used another drop of oil and ran like a proverbial top.
An honest lawyer protecting common folk, rare to see
After u pay his fees of course.
@@frontspring1 I think the idea is that, if you win the case, all of the fees are paid by the person you are suing. So you don't end up paying for it.
@@frontspring1 In lemon law cases, the manufacturer has to pay the lawyer fees. Well, assuming they lose the case.
It happens every day.
common folk are guilty
My dad claims that "back halfing", or welding two halves of a car together, is the major reason we have such insane salvage title laws in Illinois. It was a very common practice in the early days of unibody cars.
Maybe has something to do with all that rust you deal with in your shop lol
Hi Wes!
@@jammie129 My first job was in a body shop. They did this to a car while I worked there. I've been a professional welder for many years. Remembering how they put that car together, I can only think it was a death trap. Looked good, though.
its also called a Cut n' Shut.
@@phlodel i walked away from an apprenticeship at one for a similar reason. they used crap parts and claimed them as brand new. had one car come in FIVE times because they fucked it
I had a lemon law attorney also named Steve, in California, also for a Chrysler product, that had frame and suspension issues making it dangerous to drive, amongst several other problems, yet they refused to fix it under warranty and even refused to honor a recall fix. They ended up paying for it big time.
Let me guess, the Sebring?
Imagine driving your car and then the frame just decides to leave
@@anynonymous1585 *smirks in Toyota Tacoma*
@@anynonymous1585 Laughs in anything driven up north after a few years
"They love me"
"I've been suing them for 30 years"
I'm dead🤣
This was a genuinely interesting video. Great stories.
Well hello there!
OMG GREG SALAZAR WATCHES WHAT I WATCH
Hey! Cool.
WTF BPS IN HERE TOO
Shit. Not often you see a name you recognize in the comment sections of videos in other genres. How's life, Greg?
The 4 dislikes must be from Ford, GM, FCA and Ram.
No, one's from this Former Judge who's no longer allowed to practice law in Michigan. Steve stopped taking cases in a certain part of Mi after having a few cases in her court and decide he'd rather pass on the business than step in front of her bench ever again.
@@jackielinde7568 Not until march18th
don't forget Singer Sewing
*Laughs in Toyota brakes*
*Laughs in VW Emissions*
Yeah, forgot didn’t ya?
Brother sewing machines, polaris, sea-doo, yamaha, kawasaki, can am, paccar, etc. might be some of the other dislikes. There are way too many companies to try to list
I worked for a GM dealership in the 90's All I did was warranty work, I felt so sorry for the customers who bought these crap vehicles. GM did not pay us to repair them properly, mostly just patching them together to keep them going until the warranty period was up.
I worked at one as well, the mechanics would always tell me not to buy certain models. The pickups seemed good, I still drive one, most things with the 4.3 vortec they said were good. The Buick's had good engines, the 3800 but the bodies fell apart. The Pontiac sun fires seemed pretty bad.
I had 2 trucks with the 4.3. It's a damn good engine.
I learned to not trust GM products in the 90s.
We ran Chevy or GMC WTs at work, all with the 4.3 engine. Employees were lined up waiting to buy them used. I heard of them making it to 300,000 miles before they got rid of it, still running.
I bought 2 trucks myself, brand new with the 4.3 in them. Worst pieces or crap I ever owned. I don't understand it.
@@scottcurry479 - GM probably 'upgraded' the 4.3 since then.
So many good candidates for the opening quote:
"I've been suing them for 30 years they love me"
"Your steering wheel falls of in your lap, the scary thing is it's got to happen more than once"
"That's not acceptable", "Why?", "Every time I drive it over 50 the axel starts smoking"
"Does a dealership really not notice that a car has been cut in half and stuck together again"
A college teacher I had said he had a Ford in the 90s and it went through brake pads every two months. After 6 sets he went to a garage who diagnosed warped disks. Nobody at Ford thought to replace disks after after about 6 sets of pads
The same thing happened to my aunt. She had a Ford Bronco, which went through brake pads every 90 days or so. The dealer kept trying to fix it, but eventually gave up, as they couldn't figure it out. They gave her a lifetime warranty on the brakes, so she took it in every 90 days to get the brake pads replaced the whole time she owned it.
“It starts smoking if I do 50....”
