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Delray Beach Lemon Law

Delray Beach Lemon Law Attorney

If the car you bought new has spent more time at the service bay than in your driveway, Florida law may require the manufacturer to take it back. RockPoint Law handles lemon law claims as its core practice. We take cases from Delray Beach and the rest of southern Palm Beach County and run them from our Florida office in Miami. You will not find a RockPoint office in Delray Beach, and a Florida claim does not call for one: it is built from repair orders and a filing with the Attorney General, and the filing itself can go by mail or email from home.

Free Case Evaluation

Three quick questions. No cost, no obligation.

  1. The year and make of your vehicle
  2. What the dealer has already tried
  3. How to reach you, and we review it
Start My Free Case Review  Call (516) 550-3323

Sending this does not create an attorney-client relationship. A case evaluation is a first step, not legal representation.

Florida's remedy is a buyback or a replacement you accept, and choosing the refund is up to you. The Florida New Motor Vehicle Arbitration Board, run by the Attorney General, hears the dispute, and an appeal from Palm Beach County goes to the circuit court in West Palm Beach.

  • 3 repairs plus one final try
  • 30 days out of service in total
  • No fee unless we recover
Key facts

Delray Beach lemon law at a glance

What a Delray Beach claim runs into, from delivery day to a court appeal, with the section of Chapter 681 or the Attorney General's guidance behind each figure.

Key facts of the Florida lemon law for a Delray Beach owner, Chapter 681 of the Florida Statutes
Key figureWhat it meansWhere it comes from
24 monthsfrom first deliveryReport the defect inside this window. A car passed to a family member during it can stay covered, but the clock still runs from the day the first owner took delivery.Section 681.102(4), (9)
3 repairsplus one final tryThe same defect repaired three times, then written notice to the manufacturer and its final attempt. Keep the order from a no-problem-found visit too: the manufacturer may argue it wasn't a repair.Section 681.104(1)(a), (3)(a)
30 daysout of service in totalShop days for one or more defects, added together. At 15 days, notify the manufacturer by registered or express mail.Section 681.104(1)(b), (3)(b)
60 daysafter month 24The latest date for the Request for Arbitration, or 30 days after a certified program's final action if that is later. A slow goodwill offer doesn't stop this clock.Section 681.109(4)
20 daysto an eligibility decisionThe request is stamped on arrival at Lemon Law Arbitration Screening in Tallahassee. That stamp is your filing date, and the eligibility decision follows within 20 days.Attorney General's screening office
40 / 60days to hearing and decisionThe Board hears the case within 40 days and decides within 60. Asking to postpone the hearing waives both deadlines.Section 681.1095(6)
NADAtrade-in fallbackIf you or the manufacturer rejects the contract's trade-in figure, the Board uses 100 percent of NADA retail value. A trade-in inflated to absorb a loan can then fall below zero.Section 681.102(18); AG remedy calculation guideline
40 daysto complyAfter a decision in your favor. Compliance means the day you actually receive the refund or an acceptable replacement.Section 681.1095(9)
30 daysto appeal, in West Palm BeachEither side can petition the circuit court as a new trial. Circuit civil judges sit at the Hurley Courthouse, 205 North Dixie Highway, not at the South County Courthouse on West Atlantic Avenue.Section 681.1095(10), (12)
The Short Answer

Lemon Law in Delray Beach, in Brief

Delray Beach has no lemon law of its own. Owners here rely on Chapter 681 of the Florida Statutes, which overrides any city or county version. It covers a new or demonstrator car, truck or SUV sold in Florida, plus a qualifying lease. If a defect that substantially impairs use, value or safety is first reported within 24 months of delivery and then survives three repair attempts and a final one, or keeps the vehicle out of service for 30 days in total, the manufacturer owes you a refund or a replacement you accept. The refund is always your choice to make. Disputes go to the Florida New Motor Vehicle Arbitration Board, which the Attorney General runs.

Any franchised dealer for your brand can perform the repairs that count. Section 681.101 records the legislature's finding that a duly franchised dealer is an authorized service agent of the manufacturer, so a warranty visit to the store on South Federal Highway where you bought the car and a visit to the same brand's dealer in another town both go on the record. The dealer is where your evidence comes from, not who you are claiming against. For the statute from start to finish, see our Florida lemon law guide.

The dates, in the order they arrive

Every day on this list is a calendar day under section 681.102(5), weekends and holidays included.

  • Delivery day. The 24-month rights period begins on the date the car was first delivered to a consumer. A later owner inherits that start date.
  • Before month 24 ends. The problem has to be reported to the manufacturer or one of its dealers inside that window. The repairs can finish later. The first report cannot.
  • Within 60 days after month 24. File with the brand's certified program if it has one, or with the Attorney General if it does not.
  • Within 30 days of a certified program's final action, if that falls later. This is the Board deadline for owners who had to try a program first.
  • Within one year. Any lawsuit under the chapter, counted from the end of the rights period or from the final action of a program, the Attorney General or the Board.

The Attorney General's filing-deadline note is blunt about the stakes: miss these dates and you lose your Lemon Law arbitration rights. Sending a copy of a defect notification form to the Attorney General is one of the steps before a claim. It is not a claim.

Section 681.104(3) sets two presumptions. Route one: the same defect repaired three times, a letter to the manufacturer by registered or express mail, then a final repair attempt that does not fix it. Route two: 30 or more days out of service for repair of one or more defects, a notice to the manufacturer by registered or express mail once that count reaches 15, and at least one more chance for the manufacturer to inspect or repair the car. Downtime for routine maintenance that the owner's manual prescribes is left out of the count.

Some brands must be taken to a manufacturer program before the state Board will hear them. Under section 681.108(1) that step applies when the program is certified and the manufacturer told you about it in writing when you bought the car. The Attorney General's certified list names every brand that qualifies. For the paperwork in order, read how to file a lemon law claim. Unfamiliar terms are defined in our lemon law glossary.

Eligibility

What Qualifies for the Lemon Law in Delray Beach?

