How our process works
No deck. No discovery invoice. Just a clear path from "this car keeps breaking" to a cash settlement that gets you on with your life.
- Take the case eligibility quiz. Walk through a few quick questions about your Alabama purchase, the repairs in the first year, and your warranty status. Alabama's Lemon Law presumption requires three documented attempts within the first 12,000 miles, a tighter window than Florida or Louisiana. The quiz tells you whether your facts fit the Alabama presumption or whether the broader MMWA standard is the cleaner path.
- We review your documents. Upload (or text us photos of) your purchase agreement, every repair order, and your warranty booklet. We tell you whether the facts support a federal MMWA or state lemon law claim.
- We make the demand. We file a formal demand citing both Ala. Code § 8-20A-1 and federal MMWA. Alabama cases benefit from being filed in federal court, the Northern, Middle, or Southern District of Alabama, because Alabama's state lemon law process requires manufacturer-sponsored arbitration before suit, while federal MMWA does not. The 11th Circuit consistently sides with consumers on fee-shifting.
- You get a cash settlement. Cash-only settlements are our default, you keep the vehicle (or sell it on the private market) and pocket a cash payment. We seek to have the manufacturer pay our attorney fees under federal warranty law. Never out of your settlement.
Cash-only settlements, what that actually means
Most lemon law firms push you toward a "buyback", you give the manufacturer the car, they give you a reduced refund. We do it different.
Our default settlement structure: you keep the vehicle, we get you a cash payment for the diminished value. If your repairs took six months total and the dealer keeps saying "no problem found," that's a real loss, and it's real money the manufacturer owes you.
The numbers we typically see: 15–25% of the original purchase price as a cash settlement, plus manufacturer-paid attorney fees on top under federal warranty law. Never out of your pocket. Never out of your settlement.
Buybacks make sense in some cases (severe safety defect, total-loss-equivalent situations). When buyback IS right, we run the math hard so the offer includes the full purchase price, every payment, every dealer-imposed fee, minus only a fair mileage offset.
If your situation doesn't qualify, we'll tell you straight. No padded cases.
MMWA vs Alabama lemon law, plain English
Two laws can apply to your case. We file under both when the facts support it.
Alabama Lemon Law
- Citation: Ala. Code § 8-20A-1 et seq.
- Common name: Alabama Motor Vehicle Lemon Law Act
- Presumption window: 1 year / 12,000 miles from delivery
- Arbitration: No state-run arbitration board, manufacturer-funded programs (BBB AUTO LINE, NCDS) are typically the only arbitration option
- Typically applies to new vehicles in the original warranty
- State courts and procedures apply
Federal Magnuson-Moss Warranty Act
- Citation: 15 U.S.C. § 2301 et seq.
- Applies: Any state, any vehicle with a written warranty
- Covers used vehicles with any remaining warranty
- Fee-shifting: Manufacturer pays your attorney fees when you win
- Federal court is an option (or state court)
- Often the stronger lever when state law has narrow scope
Alabama note: Alabama's lemon law has a narrower 1-year / 12,000-mile presumption window than most states, and no state-run arbitration board. Federal MMWA is often a stronger backstop, especially after the state window closes.
Alabama's state law has a tight presumption window. Federal MMWA stays available outside that window and on used vehicles, and the federal fee-shifting provision (manufacturer may pay our fees when we win) is often the decisive factor.
Eligibility basics, what we'll ask for
A real case requires real documentation. Here's what we need to evaluate yours.
- Purchase or lease agreement, the full document, all pages. This proves the date of delivery and warranty start.
- Every repair order, the dealer is legally required to give you a written repair order for every warranty visit. Save all of them. Even the ones that say "no problem found", especially those.
- The manufacturer's warranty booklet, usually a small booklet in your glovebox. Defines the warranty terms.
- Photos or videos of the defect, if you can capture the problem on camera (the way the transmission slips, the steering issue, the dashboard warning light), do it.
- DMV registration, confirms ownership and current mileage.
- Manufacturer correspondence, any letters, emails, or recorded calls with the manufacturer (not just the dealer). These often establish what they knew and when.
What counts as a repair attempt? A documented dealer visit for the same defect. The dealer giving you the car back with the problem unresolved counts, even if they wrote "no problem found." Especially if they wrote "no problem found."