“Well...drive slower”
Back when I was a dumb teenager I had a Jeep Cherokee that had horrible death wobble from 50-55mph, but being a dumb teenager my solution was always drive faster until it stopped
Roll the credits, problem solved.
@@Jjeepin86 That's literally pushing through the problem 🤣... It's funny that still to this day jeeps and dodge trucks still have the death wobble problem that you have to get after market products to fix it, I'm not a fan of jeep and dodge for these reasons.
@@smooth_ops2942 FYI Its not just Jeep and Dodge that get death wobble.
Reminds me of being a kid and telling my dad it hurt when I moved my arm a certain way and he'd tell me to stop moving it that way.
First time I’ve ever heard of a Frankenstein car is when I was at an accident scene where the Frankenstein car was hit by a pickup on the side. The car split in half, and both the driver and passenger were ejected and both died. They both were wearing seatbelts but it didn’t matter when the back of the car comes off.
“They love me I’ve been suing them for 30 years!” 😂😂😂
In some of the videos that Steve made on the topic, it sounds like he's on a first name basis with some of the legal departments for these manufacturers.
My retarded as brain thought he said sewing and didnt think it was wierd at all. long day at work i guess XD
@@mackan98502 We've all been there before. Just enjoy the mistake and the new meaning it brings. ;)
Beat me to it. Shout out to Louisville, my hometown.
Do lemon laws work on used cara
I used to work at a Honda dealership that sold a certified used Civic that had once been two cars. They welded it around the top of the back window down to above the gas tank so everything was covered. Nobody knew until it went for bodywork (it was scheduled for repairs but the customer needed the car so they took it with the appt. scheduled) when they took the back seat out you could still see the different color from the floor pan to the trunk. People are very sneaky. The dealership immediately bought the car back and used it for miscellaneous dealership errands.
That whole "welding cars back together" thing actually was considered a valid repair option through the 80s in the US. Back then, body-on-frame was a lot more common, so I guess it made sense, but still, I'm shocked it lasted that long.
Back when repairing a vehicle at all costs was priority. Now they'll total a 50k car because the airbags deployed.
Would not bother me a bit to purchase a vehicle that the body was welded back together if it had a full frame
They’re “welded together” from the factory.
Its still done to this day its called clipping as long as u take it apart at the factory weld seems nobody would even no about it
It’s also called restoring when done on vintage cars.
One of my uncles used to own a junk yard and he “built” at least one car for my aunt by cutting two wrecked cars in half and welding the good halves together. He got a salvage title for the resulting car and my aunt drove it for a few years and she loved it.
But it was honest, legal, and above board. By the time she was done with that car it went back into his junk yard. I suspect that he did that with more cars too.
Anyone remember when RedGreen welded two front halves together so he could have four wheel steering?
...”Remember when RedGreen” way to make me feel old!
Also seen some hilarious videos of that from eastern europe, including one where they drive their 2 seater/2 driver lada in traffic, and make some really funny moves, ever seen a car *strafe*? Even one with 3 front ends (Russian fidget spinner).
I remember the car, but I think he just duct taped them together lol
That’s the best episode!
Well, if the women don't find you handsome they should at least find you handy!
"Are there really that many bad cars out there?"
*Built On Friday has entered the chat*
It’s actually rush built on Friday to meet quota so we don’t have to work Saturday
Every day is a Friday in the Chrysler factories.
everyday is a lemon law day at chrysler
if you google "How Its Made : Lemons" they give you a tour of a chrysler factory
Im not kidding when I say I’ve seen brand new trucks with the death wobble. Car manufacturers should be ashamed.
As a mechanic, I cannot tell you how many times Ive heard someone ask about the lemon law. They have a new car that broke one time, or even a used car that broke one or more times, and wanted to know how they could get their money back through the lemon law. The most common misconception I hear is that the lemon law applies to all vehicles new and used if bought from a dealer.
7 engines? Wow! My 1988 Dodge Daytona was almost a Lemon in Massachusetts...for the clutch. But on their last attempt (after 5 already in a year), they finally figured it out and corrected it. The car went another 130k+ miles after that without a hint of failure. During the failures, the dealer and Chrysler rep kept telling me I didn't know how to drive a stick. NOT!
Cool stuff Steve and Ed!
We had an 87 Daytona Shelby. Blew 3 turbos in 70k. Was a fun car in manual though.
