The decision arrives, and it says what you hoped: the manufacturer must repurchase the vehicle. After months of repair orders and deadlines, the natural question is the practical one. What actually happens now?
The end of a Florida lemon case is logistics: a compliance clock, a payoff, a surrender appointment, and a title that tells the truth about the vehicle. This guide walks through each piece.
The 40-day compliance window
When the Florida New Motor Vehicle Arbitration Board rules for a consumer, the manufacturer must comply within 40 days of receiving the decision. Compliance means completing the remedy, not starting to think about it: funds paid, or the replacement vehicle delivered.
A settlement works the same way except the deadline comes from the agreement, which is why settlement paperwork should always state when and how payment happens. The state monitors compliance with board awards, and a manufacturer that blows the window invites consequences it does not want.
How the money actually moves
A repurchase has to clear the lien before anyone else gets paid. In the standard sequence, the manufacturer obtains a payoff quote from your lender, pays the lender directly, and pays you the remainder of the statutory refund: purchase price, collateral charges, and finance charges paid, minus the use offset. The arithmetic behind your number is covered in the refund calculation guide.
Until the deal funds, keep making loan payments. It feels wrong to pay for a vehicle the manufacturer must buy back, but a late payment damages your credit, and the refund of finance charges means properly documented payments come back to you anyway. Payoff quotes also expire; if funding slips past the quote date, a new quote gets issued, which is normal.
The surrender appointment
The exchange usually happens at a dealership. You deliver the vehicle, both keys, and the items that came with it. Plan to remove your belongings, your toll transponder, and your plate, since license plates in Florida belong to the person, not the car. Cancel or transfer your insurance only after the surrender is complete, never before.
Bring identification and any documents the manufacturer's instructions request, and expect to sign transfer paperwork including a power of attorney for title processing and an odometer disclosure. Photograph the odometer and the vehicle's condition at handover; quiet documentation has ended many disagreements before they start.
If your remedy was a replacement rather than a refund, the appointment runs both directions: surrender of the lemon, delivery of the comparable new vehicle, and paperwork that carries your financing across. The trade-offs between the two remedies are described in the refund versus replacement guide.