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Lemon law was incepted on 1st September 2012 as part of an effort to protect consumers against defective goods. Here are 4 relevant Lemon Laws explained if you are ever stuck in a sticky situation.

1: 6-month timeframe

Buyer can make a claim under the lemon law:

• Within the 6 months' period — Defect(s) is presumed to have existed at the time of delivery, unless the dealer can prove otherwise.
• After the 6 months' period —Buyer has to show that the defect(s) existed at the time of delivery.

2: Lemon law is invalid when:

• Defects were caused by buyer through misuse or unauthorized repair.
• The fault was caused by wear and tear, and not an inherent defect.
• Buyer knew about the fault before purchase.
• The car is not defective; buyer simply changed his or her mind.
• Transaction is done between a direct buyer and seller

3: Pros and cons of an evaluation report

Before purchase, buyer can add a clause to the Sales Agreement to have the car evaluated by a third party, such as STA or VICOM. These expenses are usually borne by the buyer, unless the dealer claim that the car is damage-free but excluding the effect of wear and tear.

With the evaluation report, the buyer can request a dealer to correct the faults, less wear and tear. However, if another problem pop ups within 6 months of delivery, he or she is unable to make a claim under lemon law.

4: Seeking remedies

Stage 1
The dealer may first offer to repair or replace the defective car within a reasonable period of time, without causing as much inconvenience to the buyer.

Stage 2
The buyer may

1.Keep the defective car and request a reduction in price

2.Return the defective car for a refund if:

Unable to repair or replacement

Reasonable to the dealer

The dealer did not provide repair or replacement within a reasonable period and causing much inconvenience to the buyer.