Chapter 1: A New Car Lemon Story

During the two weeks while Mr. and Mrs. Jones waited, they put 1,500 miles on the car. They were busy people. Also during this period, the Check Engine light came on several times and the car stalled each time. Once when Mrs. Jones was about to make a left turn in front of traffic, with her children in the car, the Check Engine light came on and again the car stalled. An accident was barely averted. It was a very dangerous situation.

Recent research indicates that airconditioner - induced mold problems are much more widespread than previously imagined.

They also discovered that the air conditioning generated an odor better left in a locker room.⁵ This was a real problem, as their son, Timmy, had asthma and it acted up every time he was in the car.

Visits to the Dealer

First Visit: Bewildered

Date: 7/30
Mileage = 1,510
1st repair order written.

After two weeks of waiting impatiently, Mrs. Jones took the car to the dealer. There she met a person called a service writer.⁶ She described as well as possible what she and her husband experienced driving the car. She also told the service writer about the air conditioning. He wrote up the repair order.

Keep in mind that Mrs. Jones wasn’t an auto mechanic, so her description wasn’t technical. She described the sounds she heard and what the car did. She also expressed her emotional response: remember, she almost had an accident as a result of the defect.

Sometimes there is a striking difference between what the owner describes as a problem and what the service writer puts on the repair order. A service writer may try to write a repair order in a way that makes sense to the mechanic. Other times, however, the service writer may alter the customer’s comments to make the problem look like something it is not.⁷

It is important to know exactly at what point in time and at what mileage the defect is first presented to the dealer for repair.

5. See http://www.mold-kill.com/isozonesafe.html.
6. See appendix C for a definition of service writer.
7. See chapter 7, 87, "Slicing and Dicing" the Defect.

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