Author Archives: lemonprotection

About lemonprotection

GM Craftsman, ASE Certified, Detroit Diesel Certified, Hybrid Toyota, Honda and Ford Training and a Certified Trained Appraiser with over 30 years of hands on experience. I started lemon protection in 1984 and own the TM in the whole United States of America. I have written several books on cars and one about inventions. I have been on TV and Radio several times with consumer reporters. An attorney in Los Vegas NV has just caused State Farm to back down when using my new report and was given 4.5 time the original offer.

Won, $5090 for Diminished Value LA Court

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January 07, 2022 Diminished Value

My name is Jackie Winters and I am a Diminished Value Expert. Today we won another Diminished Value case for a total of $5,090 for a rear end collision.

After we met at the court and went over the file I had prepared and I had prepared a brief for the Judge, this gives him an overview he can read in a matter of seconds and know exactly what happened. We walked into the court house and went into the room for the Judge to judge my client’s case for a rear end collision the Ins Co are refusing to pay.

Everyone in the court room is ask to go outside and try settle the case, some do settle but my clients case did not so we had to stand before the Judge and present his case.

We walked up to the desk in front of the Judge when his name was called and the Judge ask why was he here? My client said Your Honor I am here for my loss of value caused by the defendant when he rear ended my car.

The Judge ask the Defendant was the accident your fault and the Defendant answered “Yes Sir”.

The Judge then ask my client how the accident happen and he said “I was at a stop sign when the Defendant rear ended me”, the Judge then ask about the Diminished Value report and my client ask the Judge of I could speak for him about the Diminished Value and the Structural damages and the Judge said yes.

The Judge ask me about the Diminished Value report I wrote for James and after my explanation of it and how we come to get the numbers he agreed it was accurate and he admitted it into the court, he also asked me about the damages and what had happened. After I explained the report and why the car cannot be made whole, he said I  will give you my decision in 5 to 7 days.

Seven days later I got a call from my client James and he said we won the case for the full amount ask for, he was only allowed to ask for $5,000 since he owned a Car Lot and the car was for sale, so $5,000 is the limit he can ask for, all other claims can ask for up to $10,000 for loss of value.

Even though we won, I do expect the Ins Co to appeal the case in hope my client will back down, most people think you need an attorney for Superior Court but not here, I was the client speaker given permission by the client and agreed by the Judge and he allowed me to speak about the Diminished Value and the Structure damage done in the accident, the car was rear ended and required some panel to be replaced and that is structural damage and the car will never be made whole again as it was and we proved that fact.

Remember if you get in an accident not your fault, you are entitled to get Diminished Value for your loss, all you go to do is prove it and remember most Ins Co will appeal the case and you do not need an attorney to go to court with you in Superior Court when they appeal your case, we have won all Superior Court Cases so far.

Good Luck and tell a friend,

Jackie Winters

Lemon Protection

Diminished Value Claim, Does the Pro-Temp Judge Know the Law?

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Diminished Value, when you go after it, most likely you will be forced to go to Small Claims court and will end up in Superior Court. This in order to get the money the CA Law states you are entitled to get as long as the accident was not your fault and the vehicle has been repaired.

You will have a loss of value when you sell or attempt to trade it into a Dealership, the loss will be anywhere from 10% loss to as much as 90% loss, 80% loss is the industry standard maximum allowable damage before a vehicle should be Totaled out or Junked out.

Some shop will work it so the 80% will not matter as long as they get the work, they will give a lower estimate of repairs and then after the vehicle has used that estimate of repairs a new estimate of repair may be given pushing the 80-% off the scale, your loss their gain and  it is your loss when a vehicle should be Totaled and junked out but not and repaired.

Truth is, not all Judges you stand before are real Judges but what is called a Pro-Temp Judge who does know or may not know the law listed as 3903J Jurors Instruction and will not apply it even as it is the law. 

I met one Pro-Temp Judge who is an embarrassment to the law. On my Diminished Value case he laughed at it with the Ins Co man and we lost the case. This Judge refused to acknowledge the 3903J Juror’s instruction to give Diminished Value, he sided with the Ins Co man over the law and agreed with him as Diminished Value being a Stigma, he was wrong. That is the reason you can lose your case as I have personally witnessed, I should have taken the advice and files a complaint against him but he is so old he would likely be dead before the filing went through and I don’t see the need to but a black mark on his records this late in his life.

First let me explain the law states it very clear that you are entitled to get Diminished Value when you are in an accident not your fault and your vehicle is repaired. This law 3903J backed by CA1 and CA2 is making sure the Judge knows the plaintiff is to get that Diminished Value when the accident in their your fault and the vehicle has been repaired. This law can be verified by searching the courts information on line.

