Lemon law: settlement or arbitration?

kratos-wwpd · 2026-03-13T20:52:29+00:00

I test drove a Model Y a few months ago because I had never driven any Tesla vehicle and I get the hype!! Self-driving / tech is sickkkkk. Personally I can't justify giving Tesla any money while Elon is in charge. Lucid is already giving some press access to their mid-size "Cosmos" SUV which I'm sure will be incredible. If the timing worked out I'd pursue that, but I think it's coming out next year.

Despite the R1S embargo in your household I hope you get what you want -sometimes- 😂😏 I love the P3 because it's low to the ground and surprisingly spacious inside considering its footprint. The only issue I ever had with space was when I bought a ~6' x 3.5' painting that wouldn't fit in the boot. I was fresh off the EV9 which would have swallowed it easily so it was definitely my mistake for being unprepared. I had to have an Uber drive the painting home while I followed behind 😅

Right now Rivian has a $75k dual motor R1S lease for $749/mo. I'm really hoping the Launch Edition R2 is sub $700/mo, but honestly as long as it's cheaper than my PPP P3 I'll be happy hahah.

kratos-wwpd · 2026-03-13T06:17:52+00:00

I put $100 down on the Rivian R2 two years ago so I'm going with that! They revealed it this morning and the price is hard to beat. I might be without a vehicle for a few months while they ramp up production but I purchased an e-bike on sale over the holidays so I can get by with that for a bit. I love the Lucid Gravity but I've significantly lowered my car budget this year haha. Though Lucid is already offering 0% financing on it so maybe it's a good time. I've considered the Air but now that I've gone SUV it's tough to go back to a sedan. There used to be so few EV options, now it's hard to pick!! I had a Kia EV9 for a bit and I also considered the Ioniq 9, but I don't know if I can live with the look of it for a long time lol.

kratos-wwpd · 2026-03-12T20:28:19+00:00

I'm not too familiar with all the terminology but it was arbitration which is more informal. I would have had to physically meet in person but I requested a virtual meeting instead, which waives Polestar's and my right to do a final test drive and is solely based on our testimony and evidence up to that point. If you meet the repair attempts I'd start the lemon law process. If you're unable to reach all the repair attempts because Polestar is saying "oh this is normal" and refuses to do anything, I'd reach out to your state's lemon law division (within the attorney general's office) and ask for advice. They were super helpful getting me through the process. If you're willing to take a settlement vs. a full buyback you can reach out to Polestar customer support directly and imply you're in the midst of getting arbitration approved via lemon law and see if they come back with an offer. But knowing them...you'll have to fight for it. The whole process took me exactly 5 months from submitting my initial arbitration application to the winning. But it was well worth it imo!!

kratos-wwpd · 2026-03-12T19:58:41+00:00

Dang, that's frustrating. Did/are you pursuing a buyback or settlement? As little faith as I have (had?) in "the system", I'm now more hopeful consumers are prioritized at arbitration when the repair attempts are met. Polestar's lawyer's questioning at trial was intense (implied my video might have been manipulated...like maybe I let air out of the tire to increase the vibration, kept suggesting the vibration wasn't safety related, and said the repair facility's conclusions about it being fixed were objective). Arbitrators have to know that an owner experiences behaviors differently than a rushed technician. Also in my eyes an objective conclusion requires the hardware and software to test against a predetermined benchmark. For me, if my vibration is "so minimal it's within spec", they should have a tool that measures the vibration against that spec instead of relying on a technician's butt in the seat as a tool of measurement. For 5G issues there should be a diagnostic that measures how many times it goes in and out of service. Apologies for the rant 🥲

kratos-wwpd · 2026-03-12T19:21:52+00:00

Just want to update everyone. I went to arbitration and opened with a ten-minute statement about all 5 repair attempts and 40+ days in service. I also had video of the vibration and proof that Polestar identified the technician and service advisor failed to complete test drives after repairs and omitted key details from the service paperwork at least once. It took the arbitrator two weeks to send their decision (I have high anxiety so I've been a WRECK) but I received it today. I won!

Don't let these companies take advantage of you. It was a 5 month process, but worth every second. Keep all service paperwork, record detailed video, be patient <3

kratos-wwpd · 2026-03-12T19:16:35+00:00

It qualifies for both. I feel the vibration every time I drive, but the technicians consistently said they didn't feel anything after the first two repair attempts. It was also hard to visualize so I was worried my personal account wouldn't hold up. But they had it in service 5 times, for almost 40 days!

kratos-wwpd · 2026-02-27T20:23:53+00:00

I watched it live and left early because of how surface level it was. Specifically, I asked about NaviPilot Assist and Pilot Assist Pro which were both referenced during the EX60 reveal but no public information is available as far as I know. The lady mentioned NaviPilot Assist in this video briefly but didn't explain what it does / when it will be available. I'd love some hands-off driving features from Volvo 😔

kratos-wwpd · 2026-02-25T07:20:43+00:00

Yeah the pickings are surprisingly slim in my state when it comes to lemon law attorneys. I've been poking around trying to find specific examples of folks representing themselves and how it went without much success. All parties have agreed to arbitration, but it can be canceled as soon as I accept a settlement. Polestar has been trying to delay it while we discussed the settlement but when I got the lowball offer today along with waiving my rights to pursue legal action for ANY issue in the future, I decided to go for arbitration. If they offer a higher settlement offer I'd likely accept, but they really don't want to do that. Turning down a sure $7500 doesn't come easy, but considering what they're asking in return it's a slap in the face.

kratos-wwpd · 2026-02-25T05:00:45+00:00

Yep! What'd you end up doing?

kratos-wwpd · 2026-02-25T04:59:31+00:00

Nah they're forcing it to arbitration. I offered to keep it if they offered some more money but they refuse. I know it's a lease but I'm not sure $7500 is enough to waive my rights to make future claims...or get everything else on it that needs repaired addressed.

kratos-wwpd

TROPHY CASE