(42)For reasons of coherence with the existing national legal systems, Member States should be free to provide either that sellers are liable for a lack of conformity that becomes apparent within a specific period of time, possibly coupled with a limitation period, or that consumers' remedies are only subject to a limitation period. In the former case, Member States should ensure that the period for the seller's liability is not circumvented by the limitation period for the consumer's remedies. While this Directive should, therefore, not harmonise the starting point of national limitation periods, it should ensure that such limitation periods do not curtail the consumers' right to exercise their remedies for any lack of conformity which becomes apparent in the period during which the seller is liable for a lack of conformity. In the latter case, Member States should be able to maintain or introduce only a limitation period for the consumer's remedies, without introducing a specific period within which the lack of conformity has to become apparent in order for the seller to be liable. In order to ensure that consumers are equally protected also in such cases, Member States should ensure that where only a limitation period applies, it should still allow consumers to exercise the remedies for any lack of conformity that becomes apparent at least during the period of time provided for in this Directive as a liability period.