I have prepared many Diminished Value report for people as far away as N.Y., NV, AZ and CA from 65% in NV to 75% in NY and 80% in CA for loss of value. The Diminished Value loss determined by each states anywhere from 65% as much as 80%. I have been doing this work mostly for law firms.

So far all of our cases won in Small Claims Court but one and all in Superior Court all in CA where we went to court for the clients. The one and only case we lost was due to a Judge in San Jose, CA who made a joke out of Diminished Value and laughed at us with the insurance adjuster calling it a Stigma. The Pro Temp Judge was an embarrassment to the courts and good attorneys so be aware of whether or not he knows the 3903J laws.

My point is if the Judge does not know to enforce 3903J, you have the right to ask to go in front of a real Judge who does know the law and will enforce it.

Here is the Judge’s, jurors instruction to the Jury 3903J:

Damage to Personal Property (Economic Damage) [Insert number, e.g., “10.”] The harm to [name of plaintiff]’s [item of personal property, e.g., automobile]. To recover damages for harm to personal property, [name of plaintiff] must prove the reduction in the [e.g., automobile]’s value or the reasonable cost of repairing it, whichever is less. [If there is evidence of both, [name of plaintiff] is entitled to the lesser of the two amounts.] [However, if you find that the [e.g., automobile] can be repaired, but after repairs it will be worth less than it was before the harm, the damages are (1) the difference between its value immediately before the harm and its lesser value immediately after the repairs have been made; plus (2) the reasonable cost of making the repairs. The total amount awarded may not exceed the [e.g., automobile]’s value immediately before the harm occurred.] To determine the reduction in value if repairs cannot be made, you must determine the fair market value of the [e.g., automobile] immediately before the harm occurred and then subtract the fair market value immediately after the harm occurred. “Fair market value” is the highest price that a willing buyer would have paid to a willing seller, assuming:

1. That there is no pressure on either one to buy or sell; and

2. That both buyer and seller have reasonable knowledge of all relevant facts about the condition and quality of the [e.g., automobile].

When we at Lemon Protection write a Diminished Value report we make sure to cover each thing the court requires to prove your case and if we go to court with someone as their expert we prepare a Brief for the Judge so he will have a clear understanding of your Diminished Value. 

Good Luck, let someone know there is help and they are entitled to get Diminished Value, any question let me know,

Jackie Winters

Lemon Protection

How to Catch Fake E-Mails that look like they are real but are not

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I have gotten some fake e-mail from thieves and like many did open their e-mail and then realized it was fake, in the past I did lose my ID and pray you don’t so I pray this information will help you.

I have recently found how they do and do it all right in front of your eyes in the open.

Here is how the thieves get you to open their e-mail so they can rob you, it is so simple but I will show you how to tell a fake address when you get one, you may need a magnifying glass or some good strong glasses or do a copy and paste to see if you can find it there on the e-mail.

The e-mail address that is fake and one that is real.

  1. Real E-Mail Address       JoesBankinAmerica.com
  2. Fake e-mail address JoesBankinAmerica.com NOTE: After the .com the rest of the e-mail address is in light gray so it can’t bee seen. On my computer I was able to copy and paste the e-mail address and then I changes the color of the full address and what is followed by it and turned it all blue and everything showed up. I can’t do that on this site but when you get an e-mail you are not sure of, look at the end of the e-mail address and look close. It may have a light grey address that direst your information to them and not your bank or wherever you do business at. Here is the full FAKE Address attached at the end of the fake e-mail         JoesBankinAmerica.com/gotomyaddresssoicanroband steelfromthem/@robmail.com the last part is the extension.

Try highlight the e-mail address and extend the copy, then past it onto Word and then change the colors of the e-mail address and you will see all of the fake address.

I went to googles to find this info with an address to the Gov span dept.

You can report spam to www.ftc.gov/complaint. Please especially report any scam that started with an email and resulted in you losing money. The Federal Trade Commission receives about 300,000 samples of deceptive spam – forwarded by computer users – each day, and stores it in a database. July 28, 2004

Fake e-mail address will rob you so be careful and report it and watch you do not get caught in it, God bless you all and pass this on if it helps you.

Jackie Winters

lemonprotection.com

Vehicle Diminished Value and Collecting Your Money

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The Truth about Vehicle Diminished Value and Collecting Your Money is a secret the Insurance Companies do not want you to know.