Whether you live a few blocks from the ocean or west of Congress Avenue, the same four tests decide a claim. The fault has to be a nonconformity under section 681.102(15): a defect or condition that substantially impairs the car's use, value or safety, and not one caused by an accident, abuse, neglect, or changes made by someone other than the manufacturer or its dealer. From there, the car needs one of two repair histories, the right forum, and dates that line up.

Thirty Days Out of Service

Count the calendar days the car was out of service for repair of defects by the manufacturer or its authorized dealer, and add them together, even when the problems differ. Once you reach 15 days, notify the manufacturer by registered or express mail. It then gets at least one more chance to inspect or repair. Reach 30 days inside the rights period and the law presumes it has had enough attempts. Routine maintenance days do not count.

A Delray Beach example Eleven days for a coolant leak in May, seven for a door-lock actuator in June, a letter at day eighteen, then fourteen more after the manufacturer's inspection

Reported Within the 24 Months

The Lemon Law rights period is 24 months from delivery, and miles do not shorten it. The defect has to be reported inside those 24 months. After they end, you have 60 days to file, or 30 days from a certified program's final action if that date comes later.

A Delray Beach example A crossover delivered on 15 March 2025 must have its defect reported by 15 March 2027, and the claim filed by 14 May 2027

Three Repairs, Then One More

One nonconformity has gone in for repair three times and keeps coming back. Next comes a letter to the manufacturer, by registered or express mail. From the day it arrives, the manufacturer has 10 days to offer a repair at a reasonably accessible facility, and then 10 days from drop-off to finish. Miss either deadline and it loses the final attempt.

A Delray Beach example A backup camera that freezes in reverse returns after three dealer visits, the owner mails notice to the regional office printed in the owner's manual, and the final repair does not hold

The Right Forum for the Brand

A brand with a program the Attorney General has certified gets the first hearing, provided it told you in writing at purchase how to file there. The list covers BBB Auto Line (Bentley, Ford, GM, Hyundai and Genesis, Kia, Mazda, Nissan and Infiniti, Volkswagen and Audi), NCDS (Toyota and Lexus, plus Honda, Acura and Tesla bought new on or after 1 November 2022) and CAP Motors (Porsche). Every other brand goes to the state Board directly.

A Delray Beach example A Kia goes to BBB Auto Line first and can move to the state Board after 40 days without a decision. A Land Rover goes to the Attorney General from the start

Ask for the itemized statement, even when nothing was fixed

Repair orders prove each test. Section 681.103(4) entitles you to an itemized, legible statement every time the car comes back from warranty work, listing your description of the problem, any test drive and roughly how long it ran, the diagnosis, parts and labor, the date and mileage at drop-off, and the date the work was done. If a service writer hands back the keys with nothing in writing, ask for the order before you drive away.

Can't tell which test your history meets? Send the orders and we can sort it out with you.

Start My Free Case Review  Call (516) 550-3323
Where Your Case Is Heard

Filing From Delray Beach: The Board, the Hearing, and Two Courthouses

The first filing goes to Tallahassee. Later papers follow the suffix on your case number. An appeal filed in Palm Beach County goes to West Palm Beach, and the courthouse in Delray Beach plays no part in it.

Filed in Tallahassee

The Request for Arbitration goes to Lemon Law Arbitration Screening, PL-01, The Capitol, Tallahassee, or to the screening mailbox as a PDF. The date the office stamps it on arrival is the filing date, and an eligibility decision follows within 20 days.

After the Notice of Arbitration

Check the suffix on your case number. Papers in a pending case ending in WPB, FTL or MIA go to the Lemon Law Division's FTL e-filing mailbox, not the Tallahassee one. The e-filing notice allows PDFs only, under 8 megabytes, with no photos, video or audio, and the case name or number in the subject line.

Not the Courthouse on West Atlantic Avenue

The South County Courthouse at 200 West Atlantic Avenue is the Fifteenth Judicial Circuit's courthouse in Delray Beach. Its division listing places county civil, county criminal, family, juvenile and probate judges there, and no circuit civil judge. A Board appeal is a petition to circuit court, and all eleven circuit civil divisions sit at the Judge Daniel T. K. Hurley Courthouse, 205 North Dixie Highway, West Palm Beach. The appeal is a fresh trial, filed within 30 days of receiving the decision.

Where the Hearing Happens

Board hearings take place on weekdays during business hours, at locations the Attorney General picks to be as convenient as possible for the consumer, and the panel is three Board members. Hearings are open to the public and held in English. The Attorney General encourages owners to sit in on someone else's hearing before their own, and the office at 850-414-3500 can say whether hearings are being held in your area. If you ask to postpone, section 681.1095(6) treats your request as waiving the Board's deadlines to hear the case within 40 days and decide it within 60.

If the manufacturer does not pay

A Board decision in your favor gives the manufacturer 40 days from receipt to comply, and under section 681.1095(9) compliance means the day you actually receive the refund or an acceptable replacement, not the day someone says a check is coming. If it neither complies nor appeals, subsection (10) lets the Attorney General ask the circuit court for a fine of up to $1,000 a day, capped at twice the purchase price, and the court affirms the award when you apply. Whoever appeals must send the Attorney General a copy of the petition within 7 days of filing it. If it loses, subsection (13) adds your attorney's fees and costs plus $25 a day past the 40, and subsection (14) lets the court make any further appeal conditional on paying your fees and posting security.

Paperwork signed along the way cannot trade your rights away. Section 681.115 makes any agreement that waives, limits or disclaims Chapter 681 rights void, along with any term that requires you to keep the deal confidential as a condition of it. A goodwill repair or a free extended warranty offered at the service desk can be fine to accept. A release that asks you to give up the claim in exchange is a different matter, and the deadlines keep running while you think it over.

When the screening office asks for more, or says no

The request-for-arbitration instructions set out what happens when a form comes back incomplete. The screening office returns it or asks for more information, and you then have 30 days from receiving that request to respond.

