When to Get Your Vehicle Serviced

One of the best things you can do to protect your investment in a new vehicle is to faithfully follow the manufacturer’s car service schedule. No one knows your vehicle and how to keep it running correctly better than its manufacturer.

Regularly servicing your car not only helps ensure that it runs properly but also helps you avoid expensive repairs over the long term. Keeping up with routine car service preserves your vehicle’s value, as well.

And if there’s something seriously wrong with your car that cannot be repaired, having detailed records of prior service will help you pursue legal action. At The Barry Law Firm, our California Lemon Law attorneys help consumers get their money back from auto manufacturers when their vehicles qualify as lemons. We love it when a client tells us they’ve done everything right and have records of routine car services that match their vehicle’s service schedule.

Is your car a lemon – a vehicle with substantial warranty-covered problems that the manufacturer has been unable to repair after a reasonable number of attempts? If so, we’d like to help you like we’ve helped thousands of frustrated California consumers who thought they were stuck with faulty motor vehicles. Contact us today for a FAST & FREE legal consultation about a potential Lemon Law claim. 

Why Is It Important to Get Your Car Serviced?

Today’s vehicles are complex machines. Servicing your car on a regular basis helps ensure its safety, performance, and longevity, while also potentially saving you money that might otherwise go to expensive repairs.

Certain parts of your car wear out and need to be changed on a regular basis. Routine car service will help to keep your vehicle’s engine running as it should. Regular maintenance at an authorized service center also allows you to develop a good relationship with your service advisor. This can make you more confident if they say they have identified a real – and potentially expensive – problem with your car.

Regular service on your vehicle also establishes a record that will help you if you have a Lemon Law claim. One of car manufacturers’ most common defenses against Lemon Law cases is a counterclaim that the car owner has caused the vehicle’s problems by failing to maintain it properly. A regular service history stops this defense in its tracks.

Plus, you have limited time to pursue a Lemon Law claim. Your car’s express warranty from the manufacturer must still be in force when you first tried to get the issue repaired. If you’re regularly servicing your car, it’ll be easier to catch things early and establish your repair attempts before the warranty runs out.

How Often Should You Service Your Car? Check the Owner’s Manual!

One of the most useful features of your car owner’s manual is the maintenance schedule. In addition to an explanation of your routine car service needs, it should provide a chart that lists the work that needs to be done and when to do it.

Generally, routine car service consists of:

• Oil changes – This service is usually recommended between 5,000 and 7,500 miles or after six months, whichever comes first. Some manufacturers recommend a first oil change after 1,000 miles.
• Regular maintenance – You should typically take your car in every six months or 6,000 miles, whichever is sooner. This work usually includes tire rotation, inspections of various components such as brakes, belts, and hoses, and checking and topping off fluids like coolant and power steering fluid. 
• Manufacturer’s service – Parts replacement or other work should be done as recommended by the auto manufacturer – and described in the owner’s manual.

You will be issued an owner’s manual when you buy a new car. If it is missing, you can find it online by searching with the manufacturer’s name and your vehicle model and year. 

Where to Take Your Car to Get It Serviced

There are probably plenty of service centers around you offering oil changes and maintenance quickly and cheaply. However, it’s safest to go to the authorized dealership for maintenance and repairs just in case you need to file a Lemon Law claim. If you have any issues, this will help establish early on that you gave the manufacturer a chance to fix it. Plus, the manufacturer won’t be able to argue that any issues were caused by non-dealership repairs if they were the only one working on the vehicle.

It is also important to save your repair and service orders to document work done on your vehicle. This documentation will be critical in a potential Lemon Law claim.

If Your Car Has to Be Serviced Over and Over, You May Have a Lemon

Even if you keep up with regular maintenance, your vehicle may still have unrepairable defects. California law says a motor vehicle is a lemon if it has a substantial defect that has not been resolved despite a reasonable number of repair attempts by the vehicle’s manufacturer – typically through an authorized dealership. The defect must be covered by the manufacturer’s original warranty as issued at the time of purchase or lease. It must also significantly impair the vehicles’ safety, usability, or value.

What’s considered a “reasonable number” of repair attempts can vary from case to case. If the defect poses a significant danger, California Lemon Law typically considers two or more attempts to fix the problem as reasonable. If the problem is less severe, the manufacturer may be entitled to more than two attempts. In certain circumstances, a vehicle that is out of service for an inordinate amount of time may automatically qualify as a lemon.

If your vehicle is a lemon, you have the right to demand that the manufacturer buy it back and refund your:

• Purchase or lease price
• Sales or use taxes, license fees, registration fees, and other official fees
• Payments made for repairs, towing, and alternative transportation (e.g., rentals, ride sharing, public transportation)

Contact The Barry Law Firm If You Think You Have a Lemon

California’s Lemon Law offers strong consumer protections, but pursuing a claim is a complex legal process that your car’s manufacturer is ready to combat. When your vehicle’s manufacturer inevitably resists making proper restitution to you, The Barry Law Firm will fight for every bit of compensation you are owed.

Contact The Barry Law Firm in Los Angeles if you think your car is a lemon. We’ll assess your situation, and if you qualify, pursue a claim for you at no charge to you. California law requires the auto manufacturer to pay consumers’ legal fees in successful claims, so you’ll never see a bill from The Barry Law Firm – no matter the outcome of your case. Call or reach out online today to schedule your FAST & FREE consultation!