Steps Toward Satisfactory Repairs

The urge to scream at car dealers over auto defects may be cathartic but not very effective, say experts who work with dealers on marketing and customer service plans.

Here are recommended steps to get satisfactory repairs:

* Write a letter to the dealership’s service manager if the service adviser cannot help you. Climbing the hierarchy after that would entail letters to the general manager and then the owner.

* If you cannot get satisfaction from the dealer, the next step is to write to the auto maker’s regional representative. The letter should state the problem you are having with the car, briefly list your unsuccessful efforts to have it repaired by the dealer and request factory intervention in the matter.

* In a worst-case scenario, when the factory representative dismisses you, write directly to the corporate president or chairman.

* To put in motion California’s Song-Beverly Consumer Warranty Act, considered one of the nation’s toughest “lemon laws,” write to the manufacturer about the failure of the authorized dealer to make repairs under the warranty.

The law, administered by the California New Motor Vehicle Board, is limited to cars that are less than 1 year old and have fewer than 12,000 miles on the odometer.

Once notified, the manufacturer can try to work out a settlement with the consumer. If that is not possible, the manufacturer is required by the law to schedule a third-party arbitration session.