  • A reasonable explanation for a delay earns one more 30-day extension. Past 60 days in total, the claim is rejected.
  • Once a rejection notice is mailed, the time left for requesting arbitration resumes running. It does not start over, and trying again takes a new form. Withdraw a claim during screening and the time resumes on the day you notify the office.
  • Under section 681.109(6), the office may reject a dispute as fraudulent or outside the Board's authority, and after a second review it may reject one on clearly insufficient evidence, with a short written reason to you and the manufacturer.
  • Subsection (7) keeps a lawsuit open after any rejection, and the rejection can be offered as evidence in that suit.

You cannot skip this stage. Section 681.1095(4) says a consumer has to submit the dispute to the Attorney General, and to the Board if it is found eligible, before suing over it.

Other laws that can apply, and which courts hear them

Section 681.111 makes a manufacturer's violation of Chapter 681 an unfair or deceptive trade practice under part II of chapter 501, Florida's consumer protection law, and section 681.112(3) keeps every other remedy open. The federal Magnuson-Moss Warranty Act follows a written warranty on vehicles Chapter 681 leaves out, and 15 U.S.C. section 2310(d)(2) lets a court award a winning consumer costs and attorney's fees based on time actually spent.

A Magnuson-Moss suit can go to federal court only when the amount in controversy, counting every claim in the suit, reaches $50,000 (section 2310(d)(3)). Below that, it belongs in state court. In Florida state court, section 34.01 gives county courts cases up to $50,000 filed on or after 1 January 2023, and the county civil divisions at the South County Courthouse hear that level of case. Which courthouse a particular filing is assigned to depends on the circuit's own rules, so we check before filing. Larger federal claims go to the Southern District of Florida, which 28 U.S.C. section 89(c) says sits in West Palm Beach, among other cities.

A consumer who files a claim in bad faith, or to harass, can be ordered to pay the manufacturer's fees and costs under section 681.106. An honest claim built on real repair orders has nothing to fear from it.

"Three strikes and it's a lemon" leaves out the registered letter, the final repair window, the certified program and the 60-day filing deadline. Our explainer on how the lemon law works fills in the rest.

Before we talk, pull these together. We check the dates first, at no charge.

  • The purchase or lease contract, which shows the delivery date that starts the 24 months.
  • Every repair order, including visits where nothing was fixed, with the dates and odometer readings.
  • Receipts for towing, rental cars and other costs the defect caused.
  • A copy of any letter to the manufacturer, with its mail receipt. We talk by phone or video, or at our Miami office.
Start My Free Case Review 
A Delray Beach owner on the phone at home while RockPoint Law prepares a Florida lemon law filing
No Trip Required

A Delray Beach claim starts at home

Nothing in the early stages requires you to go anywhere. The Attorney General takes the filing by mail or email, the screening decision is made on the papers, and the Attorney General's guideline notes that the two sides can agree on a remedy before any hearing.

Our part is the paperwork: requesting orders from each dealer that touched the car, lining up dates and mileage, sending the manufacturer's notice to the address in your owner's manual, filing in the right forum on time, and getting you ready if there is a hearing. Your part is sending us what you have.

How It Works

The Lemon Law Process for a Delray Beach Driver

What follows is the order things happen in on a Florida claim, with the spots along the way where a claim can slip, and if you'd rather see it walked through form by form, have a read of how to file a lemon law claim.

  1. Day 0Your Request for Arbitration is stamped on arrival in Tallahassee. That stamp is the filing date
  2. Day 20Latest day for the eligibility decision
  3. Day 60Latest day for the Board hearing, when the request is approved on Day 20, unless you ask to postpone
  4. Day 80Latest day for the Board's decision on that same timeline

Find the Delivery Date

Dig out the purchase or lease contract first, because two of the answers you need are sitting right there on it: the delivery date, which starts the 24 months, and the dealer's address, which confirms the car was sold new in Florida. Leases count too, as long as they run a year or more and make you responsible for repairs. Section 681.103(3) requires the manufacturer to tell you in writing at purchase how and where to use any certified program, so look through the warranty packet for that sheet and for the manufacturer's Florida regional office address.

Build the Repair Record

At every warranty visit, ask for an itemized order, and do it even on the days the dealer finds nothing. The Attorney General tells owners to write down the day the car went in, the day they were told it was ready and what the odometer said at both ends, and it's worth keeping the receipts for anything the defect cost you, like a tow, a rental or a deductible, since those can be recovered as incidental charges under section 681.102(7).

Write to the Manufacturer, Not the Dealer

Once the third repair fails, or once the car reaches 15 days in the shop, that's when you send written notice to the manufacturer by registered or express mail. Section 681.103(2) makes it print a zone, district or regional office address for Florida in the warranty or owner's manual. The Attorney General's defect notification form is optional, but if you do use it, print three copies, one to go to the manufacturer with a return receipt, one for your own file, and one sent by regular mail to the Attorney General's Lemon Law Research Unit.

File Before Day 60

If your brand has a certified program, start there within 60 days after the rights period ends. Everyone else files the Request for Arbitration with the Attorney General. One annoying little detail is that the fillable version cannot be saved, so print it out the minute it's complete, and attach clean copies (no tabs, no binders, no notes scribbled on the pages) while keeping a full set for yourself, because that's the set you'll bring to the hearing.

Hearing, Decision, Payment

The hearing itself is pretty informal, and courtroom rules of evidence do not apply, though witnesses do testify under oath and each side can question the other's. The panel's first question is whether the car is a lemon at all, and only if it is does it go on to refund or replacement and the amounts, which it generally announces at the close, with the written version following later on, and from there the manufacturer has 40 days to comply and either side has 30 to appeal.

Small mistakes can sink a Florida claim, and they're rarely dramatic ones: a notice letter handed to the service writer instead of mailed to the manufacturer, a visit where the dealer "found nothing" and left no paper behind, a goodwill repair that eats up the last weeks before the filing deadline, or a refund worked out from a trade-in figure nobody bothered to check.

Some owners do file on their own, and the Attorney General's Lemon Law staff will answer questions by phone if you go that way. What eats up the time is the paper, meaning getting every order, reading every line and keeping the dates straight. No lawyer can tell you ahead of time how a panel will decide, and we won't pretend to either, but we can make sure the file in front of it is complete.

Outcomes

What Compensation Can You Receive?