My Sisters 88 Turbo Daytona was always eating clutches and also axles. It also leaked like a sieve.
The amazing thing is, they give these come backs to the same technician, every time. A buddy way back, was going through transmissions in a new 1984 Monte Carlo. After the third one, I said to make certain that there were two dowel pins in back of the motor, bingo!
Here in Australia we call the Frankenstein a cut and shut.
For obvious reasons they only shut
Sounds like an open and shut case.
We also call it a cut and shut in the UK, however, they are completely illegal here. When a car is involved in an accident, it’s only allowed very mild structural damage before it’s not allowed back on the road.
Some states in USA don’t allow any rust holes or frame welding.
Other states are the Wild West.
Yeah, well, anyone doing that in Australia can die of cancer. And their children can do the same.
Same term used here in the UK
I live in India, never visited the USA or any other country but Vinwiki car stories gives me all the experience right here. Damn, all of the stories ever told here are so damn interesting and informative. Keep up the great work guys 💯
I bet your shop mechanics in India have some great stories too
Hopefully you get to visit or even move to the USA one day. Pretty nice place to live.
@@neekeyzonked5574 those stories end up as shorts on YT and Facebook. Rebuilding engines in the dirt, cut and welded truck frames with a hammer, 3 batteries and some fencing wire for filler rod, and transmissions where the gears are shifted by hand moving the selector forks themselves
Lehto's law is one of my favorite channels on TH-cam
That first story reminds me of 20 years ago when independant transmission shops would rebuild a transmission and not flush the shrapnel out of the cooler lines, a rebuild would last a year or two, and you would see cars for sale that were on the fifth rebuild
I have a sneaking suspicion that this is what kills many rebuilt 4L60Es. Shame GM didn't strengthen them from the factory for use in the Silverado and Suburban rather than using the same internals as an S10/Blazer/Sonoma/Jimmy, where the transmission was actually quite reliable as they didn't weigh 6,000 lbs unloaded and only pushed 200 HP at best with the 4.3, quite a bit more for the turbocharged Syclone and Typhoon but still lacking 10-15 hp from a 5.3 and still with half of the weight. Regardless, it seems like a rookie level mistake to forget to flush the forbidden glitter out of the transmission cooler and lines. That stuff's like stop slip to the extreme. Your transmission will not slip because it's too busy exploding.
Throwback to Rabbit talking about clipping cars and welding them together and this guy saying it's common.
I watched that video yesterday lol
"Every car that gets clipped gets a vinyl top" - Rob Pitts
Rabbit is the biggest fraud on the Internet.
@@jamesrobinson9176 fraud? Not even close. He's an amazing salesman and a smart businessman
@@Cody6210 you must be new here. He's an ADMITTED fraud. Why do you think he's banned from Ebay?
What he described about how the American repair industry works is what happens when you concentrate too much control at the top. The guys at the top don't have much interaction with the product, all they do is numbers. Now there is a place for those kinds of decisions, but it's limited. Giving them too much control over fine details is like navigating a garden path with a truck.
My dad bought a car off his step dad who was a car salesman. It was a 1979 Ford falcon ute. You think you could trust your step dad right? Turns out that was 2 different cars welded together in the middle, and it was his step dad who did the welding. My dad didn’t find out until it started rusting....
You clearly haven't watched enough porn. Step dad's can't be trusted lmao
@@dukedub that's certainly one way to get screwed...
Every day bub. In the industry they call that clipped. You could buy a 3rd gen f body but the front is a later ta and the rear is a early camaro but the rear lights and deck lid from the Camaro aren't right for a ta so you swap those from a third car.
If it wasn't for taking the good parts from 4 wrecked cars and making one good one ed wouldn't have anything to drive.
If done properly the weld is stronger than the original metal so welding two halves of a car together is not a problem. If the welding is done by a moron however.................
@@andrewallen9993 Welding , whether done well or badly , compromises the vehicle’s crumple zone in an accident.
In Germany we have a thing called "Sachmängelhaftung", means: for whatever (!) you buy from a shop has to have Sachmängelhaftung for at least one year. The first half, the dealer/shop has to prove, you did something wrong with the product or fix it for no cost. After half a year you have to prove something was already wrong by delivery.
Means: if something is wrong within the first half year: no problem.
