UPDATE (6.19pm, 22 Apr): Speaking to MS News, Mr Nishit said that SG Auto Pte Ltd has compensated them in full for the claim amount.
The company was also apparently unaware of Alvin’s actions and has since terminated his employment.
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Buying a car is an exciting affair, and so it’s only natural for new owners to eagerly look forward to taking their new rides for a spin.
However, for this man, his recent experience with a car dealership in Singapore turned into an absolute nightmare instead.
On 19 Apr, Facebook user Nishit Dilip Shah shared a lengthy account of the ordeal he faced after purchasing a secondhand car.
He alleged that SG Auto Pte Ltd, a dealership in Tampines, withheld his newly purchased car for weeks. They allegedly tried to cheat him of S$1,500 for unnecessary repairs as well.
SG Auto Pte Ltd has since responded in a comment, saying that they will “definitely look into this matter seriously”.
In the Facebook post, Mr Nishit revealed that he bought a secondhand car that looked to be “in good condition” from SG Auto Pte Ltd on 13 Mar. There appeared to be no issues with the vehicle, which he collected on 20 Mar.
He told AsiaOne that he paid S$86,500 for the 10-year-old car, a Mercedes-Benz C180 Kompressor.
Source: Carousell
Image for illustration purposes only
Unfortunately, Mr Nishit and his wife’s excitement about getting the car was short-lived.
At around 10pm that same day, they noticed that the “check engine” light had come on. They informed Alvin, the salesman, who told them to send it back to SG Auto Pte Ltd’s workshop, SG Auto Care, to have it checked.
They did so the next day, and a mechanic pointed out that either the “sensor” or the “timing chain” was faulty.
Mr Nishit was then allegedly told that he could only get his car back on either 23 or 24 Mar, which was disappointing since he had only driven it for less than 24 hours.
On 24 Mar, Alvin informed Mr Nishit that they needed to replace the car’s timing chain.
According to Mr Nishit, their sales agreement stated that they were entitled to a one-year warranty on the car’s engine and gearbox. However, Alvin claimed that the timing chain is “not part of the engine”, so the warranty didn’t cover it.
Mr Nishit, however, realised Alvin was lying after a quick Google search — the results revealed that timing chains are indeed located in the car’s engine. Still, he agreed to pay S$300 for the replacement after Alvin agreed to give him a one-year warranty on the part.
On 30 Mar, the date Alvin originally said the car would be ready, he asked Mr Nishit to come down the next day instead.
31 Mar rolled around, and this time, Alvin reported that while the timing chain was working, there were issues with the electric control unit (ECU). Mr Nishit said this didn’t make sense as the ECU had supposedly just been replaced when they bought the car.
Tired of the ‘shenanigans’, Mr Nishit told Alvin that he “no longer wanted his services” and would take his car to another mechanic.
Source: Facebook
Alvin then allegedly stated that unless Mr Nishit signed a form releasing SG Auto Pte Ltd from all liability, he would not get his car back.
Perhaps unable to comprehend this, he ranted on Facebook,
We have to sign papers to release SG Auto of liability just to get back OUR car, the car that we had fully paid for and was registered in our name?! Is this not extortion?
He threatened to file a police report if Alvin did not release the car back to him.
Shortly after, Alvin allegedly called Mr Nishit and promised to provide a free replacement. However, he soon back-pedalled on the offer claiming he needed to “discuss with his boss”.
Mr Nishit said that he would call the police if he did not get the replacement car by noon on 1 Apr.
The deadline passed, and there was still no word from Alvin. When Mr Nishit finally got a hold of him, Alvin refused to tell him where his car was. He later offered Mr Nishit a replacement car at a discounted price.
When Mr Nishit said he just wanted to know where his car was, Alvin insisted that they had to sign the liability release form to get it back.
Later, Alvin said he could finally give Mr Nishit the replacement car. He added that the workshop could repair the car for S$1,500, a figure Mr Nishit claims “was literally plucked from the air”.
Frustrated with Alvin’s antics, Mr Nishit acted on his threat and lodged a police report.
Despite knowing about the police report, Alvin apparently still refused to divulge the location of Mr Nishit’s Mercedes.
On 4 Apr, after relaying the events to the police, Mr Nishit finally managed to locate his car with their help. They allegedly found it at a completely different workshop, even though Alvin had never spoken about moving the car.
Mr Nishit eventually brought the car to a different mechanic, who determined that there was no replacement of the timing chain and that the ECU was fine. After just several days of inspection by the new mechanic, Mr Nishit was able to get his car back again.
Livid at the realisation that his car had been sitting in a workshop for nothing, he wrote,
Basically, nothing was done on the car and it was just rotting in some other workshop for 15 days.
Mr Nishit hopes his story will prevent other people from falling victim to unethical car dealers. He also confirmed that he is taking legal action against SG Auto Pte Ltd.
SG Auto Pte Ltd has since left a comment on Mr Nishit’s Facebook post.
Thanking Mr Nishit for his patience, they said they will investigate the matter and “take necessary action” against Alvin.
Source: Facebook
“We the company always practise professionalism towards all our customers,” they added. “We will update you accordingly.”
However, their response did not impress netizens. Several Facebook users even recalled their own terrible experiences with unethical car dealers, including SG Auto Pte Ltd.
We cannot imagine the stress Mr Nishit and his wife must have gone through during this rollercoaster ride.
Kudos to the police for locating the vehicle so quickly, and to the second mechanic for being such a professional.
Hopefully, this story will remind other customers to be vigilant when doing business with car dealers, lest they become targets for scams.
We also hope SG Auto Pte Ltd will deal with the matter appropriately and take the necessary actions should their employee prove guilty of the above allegations.
Have news you must share? Get in touch with us via email at news@mustsharenews.com.
Featured image adapted from Google Maps.
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