Getting your money is not as easy as it sounds; when in fact some people gave up because of how the Insurance Companies gave them the run around when asking for their loss of value, the law called it “Diminished Value”.

When you have an accident that is not your fault and the vehicle is repaired, it is not perfect and the mechanic knows that, but it is very close to it and will work just as well for the most part.

Here is a case I did and like I do in all cases, how it happened and what the steps my client had to take in order to get his money.

First, he was rear ended by a man who was texting while driving.  That rear-end collision caused him to be injured and his car incurred over $17,000 in damages.  This was a 9 year old BMW with a Kelly Blue Book value pre-collision of $21,000.

After several weeks of waiting for his car to be fixed he finally got back his car. It looked very nice, in fact they painted the whole car so it looked the same all over in color; the color will fade a little as time passed.

A few months later he had a blowout in the rear of the car because of excessive tire wear and had to get new tires.  He did not realize the tires had excessive wear and this is caused by improper alignment setting on the steering alignment parts that keep the wheel alignment in line so not to wear the tires.

He was told he needed a wheel alignment very bad so he gave permission for the Technician to align his car wheels after the new tires were put on.

He got the print out and it showed the green arrows in the acceptable zone of the charts and was told it looks like the car was hit in rear. They were able to get the alignment into the safe acceptable zone and should be fine.

After six months of driving and 7,000 miles later, he noticed his tires were showing uneven tire wear so he went back to the alignment shop and asked them to recheck their work.  They said it is as close as they can get the alignment and he was advised by them of that accident damage.

This is when he saw the work done on the body repairs were not perfect.  So he went back to the body shop and was told everything is just like it was before the accident and they can’t do any more for him.

He called the Insurance Company and they said to go to an alignment shop and get it aligned because the body shop said you must have hit something in the road causing this out of alignment problem.

His next step was to try to sell it or take it in for a trade-in and just take the loss.  The Insurance Company said the car was repaired to original and it is worth the full $21,000 shown in Kelly Blue Book.

He took his car to BMW for a trade-in on a new BMW expecting to get the full $21,000 dollar value used on his trade-in. After an inspection was done, the offer on the Kelly Blue Book value of $21,000 dollars was only $5,000.  He asked why is this low offer and he was told the car was in an accident; it has structural damage, it also has a bad Car Fax Report on it.  He turned down the offer and left, very discouraged.

He was telling a friend at a lunch in his office about what happened.  They told him about Diminished Value and recommend him calling someone who can prove Diminished Value; get a Diminished Value Report that can show the actual loss of value and then show that to the Insurance Company and see if he can get that loss of value.

He called around to several law firms and the Personal Injury Law Firm of Gary Walch in Calabasas, CA recommended him to call Lemon Protection and asked for Jackie Winters who specializes in Diminished Value. I do Diminished Value Reports and worked with several law firms in CA, NV, AZ and OR as an expert, now for over 15 years in Lemon Law, Fraud and Appraisal Values.

When I got his call, he told me what he has been through and is hoping I can help him with getting his loss of value. I asked him to send me all of his Estimate of Repairs including the Alignment Records. I am also a Certified Mechanic of over 39 years as a Heavy-duty Technician and Trained and Certified in all areas of the vehicles including alignment training by the Hunter Alignment Training Center by one of their top Master Technician.

After I got his Estimate of Repairs and the Alignment Chart, I found his car should have been Totaled Out. As with many people’s cars and trucks, the Technician knew the car should have been Totaled Out but only gave an Estimate of Repairs on the tear down part first and added there may be more repairs needed after full tear down.

So after the first Estimate of Repairs of $14,000 they got the OK to do the repairs, a few weeks later he got a second Estimate of Repairs and it showed another $3,500 in repairs were needed, now since the work was two thirds done they got the OK to do the rest of the work; this is when it should have been Totaled Out, slipped under the rug and the customer got stuck with it, the body shop prospered and the Insurance Company got off a little cheaper. 

This is how a vehicle should have been Totaled Out gets past the not Totaled stage and now is back on the road as a good safe car when it should have been removed from the road. The now repaired vehicle is worth less than it was pre-collision, the good news for him is the law is on his side and he is entitled to get that loss of value better known in the courts as “Diminished Value”.

Now is the time for him to get on the ball and go after his money.  After he got his Diminished Value Report package with a report proving the car should have been Totaled Out because the value after repairs showed he had over $17,000 in loss of value.

When he received his package from Lemon Protection, he followed the instructions we gave him in preparation of getting the money.

He sent a Certified Demand Letter to the owner of the car that hit him and to his Insurance Company, demanding his money for his loss of value and gave them 10 days to pay.

