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 Michigan purchase, mileage at first failure, and the warranty terms. Michigan's New Motor Vehicle Warranty Act requires four documented attempts OR 30 cumulative out-of-service days within 24,000 miles or the warranty period. The quiz checks your facts against Michigan's statutory threshold and federal MMWA.
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 Mich. Comp. Laws § 257.1401 and federal MMWA. Michigan cases benefit from filing in federal court — the Eastern or Western District of Michigan — because the 6th Circuit has consistently upheld MMWA fee-shifting on prevailing consumer claims. Manufacturer-sponsored arbitration is optional under Michigan law, so we don't get stuck waiting.
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 Michigan lemon law — plain English
Two laws can apply to your case. We file under both when the facts support it.
Michigan Lemon Law
- Citation: Mich. Comp. Laws § 257.1401 et seq.
- Common name: Michigan New Motor Vehicle Warranty Act
- Presumption window: 1 year from delivery / 25,000 miles, whichever comes first
- Arbitration: Manufacturer-funded programs only — no state-run board
- 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
Michigan note: Michigan's New Motor Vehicle Warranty Act uses a 1-year / 25,000-mile window — relatively generous on miles vs. other state lemon laws. Michigan is the headquarters state for the Big Three (Ford, GM, Stellantis), which means manufacturer in-state presence influences case strategy — federal court is often the right venue for high-stakes claims.
Michigan state law applies during the presumption window. Federal MMWA stays available throughout and is particularly important for cases against Detroit-headquartered manufacturers, where federal court can be a stronger venue than state court.
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."