Do I have a case?

[VeeDubb_337]

In mid november, approx four months ago, I bought a 2002 Volkswagen GTi 1.8t. I bought the largest warratny I could with it as well. All together I payed over 18000. The car had 26k miles on it when I got it. A week after I bought it it had to go back to the shop because it sounded like I was driving a diesel truck. Turns out the turbocharger snapped off the mount and in turn casued an exhaust leak. The car was in the shop for about a week for that. Not but two weeks later the car went back in because the rear hatch was soaked in water after an average rain. That was caused by the sunroof. Car was in for about 3days for that. About a month later the clutch and flywheel burn up, the car is nearing 30k miles so it was just time for the clutch to go, they said it was my fault and wanted to charge us over 2250 for a clutch assembly. They brought it down to 1400 eventually but even thats still unfair. The car was in for about a week and a half for that whole ordeal. Two weeks ago the car went in the shop again for 3days because the radio display died, they ordered a new one, the trunk was leaking again and, they could not duplicate the issue however, and one of the exhaust hanger was never reinstalled so the exhaust was bouncing around making a lot of noise. No the car is in again, since monday and I should be able to pick it up tomorrow. becasue the engine control module needs to be replaced. Do I have a chance at getting refunded or having my vehicle replaced?

[G-man422]

hmmm, it sounds pretty messed up. I dunno.

[tony36]

Every state has different lemon laws, some have none. You need to get on your states websight and look or do some investigating by calling attorneys or go to the library. In any case that is the first step. The clutch portion cannot ge added for it is considered a wear item like break pads, unless mechanical portions went bad. Some states simply require when you buy that it is in useable condition, others have more strict laws. My state,Montana, for example has no real lemon law other than one thing, if the car has to be repaired for the same thing 3 times in a given time frame, then the dealer can be required to give a refund. The only other way around the lemon law is if you can prove that the seller mislead you in the condition of the vehicle before you bought it. You may want to run a history check on it. It mat be worth it to see if it has been wrecked and what repairs have been done. Some cars can be totaled and have the branded title cleared. If that is the case you may have something there. The dealer would have a record if they checked the car out, and if they knew there were problems and did not tell you, they are then liable, that could be another angle. If they covered their bases though, you are stuck. Even with a lemon law there is very little you can do when you buy a used car. Good luck.

[sierrap615]

sorry, no case in my mind, lemon law applys to NEW CARS ONLY, no more then 12 months old(18 in some states). the clutch is a normal wear item, and the only times i have ever heard of one covered by warrenty the clutch whent before the first oil change.

but it also does seem like poorly done repairs on the exhaust and weatherseal

[CAMVAP Joe]

If you were in Canada I would suggest CAMVAP. They deal with anything similiar to the US lemon laws.

You can read about them at http://www.camvap.blogspot.com

[knorwj]

Originally Posted by sierrap615

sorry, no case in my mind, lemon law applys to NEW CARS ONLY, no more then 12 months old(18 in some states). the clutch is a normal wear item, and the only times i have ever heard of one covered by warrenty the clutch whent before the first oil change.

but it also does seem like poorly done repairs on the exhaust and weatherseal

thats not true at all, there are just separate laws regarding lemons for new or used.


To the original poster, most of the time a lemon refers to a vehicle that breaks down for the same reason, not a bunch of different reasons.

[tony36]

Like I said each state is different that is why I told him to check for his state. In my state there are no lemon laws for used. Only a law that covers any sale on anything that it is in the condition that was told or implied buy the seller. On new cars here there is only one law in my state, if the vehicle has to have the same repair 3 times in a given time period, the purchaser has the right to a complete refund if he chooses. You have to check with the state that you purchase the vehicle in. Lemon laws are not a federal mandate. If you buy used, you should always check it out top to bottom, if you can't, take it to someone who can. You can always get a history on the internet. And always remamber, it is USED. You don't know haow the previous owner took care of it. You have to expect surprises when buying used.

[victimizati0n]

Originally Posted by VeeDubb_337

About a month later the clutch and flywheel burn up, the car is nearing 30k miles so it was just time for the clutch to go, ?

30K miles??? maby 130k miles.

[neogeon]

well, all i can say is:

#1 either you or the previous owner SERIOUSLY need to learn how to drive a manual transmission. Clutches should not last less than 100,000 miles unless its seriously modded or raced, and i mean legitimate track racing for multiple laps, not just a few street runs

#2 weather seals can be a problem on lots of cars, in fact, its very easy to accidentally curl over a seal improperly and thus causing it to fail soon after.

#3 though you make it sound like its a super POS, a turbo coming loose and a weather seal failing REALLY aren't that bad, but then again those in the know are well aware that German auto companies SUCK at "holding down on the engineering tip yall." I mean, I know someone with a mercedes benz that has had the transmission catch on fire amongst a thousand other things going wrong. Also, have you considered maybe you just didn't close the sunroof all the way by mistake? thats really easy to do.

[fredjacksonsan]

Originally Posted by neogeon

well, all i can say is:

#1 either you or the previous owner SERIOUSLY need to learn how to drive a manual transmission. Clutches should not last less than 100,000 miles unless its seriously modded or raced, and i mean legitimate track racing for multiple laps, not just a few street runs

#2 weather seals can be a problem on lots of cars, in fact, its very easy to accidentally curl over a seal improperly and thus causing it to fail soon after.

#3 though you make it sound like its a super POS, a turbo coming loose and a weather seal failing REALLY aren't that bad, but then again those in the know are well aware that German auto companies SUCK at "holding down on the engineering tip yall." I mean, I know someone with a mercedes benz that has had the transmission catch on fire amongst a thousand other things going wrong. Also, have you considered maybe you just didn't close the sunroof all the way by mistake? thats really easy to do.

I was going to say that it sounded like the car had experienced some very hard driving in order to wear out the clutch in only 30K. I've had several vehicles with well over 100K, all on original clutches.

Perhaps your vehicle was badly beaten by the previous owner, then traded in. Now you're the one paying for it.