He got a letter from the Insurance Company telling him there is no law in CA that says they have to pay Diminished Value and his car was fixed; if he has any complaints about the repairs he should go back to the body shop, and he was told the Diminished Value Report I did, did not show loss of value, was all lies and worth nothing, and then he was given a diminished value report prepared by the Insurance Company.

I read that diminished value report prepared by the Insurance Company and it is one sided; no research proving actual average value, and is unfair and downright despicable, cheating the people out of money owed them.

My client filed for loss of value in Small Claims Court for $10,000 which is the maximum amount he is allowed to ask.  He notified me the court date and time.

I prepared a Court Brief for the case since I will be the Expert Witness on this.  The Brief I used was edited and approved by my Attorney so the Judge will see the Laws showing my client is entitled to get compensation for his loss of value, this loss is called “Diminished Value”.

We arrived at the Courthouse in Van Nuys, CA on May 2019 and met ½ hour before time to go inside the court room at 8:30 am. I gave him a copy of the file I prepared for him and explained to him he should ask the Judge to let him give him a copy of his file and then ask the Judge if  I can speak about the Diminished Value Report.

The Judge said yes and then asked about my certifications and hands on experience. I told the Judge I have 39 years of hands on experience as an Expert Technician and 16 years as a Certified Appraiser. I went on to tell him I was first certified on Detroit Diesel in 1980, followed by GM, Cadillac as well as a trained and certified Heavy Duty Technician and later was certified by National Appraisal Institute. This company also certifies Technicians from other shops such as Mercedes, BMW, GM, Ford, Chrysler, Volvo, Mazda to name a few.

I then went on to explain how the Diminished Value Report proves the loss of value and how we came up with the numbers. I then explained the structural damage and why the car was not made whole as required by law.

The man from the Insurance Company said if he has a problem with the repair he can go back to the body shop and we will pay to have it fixed; he was attempting to show my client was mad about the repairs in hope to shift the way the Judge got the information he had to judge on.

I told my client we are not here about the body repairs and to remind the Judge he was not here about the body repairs, but was here about the resale value which is gone and the car is only worth junk price at most.

The Judge said, Mr. Winters, your Diminished Value Report is showing the car should have been Totaled Out but is still worth $1,300 according to your formula you are using right?  I said, yes, your honor that is correct the car should have been Totaled Out.

The Judge said, well, he can drive the car and realistically what is it worth? I said, your honor it will continue to wear the tires out and is only worth junk price which is 25% of the value of the Kelly Blue Book and would only be good for parts.

The Judge said, one of you will not like my judgement but it will be final.

Five days after the case was over my client called and was ecstatic and said we won all the Diminished Value of $10,000 dollars; he was very happy and I was happy for him.

This is just one of many cases my Diminished Value Report was able to show and prove Diminished Value to the Judge; he was satisfied as was many other Judges in Small Claims Courts and Superior Courts.  It is very satisfying to see someone who wins what should have been given them from the start.

Tell a friend.

Jackie Winters

Lemon Protection Est 1984 TM 1988/2001

We won $10,000 in Small Claims Court for Diminished Value and now we are back but in Superior Court and we won this case as well.

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You may remember on March 27-2019 I posted we won our trial in Van Nuys CA for Diminished Value. My client was only able to sue for $10,000, his loss was over $17,000, the good news is the Judge awarded him the full amount of $10,000.

Up-Date, the INS Co filed for a Trial De Novo and we had to be back in court on 5-29-2019 in Van Nuys, CA. This is as if we have never been to court but this time an attorney for the INS Co would be present.

Definition from Nolo’s Plain-English Law Dictionary.    A trial held on appeal, in which the appeals court holds a trial as if no prior trial had been held, considering the evidence anew rather than reviewing the lower court’s decision for correctness. A trial de novo is common on appeals from small claims court judgments …

We were in court on 05-29-2019 at 8:15 am. The INS Co first attacked my report as unfounded and having no foundation but was proved otherwise to the Judge when he read my Diminished Value report. The INS Co attempted to change the case by saying “Well your Honor if he is not satisfied with the repair he should go back to the shop” this is a side step ploy by them. A trick that means if you say anything about not being satisfied about the repairs you will not win. They will tell the Judge it is about not being happy with the repairs.

You must always remember, it is not about the repairs it is about Diminished Value and you must stay on that road.  I told my client if they say anything about body repairs remind the Judge you are not here for the repairs you are here for the loss of value when selling or trading in the car in and the car having a bad Car Fax  is giving Buyer Beware rendering a sure no sale, it is about loss of value.