If something is wrong after that: well, try warrenty.
(it is a lot more complycated, especially part 2)
We need more stories from this guy
He has his own youtube channel
When I worked for a dealer I had a customer that kept complaining about the battery going dead. It came in 3 times and the last time it was here for 2 weeks. It was hard to figure out because it would only draw power for a few minutes. Well it ended up being the passenger seat switch was stuck in the down position because the customer broke the cover. The reason we couldn’t figure it out is the seat motor has thermal protection so when the motor got hot it would shut off and not draw power but when the vehicle sits overnight the motor cools down and draw power and shut off and keep doing this. We install a new switch cover, the customer drove the car 3000 miles on vacation and when they came back they took us to court and won even though the problem was caused by the customer.
Wasn't the vehicle's fault....loose nut behind the wheel that just wanted a newer car.
I'm so glad to see Steve Lehto on the channel! I've been following him for years and if anyone has stories to tell about cars it's definitely him.
They've already released a video, so you need to go back and watch that one, too.
Lemon law is great. I'm glad it exists, but it sucks that people have to go through that. I'm sure people that spend money on a car, just want it to work and fulfill its purpose. Good thing guys like Steve are around.
Lemon law is 💩 you still end up paying for the damn car just in lawyer fees. Also takes years to get a take care of. Knew a guy that it took 2 years and he still had to eat half the value of a brand new F250!! Lemon law isn’t good enough.
Nope. Lawyers fees are payed by the manufacturer. Client should have nothing out of pocket.
@@ryand4533knew a guy-I bet you did,lied to you all the time too
Been watching Steve for several years. Even have a couple books he wrote.
Why?
@@reeddanj why not, learned some great things about law from him. Education is Education
He writes about various topics. This guy is a hidden gem.
@@reeddanj Why do you watch Vinwiki? I assume because you enjoy it? Maybe, just maybe, Mark enjoys the content that Steve produces, be it TH-cam videos or books, and wants to support him.
I've been watching Steve Lehto for years also. He comes up with some fascinating subject matter. He keeps it fresh, interesting and educational. Much better than the usual internet garbage.
hahaha, as a Finnish person, this dudes Viper licence plate says "Snake" :D It made me laugh out loud..good stuff Vinwiki and Steve!
This guy is awesome I've been following his channel for a few years now
Yeah, I've been begging to get Steve on VINWiki for years. ;)
Steve is a last of the good guy attys
Same. Interesting content and that dry sense of humor I enjoy.
Me too! Super stoked to see him here.
This video just made my day. I saw one of Steve’s videos recently where he was wearing a VinWiki t-shirt.
TH-cam recommendation sent me here. First time I watched something like this interesting and enjoyed it.
I am just glad that Lehto has a platform to talk a bit more in depth about the car side of things now, his channel has always been extremely interesting.
"For the non-car guys in the audience"...The photo they used is a long block, Short blocks dont come with cylinder heads
Was I the only person who thought this was about the rules of 24 hours of lemons
No the 24 hrs of lemons in America racing supposed budget cars against each other
Thanks Ed for this video. You're helping out a lot of folks by educating them on their lemon law rights.
If you're innocent, call Phoenix Wright.
If you're guilty, Better Call Saul.
If you bought a lemon, call this guy.
And if you bought a nice car bring it to a high school parking lot and talk about the borla exhaust... but don't pick on the poor student with a classic doer upper.. it's the best he can do
I remember the Dodge Omni's from the early 80's...both of my parents had one....when the temperature got below freezing the door handles would easily snap off. It got to the point that you could buy them at every car parts store and they would be out on the shelves by the dozens.
lmao
Ed always has the best of the best story tellers in the business on this channel... But Steve is bringing a wealth of knowledge as well. So glad to see him on here.
Luckily that's one good thing about California. In California, the Manufacturer squashes "Bought Back" Lemon Law Vehicles. Someone from the Manufacturer is supposed to Witness the "Squashing" too so a buyer doesn't have to worry about buying 1/2 a broken car.
What is really sad is when someone spends they're money on a used car that breaks down a week or month later and nothing can be done about it
Their*
@@en3myspott3d54 childhood must have been a terrible time for you
The dislikes are clearly from Car Manufacturers, Car Dealerships, and other car businesses that don't like car buyers knowing this stuff.
