The main California Lemon Law states that if you purchase a vehicle that quickly begins to need constant repair, ceases proper functioning, or poses a threat to your safety, it may be deemed a lemon. You must attempt a reasonable number of repairs on the same defect in a certain time period, which generally means four attempts within a thirty-day period. Depending on whether you purchased your vehicle new, used, from a dealer, manufacturer or individual will also affect its ability to qualify as a lemon.

This is basic lemon law coverage for California, but luckily you are covered for more than just automobiles. Many different vehicles receive adequate coverage, and even some object like computers are protected under areas of lemon law.

Motorcycles are fully covered as long as they are registered in California for high way use.
Boats are covered as long as none of the issues were listed in the original bill of sale. It is extremely important to read over everything before you sign because if there is a loophole called a “caveat emptor” you are purchasing the boat will all present and future defects.
RV’s are normally covered as vehicles, but not as living quarters. The frame, engine, transmission et al are almost always covered, but the living area is rarely included.
Commercial Trucks, while a little trickier, are also protected. Since they are less commonly lemons, it can become more complicated proceedings, but you should definitely still look into it.
ATV’s, small planes and other vehicles are, surprisingly, also covered. The most important thing to do if you think you might have a lemon is to keep adequate documentation of all procedures. Record the days you are without a vehicle, the dates in which you take it to the shop, and the times you first try to contact the manufacturer and previous owner to make amends.

If everything goes accordingly, you should be compensated with either a new vehicle or the full cost of your lemon. Be sure to ask a California Lemon Law Attorney for more advice regarding your potential case.

Last time, we cruised along the Northern California Coastline; now it's time to rev up your Road Trip Planner and zip along the southern coastline to complete your own California Cruisin' Dream Trip.

We left off in one of my favorite areas, Big Sur. Simply put -- and the main reason to include this in your road trip planning -- Big Sur offers stunning views. It's that stretch of highway where land meets sea in a jaw-dropping way because the Santa Lucia Mountains rise like colossal sentries from the Pacific Ocean.

I recommend staying on Highway 1 for an unforgettable coastal road trip. This way, your Road Trip Planner will include highlights like hiking at Limekiln State Park, and treasure hunting at Jade Beach, one of the few places in the world where you can find quality Jade strewn about like pebbles.

Settle into your road trip with a scenic drive along the Cabrillo Highway till it turns into the San Luis Obispo North Coast Highway. Soon you'll find San Simeon, home of the opulent Hearst Castle. Hearst Castle is the palatial estate built by newspaper magnate William Randolph Hearst. It's one of the largest of historic house museums in the U.S. and well worth the ticket price for the informative tour.

From here, suggested places to add to your road trip planner are Morro Bay, San Luis Obispo, and Pismo Beach (a popular ATV camping spot because of all the sand dunes).

Now here's where I'll recommend cutting over to Highway 101 to discover a California city with a decidedly Danish twist, Solvang. I found it utterly charming, with stores offering delicate lace and handmade quilts, Danish cuisine in quaint restaurants, and a European flavor to the buildings lining the main streets. Of course, you'll see the ocean again once you head into Santa Barbara, a quintessential California coastal city.

Below Oxnard, you'll find the sexy city of Malibu, full of opulent homes on the lolling hills and beautiful bodies on the beaches. Be sure to enjoy the Santa Monica Pier as you continue south. It's a fun place to spend the evening. But you'll definitely daylight to people-watch the myriad of characters found at Venice Beach.

By now, you're in the thick of Southern California, a region where sunglasses, shorts, and flip-flops are the main attire. Another well-to-do city is Newport Beach, worthy of inclusion in your road trip planner. A delightful surprise on my last trip south was the Dana Point Harbor, one of the prettiest harbors I've come across in my journeys. Nearby, you'll find San Juan Capistrano, another great cultural stop, this time with a Spanish twist, as you stroll the grounds of the California icon, Mission San Juan Capistrano.

If you want to taste the salt air & be completely surrounded by water, then add to your road trip planner a stop near Newport Beach and hop a ferry to Santa Catalina Island & explore the appealing city of Avalon. This is a popular cruise stop destination so you can enjoy glass-bottom boat rides, take a trolley car up to some lush gardens, or enjoy snorkeling to the left of the pier (on the pier, facing land).

