Your car has been sitting at the dealership for weeks. Every time you call, you get a version of the same answer: “We’re still waiting on the part.” “The technician hasn’t looked at it yet.” “We’ll have an update for you soon.”
At some point, “soon” stops being an answer and starts being a problem. And in California, that problem has a legal name.
The Law Sets a Hard Deadline: 30 Days
Most people know California’s lemon law requires a manufacturer to make a “reasonable number of repair attempts.” What fewer people know is that there’s also a time component.
Under California Civil Code § 1793.2(b), part of the Song-Beverly Consumer Warranty Act, a manufacturer or dealer must complete a warranty repair within 30 days of when you hand over your vehicle. That’s not 30 business days. That’s 30 calendar days.
If your car has been in the shop longer than that, you may already have grounds to file a lemon law claim, regardless of whether the repair was ever “completed.”
Delays Are Not Always Accidental
Here’s what we’ve seen over and over: some manufacturers don’t drag their feet because they’re disorganized. They do it because delay works in their favor.
Every day your car sits at the dealership, the clock isn’t running out on your rights — it’s running out on your patience. They’re counting on you to give up, accept a loaner, or eventually just live with the problem.
Don’t.
What “Reasonable Time” Actually Means
The 30-day rule is the floor, not the ceiling. California courts have made clear that “reasonable time” for a repair can actually be shorter than 30 days, depending on the nature of the defect and how the manufacturer handles it.
In Krotin v. Porsche Cars North America (1995), a California appeals court confirmed that what counts as “reasonable” doesn’t just concern a fixed number of days, it’s also about whether the manufacturer acted diligently to fix the problem. Stalling, misdiagnosis, or repeated incomplete repairs can all contribute to a finding that the manufacturer failed its obligation, even if the calendar hasn’t hit 30.
In plain terms: if your car has a serious defect and the dealer keeps kicking the can, that pattern matters.
Signs a Manufacturer Is Running Out the Clock
You don’t need to catch them in a lie to recognize stalling. Watch for these:
“We’re waiting on a part” — for weeks on end. Parts shortages happen. But if the same excuse repeats for 3–4 weeks with no documented order confirmation or ETA, that’s not a supply chain problem. That’s a delay.
Vague repair orders with no diagnosis. You should always receive a written repair order. If the paperwork says something like “customer complaint noted, vehicle inspected” with no actual diagnosis, the manufacturer is building a paper trail that protects them, not you.
Multiple appointments for the same problem. Being asked to bring the car back again and again for the same defect isn’t a fix, it’s a pattern. Under California law, that pattern is exactly what establishes your case.
Being told the defect is “normal operating behavior.” This is one of the oldest stall tactics. If your car shakes, stalls, or makes noise and the dealer says “that’s how it works,” get that in writing and call an attorney.
What You Should Be Doing Right Now
If any of this sounds familiar, here’s what to do — starting today.
- Keep every repair order. Every visit to the dealer should generate a written repair order. If you don’t get one, ask for it before you leave. This document is your evidence.
- Write down every date. The day you dropped off the car. The day you were told it would be ready. The day you called and got the runaround. Dates build your timeline.
- Note who you talked to. Names and job titles matter. “The service advisor, Marcus” is more useful than “some guy at the front desk.”
- Stop accepting verbal updates. If the dealer is telling you something important (e.g. a diagnosis, an ETA, a denial), ask them to put it in writing or send an email to confirm. Paper trails protect you.
You Don’t Have to Wait for the Repair to Fail
One of the biggest misconceptions about lemon law is that you have to wait for the repair to officially fail before you can act. You don’t.
If your vehicle has been out of service for 30 days or more, cumulatively across multiple visits, you may already qualify. If the manufacturer has had multiple chances to fix a defect that substantially impairs the use, value, or safety of your vehicle, you may already qualify. You don’t need to wait for a magic number of visits or a dramatic breakdown.
The question is whether the manufacturer has had a reasonable opportunity to fix the problem. If the answer is yes — and they still haven’t — that’s our lane.
We Step In So You Don’t Have to Chase Them
We’ve seen manufacturers drag out repairs for months while clients kept calling, kept accepting loaners, kept giving them “one more chance.” That’s exactly the situation we’re built to handle.
When you bring your case to us, we confront the manufacturer directly. We know the tactics because we’ve seen all of them. And because California law requires the manufacturer to pay our fees — not you — there’s no reason to wait.
If your car has been stuck in a repair loop or sitting at a dealership longer than 30 days, let’s talk. Get your free case review here.