Lawsuits against car importers – how do you win against an importer and receive compensation?

Lawsuits against car importers with the assistance of attorney Eddie Blitstein

Attorney Eddie Blitstein has been representing plaintiffs in lawsuits against automobile importers for many years. To date, Attorney Blitstein has filed numerous lawsuits against the largest importers in Israel, including: Champion Motors, Carasso Motors, Symbol, Kolmobil, Zicker, Universal Motors, Orchid Sports Cars Israel (importer of Porsche vehicles in Israel), and many others.

If you are considering filing a lawsuit against a car importer, it is highly recommended that you read this article in its entirety to understand the chances and risks involved in handling this type of lawsuit.

Lawsuits against car importers are not simple claims., שנמשכות בדרך כלל יותר משנה, וחשוב לדעת את זה עוד לפני ששוקלים להגיש את התביעה. יבואני הרכב כמעט תמיד מעוניינים "למשוך" ולהאריך את ההליך, בין היתר, כדי להתיש את התובע.

If you want to win a lawsuit against a car importer, you need a lawyer like Attorney Eddie Blitstein who knows how to achieve such a result:

Is it possible to win in lawsuits against car importers?

Winning in court in lawsuits against car importers is certainly possible, but requires proper preparation work before filing the lawsuit. And legal support from a lawyer who knows what he is doing in this field.

This article will detail what actions you should take before filing lawsuits against car importers in order to increase your chances of success in court. Read this article very carefully because it may save you a lot of time, and quite a bit of money, in order to correct mistakes you make when acting incorrectly against car importers.

It is also very important in these cases to seek the services of a lawyer who specializes in the automotive field, because in this field there are subtleties in the relevant legislation and case law that not everyone is familiar with and that may greatly affect your chances of success. Our firm has represented countless clients against the largest automobile importers in Israel with great success.

Lawsuits against car importers are complex claims.

Lawsuits against car importers are not simple lawsuits. Car importers know they have a lot to lose, so they pursue lawsuits until a verdict is reached. A car importer who compromises during the lawsuit knows that he will lose a lot of money, because if he agrees to take back the car he sold to the customer, he will not be able to sell it again as a new car.

Another reason why lawsuits against car importers are so complex is because these lawsuits can lead to the filing of Class action lawsuitCar importers, especially importers of common and popular models, Don't want to deal with class action lawsuits Because if they lose, they may face exposure to paying many millions in compensation to customers.

You can avoid filing lawsuits against car importers by inspecting the vehicle before delivery.

The best advice I can give to any client is to try to avoid going to court. Going to court involves a lot of nerves, time, and, not least, money that the client has to pay (for example: court fees, Expert opinion, Lawyer's feesFor this reason, it is worth doing everything possible (within reason) to reduce the chance that you will be forced to file a lawsuit.

In cases where you purchase a new vehicle from a car importer, all you need to do to reduce the chance that you will have to file a claim against them at a later stage is to check that the vehicle is in good condition externally (document it on video), that no lights indicating malfunctions have come on, and that you actually received the model you ordered and not a model with inferior specifications.

If after you actually receive the vehicle you encounter any faults, it is very important to document them on video and contact the vehicle importer in writing as soon as possible and describe the fault. It is this documentation that sometimes helps in winning claims against vehicle importers. The more detailed documentation there is describing more faults, the more it works in the customer's (plaintiff's) favor and makes it easier to win the claim.

Documentation of importer garages may assist in lawsuits against car importers

To be successful in claims against vehicle importers, it is also important to make sure to hand over the vehicle for inspection at the importer's garage when any malfunction is detected. New car with faults This is definitely not a pleasant thing, and especially not a creative one. Mental anguish It is a lot of work and leads to a waste of time, but the vehicle must be delivered to the importer's garage so that it can check and verify the fault.

There is a big difference in filing claims against car importers when the importer's garage verifies the fault or faults that the customer complains about and a situation where the importer's garage does not locate the faults (for example: if you want to sue the importer for Travel range low in an electric vehicle, it is worth checking and verifying whether there is a battery fault or not).

עמדת בתי המשפט היא שאדם שרכש רכב חדש אינו אמור "לבלות" באופן קבוע, וזמן קצר לאחר רכישת רכב חדש, במוסכים. לכן, אם איתרתם Vehicle malfunction after purchase It is important to document the condition of a new vehicle. If this fault causes you to visit garages frequently, it only increases the chance that the court will order a Canceling a vehicle purchase transactionThe courts understand that it is not a normal situation when a new vehicle arrives at the garage once a month (or more). In these situations, even if the court does not order Transaction cancellationThe vehicle owner is expected to receive significant financial compensation.

While you are waiting at the garage, make sure to take pictures (both photos and video) of how the vehicle is being handled. For example: if the entire engine is disassembled, this may indicate that there is a serious fault in the vehicle that may also affect its value. In these cases, lawsuits against car importers may be easier to explain. A picture is worth a thousand words, and in cases where there are pictures indicating the vehicle being disassembled, this will definitely convey the right message to the judge.

