Man Buys Used Car For RM100K But Ends Up Spending RM33K In Repairs After A Month
He suspected that the car's mileage had been tampered with.
A man in Singapore bought a secondhand car for SGD30,000 (RM99,629), but had to spend nearly SGD10,000 (RM33,209) on repairs in just a month
The 48-year-old tutor, Zhuo Zhengcheng, stated that he purchased the Citroen at a car dealership in September, but had numerous problems with the vehicle after only a month of use, reported Shin Min Daily News.
In an interview, he explained that after just one week of purchasing the car, its signal lights began blinking intermittently. When he took the car for inspection, he was told that he needed to clean the filter for SGD300 (RM996).
That was the first nightmare of many to come.
Image via Shin Min Daily News
Water started leaking into the front of his car a couple of days after the first repair. He later discovered that this happened due to problems with the rubber seal.
One week after, Zhuo said that the car's air-conditioning also started malfunctioning.
"I was told a few days ago during an inspection that there were issues with the car's pipes, brakes, and other parts and that I needed to spend SGD4,000 (RM13,296) on a complete overhaul," he added.
Before purchasing the car, Zhuo said that the car dealer informed him that the mileage of the seven-year-old vehicle was approximately 100,000km.
When he took the car in for service, the mechanic told him that the car's mileage as of 1 August was 225,702km, but it later showed 108,361km.
He then suspected that the car's odometer had been tampered with.
According to him, the mechanic also revealed that the clutch had previously been replaced, which is common after a car's mileage exceeds 160,000km.
The discovery confirmed Zhuo's suspicions that the odometer had been altered.
His final straw came when his road trip to Malacca with his wife in October had to be cancelled due to the car breaking down again
They had just passed through the Second Link Bridge when another warning light began to flash. He stopped and inspected the vehicle and discovered that the water in the air conditioning cooling system had dried up.
Fearing additional issues would arise along the way, he decided to cancel the trip and return home.
Zhuo stated that he has contacted the car dealership to request them to cover a portion of the repair costs, but his efforts proved futile
When Shin Min Daily News reached out to the car dealership for a comment, they denied that the vehicle's odometer was tampered with.
"We have been selling cars for over ten years and have 100 cars on hand; we're not going to try to make a little extra money by tampering with the car," a spokesperson told the local Chinese daily.
The employee added that the warranty had been voided because Zhuo had taken the car to an unlicensed repair shop.
However, the car dealer offered Zhuo a one-time free servicing at a designated auto repair centre, given that there is no additional damage to the vehicle.
If you want to buy a secondhand car, here are some tips on what you should look out for before making your purchase:
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