I love watching Steve he cracks me up and definitely learned a lot from watching him
Steve Lehto is a legend! Thanks for having him on!!!
I really like Steve Lehto, but there is no denying he looks like Judge Doom from Who Framed Roger Rabbit when he goes toon...
NOT DIP!
Your not wrong
Bbbbbbaaaaaahhahahahahahahaha I'll never be able to unsee that
Not all lemons are actually lemons as well. I bought a 2017 volt that was a GM buyback. They gave me the entire service history on the car when I bought it and looking through it, it had had the ICE replaced once, however after that was a metric buttload of obviously frivolous complaints that dealerships couldn't reproduce, etc. It was pretty apparent whoever owned it just wanted a different car. I've had it over two years now and it's given me zero issues.
I'm glad to see two of my favorite channels doing a collaboration video. Now if you can find a story on a VinWiki car getting caught up in a federal asset forfeiture, you will hit the other highlight of Lehto's Law.
Seen it many times when I worked at a dealer in the 70-80's. Actually saw a luxury car, less than 1 year old that had been BRAZED together! Right in the middle.
30 years of lemons stories, wow. I hope he comes back!
Local Chrysler master tech friend of mine got dealt a warranty claim for intermittent all module com failure. He started looking at the history in Chrysler’s systems and found out that multiple dealerships had slowly replaced every single module and piece of wiring in the car and kept having different problems. Then finds out it had been deemed a lemon but somehow circulated back into the dealer system and sold again. Customer was given a brand new car by the end of the week.
Best guest yet. Steve was a breath of fresh air. Thanks for the content.
Funny thing is, Ralph Nader wrote "Unsafe at any Speed," but owned a Corvair.
It got auctioned of last year for about $1 Million
This one was good, get him on again to share more. I could listen for hours
That welded together car story always gets me, because I used to work at a new car dealer and before any car went on the lot it would need a thorough safety inspection to make sure it’s ready for sale. They wouldn’t even keep a hellcat we got as a trade because it had an aftermarket alarm system so something like that couldn’t even dream of making it onto the lot the techs would see that as soon as they pop the hood.
"For the non-car guys in the audience"
Does he knows where this is being published?
He knows. And he knows some people here aren't car guys.
a random person trying to research cars could just click on this tho
Some of us are here just for Ed's smooth sexy voice.
Not here for the cars and I’m not a car guy, I just like a good story. Same thing with Rich Rebuilds. I’m just there for his video opens because some of them are epic but I have ZFG about his cars.
@@UFPTX You like Leenda don't ya.
Been watching Steve for the past year and he has some great cases, not just lemon law ones! Truly a great channel to understand why things happen the way they do.
Oh he's great so glad you got him on
My father had an lemon in 1973, HQ Holden Balmont Panelvan ( GM in Australia ) 3 motors in 5 weeks, all short blocks, the dealer could see the motor was running with low oil even when it was full, It turned out to be a bad casting of the oil pump and was only giving a super low amount to the motor. The dealer had to wait 3 days and do a new service for the oil pump. When my father got his car back, he sold it and got a new Ford Falcon Panelvan. He never did buy a Holden again, He lost about 18% of that years income.
When I was younger we would beep and point at people’s car and see who pulled over. Most of the time they just flipped us off and kept driving.
Canada has NO lemon laws. If you can't work it out with the manufacturer, then you have to take them to court.
Love this guy’s channel. Glad to see the collaboration!
In the U.K. it can be quicker than two visits, you can sit down with the dealership and tell them the car is not fit for the purpose which it was sold. Our consumer law starts at a 1p sweet and goes all the way up to an unlimited value. If you can prove that something isn’t fit for the purpose that they sold it for then you can return it. Yes they’d like a chance to repair it under warranty but if it’s putting you in danger then you can reject it.
Steve is awesome. He told me how many more vids you have qued up with him. I was very happy to learn the number.
Glad you got Steve on I love learning interesting things about all sorts of Law related stuff on his channel
I really like these episodes from the point of the attorney, I would love to see more of this!
