Kalaivane bought a used hybrid car registered in 2018.
A USED car dealer has been ordered by Johor Consumer Claims Tribunal to fully bear the expense of replacing a compressor in a customer’s car.
Tribunal president Hafez Zalkapli said it was the company’s responsibility to ensure used cars sold to buyers were in proper working condition.
He ordered the respondent, who attended the hearing, to pay RM7,500 to a workshop in Taman Daya, Johor Baru, for the replacement of the compressor and related services.
Claimant N. Kalaivane said she was happy with the decision.
“I told the dealer many times about the problems with the car, but they refused to entertain my complaints, prompting me to file the case with the Tribunal,” she said when met outside the Tribunal’s office in Menara Ansar, Johor Baru.
The 41-year-old housewife went to the used car dealer in Kajang, Selangor, with her husband on Feb 21, 2024, as they were planning to buy a German-made car.
After looking around, Kalaivane said she had her eyes on a petrol-powered car but the salesman who attended to the couple recommended that they get a hybrid.
“The salesman told us that hybrid cars are typically more fuel-efficient than their petrol counterparts as they can switch between their fuel and electric motors when driven,’’ she said.
Kalaivane settled for a German-brand hybrid car registered in 2018 with a 95,063km in mileage after test-driving the vehicle.
She also made a bank loan of RM120,000 for the RM136,000 car with a one-week warranty.
The dealer promised to send the car for service and check-up at their panel workshop in Bangi, Selangor, including replacing faulty parts and components if there were any, before the couple collected the car.
Kalaivane and her husband went to the dealer on March 9 to collect the car.
She said everything was smooth during their journey back to Johor Baru from Kajang.
“The air-conditioner stopped working on March 12 when I was sending my children to school.
“I contacted the dealer but they didn’t respond to my messages.
“I went to several workshops in Johor Baru but they declined to fix the air-conditioner as most of them were unfamiliar with hybrid cars.”
The workshops’ technicians advised Kalaivane to send the car to the authorised service centre for her German marque in Tampoi (in Johor Baru), as it was the only place that could fix such problems.
“I went there on March 12, but the service centre staff said they could not attend to me as I did not have the car’s grant and I also needed to make an appointment,” she said.
She returned to the service centre on April 5 after receiving the grant and was charged RM800 for the service. But on April 7, she said her car suddenly stopped in Skudai on her way back to Taman Puteri Wangsa in Ulu Tiram.
“The car was towed to a workshop in Taman Impian Emas in Skudai. The technician estimated that the cost of replacing the faulty compressor was RM5,000,” she said.
The claimant was shocked when the technician told her the engine suddenly stopped and the air-conditioner was not working due to a faulty compressor.
Kalaivane called the used car dealer and they told her to bring the car to their Bangi workshop for service and to leave the car there for it to be fixed, but she refused.
The claimant insisted on having the car fixed at a workshop in Johor Baru and the repair bill sent to the dealer for reimbursement.
“I managed to find three workshops in Johor Baru with expertise to service hybrid cars, including one in Taman Daya where I eventually sent my car for repairs.
“But the dealer refused to bear the full costs,” said Kalaivane.
Those who need assistance with Tribunal matters, can call 07-227 1755 or 07-227 1766.