Now it's San Diego time, the biggest southern city before you hit the Mexican border! There you'll find a thriving city with distinct areas like Little Italy, the Gaslamp Quarter, and Balboa Park. Include in your road trip plans a fun side trip by driving to an island, compliments of the San Diego-Coronado Bay Bridge. You'll easily spot the famous Hotel Del Coronado, a sprawling white and red-roofed resort, which housed Presidents, movie stars & tycoons in its illustrious past. From there, scoot along the Silver Stand Highway just for the sheer enjoyment of cruising a highway flanked by water on both sides. For even more fun, enjoy a sunset gondola ride and pretend you're in Venice, Italy! From there, you're less than 5 miles from the Mexico border with San Ysidro being the southernmost community.

So there you have it. Between this blog and Cruisin' The California Coastline Road Trip - Part I, you've now hugged the California coastline from stern to bow, complete with side-trips only the locals know about. To do this road trip justice, I'd recommend at least two weeks. But however you fill your Road Trip Planner, you're guaranteed awesome photos, spectacular sunsets, and a lot of cool cruisin!

California is an interesting state, both unfriendly to the car and dependant on it, constantly pushing for higher MPG, lower emissions, and to remove classic cars from the roads, many automotive enthusiasts from California have sought refuge in states like Nevada, Arizona, and Texas. But today I was reminded why California is such a great place for automotive enthusiasts on a short business trip to the San Diego area to visit clients. After visiting my last shop in El Cajone I started to make my way home on Historic Highway 80, the main freeways clogged with traffic in the late afternoon, I decided to take an alternate route home. Historic Route 80 eventually works it way around to the Highway 79 north. Highway 79 is mostly a winding two lane highway, that takes you through the Cleavland National Forest, the reservations of many Native California tribes, and about million miles from the congestion and crowds that are most peoples vision of Southern California.

(Photo Mission Santa Yasbel Asistencia)

Heading North 79 merges for a short time with Highway 78 at the cross roads in Santa Ysabel 78 will take you to Julian a small mountain community known for their apple pies, and tourist attracting antique stores. Santa Ysabel Asistencia the mission for which the town is named is along on the right hand side of the highway, it was established as a outpost of the San Diego Mission in 1818 and the current chapel was built in 1924. Santa Yasbel is also a nice place to stop and grab a bit to eat and one of the cafes along the highway. Along the way you will also discover a NHRA drag strip and a Motorcross track tucked in among the Oak Trees and Farms.

(Photo Highway 79)

Leaving Santa Yasbel and the road is fairly straight, passing Highway 76 that takes you past Lake Henshaw and on to Pala Casino and Resort. A little further up the road you come to San Felipe Rd, if you have time and you like history you can visit Warner's Ranch that was once a stop on the Butterfield Stage Route, there is little there, so I recommend pushing on north on the 79. About 20 miles or so will take you to the Oak Grove Butterfield Stage Station, about 20 miles to the northwest, is the only surviving building from the stage line, and is also a National Historic Landmark. (

(Photo of Butterfield Stage Stop) In Warner Springs there is a small resort community with golf, a few restaurants and one of the only gas stations along the whole route. There is also a airport that specializes in glider rides and you can many times see a number of gliders floating lazily above the valley as you descend into Warner Springs. Oak Grove is about 18 miles along the route after leaving Warner Springs so if you have a need to visit the Stage Station now is your chance... I stopped to stretch and take some photos. From there the road follows the hills and is headed more west then north, towards the city of Temecula. The first signs of urban sprawl are the mini storage and track homes. It is a good place to stop and get fuel, food, and if you chicken out you can jump back on the 15 freeway and save over an two hours on the trip. Downtown Temecula is like going back in time to the old west, only with trendy shops, yuppies, and bikers everywhere. Now the I-15 is overlapped a major portion of the 79, but if you follow Old Town Front Rd north, that will turn into Jefferson Ave, from there turn Left on to Kalmia St, and then Right onto Washington Ave. Washington then turns into Palomar St and takes you through the city of Wildomar and on to Historic Lake Elsinore by sticking to the Right and on to Mission Trail.

It is hard to believe that Lake Elsinore was once the play place of Hollywood's elite stars. If you follow the lake around the street will change name several times, but just keep as close to the lake as you can until you come to Highway 74. At this point I had to get back on the I-15, however, if you are in the mood for an adventure, you can always turn Left and take the 74 (Ortega Highway) and end up at the Pacific Ocean in Dania Point. Ortega is a epic road and takes you through some amazing mountains and hills. The best part about Ortega is it drops you off on Highway 1 the Pacific Coast Highway. Turn Left San Diego and Mexico, Right Monterey and San Francisco. If only I had some vacation time, I would love to keep on driving around California's best roads.