When a car qualifies, section 681.104(2)(a) gives the manufacturer 40 days to either repurchase it and refund the full purchase price, or replace it with a vehicle you find acceptable. Whichever it turns out to be, the collateral and incidental charges you reasonably incurred come on top of it, and nobody can make you take a replacement, because the statute gives you an unconditional right to choose the refund instead.

On a financed car, the refund is split between you and the lender as your interests appear. In practice, the Attorney General's guideline says, that usually means the manufacturer pays off the loan and you get back your down payment and the payments you've made, less the offset, while leases follow a formula of their own that's set out on the lease card below.

How the offset for use is worked out

Under section 681.102(19), both remedies carry a charge for the miles you drove. The Attorney General's remedy calculation guideline breaks the math down into three steps, which go like this:

  1. Start with the base selling price on the invoice, leaving out taxes, government fees and dealer fees.
  2. Multiply that by your miles up to a settlement or the hearing, whichever comes first, once you've taken out the delivery miles and any test drives by the dealer, the manufacturer or the Board.
  3. Then divide whatever you get by 120,000 (or by 60,000 if it's an RV).

To put numbers on it, a $48,000 base price with 15,000 of your own miles gives you a $6,000 offset. Rebates are where you want to slow down and take a second look, because when part of a down payment was a manufacturer rebate, the guideline says that part usually is not refunded to you, though it may be used to reduce the offset. On the other side of the ledger, extras you bought with the car, things like window tinting, an extended warranty or dealer-installed equipment, can be claimed back as collateral charges, and so can sales tax and title fees.

If there's one line on the contract we'd read twice, it's the trade-in. If the dealer bumped up your trade-in allowance to absorb a loan you still owed, the guideline says the manufacturer may reject the contract figure, and the Board then uses the trade-in's retail value in the NADA Official Used Car Guide, Southeastern Edition, minus that loan, which can leave the result below zero. It can go the other way too, though, since with little or no loan on the trade the NADA figure can raise the refund instead.

If you win in court, section 681.112(1) requires the manufacturer to pay reasonable attorney's fees, and section 681.1095(13) does the same when a manufacturer appeals a Board award and loses. RockPoint Law takes qualifying cases on contingency.

All of this depends on your contract and your repair history, so nobody can honestly put a number on it before they've read both.

Possible Outcomes

Five things a successful Delray Beach claim can bring

  • Refund

    You get the purchase price and the collateral and incidental charges back, minus the mileage offset, and it's always your choice to make

  • Replacement

    An identical or comparable car, with a sticker price within 105 percent of the one it replaces, as long as you accept it

  • Repairs after month 24

    A fault first reported in time must still be fixed after the rights period closes, at no cost while the warranty runs

  • Lease money back

    Your deposit and the lease payments you've made come back, and there's no penalty for ending the lease early

  • Attorney's fees

    Paid by the manufacturer if you win a Chapter 681 lawsuit or it loses an appeal of your Board award

Outcomes depend on the facts of each case, so no attorney can tell you in advance what yours will be.

Manufacturers We've Taken to Court

We Take On the
Biggest Names

Vehicles We Handle

Which Vehicles Chapter 681 Reaches, and Which It Does Not

Section 681.102(14) decides what counts: a new vehicle sold in Florida, including demonstrators and qualifying leases, with a handful of exclusions. Where Florida's law stops, the federal Magnuson-Moss Warranty Act may still apply to a vehicle sold with a written warranty. Pick a type below.

Cars, SUVs and Light Trucks

Covered when sold or leased new in Florida. Repeat faults worth logging include screens that reboot, cameras that freeze, sensors that trigger emergency braking with nothing ahead, power drains that leave the car dead in the driveway, and transmissions that slip or shudder. The test is whether the fault substantially impairs use, value or safety, not how annoying it is. See our practice areas.

Heavy-Duty and Diesel Pickups

Check the gross vehicle weight rating on the driver's door jamb. At 10,000 pounds or less, a pickup is covered like any car. Heavier trucks fall outside Chapter 681, and the claim runs under the written warranty and Magnuson-Moss instead. Repeat emissions faults and derates that return after a repair are the faults to log. Read our diesel emissions lemon law guide.

Motorcycles and Scooters

Not covered by Chapter 681. Section 681.102(14) leaves out motorcycles, mopeds, electric bicycles and off-road vehicles, and the Attorney General's coverage page repeats the motorcycle and moped exclusion. If a bike came with a written warranty and the same defect keeps returning, federal law may still help. Read our motorcycle lemon law guide.

RVs and Motorhomes

Covered, through a different program. An RV claim goes to the RV Mediation and Arbitration Program under sections 681.1096 and 681.1097, where mediation comes first and a single arbitrator decides if it fails, with the whole process due within 70 days. The thresholds differ: 60 days out of service, 45 days for the final repair, an offset divided by 60,000. The living facilities, such as the plumbing, furnace and generator, are excluded. Read our RV and motorhome lemon law guide.

Electric Vehicles

Covered on the same terms as a gas car. Problems worth logging include charge ports that will not accept a charge, battery and thermal warnings, and updates that break a feature that used to work. Forum depends on the badge: Tesla (bought new on or after 1 November 2022), Hyundai, Kia, Ford and GM go to a certified program first, and brands off the list, such as Rivian and Lucid, go straight to the Attorney General. Read our electric vehicle lemon law guide.

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Client Stories

What Our Clients Say

Real results from real clients who trusted
RockPoint Law with their lemon law claims.

I contacted RockPoint Law in July 2025 and by mid Jan 2026, I had received my settlement proceeds. A mid 5-figure loan was paid off and the manufacturer took possession of the vehicle. Not having that car payment and the mandatory full coverage freed up about $900/month. If you're on the fence about calling RockPoint Law, let it go. The relief you will feel when it all works out will be soooo worth it.

Read more
HJ
Henry Jose
Google Review

Was having nothing but issues with the DEF system in my Ram 3500. I didn't have high hopes because 3500 trucks are generally excluded from lemon law. The entire process from the time I contacted RockPoint Law to the time I received my settlement was under 6 months! Their response times were well above expectations.