We showed the Judge our evidence and gave him a Brief I had prepared with help from my attorney and friend.  I explained Structural Damage and how the car was not made Whole as before, I explained how the car will be unsafe and how it will cause uneven tire wear. I also had an alignment sheet showing the arrows were not stacked meaning the alignment is within the lines but not perfect. I also proved I am a Certified Hunter Alignment Trained Technician. The Judge said you will get my decision in 2/4 weeks.

On 06-04-2019 I was in court with another client when I got a call from my client, he was ecstatic, he said the judge awarded him $8,115 for his Diminished Value case on 05-29-2019, we proved our case and it paid off.

He was very happy because before he filed his Diminished Value case he was told he did not have a chance of getting any more than a few hundred dollars if that from any INS Co for Diminished Value. So he thought about it and decided the $250 he will spend for the report is worth it and it paid off for him.

Keep in mind you are not allowed to have an attorney in small calms court but you can have an Expert Witness and an Attorney with you in Trial De Novo because it is a Superior Court where you will have to show evidence if you want to win as we did.

The bottom line is you can go for Diminished Value and if you prepare your case, you can win, not all cases will win but at least you have a chance to win.

On 06-04-2019 while in small claims court with another client  my third Diminished Value case in Camarillo, CA on a 2018 Honda Accord.  I gave the same explanation as I did in my Trial De Novo to the Judge and we were told a decision will be made in a few weeks.   Two days after this trial my client called me to say she won and her awarded was $7,075, for Diminished Value.

Folks we are on a roll for Diminished Value so if you have been in an accident and your vehicle was repaired you are entitled to Diminished Value so why not go for it. The cost is relatively cheap at $250 for a Diminished Value report that may help you settle soon after but if you don’t we will go to small claims court or Trial De Novo with you (there is a separate fee with a 100% Guarantee win or you get refund in full for court fees)

If you use our service for Small Claim Court or Trial De Novo there is a fee and with our GUARANTEE you can’t lose.  Yes, and we GUARANTEE if you do not win in small claims court you do not pay that $750 fee and it is in writing. If you go to Trial De Novo and lose you do not pay the second fee of $750, we ask the Judge to make the INS Co pay that.

I am a Certified Appraiser and I have been writing Diminished Value report since 2011 using a Formula that can be proven and the US Gov has given Copyrights to the Instruction of use of that formula. I write for law firms in Las Vegas that are winning and settling their Diminished Value cases with no problem. You can do the same here in CA or anywhere in the USA so you have three years from the date of your accident to file for a Diminished Value claim.  TELL A FRIEND

Jackie Winters

Lemon Protection

We won $10,000 in Small Claims Court for Diminished Value and $8,115 in Superior Court in Van Nuys, CA

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Yes! we won in Small Claims Court Civil Division Department P in Van Nuys, CA for the “Diminished Value”, in the amount of $10,000 plus court cost on March 12, 2019.

How did we do it?

Back in January I got a call from my client to write a “Diminished Value” report for his 2012 BMW 328i that had been rear ended when at a stop light by another driver.

I asked for the Estimate of Repair document to see the cost of repairs and it turned out to be over $17,000 in damages. I started to write the “Diminished Value” report that can be used in a court of law.

When I finished the “Diminished Value” report I sent it along with instructions on how to proceed.

First, my client had to send a Demand Letter to the Insurance Company of the driver that hit his car.  As expected, my client got a letter back from the Insurance Company that the claim was denied and the CA law does not have any such thing as “Diminished Value”.

Second, my client followed my instructions I sent him and filed a Small Claims law suit against the owner of the car that hit him and then got a court date to stand before a Judge.

On the day of trial I was with my client (Plaintiff) and we went inside the court room.  The owner of the car (Defendant) that hit my client’s car was in court with his Insurance Adjuster and we were asked to go outside and try to arbitrate.

The defendant’s insurance refused to arbitrate so we remained inside the court room to stand before the Judge.

The Plaintiff was called and he and I stood before the Judge. He told the Judge his Expert was with him and would like for me to speak about the “Diminished Value” and the Judge allowed me to speak.

First, the Plaintiff spoke about the accident and how it happened; he also stated the other driver admitted fault.

Now the Defendant’s Insurance Adjuster spoke and said, “Your Honor, he accepted the car’s repairs and he was satisfied and if he has any complaints he should return to the shop that did the repairs.” Then he also stated we had to prove loss of value and later when I spoke I did.

The Defendant reminded the Judge he was not in the court about the repairs but about the loss of money when reselling or trading the car in. The Judge asked me to explain the report and the formula I use to show “Diminished Value”. After I finished explaining the report and my findings and how I come to the loss of value which was far more than he can ask for which was over $17,000.