17 years ago, purchased my first car (used) from New York. A '97 Mitsubishi Eclipse GS-T Spyder. ~68,000 miles. Lived in Pennsylvania at the time. The dealer in New York included a full 100% warranty on parts & labor for 3 months/3k miles. Transmission blew after 1 week (broken shift fork). Engine blew a month after getting the car back (premature thrust bearing failure - aka crank walk). Replaced the short block. The second engine's head gasket blew a day after getting it back. After head gasket replacement, it threw a rod bearing. The technician replaced the short block again. 3 days after, the oil pump blew and ruined the turbo. Smoked like hell. Mitsubishi replaced the turbo at their cost. Spun *another* rod bearing. The technician @ Mitsubishi put a claim in to have the entire long block replaced. It was successful and received a whole brand new engine (bottom *and* top end).
After the initial problem, the dealer in New York said to take the car to a local Mitsubishi dealer. Pay out of pocket for repairs and they would reimburse us (due to the fact the dealer was 5 hours away). After all of the other problems, the dealer got super shady and refused to implement the warranty. They claimed I abused the car and didn't know how to drive stick. We were about $8k deep with all parts and labor. The car itself was $9,999.
Contacted a lemon law lawyer in New York, went through the proper steps. Drove 5 hours back up to New York for an initial hearing. The dealer failed to show. I automatically won the case and was given the choice to either keep the car and have the dealer pay for all repairs. Or return the car to the dealer for a full refund of purchase price and repair bill. I was young and dumb; I kept the car. I had always wanted one of these cars.
Needless to say, the car ran flawlessly for the next 4 years until I got rid of it. Granted, I was 18 at the time. I *did* know how to drive stick at the time (still drive stick to this day). I didn't abuse the car and followed all proper break-in procedures. Just dumb luck coupled with a huge known issue these engines had; crank walk. It's also safe to assume the previous owner probably beat the hell out of it.
To this day, I will only buy new cars. Let my experience be a lesson to all of you. While there are proper laws in place (lemon laws), it's still a painful process and huge headache. If you buy used, be sure you look over the entire car. Every inch. Take it on an extensive test drive. If you don't know what to look for, have someone with you who does. There are too many shady people in this world.
They see this guy’s name as the representing attorney and settle faster than a top fuel drag car.
I’ve known people who’ve had really bad issues with Acura, Mercedes and Toyota. They had a few issues with the Toyota, but it wasn’t able to be lemoned because they got so sick of it before heading the final repair under Florida law. The Mercedes SUV was one of the first of the assembly line, and was basically haunted. software issues were weird messages with pop-up and Siri would act really strange. Also there be instances where the seats would lock during driving and not be able to be moved until the car was shut off and turned on. Lots of mechanical issues with that model. Somebody else had a Mercedes that had a really bad gearbox and it turns out the transmission was also bad but they only would replace the gearbox so that car had to be taken back. That transmission and drive train issue was the same as the Acura.
Note: the Acura was in the early 2010s, both Mercedes were late 2010s and the Toyota was a 2021
I had an uncle who would weld front/back halves together. He only did it as a hobby though, he did an outstanding job, only sold them to family members and every one of them I know about lived a good long life afterwards. It can be done correctly but not that many people have the skill to do it well.
Helped do it to a Volkswagen Beatle. Thing was solid when done. But as you say you have to do it right.
It pays to know know the lemon law details for your state. I've had to threaten dealerships twice. First time was with my wife's first new car - an '03 mustang convertible. It decided about a month after she bought it that power steering fluid was purely optional and should be left on the ground. I had taken it in to the stealership 3 times already. They replaced the pump, the hoses, and the rack. Basically shots in the dark. Every time within a week of getting it back I was back at the dealership after the car had left its fluid on the ground. Again. She was frustrated to no end. It took me showing up the fourth time with the printout of the law for my state and a frank discussion with the 'service advisor' to get it dealt with. I basically pointed out that we'd have met the requirements and that I would be filing if it wasn't taken care of to my satisfaction that time. Funny, ha-ha, problem didn't recur again after they replaced the rack a second time. Second time was Ford again. We'd bought an '05 Freestyle (again new) as our first family car. Yeah, I know, Ford blah blah blah. Pick any manufacturer: they ALL have stories about major foul ups and bad designs at this point. Even the former golden child Toyota. Anyways, about a year after purchase the transmission decided it wasn't going to work. In retrospect BIG SURPRISE there, seeing as they were using a CVT transmission in a heavier car than was ever envisioned for CVT type transmissions. Ugh. So the car was in the shop at the stealership for a month. After checking in each week, I finally asked the advisor what was going on, why was it taking so long? Their answer: the transmission needed 4 O-Rings. The problem was they were only available in a rebuild kit at that point and the regional service manager was not willing to break one of those open. My asking "Uh, he does realize he's about to buy the car back from me, right???" lit a fire under his rear. Funny how those rings magically appeared and we got our car back. In my state it's some number of tries or 30 business days.
