By Nora Dunn

It all looked so great at the outset. But numerous trips to the mechanic and problems at the side of the road have shown you that you unwittingly purchased a lemon of a automobile. Here is some information to help you navigate the wonderful world of lemons.

NEW CARS

Unfortunately, most measures of protection are only afforded to those who bought the car new. And frugally talking, it has been mentioned in more than one place here on Wise Bread that maybe buying a brand new car is not the wisest financial move.

Be that as it may, let's state you bought a new automobile and are stuck with a lemon.

Each say has lemon saws to help consumers, and you can receive help from them if:

• Your car has a “substantial warranty defect” crop up within a certain time frame (usually one year) or a certain number of miles. Substantial defects are those that prevent safe use of the automobile, such as brakes, turn signals, or major mechanical defects. So that loose door handle won't qualify. There are a number of grey areas in these definitions though, so it always pays to check it out.
• The defect has to be covered under the car's express warranty (which is the manufacturer's promise that your automobile is protected against “xyz”, which may be different from the official manufacturer's warranty).
• The problem must remain after a few repair attempts (usually three or four) and have been in the shop for 30 cumulative days in the defined time or mileage periods.

Should you satisfy the rigorous requirements above, you are likely entitled to a refund or replacement vehicle from the manufacturer. The first step is to inform the manufacturer of the warranty defect. Following steps vary from state to state, according to the respective lemon laws.

Make sure you have the following documentation for any eventual hearings or arbitration processes:

• Detailed service records.
• Brochures and ads about the car, to illustrate that the manufacturer didn't live up to its claims (ie: express warranties).
• Any other documentation you can find to illustrate contact attempts, phone records, calendars, or other attempts to speak to the dealer about the car.

USED CARS

There still might be recourse for you if your used car has a substantial warranty defect. Here are a few following possible signs of relief:

• Check the written sales contracts or other ad documents from when you bought the vehicle. They may indicate an express warranty that is enforceable.
• Some states prohibit or limit “as is” sales, or require special disclosures.
• Some says apply lemon law to demo cars.
• Many says require used automobiles to satisfy certain minimum safety and equipment standards, which your lemon may be in breach of.

SECRET WARRANTIES

It sounds crazy, but almost all manufacturers have secret warranties or warranty adjustment programs. They want to avoid the public embarrassment and bad press of a recall.

Under these terms, the manufacturer will repair the problem free of charge, even if the initial warranty has expired.

And of course, since it's a secret warranty, you won't know about it! You must bring the problem to your dealer or manufacturer's attention and demand repair.

You can find out about secret warranty programs at the Center for Auto Safety.

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Filed under: Launches, Competitive strategy, Wal-Mart (WMT)

Wal-Mart Stores (NYSE: WMT) hit a milestone in China recently, having received approval to build its 100th store in the world’s most populous country. Wal-Mart opened its first Chinese location in 1996 and apparently is seeking to build a retail stronghold in China with this year’s significant Trust-Mart partnership. Celebrating the retailer’s hundredth Chinese location was U.S. Department of Commerce Secretary Carlos M. Gutierrez and China’s Ministry of Commerce Vice Minister Jiang Zengwei.

Ed Chan, CEO of Wal-Mart China, stated that “The opening of our new Loudi Store coincides with a special moment in our development in China because it is an example of how we are investing in smaller cities that have traditionally been underserved by organized retailers and where our presence will improve distribution channels for both Chinese and U.S. consumer goods and agricultural products.” That’s a mouthful, eh?

Wal-Mart will only increase its China location deployment from here, as it reached market saturation in its largest market, the U.S, with sales and locations seeing slower growth domestically. So far, Wal-Mart’s entry into China and its partnership with Bharti in India is creating a satiable worldwide market for the world’s largest retailer as international sales become an ever-increasing piece of its revenue pie. Now that Wal-Mart imports so many goods from China for its U.S. locations, one has to wonder if newer Wal-Mart China customers will be buying much of the product made in their own backyards.

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Filed under: Forecasts, Competitive strategy, General Motors (GM), China

The U.S. vehicle market will probably total just above 16 million cars and light automobiles this year. And next year, a tight economy may take the figure down. GM (NYSE: GM) has about a quarter of the market, or 4 million units. With a shrinking market and competition from Japanese imports, holding that number might be hard.