The Judge had another question for me, how to show structural damage.  I explained with a very simple and easy to understand of how this was, with that the Judge said, “One side here today will not like my judgement but it is final.”

After five days my client called me with excitement; we won the “Diminished Value” case for the full amount of $10,165.  This is the maximum allowable damage he can ask for plus court cost in a small claims court of law in CA.

I have been writing “Diminished Value” reports for law firms in NV and CA going on 8 years now, but mostly in superior court for attorneys.  This was my first small claims case on my own and we won that all my client was allowed to ask for.

If you have been in a car accident not your fault you are entitled to get “Diminished Value” and you can get it; it takes a little time but worth every minute you spend on.

You can contact me by way of e-mail and I will be willing to help you as well. Don’t let the Insurance Adjuster make you back down with their lies, telling you it is not allowed or you don’t have a claim because your car is fixed, that is a cover in hope you will back down and they win. Help is here and here to stay.

Feel free to contact me anytime because you can WIN in small claims court for “Diminished Value”. This case can be verified.  Tell a friend and get paid what is owed to you.

Thank you,

Jackie Winters

Lemon Protection

Diminished Value Against the Home or Vehicles Insurance Companies

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I had a case a few years back and a man’s three vehicle were burned caused by the neighbor’s house fire and the repairs were several thousand dollars to fix.

The Insurance told him he was not entitled to get paid for his Diminished Value and he should just go fix his cars or junk them they did not care about his loss.

His attorney had a different story, he was entitled to get Diminished value for his loss.

His attorney contacted me and ask me to inspect each vehicle and find the Diminished Value and I agreed.

I went to the home of this customer and did an inspection on each vehicle and all were repairable with some needing new glass and paint and rubber seal that had been damage by the fire.

I turned in all there reports with my finding and loss of value to the attorney who called me, he also ask me to be the expert witness for the loss of value in a court of law and I agreed.

On the day of trial when on the witness stand I was asked to explain each vehicle loss and what the loss of value was to the Jury. The total loss was several thousand dollars for the three vehicle. The Jury awarded loss of value on all three vehicle with all 12 jurors agreeing he was entitled to that loss of value, he won based on my three reports hand down.

The Diminished Value will apply to all vehicle damages by another person insurance no matter if it was caused by a house fire as these there were or in a car accident not your fault.

The California law 3903J under Jurors Instruction passed in 2016 make this apply to all loss of value claims no matter how the loss happened. The laws in other stated provided  show Diminished Value is recoverable and is in almost all stated in America.

As a certified appraiser and writer of Diminished Value report for over 14 years. I know the laws and know how to write the report for that loss and can back up all report I have written with a solid foundation showing proof.

If you have a loss of value caused by another person fault you are entitled to get that loss of value no matter how small it is.

If you were in an accident not your fault you are entitled to get that loss after the vehicle has been repaired because no person or shop can repair a vehicle back to factory condition, in many inspection I have always found damaged parts I could photograph and or feel when driving. So go after that loss and remember we pay for Insurance to protect us and pay any loss to the other party when in an accident.

Pass this story on and tell a friend.

Thank you,

Jackie Winters

Lemon Protection

lemonprotection@yahpoo.com

Mercedes Distronic Plus, Active Lane Keep, Steering Assist and Collision Prevention Assist Understanding

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Recently I have done inspection on some of the Mercedes Benz that are equipped with Distronic Plus for driving that were having concerns and I want to clear up how these system work and when you know there is a problem with it.  These systems work off of radar position in front of the car behind the grill area and has a Radar Sensor and an Adaptive Cruise Module, it also uses the brake system. This Distronics Plus can be turned on at 30 mph or above and the distance can be as close as 100 feet up to a few hundred fee this is the best distance to use.

Distronic Plus On works like the Cruise Control;

Let me start with Distronic Plus and how it works and what the warning sign mean. Distronic Plus is a system designed to keep automatic speed regulation with control proximity of the vehicle in front of you traveling at a slower speed.

How it works is when you are driving behind someone driving slower than you are when the Distronics Plus is on, let me say 60mph and you set the Distronic at the speed of 65 and the distance at 100 feet, this means if you are driving 65mph and you come up behind another car and there speed is less than your speed the Distronic Plus slows the car down in turn helping you avoid a collision.

Some people may think, this is Collision Prevention and may complain “My Collision Prevention Assist is not working right” but they may mean my Distronic Plus is not working right meaning the car did not slow down when it approached the slower vehicle in front of them and the brakes did not apply and slow the car down as designed to do.