This is crazy I’m actually talking to a lawyer about lemon law for a 2020 ram 1500 and this video pops up
There are no coincidences ...Google knows what you need
@@ashp5406 I see what you mean
The algorithms are speaking to you
@@manuelresendiz5246 illuminati confirmed
What's wrong with it?
"K why didn't you call me three engines ago?"
Might be the best intro to a story ever
I've encountered the "two halves of a car welded together into a single car" before lol. My dad bought my sister a gray Toyota Carolla one time when she was in college, but he couldn't get the car out to her, so she was going to have to wait to get it until summer vacation. My dad bought the Carolla in about October. At the time, my brother also needed a car to work so he could replace his own car that died, so the deal was my brother could drive the car basically October to June, then it would go to my sister and at the start of her next semester in college it would go to Indiana with her. Well... in the winter, my brother was going to work at about 3am and it was a bit slippery. He saw a pickup truck in the ditch with another stopped to help and the driver standing in the road. My brother stepped on the brake pedal and immediately went into a skid directly at the guy... he honked to warn the guy, who tried to jump out of the way and slipped. He stood back up and My brother grazed him with the car, then hit the pickup truck stopped to help the stuck guy. This bounced him sideways into the left lane, exactly as a semi truck was going by. The rear of my brother's car struck the trailer wheels of the semi. This ricocheted him back across the road into the stuck truck... That Carolla was totaled.
So a short time later, my dad found my sister a green Carolla. Same year and everything. It was the rear of the great Carolla, which wasn't very badly damaged, cut off and welded to the front of a separate car. She had that green Carolla for probably about 6 or 7 years. I actually drove it a lot. When it ran, it was fine, but when it had issues they were issues from heel because of the Frankenstein nature of the car.
I could listen to this guy talk all day.
We had a car come through the paint shop that was cut and welded together like his story. It’s the only time I’ve ever seen my boss hold the keys from someone and not let them drive away in their car. Apparently if a shop sees stuff like that they they’re liable and can’t let it drive out under its own power.
I never miss a Steve Lehto video. Was happy to see him here. Thanks👍🏻
Hundo, unfolded, hanging out of the left side of the Michelin Man. 355. WRONG! I looked at the next Vin-Wiki video and see no change where I was looking. It looks like it may be on the neon alligator.
Nice to see you've made over to VINWiki.
Damn. I couldn't find it this time. Sneaky Ben.... The Vinwiki set isn't very conducive to seeing anything. Pretty blurry.
Regular viewers of Steve's YT channel will get this joke.
@@joshuagibson2520 Nope. I am wrong. It looks like it may be on the neon alligator.
Love the VIN WIKI stories. Keep up the great content. Steve Lehto is a Lemon Law Attorney Badass! I don't miss any of both your videos when they get posted. Thanks again for all your great content and advice.
Cheers,
Scott
We need some form of a Lemon Law in Canada....badly. As consumers up here, we get screwed with that a lot.
An ex girlfriend of mine is on her 3rd transmission in her 2019 Chevy Cruze and there's nothing she can do about it
Can yall just buy cars in America that are made in the U.S and hope the lemon law applies to non citzens
@@likenem my guy you know how expensive that would be?
@@tylerwilson4287 At least for the U.S, if a car i built by the big three you can drive a car straight across the border.
@@likenem, unfortunately, most manufacturers don’t allow Canadians to buy cars in the USA. The moment you give your provincial drivers license, the dealership won’t be able to sell the vehicle.
New Jersey has a fourth "Loss of value" prong. They could not figure out a fuel canister CEL, they had it for a total of 15 days on 4 different occasions. I took it to two dealers and had appraisals done, proving the history of the vehicle impacted the value. I did the legally required process of the certified letter, with the appropriate letter. The end result was the manufacturer offered to buy my vehicle back at 18k miles for 110% of my purchase price, AND the interest I paid on the loan. I stopped moving forward with the lemon law process and signed their NDA.
