Had a car for 5 months, already suffering from engine failure. Is this a lemon law violation?

Question

I bought a car mid June.  I noticed it was having some starting issues.  Recently, the problems got worse.  I took it to my mechanic who diagnosed it with catastrophic engine failure.  He says my only option is to do an engine swap ($5k+).
My dealer gave me a 1 month 3,000 mile warranty which has already expired.  The car was running fine until recently.  Is this a violation of the lemon law?  Am I entitled to anything?
Thanks

Answer 1

Most likely, no.  Unless you can provide proof that the car had these problems before you bought it and the dealer sold it to you in bad faith, you're pretty much out of like.  Otherwise, you have an expired warranty and no proof that your actions didn't cause this problem.

Btw, what kind of mechanic gives you a diagnosis of "catastrophic engine failure"?  Maybe it's not the dealer who rooked you, but the mechanic.

Answer 2

Federal lemon laws only apply to new vehicles.

The exception is if you received an express written warranty on a used car. Unfortunately, as you stated, the warranty has expired.

However, individual states have different lemon laws. Can't help you with that without knowing where you live.

Edit: CA law deals with the "lemon buyback," which addresses dealers who sell a car that is known to be a lemon. Here's the full law:
http://thelemonlawattorneys.com/ca-civil…