Now if you turn on the Distronic Plus and then see a warning that says Suspended that means the brake system was suspended (meaning a problem is present with the Distronic Plus) keeping it from working properly when you get to close to the slower car in front of you, the warning sound will start to beep loudly warning you to slow down, this does not mean the Distronic is turned off.

The Distronic Plus will not turn off until you press the brakes and then you will see the warning “Distronic Plus Off” meaning you hit the brakes and now the Distronics Plus is off.

You have a Problem when you see Suspended after you turn on the Distronic Plus but did not hit the brakes and if the car speed up when it should not and if you get a warning when you think everything is working properly

Active Lane Keeping Assist;

This Active Lane Keeping Assist is designed to keep the car in the lane you are traveling at.  The way this Active Lane Keeping Assist works when you are driving in a lane and then the car veers out of your lane and starts to cross the lane left or right of you the brake system will activate and cause the car to pull back into your lane, this may save you from getting hit or hitting another car, this may also be confused with Collision Prevention Assist.

When the brakes apply during Active Lane Keeping Assist they will slightly apply but not enough to cause the car to jerk or move abruptly causing you to be afraid, the brakes will apply in the right front and right rear if you are drifting to the lane to the left of you and if you are veering to the lane to the right of you the left front brake and the left rear brake will slightly apply to cause the car to come back to the center of your lane avoiding a possible collision from you hitting another car or from you getting hit by another car.

You can test this by turning on the Active Lane keeping Assist by drifting into another lane left or right and see if it pulls the car back to the lane as designed and if not then you have a problem.

Active Steering Assist;

Active steering assist is designed to help you the drive keep the car centered in the lane stopping you from drifting to close to the left or right lanes. This is for you if you are drifting left and right the way some drive do when driving, you may have seen other driver drift left and right when if front of you making them appear to be drunk the way a drink drive will do.

You can test this Active Steering Assist by making the car drift left or right while in the center of the lane, it should pull the car back to center and if not then there is a problem.

Collision Prevention Assist;

Collision Prevention Assist is designed to keep you from getting hit by another car when driving, it works off Radar to watch your soundings area of your car. If a possible collision appears that may happen it will apply the level of breaking you need in hope to help you avoid getting hit or hitting someone else avoiding the collision. Your Technician can test this by using the shop XENTRY tool or it may be called the Star Diagnostic tool for testing and reset, it taking approximately 1 hour to do the job.

If you have problems with your vehicle you can get help and you can win but you must have records of repairs on the concerns you have and have attempted to get those repairs made more than three times unless it is a safety issue which is two times, meaning Brakes or (SRS) Safety Restraint System. There are a lot of good attorney who can win for you but you must contact one of them. Thank you and pass the word forward if you need help or know someone who does. I am a certified Craftsman and certified by ASE, Detroit Diesel, Hybrid trained and a Certified Appraiser with over 40 years of hands on experience. I have also been on the witness stand over 58 times with over 800 deposition and have never been impeached.

PLEASE LEAVE ALL TESTING TO THE EXPERTS JUST TELL THEM WHAT YOUR CAR IS DOING AND THEY WILL KNOW WHAT TO DO, MOST OF THE TIMES.

Jackie Winters

Lemon Protection

800-700-0109 with any question.

 

 

Lemon Law case WON for Honda Brake Concerns

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I had a Lemon Law case for brake concerns a few years back for a Honda Odyssey not stopping as soon as they should and locking up at other times.  I got a call from the customer who had been referred to me by their Lemon Law Attorney here in Los Angeles.

I set a time to inspect the vehicle for the customer and drove out to Redlands, California on a Saturday morning. The weather was clear and the roads were dry. I photoed the Honda Odyssey Van and did a walk around checking for damages as I always do and the van was very well maintained. I checked all fluid levels and inspected under the van for leaks at each wheel and then the ABS Anti-lock Brake System the Hydraulic Control unit and the Brake Master Cylinder. I photo the Van under side and brake parts, the VIM number and odometer before and after the road test, this is normal operation when inspecting a vehicle.

I did observe moisture at the Hydraulic Control Unit which made me to be extra cautious and photographed that moisture at the Hydraulic Control Unit and would be extra cautious during my road test. This brakes system is what the main concerns were when the customer complained about to the dealership for not stopping as it should and locking up the wheels at times.

I road tested the vehicle several miles as I do all vehicles and found the brakes at times in the rear would lock up as well as observed brake fading when holding the brakes down to stop, this is not normal operation. I finished the inspection and advised the customer to return to the dealership and show them the moisture at the Hydraulic Control Unit so she would be able to show the dealership Technician.

