Buyer pays $30k for 2nd-hand car but coughs up close to $10k in repairs within a month

He bought a used car for $30,000, but got more than he bargained for after having to cough up close to $10,000 in repairs within a month.

The buyer, a 48-year-old tutor, told Shin Min Daily News that he had bought the Citroen model from a car dealership in Jalan Sultan. But problems began springing up from the get-go.

When interviewed, Zhuo shared that the first sign of trouble came within the first week, when a fault signal on the dashboard flashed non-stop.

After an inspection, he forked out $300 to clean the filter of the diesel car.

"Two or three days later, water seeped into the front of the car, and I found out there was a problem with the rubber seal," shared Zhuo. A week later, the air-conditioning unit ran into issues and had to be fixed. But that's not all.

Said Zhuo: "A few days ago during an inspection I was told there were problems with the car's pipes, brakes and other parts, and I had to spend $4,000 for a complete overhaul."

Zhuo shared that the car dealer had told him that the mileage of the seven-year-old car was around 100,000km.

But when he sent the car to an auto repair shop for checks, he was told the mileage clocked as of Aug 1 was 225,702km, but it later showed 108,361km. From the information given, Zhuo suspected that the odometer of the car might have been tampered with.

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He added that the mechanic also told him the clutch had been replaced before, and that usually occurs after a car's mileage crosses the 160,000km mark. The discovery further deepened Zhuo's suspicion that the number on the odometer had been rolled back.

Sharing his displeasure, Zhuo told the Chinese evening daily how a road trip he'd planned with his wife to Malacca in early October had to be scrapped midway due to issues with the car.

They had just crossed the Second Link when another warning signal began to flash. He stopped the car to do a check and found that the water in the aircon cooling system had dried up. However, fearing that other problems might crop up along the way, he decided to cancel the trip and return home.

Zhuo said that he has since contacted the car dealership to request that they foot a share of the repair costs, but to no avail. He is also considering other avenues to claim compensation.

When contacted by Shin Min Daily News, a spokesperson for the car dealership denied tampering with the car's odometer.

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"We have been in business for more than 10 years and have more than 100 cars in our fleet. We wouldn't do such a thing to earn just a bit more," said the employee, surnamed Su.

He verified that the odometer had shown mileage of just over 100,000km when the car was bought by the dealership from its original owner.

When asked if the company should be responsible for the additional costs incurred, Su explained that Zhuo had sent the car to an unauthorised workshop for repairs and as a result, no warranty can be given.

He added that he is willing to offer Zhuo a one-time free servicing at a designated auto repair centre, provided there's no additional damage to the car. Otherwise, Zhuo would have to pay 50 per cent of the servicing fee.

candicecai@asiaone.com