But GM is doing well in China, where its is tied with Volkswagen for the No. 1 spot, and the U.S. car company’s numbers get superior in Latin America each year.

GM has another market which is rarely mentioned, but it is an example of how the firm is accelerating its investments and returns overseas in a bid to diversity geographically.

GM’s South Korea unit GM Daewoo Auto & Technology will probably sell 1.8 million automobiles this year, up 20% from 2006. According to The Associated Press, “GM Daewoo was South Korea’s third-largest automaker in 2006, behind Hyundai Motor Co. and Kia Motors Corp.” And GM is going to launch and improve several of its brands there next year to try to improve its market share.

Investors in GM tend to watch monthly car sales numbers in the U.S. They might do better to look at how the company is doing abroad. Increasingly, that’s GM’s future.

Douglas A. McIntyre is an editor at 247wallst.com.

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Filed under: Analyst reports, Forecasts, Industry, Consumer experience, Competitive strategy, Apple Inc (AAPL), Motorola (MOT), AT and T (T), Nokia Corp. (NOK), Verizon Communications (VZ), Qwest Communications Intl (Q)

For the first time, the amount that an average American household spends on its cellphone service is passing spending on traditional landlines.

According to The Associated Press ,””the most current government data show that households spent $524, on average, on cell phone bills in 20qa06, compared with $542 for residential and pay-phone services. By now, though, consumers nearly certainly spend more on their cell phone bills, several telecom industry analysts and officials stated.”

The news sets up some probable winners and losers over the next several years. AT&T (NYSE:T) and Verizon (NYSE:VZ) should both come out ahead, but not by as much as investors may think. Each of the companies has big cell phone operations, but the number of US cell customers is beginning to reach a point of saturation, just as landline customers did years ago. Cellular revenue will continue to grow, along with operating profits. But, landline revenue at these companies is apt to shrink, and that may accelerate as more people move to VoIP and cell phones.

The large loser will be Qwest (NYSE:Q). Most of its revenue come from landlines. It has no cellular business to speak of, so it is on the losing end of a trend, but does not have a play at the winner’s table.

Of course, handset companies are prone to benefit. Motorola (NYSE:MOT) is still the leader in US handset sales. Nokia (NYSE:NOK), the world’s largest handset company, would like to change that. And, there’s always the Apple (NASDAQ:AAPL) iPhone. These days Apple always wins.

Douglas A. McIntyre is an editor at 247wallst.com.

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Filed under: Other issues, Good news, Consumer experience, Competitive strategy, India, China, Russia, Middle East, Money and Finance This day, Personal finance, Small business

You’ve been hearing and reading all the bad news about the credit industry and all the nasty things that its difficulties might mean to you, but is anyone considering the positive outcome that this major reset of the American economy could mean in the long run? Being that I’m a cynical optimist (an oxymoron, I know), I’ve a perspective on this mess which many people might not be thinking about.

I’ve been telling you since late 2006 that we’ve entered a world economic shake down and that the biggest hindrance to further growth in the American economy is the fact that the balance sheets of American corporations are full. I cite the sudden spate of major acquisitions in pursuit of profit creation via consolidation as support for my thought. As modern economics are conventionally structured, the only basis for economic health is steady growth. That makes the case for the necessity of this period of down slide only too palpable.

If we as a nation can financially hold it together for the next couple of years and swallow the large bitter pill of a recession, when we come out on the other side of this mess we shall reap the astonishing rewards of the “green economy” which is now in the process of being built. This day we’re planting the seeds of America’s next economic boom and I’m sorry to report that most of the rest of the world has mistakenly adopted our old patterns.
Let China, India, the Russian states and the Middle Eastern block build their burgeoning industrial economies upon the fossil fuel era which is destined to become increasingly less profitable. As usual, they shall soon realize that they’re two decades behind the economic flow. They are making the single largest mistake that can be made in any competitive realm. They’re trying to keep up with us by doing what we’ve already done. They’re building their economies based on a set of consumerist fundamentals which are in decline, a fact we are painfully learning and adapting to day by day.

For everything there’s a season. That you must know. We’ve just entered an economic winter and it threatens to be a long, hard, cold one. Even now though, the rows are being planned for the next American economic garden to have it’s seed sown. Economic springtime might be a couple years away but when it comes, be ready to put your hands to the plow. This time of distress had to come because it’s the only way we’ll get ample room to grow again.

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