I returned to my office an did my research on ALLDATA for Technical Service Bulletins to see if Honda had published any Bulletin for the Technician could apply that to the problems on the vehicle.  There were no recalls but there was one Technician Service Bulletin on the brakes for brake leaking at the Hydraulic Control Unit and I was stunned to see what the repair was on this Odyssey Van. The Technician Service Bulletin actually had the Technician apply sealer to the leak at the Hydraulic Control Unit, my thought was this cannot be right because sealer will not hold on a Hydraulic control Leak.

I did my report and used that Technical Service Bulletin to show Honda knew about a brake problem with this New Honda Odyssey but the repair was not what I expected because sealer will not hold pressure or stop a leak in the brake system.

Several months later I was subpoenaed to be on the witness stand to show the Jury my finding as well as Video and Photo’s I had made during my inspection and explained how this brake system works and why sealer was not a good repair for it, it was unsafe and should not have been repaired under this Technician Service Bulletin. After my testimony the Technician for Honda disputed what I said and said the sealer was a good repair for this part. The Jury disagreed with his stamen and took the evidence I had and we won the case all the way across. The customer got a full buyback from Honda and the attorney’s fees and expert witness fees were paid.

The fact is brakes are a safety issue when not working properly which will include brake squealing noise when stopping, grabbing, groaning noise, pulling to one side, fading, vibrating when stopping, not slowing down or pulsating when stopping.

You can win in a lemon law case as long as you have it together, this customer had good records showing she had complained several times for her complaints and the fact is the factory will not make repairs unless it is a proven defect and repair attempts were made several times.  When a repair is made under the Factory Defect Warranty it is because it was verified and repair attempts were made. The Lemon Law applies to New and Used or Certified Pre-Owned vehicles.

Thank you and please pass it on if you like,

Jackie Winters

Lemon Protection@yahoo.com

800-700-0109

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Lemon Law Case Won on Electrical Issues

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Ford Explorer Electrical Issues

I am a Lemon Law Expert Witness and was thinking of a case I did a few years back on a Ford that was having Electrical Issue. The attorney’s client called me and I was told she was having electrical; issue with her Ford Explorer and needed an inspection. We agreed to a time I would be able to see her vehicle for the inspection.

On the day of the inspection I met with this lady and took her keys and started my inspection. I took pictures of the outside of the Explorer and the VIN numbers and the odometer for documentation. I examined the underside and photographed the oil leaking at the engine and transmission as well as found the tires were wearing on the inside. I checked the fluid levels and checked for loose parts in the steering system before I started my road test.

After I started the engine the first thing I observes was the instrument cluster started flashing off and on after I started the engine and was driving. I ran a scan for trouble codes and several trouble codes came up for control modules. I continue my road test and also observed the Transmission was jerking at times and I recorded the times it was jerking which was during the up shifts. I also checked the steering and the vehicle pulled left indicating an alignment issue. I made notes as I always do on my finding and continue the inspection road test.

When I ended the road test, I took a photos the odometer to show how many miles I had driven and then the inspection was over. I went back to my office and wrote my report and turned it over to the attorney and waited. Several months later we had a trial on the vehicle. I was on the witness stand and was asked what happen during my inspection and explained that to the Jury. I had photos and videos I made when I was doing my road test and proved he lied when the videos were shown.

The expert for Ford also did his inspection and to my amazement stated he did not witness any concerns and the vehicle was working as designed which was a lie, this is when I learned what goes on in a court room. The attorney called me after the case ended, I ask about the other expert and was told yes they will lie and do anything they can to win a case but the Jury saw what I had gotten during my inspection and believed be, we WON hands down based on the evidence.

You can win in a lemon law case as long as you have it together, this customer had good records showing she had complained several times for her complaints and the fact is the factory will not make repairs unless it is a proven defect and repair attempts were made several times.

If you have problems with your vehicle you can get help and you can win but you must have records of repairs on the concerns you have and have attempted to get those repairs made more than three times unless it is a safety issue which is two times, meaning Brakes or SRS Safety Restraint System. There are a lot of good attorney who can win for you but you must contact one of them. Thank you and pass the word forward if you need help or know someone who does. I am a certified Craftsman and certified by ASE, Detroit Diesel, Hybrid trained and a Certified Appraiser with over 40 years of hands on experience. I have also been on the witness stand over 58 times with over 800 deposition and have never been impeached.

 

Jackie Winters

Lemon Protection

800-700-0109 with any question.