The sooner you know what the details of the Nevada lemon law, the better you’ll be able to avoid a lot of hassle and frustration and protect your interests. Whether you think your car’s a lemon or are just trying to be preemptive, we have the main points of the Nevada lemon law and also include advice on how to act if the manufacturer is giving you a hard time.

First off, what’s covered in the lemon law:

: new cars that are used for personal, family or household purposes

: cars with problems the manufacturer has tried to fix four times or more or

: cars that have been in the shop for 30 days or more.

: RVs and ATVs are excluded.

All problems must be covered by the manufacturer’s warranty and must occur within the first year after buying the new car. (Not the best consumer protection in the nation, unfortunately.)

If this describes you car, there are several things you should do, starting as soon as possible. First, see what your owners manual tells you to do. Call the dealer where you bought the car and ask for the name and number of the regional manager who handles lemon law complaints. Find out in detail from this regional manager what they want you to do to move forward with your claim. No car manufacturer we’ve heard of has been eager or generous in resolving lemon law issues, but you’ll have a better chance of reaching a satisfactory settlement if you do everything they tell you to do--promptly. This is definitely one thing you don’t want to put off, since time is on the manufacturer’s side.

You’ll probably either have to take your car to a dealer to get fixed or, if you live too far away, give written notice to the car maker telling them what’s wrong. They will either arrange to get your car transported to a certified repair facility or tell you how to proceed.

Think of creative ways to document your problems. If your car’s problem is something you can see, take pictures of it every time the problem occurs.

Start a folder for all your receipts from repair attempts. Include notes from all your phone conversations (including who you talked to, when and what each person said). Keep track of work hours you’ve lost and other ways your car problems have affected you adversely.

A lot of other people have fought and won lemon law appeals. Before we say anything here, we want to be clear that we aren’t attorneys. We don’t even play one on TV, so please don’t mistake what we’re about to say for legal advice.

Everyone who’s had a lemon-car problem has their own frustrating story. One person leased what he thought was a dependable Japanese car, but after the third oil change started to notice pools of oil under his car. Yet after six fruitless attempts to fix the problem, the car manufacturer insisted that the only problem was with the way he was maintaining his car. He did everything he was told—unsuccessfully—then hired an attorney. He took pictures of the oil leaks, in his driveway and garage and at work. He also kept copies of the letters his home owners association had sent him complaining about the oil stains. The jury settled in his favor in large part because of the compelling evidence he’d assembled.

In another case, the district manager in charge of resolving lemon law complaints had a very favorable to the manufacturer definition of what an occasion was. After four occasions, the company was obligated to re-purchase the vehicle. To get out of this, the district manager decided that if the technician didn’t replace a part or make any kind of adjustment to the vehicle, then it wouldn’t count as a repair. The judge repaired that ridiculous theory by awarding the buyer of the lemon vehicle an $11 million verdict.

We’re sorry you’re looking for information about the Nevada lemon law. This probably means that you’re having serious trouble with your car. Don’t give up, and please move quickly. You can win this—possibly—if you do everything right and do it now.