# Does the lemon law apply



## phade13 (Nov 25, 2015)

Ive had my cruze a little over a year now i got it in nov. 15. The first problem I had was a coolant leak that turned out to be the water pump, then had the turbo replaced, then I had a oil leak that turned out to be the right side transmission axle seal. Tomorrow will be the 4th time I take it in for the current problem witch is on cold starts the car will idle rough and I will get the check engine light flashing and get service stabilitrak, service traction control messages, ive also noticed the reservoir getting very low and had it pressure tested twice and was told no leak was found but it keeps getting low and i can smell coolant. The first time i took it in for this issue a coil pack was changed but didnt help, then the valve cover was replaced with same result. Not sure what else to do they cant seem to find the problem and I feel I will continue to have issues. My car has 77,000 miles and is a 2013 cruze eco


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## Eddy Cruze (Jan 10, 2014)

phade13 said:


> Ive had my cruze a little over a year now i got it in nov. 15. My car has 77,000 miles and is a 2013 cruze eco


The Lemon Law varies from State to State but I'd say no Lemon for you. What State are you in?


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## IndyDiesel (May 24, 2015)

phade13 said:


> Ive had my cruze a little over a year now i got it in nov. 15. The first problem I had was a coolant leak that turned out to be the water pump, then had the turbo replaced, then I had a oil leak that turned out to be the right side transmission axle seal. Tomorrow will be the 4th time I take it in for the current problem witch is on cold starts the car will idle rough and I will get the check engine light flashing and get service stabilitrak, service traction control messages, ive also noticed the reservoir getting very low and had it pressure tested twice and was told no leak was found but it keeps getting low and i can smell coolant. The first time i took it in for this issue a coil pack was changed but didnt help, then the valve cover was replaced with same result. Not sure what else to do they cant seem to find the problem and I feel I will continue to have issues. My car has 77,000 miles and is a 2013 cruze eco


I am not aware of a lemon law applying to a car with 77000 miles, generally I think it applies more to a new car within first year of ownership. 

Sounds like a lot of problems, perhaps you have an older lemon or maybe a mechanic or dealer that isn't doing a great job?


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## phade13 (Nov 25, 2015)

California


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## phade13 (Nov 25, 2015)

I think my best option would be to trade it in I guess. The only downfall is I owe more on the loan than the car is worth.


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## jmlo96 (May 2, 2015)

phade13 said:


> I think my best option would be to trade it in I guess. The only downfall is I owe more on the loan than the car is worth.


Sounds like you should find a good mechanic. The hit you'd take on trading it in versus fixing 2 probably small issues would be significant.


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## spacedout (Dec 7, 2010)

phade13 said:


> I think my best option would be to trade it in I guess. The only downfall is I owe more on the loan than the car is worth.


I owed about $4,000 more than the value of my cruze when I traded it, I just make an even larger down payment on my new ride to make up the difference. Remember though you could look at a car with a lower starting price than your cruze to eat up some of that value or look for a car with a big discount. GM is giving ridiculous amounts off 2016 of 2017 equinox or terrain since their sale are down 20% this year and the 2018 model coming out next month.


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## Merc6 (Jun 8, 2013)

jmlo96 said:


> Sounds like you should find a good mechanic. The hit you'd take on trading it in versus fixing 2 probably small issues would be significant.


From the little bit you posted on this forum, not much to justify trade in besides lack of hp and/or bored with car. Trade in isn't ideal as jmlo96 suggests unless you just really want to tap out and have already fully emotionally/financially invested into another car that won't put you in same situation on top of what you carried over the balance to. 

When to trade in is a hairy situation as miles and value of the car fluctuate and what bit of warranty is left also helps/hurts. In my situation I waited 4 months too long to trade in but waiting that 4 months got me the car I wanted where I kinda rushed myself into the Cruze with only 8 mins of mobile device research into it. From someone who pretty much had darn near a lemon, hold off unless you really want to take on that extra carried over to the new car price. Dealers can "Lower the price" of the other car to make the hit not look "That Bad" but it will still be bad when you see the amount you owe the bank on the paper when you get to finance and they print out that stupid long form. Even worse if you decided to trade in on a car that will depreciate as fast or faster than your Cruze and you feel like doing this trade in thing again with 2 negatives worth of cars hanging over you like Sally Mae. See what I mean by hairy situation? Can be a smooth joyous event, a total travesty or somewhere in between so think it over a bit longer than a week or weekend. 

1st try and get it fixed as trading in a meh running car is gonna hurt you even more on appraisal if at this point you still serious about it. You are trying to sell your car to someone who's job is to pick it apart and offer you less that KBB or whatever they tried to use to justify paying less for it just to resell it for more than you "sold it to them" for near what you kinda owed on it. Next you have to do research on all the cars you want and go to the forums of those cars. No point in getting into another car that you do not like or trust after a few months of "I could live with those issues" that you felt were less of an issue than the car you literally trading in. For example, I had my Accord for like 2 weeks and 800 miles and fixed all but 1 known issue. The last known issue fix is.... pulling the trunk liner back and placing cardboard over a vent in the trunk to change the way the air hits it. Not going to the forums of said car would have me in a dealership trying to get a fix for something they most likely would have done the same thing for or said "don't turn the fan up past 4 or recirc" and the issue won't occur.