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JR
Joe Russo
Google Review

My Telluride's transmission would jerk so hard between gears that my coffee would spill. Dealer had it four times. When I called RockPoint Law, they asked the exact technical question I'd been researching for weeks. We got a buyback with reimbursement for my deductible and rental costs. They speak fluent mechanic before they speak lawyer.

Read more
K
Kirill
Google Review

Turbo failure on my EcoBoost F-150. Dealer replaced it once, then denied the second. Steven Nassi compared my case to known manufacturing defects for that engine. Other lawyers just saw 'engine trouble.' Steven built the argument around the known defect pattern. Secured a full refund.

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JR
Joshua Ragsdale
Google Review

Our minivan's sliding door would just stop working. Not a great feature with little kids. Tried to get it fixed under warranty three times. Final straw was when it almost closed on my son's arm. Leo was our attorney and got us a great outcome. They handled everything from start to finish.

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JG
Jorge Garcia
Google Review

My family's cross-country road trip turned into a nightmare when our brand-new SUV broke down in three different states. Each dealership kept giving us the run-around. RockPoint Law tracked every failed repair, hotel receipt, and even our unused theme park tickets. They got us a full buyback plus $8,200 for the vacation that fell apart.

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AG
Adam Gore
Google Review

The active suspension in my Ram 1500 started making a loud 'clunk' on every bump. Dealer replaced one part but the noise just moved to another corner. After the third repair, I was done. Natalie Nassi said, 'A repeated failure of a major chassis component is a clear impairment to value and use.' She didn't see a noise; she saw a failed system.

Read more
PM
Piyawan Maprakhon
Google Review

My car is basically my mobile office. When the electrical system fried two laptops and killed my productivity, I reached out to RockPoint Law. Unlike the dealer who treated me as a nuisance, RockPoint Law saw how it impacted my ability to work. They secured a full refund on the vehicle plus $6,500 for lost income and equipment.

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SK
Sadie Kim
Google Review

The manufacturer told me I was out of luck. RockPoint Law told me otherwise — and proved it! Their lemon law experience turned my nightmare into a fair resolution. What impressed me most was their transparency — no false claims, just hard facts and harder work. Worth every penny and then some!

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KE
Kevin Eimuth
Google Review

From the moment I walked into their office shaking with frustration, the team at RockPoint Law put me at ease. They listened patiently to my whole story, then laid out a clear game plan. Six weeks later, I was holding a check that made all those repair shop trips worth it. True professionals who deliver!

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JB
Jatt James Bond
Google Review

We had two vans with the same transmission failure. RockPoint Law consolidated both claims, lined up build dates, and pushed for an extended coverage fix. Both vans were repaired, and we got downtime reimbursed.

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KS
Kishan Singh
Google Review

The hands-free liftgate on my SUV would randomly open in my garage, denting the door. I felt crazy complaining about a 'convenience feature.' Our attorney reframed it: 'An uncontrolled operation of a motorized component is a safety and property damage risk.' The team used my security camera footage as evidence. We got a solid settlement.

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PS
Peyman Soleimani
Google Review
Why RockPoint

Why Delray Beach Drivers Choose RockPoint Law

Our practice is limited to lemon law and vehicle warranty disputes. A Florida claim depends on contracts, repair orders and deadlines far more than on geography, and that is the work we do every day.

Lemon Law Is Our Core Practice

We take on manufacturers over defective new vehicles. That work is our core practice.

Every Dealer's Paperwork

Bought on Linton Boulevard, serviced on Federal Highway or in another town: we request each order and line them up by date and mileage.

A Florida Office in Miami

RockPoint Law has no office in Delray Beach. Our Florida office is located on Brickell Avenue in Miami, and a claim can proceed without a visit. For statewide rules, see our Florida lemon law page.

Deadlines Tracked From Day One

We work backward from your delivery date, confirm your brand's forum against the current certified list, and file with time to spare.

No Upfront Legal Fees

We take qualifying cases on contingency. If we do not recover for you, you owe us no fee.

Meet the Team →
Our Story

Meet the Firm Behind Your Claim

The same attorneys who handle claims nationwide handle them here. Two minutes on who we are and how we work.

Side-by-Side

Handling a Delray Beach Claim Alone vs With an Attorney

There are four places where a Delray Beach claim tends to slip, so use the switch and you can look at each one first the way it goes when you're on your own and then the way it goes once we're handling it.

Vehicle repair invoices spread across a kitchen table with a hand hovering over them
On your own1 / 4

Handing the notice to the service desk

The statute requires written notice to the manufacturer by registered or express mail. A letter left with a service advisor on Federal Highway might feel like you've done what you were supposed to, but it does not start the manufacturer's final repair window, and weeks can go by before anybody figures out that it never went where it needed to go.

A person on the phone at a home desk with a notepad of call notes
On your own2 / 4

Driving off without a repair order

The dealer said it "could not duplicate" the problem and you headed home without any paperwork, which is understandable, but that visit may turn out to be the one the manufacturer later says never happened, and with no order to show for it, it's your word against its records.

A wall calendar with deadline dates circled in red beside a set of car keys
On your own3 / 4

Letting a goodwill offer run out the clock

Say a service manager offers you another software update, or maybe an extended warranty, if you'll just give it a few more weeks, which sounds reasonable enough, except that meanwhile the 60 days after your rights period keep running, and a missed filing date ends your arbitration rights.

One person alone at the end of a long empty hearing room table
On your own4 / 4

Taking the trade-in figure on trust

The trade-in number looks like a small detail, but an inflated trade-in allowance, or a manufacturer rebate counted the wrong way, can change the refund before any offset is even applied, and not always in your favor.

Hands working through an organized stack of repair orders with a highlighter and index tabs
With RockPoint Law1 / 4

Notice sent to the manufacturer, by the right mail

We're the ones who send the notice, by registered or express mail, to the regional office that's printed in your warranty or owner's manual, and then the receipt goes into the file where we can find it later.

A mail envelope and return receipt card being prepared on a desk
With RockPoint Law2 / 4

An itemized order for every visit

For each visit we request the order that section 681.103(4) requires, and that includes the visits where nothing was fixed, and then we go through what each one actually records.

