Complaints - Used Car Dealer Print
Written by Administrator   
Wednesday, 04 November 2009 17:30
I bought a second hand car, Nissan Frontier 2.5 Diesel Green Engine (no plate: WLY 5999) from a used car dealer on the 17th of September 2009. During inspection of the vehicle, everything was looking good except for the starting of the engine. It took some time to jerk up the engine, so I was explained that the cause of this is due to a faulty starter in the car, and repairs to it will cost around RM300 to RM500 and the salesman is willing to give me a discount on the car and told me to repair it myself.

Upon purchasing the vehicle, I brought the vehicle to a Nissan service centre (Sg Rasau, Klang) to service the car and repair the starter on the 27th of September 2009.

To my dismay, I learnt two things about the car.
  1. The ODO meter was changed. The ODO meter was indicating 90000++ km travelled in the car, but the last service on the car was at 180000++ km!
  2. Nissan has a record of their services; owners>complete service history>mileage, so I was shocked to find out the hard way. After calling the salesman, he then denied having anything to do with this.
The starting problem was not because of a faulty starter, it is due to lack of compression in the engine and to repair this the engine has to be overhauled. The cost to overhaul the engine is about RM5000 to RM6000. Nissan insisted I leave the car behind for the repairs to be made. But I brought the car to another workshop just to double check, and was given the same answer. Again I called the salesman, and he said bring back the car and he would repair it for me.  

So I brought back the car to the used car dealer at Cheras on the next day 28th of September 2009, he called over his mechanic to have a look at it. His mechanic said that he has to check the vehicle completely before he can verify what the problem is exactly. And in order for him to do this, he wanted me to leave my car there with him. The salesperson assured me nothing to worry as he will repair it for me so I said I will pass it to him in a few days, which I did on the 5th of October 2009.

On the 11th of October 2009, I got a call from the salesperson stating that the car has to be overhauled, and it was going to cost a lot (around RM5500 roughly). He wanted me to share the repair cost with him. He first suggested that I take 40% of the cost to repair the car. So immediately i said no, it has to be covered by his company as the car was faulty from the start. He threaten me that If I don’t his boss would just touch up the car and the problems would arise again for me. At this point I could not take back the car as the Engine was already removed and the car was not mobile anymore. So I had to give in and bargain my way to RM1500 of the total cost of repairs, but I insisted I see the quotation first.

Upon seeing the Quatation I would pay RM1000 and later another RM500 when collecting the car back from him.

On the 19th of October 2009, I received the quotation from the salesperson, and made payment of only RM750 into his account for the repairs to commence.

The total cost for repairs according to the quotation is RM5584.00
  • To sum it up, as a consumer I have been conned by this company clearly. First on the ODO meter, second on the repair cost’s which is a lot.
  • For a car to be sold with a tampered ODO meter is unethical and wrong.
  • An engine being overhauled is not a small repair, it’s a major repair and for a Used car dealer to sell a car in that condition is not acceptable.
Having my car at the preferred workshop of the Salesperson also gives him an advantage on this situation, he can do anything to my vehicle if I don’t abide to his threats and so on. I hope that there is something can be done for my side, surely as a consumer I have some rights over this situation.

Here are the details of the Used Car Dealer and the Salesperson:

Salesperson:
Terry
Used car dealer:
Smart-S Auto Trading Sdn. Bhd.
Lot44487, No.1, Jalan Kuari,
Kampung Cheras Baru,
56100, Kuala Lumpur.

Status of the case    :    Matter has been brought to the attention of KPDNKK Enforcement Officers for their immediate action.


NCCC Advice :    In the event anyone face similar situation please immediately complaint to the Enforcement Officers of your state. Act Immediately to save your property and money.

Ms. Matheevani Marathandan
Legal Executive/ Complaint Handling Manager
Pusat Khidmat Aduan Pengguna Nasional
National Consumer Complaints Centre
E-mail : This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it