*
This is not me saying go for it guy, just providing a few things to consider if you do decide to take that next step.*


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## Merc6 (Jun 8, 2013)

Will also include this to answer the OP fully. https://oag.ca.gov/consumers/general/cars



> *The “Lemon Law”:* A special provision, often called the "Lemon Law," helps determine what is a reasonable number of repair attempts for problems that substantially impair the use, value, or safety of the vehicle. The "Lemon Law" applies to these problems if they arise during the first 18 months after the consumer received delivery of the vehicle or within the first 18,000 miles on the odometer, whichever occurs first. During the first 18 months or 18,000 miles, the "Lemon Law" presumes that a manufacturer has had a reasonable number of attempts to repair the vehicle if either (1) the same problem results in a condition that is likely to cause death or serious bodily injury if the vehicle is driven and the problem has been subject to repair two or more times by the manufacturer or its agents, and the buyer or lessee has at least once directly notified the manufacturer of the need for the repair of the problem as provided in the warranty or owner's manual or (2) the same problem has been subject to repair four or more times by the manufacturer or its agents and the buyer has at least once directly notified the manufacturer of the need for the repair of the problem as provided in the warranty or owner's manual or (3) the vehicle is out of service because of the repair of any number of problems by the manufacturer or its agents for a cumulative total of more than 30 days since delivery of the vehicle.
> The "Lemon Law" presumption is a guide, not an absolute rule. For additional information, see the Department of Consumer Affairs publication “Lemon-aid For Consumers", pdf.


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## neile300c (Jul 8, 2014)

Lemon Laws apply only to new car purchases, I believe. This is why buying a used car is so dicey sometimes, not sure if you're getting someone else's problems that they didn't take care of.


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## jmlo96 (May 2, 2015)

Merc6 gave some really good advice. Also, there is a GM bulletin for Cruzes with coolant loss but no visible leak. I'm not sure what it exactly is I'd have to look. Your first problem sounds related to the ignition system. I'd suspect the coil but without looking at it I couldn't tell you ($70 part). Have the spark plugs been changed ever? They are due every 60k.


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## obermd (Mar 3, 2012)

phade13 said:


> Ive had my cruze a little over a year now i got it in nov. 15. The first problem I had was a coolant leak that turned out to be the water pump, then had the turbo replaced, then I had a oil leak that turned out to be the right side transmission axle seal. Tomorrow will be the 4th time I take it in for the current problem witch is on cold starts the car will idle rough and I will get the check engine light flashing and get service stabilitrak, service traction control messages, ive also noticed the reservoir getting very low and had it pressure tested twice and was told no leak was found but it keeps getting low and i can smell coolant. The first time i took it in for this issue a coil pack was changed but didnt help, then the valve cover was replaced with same result. Not sure what else to do they cant seem to find the problem and I feel I will continue to have issues. My car has 77,000 miles and is a 2013 cruze eco


Phade13, since you can't use the lemon law I'll try to give you some guidance on the issues:

Water Pump: Warranted to 10 years/150,000 miles as a known issue

Oil leak: Powertrain - if you paid for this at a GM dealer scan your receipt and PM it to our Chevy Customer Care account asking them to start the process to refund your money. Yes, you can't get the time back but you shouldn't have paid for this repair.

Check engine light and cold starts: This sounds like the symptoms for http://www.cruzetalk.com/forum/25-g...al-coverage-14311-negative-battery-cable.html. Get this done.

Coolant leak: While you have your car in for service swing by the service department and purchase a bottle of GM Coolant dye. Put this in yourself so you don't get charged 30 minutes labor to open the cap on the dye bottle and poor it into the tank. Have your dealership fill the coolant to the cold full line under http://www.cruzetalk.com/forum/34-g...lant-level-without-external-leak-n140417.html. Once this is done keep an eye on your coolant level and then with a flashlight look around for residue from the dye. It will fluoresce under a black light but is also visible under regular light. Keep the receipt for this bottle as it should be reimbursable if the leak turns out to be a power train item (not all are). If the leak is in the pressure channel on the top of the surge/fill tank let us know and we'll point you to the solution. GM has never formally resolved a leaking coolant cap.

Coolant smell: I suspect when you track down the coolant leak you'll fix the coolant smell as well.


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## Merc6 (Jun 8, 2013)

You have codes for the cold start CEL? Could be the dipstick seal is gone, not in all the way or oil cap loose as well. As for right axle seal, that could have been one of the axle recalls gone bad. I had that fun with 3 axles replaced since the 2nd recalled axle only lasted 50 miles.