An open case planner with color-coded deadline tabs being marked
With RockPoint Law3 / 4

Offers weighed against the filing date

Any goodwill offer gets looked at side by side with your deadline, and we file on time whether or not the offer is still on the table, because the deadline doesn't care either way.

A bound exhibit folder open on a conference table
With RockPoint Law4 / 4

Trade-in and rebate lines checked

We hold the trade-in figure up against the NADA guide, treat any rebates the way the Attorney General's guideline does, and take out the miles that are not yours before we look at the bottom line.

Serving Delray Beach and Its Neighbors

On the Ground in Delray Beach

If you go by the Census Bureau's 1 July 2025 estimate, Delray Beach has 69,809 people living on about 15.9 square miles of land, inside a Palm Beach County of 1,575,726, with I-95 cutting straight through town north to south and Atlantic Avenue taking you east to the ocean. If you're shopping for a car, though, chances are you'll find yourself on one of two roads, because that's where franchised dealers for several brands keep their showrooms and service departments: Linton Boulevard and South Federal Highway, also known as US-1.

When it comes to a lemon law claim, honestly, that strip of dealerships matters more than any landmark in town. The dealer there is the manufacturer's authorized service agent under Chapter 681, so the service writers behind the counter are the ones writing up the repair orders your whole claim rests on, but you don't claim against the dealer. Section 681.113 generally bars naming the dealer as a defendant in a Chapter 681 case. The main exception is a written warranty the dealer gave on its own.

Cars that change hands in the family

Now suppose Mom or Dad hands the new car down to a son, daughter or grandchild. If that happens inside the first 24 months and both use the car for personal or family purposes, section 681.102(4) treats the new driver as a consumer. The catch is that the rights period still runs from the first delivery, so the original contract and every earlier repair order need to end up in the new owner's file too. Spend your summers up north, or bought the car in another state? We answer those questions on our Boca Raton lemon law page.

Buying a car that was once bought back

When a manufacturer takes a car back under Florida's lemon law, it must report the buyback to the Attorney General, and the Florida Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles brands the title "manufacturer buy back." The Attorney General publishes a searchable list of those vehicles by VIN, though it warns that the list is not complete.

Anyone reselling such a car has duties too. Under section 681.114(2), a car returned under Chapter 681 or a similar law in another state cannot knowingly be sold or leased unless the defect is clearly disclosed and the manufacturer warrants the repair for 1 year or 12,000 miles, whichever comes first.

Before you buy any late-model used car, look up the title history, and if the title has that brand on it, ask the seller for the disclosure form, which is a small step that can save you a lot of grief.

Two courthouses, two different jobs

Here's something that catches people off guard, which is that if a Board decision gets appealed, the courthouse closest to home is not the one that hears it. The South County Courthouse on West Atlantic Avenue does county-level civil cases along with family, juvenile and probate matters, but under section 26.021(15), Palm Beach County makes up the Fifteenth Judicial Circuit, and a Board appeal is heard by one of that circuit's civil judges up at the Hurley Courthouse in West Palm Beach. The petition may also be filed where the car was acquired or where the hearing took place.

We handle cases from throughout Delray Beach, including these ZIP codes:

  • 33444
  • 33445
  • 33446
  • 33483
  • 33484

Some addresses west of the city limits use a Delray Beach ZIP as well, and if you're somewhere else in Florida entirely, the place to start is our Florida lemon law page.

How to reach us

The online intake form works from anywhere, and if you'd like to meet in person, you can come to 1221 Brickell Ave, Suite 900, Miami, which is a straight run down I-95, or you can take Tri-Rail from the Delray Beach station at 345 South Congress Avenue (it's behind the South County Government Complex), since the line's station list runs south to Miami Airport and MiamiCentral downtown. For the official forms and hotline numbers, look at the Attorney General's Lemon Law pages, and on a related question, see whether a dealership can refuse to fix a recall. We review every request and respond as soon as we can, or you can call (516) 550-3323.

Case Results

Recent RockPoint Law recoveries

Three results from RockPoint Law's published settlement record. They come from across the firm and are not Delray Beach cases.

$160,264 BMW X6

Recovery on a vehicle with engine, electrical and suspension defects.

$144,550 Porsche Macan

Recovery on a Macan with suspension, drivetrain, electrical and HVAC problems.

$110,289 Rivian R1T

Recovery after electrical, engine and suspension failures on an electric pickup.

These amounts are firmwide and do not describe Delray Beach or Florida matters. Past results do not guarantee or predict the outcome of any future case. See more RockPoint Law settlements →

RockPoint Law, by the numbers

$50M+**
Recovered for clients
3,000+‡
Cases handled
25+
Years of combined experience
97%*
Resolution rate
  • Free Consultation
  • No attorney's fees unless we recover for you.†
Recent Google reviewsAcross all RockPoint offices: 4.8 from 19 Google reviews
  • ★★★★★a month ago
    I had a really good experience with RockPoint Law. The whole process was a lot easier than I expected and everyone I dealt with was helpful and responsive. Whenever I had a question, I was able to get an answer without feeling like I was chasing anyone down. They handled everything and kept me updated along the way. Definitely glad I reached out to them.
    Ronen S. Malekmehr
  • ★★★★★6 months ago
    Saw RockPoint Law and wasn't sure. Called anyway because I was at my wit's end. Natalie Nassi answered and she remembered me from somewhere else. Same calm voice, same no-nonsense approach. She took my case and handled everything. Manufacturer bought the car back. Name on the door changed but Natalie didn't. That's what matters to me.
    Tanja Moldenhauer
  • ★★★★★6 months ago
    Saw RockPoint Law online and wasn't sure because I hadn't heard of them. But I was desperate. My car had been in and out of the shop for months. Called them up and the person I spoke with was so easy to talk to. No legal mumbo jumbo, just straight talk. They took my case and got me a buyback. New name but they know what they're doing. Would recommend.
    Rodolfo Paulino
2 more Google reviews
  • ★★★★★6 months ago
    Honestly wasn't sure about RockPoint Law since I hadn't heard of them before. But I was desperate. My car had been in the shop five times for the same problem and nobody could figure it out. Service advisor started avoiding my calls. I found RockPoint online, called, and the person I talked to was really down to earth. They took my repair orders and handled the whole thing. A few months later, the manufacturer bought the car back. New name but they got it done. Would use them again in a heartbeat.
    Om Shiv
  • ★★★★★6 months ago
    Saw RockPoint Law pop up when I was googling lemon law help. Wasn't sure about the name but figured I'd give it a shot. My Jeep Gladiator had a death wobble at highway speeds—front end would shake violently. Dealer replaced the steering stabilizer twice, still shook. The person I talked to at RockPoint was super calm and explained everything clearly. They handled the claim and Jeep bought the truck back. Glad I didn't let the new name scare me off. They got the job done.
    Víctor Torres