I’ve owned 2 of those dodge Dayton’s and the engines never had issues but the transmissions would constantly go out .
I bought a 2018 Buick Regal Sportback that I had to go through a lawsuit with GM for buyback when it started going wrong. I'm pretty sure the first dealership correctly diagnosed it but when they found the part was on backorder, they sent me away with a new battery only to have the car break the next day. I brought the car back and they stated the car just needed to be reprogrammed. A third time and a new dealership tried diagnosing it for two weeks with no luck. GM refused to give me a loaner so I bought a new car and hired a lemon law attorney. I didn't qualify for lemon law since it was more than a year but not much negotiation and I got a pretty big check and the car was taken to an auction. It's part of why I worry about buying used cars knowing that these cars with known issues that are hard to diagnose are just being passed around like hot potatoes.
Stop buying boo wicks they don't start the name with boooo for no reason be normal and buy linco- actually get with the program and buy Tesla already
Can you Lemon Law a lemon? I wasn't happy with one - too green
Sir I believe you bought a lime. No lemon la for you.
Depends on where you live and if the law was written to cover lemons. Just remember to always document how many times you take your citrus in for warrantee repair work in the first couple of years.
My dealership noticed a scratch on the bottom valence and wanted to dock it. But they "miss" a Frankenstein hahaha
damnit Lehto, now im addicted to VinWiki
I've been following both channels for years. Can't go wrong with either.
Sooo many people treat their cars like sh+t and blame the company/cars. They never wait for the various servo pumps/warning lights/startup procedure/ fuel injection to finish/turn off or wait in winter for heating coils in diesels or do twice fuel injection for easier cold start, they high rpm them when cold, push gas pedal when starting it automatically, ignore oil, treat robotized manuals like sh+t(and gave awesome transmission a bad name), etc..etc.. Such people should be exempt from lemon law suits.
Welcome to Lehto's Law. Here's Steve Lehto.
I had a lemon but unfortunately it was used. We spent thousands of dollars trying to repair an engine that never seemed to get better. I was desperate enough to pay the actual dealer to fix it. They couldn't figure it out. The last time they had it, an engineer from the manufacturer happened to be there and all the mechanics were standing around my car because it was such a mystery. When they told the engineer what was happening, he said "Oh, that's one of those defective fuel filters." :( We spent thousands of dollars due to a $20 part! Turns out even the replacement fuel filters didn't work either, so we had to re-engineer the fuel filter ourselves because the dealer wasn't able to fix it like it needed to be! Crazy. Great video!!!
I’d love to hear what this guy has to say about which cars he’d personally avoid buying
Probably anything American.
Maserati fs
Well, Doug probably has a few choice words about Range/Land Rovers.
I recall fixing the same part five times in five years. Customer would ship back; it's broken. We put it on the test harness, yeah it's broken. Take it apart; swap ruined parts for new parts; it works again. After the second time we took a magnifying glass and found the problem on the ruined parts. The electrical contacts that supply the whole ting with power were eroded away to nothing. After the third time, we started shipping the customer cheap null adapters that could take the wear instead and be discarded and replaced when they wore out. No more returns. Never found out why only this customer but multiple items failing in the same way.
Been watching Steve for years
Great lawyer stories
I worked at a call center for FORD during the 2012 etc Ford Focus era where the transmission would fail over and over. The calls of screaming/crying/stern people call after call was so depressing I had a I quit. One dude was doing early on Uber or something like that and was telling me I should die and go to hell etc. I eventually had to be like “lemme put you through to my manager” - hung up. Ford apparently KNEW this was going to be an issue and they took the gamble of just releasing the car with a faulty transmission and hoped for the best. They ruined LIVES!!!! A focus isn’t a high priority customer. They aren’t buying an F350 with fleets where they are spending a million every few years. These were mothers. Students. Relatively new money people. I’m a man. A 6-3 230 pound man. I quit in tears on day. I told the lady next to me I can’t take this shit anymore. I’m ducking done!
I had a car that had a roof grafted onto it because of a roll over, I didnt even know until I sold it, they did a great job salvaging it, never noticed a problem. This is still a legal thing in my province , in my case it was my grandfather who rolled it over in the first place my dad forgot to tell me LOL.