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Question
I am 24 years old and currently 6 months pregnant.I recently purchase a Nissan Altima from a local dealership
in April of 2007,that has been total out by my insurance company. On July 15th while driving from Baton Rouge La. to my home in Texas my car caught on fire underneath the hood.I assumed a while back that there was some electrical problem with the car after my windshield wipers would come on by themselves, radio would fall dead, then the car would fall dead. One would think to get a jump, but the car would power back up and you could crank it up. The first time this occurred i set up a appointment with the dealership mechanic he work on it and said that it was fixed. Only for it to happen again in July, and to catch on fire hours later, send me running down the highway 6 mths pregnant ( already having complications) with my five year old on my hip.I took it to auto zone were they tested the battery ( which was good) and they checked out the check engine light with a hand held machine and printed me out the code that showed up. The code showed up as The car was used with 154,000 miles on it. My insurance company only want s pay for a the book value minus certain deductions for mileage with leave me up side down, around 3000-4000 dollars. Will the lemon law cover me in this? Am I able to sue for my down payment, for them to pay for my what i know the lean holder? What should i do?
I'm afraid that I've never heard of a Lemon Law that covers used cars. In usually "buyer beware".
What you owe the lien holder has nothing to do with the book value. The insurance company only owes the value of the vehicle,,,not the loan.
All you can hope for is that the dealer will work with you to get you in another vehicle.
Sorry for not having a better answer, but good luck to you.
Whatever you end up getting,,please get GAP insurance as well that will cover your loan balance should something else happen.
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Answers by Expert:
webfoot
Expertise
Auto damage, liability, insurance fraud. I am a full time auto insurance adjuster with experience in collision, theft, liability and fraud investigation. I am also an ASE Master Auto Tech and I-Car Collision Platinum certified. My experience includes 15 years in the auto repair industry, a B.S. in Criminal Justice, Law enforcement and auto insurance. ****** NO "PRIVATE" QUESTIONS WILL BE ANSWERED. I HAVE FOUND THAT NEARLY ALL PRIVATE QUESTIONS COME FROM PEOPLE WHO ARE CONSIDERING OR ATTEMPTING TO COMMIT FELONY INSURANCE FRAUD AND I'M NOT HERE TO HELP YOU! ****** I AM HERE TO ANSWER AUTOMOTIVE REPAIR, CLAIMS PROCESS AND SOME SIMPLE LIABILITY QUESTIONS. I CANNOT ADDRESS COMPLEX LIABILITY SCENARIOS WITHOUT HAVING ALL OF THE INFO FROM BOTH SIDES IN FRONT OF ME. QUESTIONS ABOUT PREMIUMS OR HOW INSURANCE IS RATED SHOULD BE ADDRESSED TO YOUR PERSONAL INSURANCE AGENT WHO KNOWS A WHOLE LOT MORE ABOUT YOUR HISTORY THAN I DO. I'VE NEVER SOLD INSURANCE AND DO NOT KNOW IF YOUR INDIVIDUAL INSURANCE RATES WILL GO UP IF YOU MAKE A CLAIM. THOUGH I'VE HANDLED SOME VERY MINOR SOFT TISSUE INJURY SETTLEMENTS, I PREFER NOT TO ANSWER INJURY RELATED QUESTIONS. I'M NO INJURY EXPERT AND I'LL LIKELY SAY SOMETHING TO HURT SOMEONE'S FEELINGS AS I BELIEVE THAT MANY SOFT TISSUE PAIN AND SUFFERING CLAIMS ARE OVER DRAMATIZED. UNLIKE MANY OTHERS, I AM ON THIS FORUM AS A VOLUNTEER WITH NO PRODUCTS OR SERVICES TO SELL AND PROMISE AN UPFRONT ANSWER BASED ON MY EXPERIENCE IN BOTH SIDES OF THE INDUSTRY. IF YOU PROVIDE ME WITH A HONEST VERSION OF EVENTS, I PROMISE A CANDID AND HONEST ANSWER IN RETURN. I CANNOT ADDRESS ALL CLAIM SCENERIOS DUE TO DIFFERING STATE LAWS AND REGULATIONS, BUT WILL DO MY BEST. PLEASE REMEMBER THAT AN HONEST ANSWER MAY BE ONE THAT YOU DON'T LIKE SO IF THAT IS GOING TO BE A PROBLEM, PLEASE DON'T ASK THE QUESTION. LASTLY, I DO NOT ACCEPT RATINGS AS I DON'T DO THIS FOR RATINGS AND WISH TO SPEAK FREELY.
Experience
20 years in automotive industry, Currently in insurance claims, worked actively as technician and shop owner until about 10 years ago. Current ASE Master Auto Tech and I-Car Platinum Collision Certifications, B.S. Criminal Justice and 10 year auto insurance/extended warranty background
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