About this page

Written and edited by the RockPoint Law content team. Prepared September 2026 to reflect the Motor Vehicle Warranty Enforcement Act, Chapter 681 of the Florida Statutes, Secs. 681.10 through 681.118, administered by the Office of the Attorney General. See our editorial policy.

Before hiring any Florida lawyer, ours included, check their license status and any public discipline in The Florida Bar's member directory.

Start here

Tell us what the car is doing in Delray Beach

Three details about the vehicle, and how to reach you.

  • The year and make of your vehicle
  • What the dealer has already tried, and whether you paid for it
  • Your name, phone and email. We review every request and respond as soon as we can

No cost, no obligation. Contacting RockPoint Law does not create an attorney-client relationship.

Check my case Start My Free Case Review Or call (516) 550-3323
Our Team

Meet the Team
Behind RockPoint Law

A dedicated team that stands with you through every step of your Lemon Law claim.

Steven Nassi
Steven Nassi
Managing Partner
Founder · 25+ years of litigation experience
★ Founder & Managing Partner
Natalie Nassi
Natalie Nassi
Managing Partner
Columbia University · 20+ years in consumer advocacy
Ron Kaniuk
Ron Kaniuk
Florida Managing Partner
St. John's University School of Law · Consumer protection & lemon law
Aaron Waldo
Aaron Waldo
Attorney
U.S. Marine Corps veteran · Automotive background
Liam Jones
Liam Jones
Attorney
Licensed in New York & New Jersey
Christian Garcia
Christian Garcia
Senior Case Manager
Case management from intake through resolution
Rudy Gutierrez
Rudy Gutierrez
Intake Manager
First point of contact for new clients & case evaluations
FAQ

Delray Beach Lemon Law Questions

Questions about a claim in Delray Beach, from the service desk to the hearing room.

Which law covers a lemon bought in Delray Beach?

Chapter 681 of the Florida Statutes, the Motor Vehicle Warranty Enforcement Act. Section 681.116 rules out a city or county version, so Delray Beach can't have its own.

Florida's Motor Vehicle Warranty Enforcement Act, Chapter 681 of the Florida Statutes. The city has no lemon ordinance, and it cannot pass one: section 681.116 says the state chapter preempts any similar county or municipal ordinance on warranty rights for a vehicle acquired in Florida. The act protects people who buy or lease a new or demonstrator vehicle sold in this state for personal, family or household use. Two presumptions decide whether the manufacturer has had enough chances: three repairs of the same defect plus a final attempt, or 30 days out of service in total. Both have to fall inside the 24 months after delivery. A qualifying owner can demand a refund or accept a replacement. Our Florida lemon law guide covers the statewide picture.

The dealer keeps saying it cannot find the problem. Does that visit count?

Keep the paperwork either way. You're owed an itemized statement after every warranty visit, even when no work is done, and the manufacturer may argue a no-problem-found visit wasn't a repair attempt.

Keep the paperwork from that visit either way. Section 681.103(4) entitles you to a fully itemized statement each time the dealer returns the car after a warranty examination or repair, and the Attorney General's defect-notification instructions add that you are owed one even when no work is done. The order should record the problem in your words, any test drive and its approximate length, the diagnosis and the odometer reading. Chapter 681 counts a defect that has been subject to repair three times, but it does not say how a no-problem-found visit is treated, so expect the manufacturer to argue those visits were not repair attempts. An order showing you reported the same fault, with dates and mileage, answers that argument. Photos or video of the fault help too.

I use my car for work as well. Is it still covered?

Usually, as long as personal use comes first. A vehicle bought and run mainly as company equipment is a harder case, so we look at the title, who paid and how it's driven.

Usually, as long as personal use comes first. The consumer definition in section 681.102(4) covers the buyer or lessee of a vehicle primarily used for personal, family or household purposes, and it excludes anyone who bought the car to resell it. A car driven to the office on weekdays and to Atlantic Avenue on weekends is normally personal. A vehicle bought and run mainly as company equipment is a harder case, with questions about who holds the title, who paid and how it is driven. The same definition also reaches any other person entitled by the terms of the warranty to enforce it, so read the warranty booklet before assuming a business-titled car is out. Send us the contract and the registration, and we can tell you which way the facts point.

Where is a Delray Beach lemon law appeal heard?

In circuit court in West Palm Beach. The South County Courthouse on West Atlantic Avenue has no circuit civil division, so a Board appeal doesn't go there.

In circuit court, and in Palm Beach County that means West Palm Beach. Either side can appeal a Board decision by petition within 30 days of receiving it, and section 681.1095(10) lets the petition be filed in your home county, the county where the car was acquired, or the county that hosted the hearing, and subsection (12) makes the appeal a new trial. The Fifteenth Judicial Circuit's division listing places every circuit civil judge at the Judge Daniel T. K. Hurley Courthouse, 205 North Dixie Highway. The South County Courthouse at 200 West Atlantic Avenue in Delray Beach hosts county civil, county criminal, family, juvenile and probate divisions, but no circuit civil division, so a Board appeal does not go there.

The dealer offered a free repair or extra warranty if I sign a release. Should I?

Read it first. Section 681.115 voids any waiver of your Chapter 681 rights, but a slow goodwill offer can still carry you past the 24 months or the 60-day filing window.

