When car problems start from the moment a driver buys a car, it is known as a lemon.

Gerald Lofstead, a local attorney, said he handled dozens of cases involving lemon laws. “Do your homework before you buy, talk to your friends, talk to your family, before you make a decision on what type of car you buy,” advised Lofstead.

Each state has lemon laws set up by legislators to protect people on their new car purchases and warranties.

Lemon laws only protect new cars.

Laws in West Virginia and Ohio are very similar, but there are some differences.

"Ohio has a shorter time period for the lemon law to be effective, you have to have problems with your vehicle within the first 12 months or 18,000 miles," said Lofstead.

According to Lofstead, mechanics get three chances to fix any individual problem.

“But, if there are multiple problems, the state differs slightly on how many chances they get," said Lofstead.

Local mechanic Joe Burdine said there are ways to spot lemons.

He said a dependable vehicle will have a good solid front end, or steering components.

Burdine stresses the importance of test driving a car before buying,

"If you run across a dealer that won't let you take it for a test drive because of insurance purposes or something like that, that's hidden because if they are a dealership, they've got to have insurance on it,” said Burdine.

There is help for used car owners, called the Manuson-Moss warranty act.

It's a federal law that requires manufacturers to provide consumers with detailed information about warranty coverage.

It also encourages warranty competition, so buyers can compare and get the best deal.

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