לעומת זאת, אם מוסכי היבואן לא מאמתים את התקלה או התקלות עליהן מלין הלקוח, המצב קצת מורכב יותר. במקרים אלה במסגרת תביעות נגד יבואני רכב לא מספיק לטעון "יש לי תקלה ברכב" משום שיבוא נציג היבואן ויטען שטענות הלקוח/התובע נבדקו ונמצאו לא מוצדקות. במקרים אלה לשופט אין את הכלים או סיבה להעדיף את גרסת התובע, ולכן התביעה, לרוב, תדחה.

In order to avoid these situations, in cases where the importer's garage does not verify the fault, it is worth hiring the services of an automotive expert (preferably an expert for your specific vehicle) to write an expert opinion in which he will state that he has reviewed the customer's complaints, verified the faults, and will explain to the court why these are serious faults or those that significantly reduce the value of the vehicle. In these cases, the chance of winning in lawsuits against car importers increases significantly.

Written documentation of all conversations with the vehicle importer's service representatives

Another way to increase your chances of success in lawsuits against car importers is to document everything the car importer's representatives say or promise you. WhatsApp conversations are even better than recorded conversations because recorded conversations need to be transcribed and submitted to the court. WhatsApp conversations only need to be screenshotted in order to submit them to the court.

For exactly the same reason, it's best to avoid voice messages on WhatsApp. Make sure the correspondence is as simple to understand as possible. Claim for sale of defective vehicle It becomes much simpler when the judge is able to clearly read how the customer repeatedly contacted the importer's representatives after detecting faults in a new (or used) vehicle.

In this correspondence, you will try to be as precise as possible in describing the fault. You will demand compensation for the faults, and in cases where the faults repeat themselves repeatedly or if the fault is serious, you will demand cancellation of the transaction (it is very important to state these words).

If you visited the importer's garage, send photos to the importer's representatives to emphasize the severity of the faults/damage (if any were found). All of this may be useful to you in the future in claims against car importers.

Don't waste time - if there are any problems with a new vehicle, you should file a lawsuit against the importer.

One of the common mistakes of new vehicle owners is that they allow the vehicle importers to stall with promises of compensation or benefits following the detection of faults. As time passes, it becomes increasingly difficult to reach a situation where a transaction is canceled. This does not mean that this becomes impossible, but it is certainly possible to identify a trend in which the courts will prefer to award financial compensation (sometimes high financial compensation) instead of canceling a transaction, the more time has passed from the date of the transaction to the filing of the lawsuit.

צריכים גם לקחת בחשבון שברוב המקרים תביעות נגד יבואני רכב אורכות זמן רב מאוד (יותר משנה). כלומר, במשך פרק הזמן שבו מתנהל המשפט הלקוח יצטרך "לסבול" עם הרכב שברשותו. ככל שתקדימו להגיש את התביעה כך תקדימו גם את סיומו של המשפט וקבלת פסק דין המבהיר מה יש לעשות עם הרכב התקול שנמכר לכם. לשימושכם תוכלו למצוא באתר זה Example of a lawsuit against a car importer.

Another thing to consider is that despite the sweet-talking of the importer's representatives, the many promises of significant compensation will ultimately turn out to be benefits that are almost financially meaningless to you. Most often, this is free treatment or an additional benefit that is financially meaningless. This is not what someone who purchased a new car and received a broken-down car expects.

Lawsuit against a parallel vehicle importer

Parallel import of vehicles It has several advantages, the most notable of which is the cheaper price of the vehicle, compared to purchasing from the authorized importer in Israel.

However, purchasing a vehicle from a parallel car importer has significant risks and disadvantages. For example: the manufacturer's warranty is not always respected in Israel or the customer is not given the entire manufacturer's warranty period, spare parts are not always available for models purchased through parallel imports, and this is a problem when the vehicle malfunctions. Sometimes the customer can wait months for the relevant part to arrive in Israel.

In these and other cases, a customer who purchased a vehicle from a parallel importer may have a justified cause of action. Everything written in this article regarding how to prepare for a lawsuit against an authorized importer is also true with respect to a parallel importer.

Of course, it is always a good idea to consult with Lawyer against a car importer In order to examine the chances of success Lawsuit against a parallel vehicle importer.

In conclusion

Lawsuits against car importers are usually complex lawsuits that last a very long time (more than a year), because the car importers know that as long as a verdict is not given, they do not have to pay anything. On the other hand, the longer the procedure lasts, the greater the chance that the plaintiff will become exhausted and decide to give up or compromise on negligible compensation.

In order to succeed in a lawsuit against the importers, it is very important to prepare properly and collect all the data that can help you prove your claims (recordings, documents, correspondence with representatives of the importer or garage, and anything else).

If you encounter a problem with a new vehicle, don't waste time. The sooner the claim is filed after receiving the vehicle, the greater the chances that the court will order the transaction to be canceled.

Our firm has been representing plaintiffs against vehicle importers for a very long time, and to date we have filed many lawsuits against vehicle importers, including the largest and most reputable ones in Israel.

Frequently Asked Questions Regarding Claims Against Vehicle Importers