Read it before you sign, and show it to a lawyer if you can. Section 681.115 makes any agreement that waives, limits or disclaims your Chapter 681 rights void as contrary to public policy, and the same goes for a term that makes keeping the deal secret a condition of it. That protects you from some paperwork, but it does not stop the calendar. An offer that takes three months to deliver can carry you past the end of the 24 months or the 60-day filing window. The Attorney General also warns that sending a claim to a manufacturer program that is not state-certified can cost you time and your Lemon Law rights. A goodwill repair can sit alongside a claim. It should not replace one while the deadlines run.

My parent gave me their car before the 24 months ran out. Am I covered?

You may be, if the car passed to you for personal use inside the first 24 months. The clock doesn't restart; it still runs from the first owner's delivery.

You may be. The consumer definition in section 681.102(4) includes any person to whom the vehicle is transferred for personal, family or household purposes during the Lemon Law rights period, and section 681.115 says the chapter's rights extend to a later transferee. The Attorney General's coverage page describes the same thing: a car passed directly from one consumer to another inside the first 24 months, with both using it for personal, family or household purposes. The clock does not restart for you. The rights period still ends 24 months after the car was first delivered to the original owner, so collect that owner's purchase contract and every repair order from their time with the car. A used car bought off a dealer's lot is a different case.

I traded in a car I still owed money on. How does that change a refund?

It can shrink the refund. If the trade-in was inflated to absorb a loan, the Board can use the NADA retail value minus what you owed, and that can fall below zero.

It can shrink the refund, sometimes a lot. Section 681.102(18) includes the net trade-in allowance from the purchase contract in the purchase price, if both you and the manufacturer accept that figure. If either does not, the allowance becomes 100 percent of the trade-in's retail value in the NADA Official Used Car Guide, Southeastern Edition, in effect at the time. The Attorney General's remedy calculation guideline warns that when a dealer inflated the trade-in allowance to cover a loan balance, the manufacturer may reject the contract figure, and the Board then takes the NADA retail value minus what you owed. That can leave the allowance below zero. When there was little or no loan, the NADA figure can work in your favor instead.

What costs can I get back besides the price of the car?

Collateral charges such as tax, title, finance charges and dealer-installed items, plus incidental charges the defect caused, such as towing and a rental. Keep every receipt.

Two categories ride on top of the price. Collateral charges, defined in section 681.102(3), are costs wholly incurred because you acquired the car: manufacturer- or dealer-installed items and service charges, earned finance charges, sales tax and title charges. The Attorney General's guideline gives window tinting, government fees and an extended warranty as examples. Incidental charges, under subsection (7), are reasonable costs the defect directly caused. The guideline lists postage, long-distance calls, a rental car, towing, and warranty deductibles or repair charges. None of it comes back without proof, so keep canceled checks, receipts and invoices in the same folder as your repair orders. The offset for your use is then subtracted, and the guideline adds the incidental charges back in after that step.

How is a leased car handled?

A lease of at least a year that puts repairs on you counts. On a buyback, your deposits and payments are returned, and no early termination penalty can be charged to you.

A lease counts when it is a lease-purchase agreement, or when it lasts at least a year and puts repairs on you, according to section 681.102(10). On a buyback, section 681.104(2)(b) divides the money: your share is the lessee cost: every deposit and monthly payment already paid, and the lessor takes the lease price minus your share. No early termination penalty can be charged to you. The offset for use starts from the agreed-upon value in the lease, not a purchase invoice, and the Attorney General's guideline reduces that value by any manufacturer rebate. If you would rather have a replacement, the guideline suggests asking the leasing company first whether it will move the lease to the new car and at what cost.

Do I need a lawyer for the Board hearing?

The Board doesn't require one, and the hearing is informal. A lawyer earns the fee before it: the notice letter, the forum, the repair history and the refund figures.

The Board does not require one. The Attorney General's hearings page says representation is not required, that parties may bring attorneys at their own expense, and that some manufacturers send lawyers and some do not. The hearing is informal, and courtroom rules of evidence do not apply. Testimony is under oath, though, and each side can cross-examine the other's witnesses. Where a lawyer earns their keep is before the hearing: getting the notice letter right, choosing the forum, assembling the repair history and working out the refund line by line. If the case goes to court, section 681.112(1) makes the court award a winning consumer reasonable attorney's fees. We take qualifying cases on contingency, so you owe no fee unless we recover for you.

Does my Honda, Toyota or Tesla have to go through a manufacturer program first?

Toyota and Lexus go to NCDS. Honda, Acura and Tesla go there only for new vehicles bought on or after 1 November 2022, so an older one goes straight to the state.

It depends on the brand and, for two, the purchase date. The Attorney General's certified program list puts Toyota and Lexus with the National Center for Dispute Settlement, along with Honda, Acura and Tesla, but only for new vehicles bought on or after 1 November 2022. An older Honda or Tesla goes straight to the state. Under section 681.108(1), a certified program comes first only if the manufacturer told you in writing at purchase how and where to file with it. File there within 60 days after the rights period ends. If it has not decided within 40 days, or you dislike the result, you can apply to the Attorney General for the Board. Certification is provisionally extended to 31 October 2026, so we recheck the list before filing.

Do I have to travel to the Miami office?

No. The filing stage runs on mail, email, phone and uploads. The one appearance to plan for is the Board hearing, held as conveniently for you as the Attorney General can arrange.

No. The filing stage runs on mail, email and phone. The Attorney General accepts the Request for Arbitration by mail to Tallahassee or as a PDF by email, and we collect repair orders and contracts from you by upload. RockPoint Law has no office in Delray Beach. Our Florida office is at 1221 Brickell Ave, Suite 900, Miami, about 48 miles south. If you would like to meet in person, I-95 is the direct drive, and Tri-Rail's line runs south from the Delray Beach station at 345 South Congress Avenue, with MiamiCentral in downtown Miami on its station list. The one appearance you should plan for is the Board hearing, and the Attorney General's office says hearings are held at locations as convenient as possible for the consumer.

Don't take on the manufacturer alone.

Tell us the vehicle and what the dealer has already tried. No fee unless we recover for you.†

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