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## obermd (Mar 3, 2012)

Merc6 said:


> You have codes for the cold start CEL? Could be the dipstick seal is gone, not in all the way or oil cap loose as well. As for right axle seal, that could have been one of the axle recalls gone bad. I had that fun with 3 axles replaced since the 2nd recalled axle only lasted 50 miles.


OP, while you're at it go to https://recalls.gm.com and enter your VIN. You're looking for outstanding recalls. I suspect the previous owner of your car didn't maintain it very well.


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## phade13 (Nov 25, 2015)

Everything has been covered by powertrain thank god its just been a real headache for a car ive only had for a year. I drive this car 150miles a day so when the warranty runs out i can only imagine the costs that could pile on. The car is currently at the dealer im hoping they figure it out this time. Im really considering trading it in since the dealer its at is were i bought it maybe they can give me a good deal. I forgot to mention I got cel P0301


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## obermd (Mar 3, 2012)

Get the Negative Battery Cable swapped out. The first "cause" I found at https://www.engine-light-help.com/P0301-check-engine-light.html implicated electrical gremlins, especially given how heavily computer controlled the Cruze is.


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## phade13 (Nov 25, 2015)

I got my car back yesterday with no result, for the second time all they did was reset the code and too off with coolant and to road test, Its like there blowing me off.I was so mad I went to talk to the salesman that sold me the car to see what kind of deal i could get if I traded in. The deal they were going to give me was 23,400 out the door for a 2017 cruze ls with the trade im not sure if thats a good deal.


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## obermd (Mar 3, 2012)

Are there other Chevy dealerships nearby that aren't owned by the same company? If so change dealerships ASAP. Your's doesn't care about service.


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## jblackburn (Apr 14, 2012)

phade13 said:


> I got my car back yesterday with no result, for the second time all they did was reset the code and too off with coolant and to road test, Its like there blowing me off.I was so mad I went to talk to the salesman that sold me the car to see what kind of deal i could get if I traded in. The deal they were going to give me was 23,400 out the door for a 2017 cruze ls with the trade im not sure if thats a good deal.


I dunno how much you still owe on your current car, but I'd be inclined to say "no".



> Are there other Chevy dealerships nearby that aren't owned by the same company? If so change dealerships ASAP. Your's doesn't care about service.


This.


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## phade13 (Nov 25, 2015)

I owe 11k I think the car is only worth about 7-8k


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## Blasirl (Mar 31, 2015)

obermd said:


> Get the Negative Battery Cable swapped out. The first "cause" I found at https://www.engine-light-help.com/P0301-check-engine-light.html implicated electrical gremlins, especially given how heavily computer controlled the Cruze is.


Dr. Ober ;>),

My turn signals are just now starting to have an arrhythmia ... they blink normal for four or five beats and then an irregular one pops up and this continues on and on. What's the diagnosis?


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## obermd (Mar 3, 2012)

Blasirl said:


> Dr. Ober ;>),
> 
> My turn signals are just now starting to have an arrhythmia ... they blink normal for four or five beats and then an irregular one pops up and this continues on and on. What's the diagnosis?


Personally I would start with the signal bulbs. It sounds to me like one of your bulbs is starting to fail. Normally a bulb simply stops responding but not always. If your internal signal indicator is flashing rapidly when using your turn signals then either the front or rear bulb on that side has failed.


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## gveinot (Dec 21, 2016)

did you buy this car new ? Down here in Nova Scotia Canada there is a community called Sackville which is full of used car lots. Some of these cars are ex rental cars that were pounded, beaten, and abused for the first 20,000 km or a couple of years, then end up at an auction and then on a used car lot with a small warranty. I have friends who have bought these type of cars and they end up with problem after problem.


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## Merc6 (Jun 8, 2013)

phade13 said:


> I got my car back yesterday with no result, for the second time all they did was reset the code and too off with coolant and to road test, Its like there blowing me off.I was so mad I went to talk to the salesman that sold me the car to see what kind of deal i could get if I traded in. The deal they were going to give me was 23,400 out the door for a 2017 cruze ls with the trade im not sure if thats a good deal.


Eh, the difference between a LS and LT price wise..... I'd avoid the LS as you will end up missing something that can't just be tossed on later with the help of the forums like cruise for example. As for going back to that dealership to buy a car, its "safe" in a way that it's a new car but I'm not sure I'd still hand them my money unless they appraised the car way higher than others did making that "Out the door" price better as well. 

150 a day will add up between now and January but still do not rush this as it's a huge financial leap into another vehicle that could be better or worse than what you already have. If you do get a car from them, never return to get it serviced there. Like don't even get an extended warranty from them.


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## phade13 (Nov 25, 2015)

I went for the trade and settled on the ls, I never used the cruise control on the eco so im not worried about that the only thing I miss is the radio controls on the steering wheel but im sure I can add that later on. They didnt even look at the eco they gave me there highest appraisal based on miles wich is good condidering all the dents and scratches and paint chips as well as stains in the interior. The car also needed 4 new tires and the rims were all scratched up so i think what they offered me was fair.


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