Businessman regrets buying second-hand MPV

The Johor Baru Consumer Claims Tribunal in Menara Ansar opened for hearings on June 23 with the SOP in place.

JOHOR BARU: Businessman Md Yazid Saidi will never buy a used vehicle again after having to fork out more money to repair it.

He paid RM80,000 for the second-hand multi-purpose vehicle (MPV) registered in 2011 as the family needed a bigger vehicle.

Md Yazid said the vehicle's ownership was transferred to his wife, Suharnizan Md Sidek, 45, on Aug 17,2018.

The couple was overjoyed when the vehicle was delivered to them four days later.

They first used the vehicle to visit their hometown in Besut, Terengganu to celebrate Hari Raya Aidiladha.

"The vehicle started giving us problems on the second day after it was handed over to us, '' Md Yazid said when met at the Johor Baru Consumer Claims Tribunal in Menara Ansar here.

He said the family left Johor Baru at around 6.30am for Batu Pahat on Aug 22,2018, to pick up relatives before heading to Terengganu.

Md Yazid said there were no problems with the vehicle while they were travelling to Batu Pahat, about 130km from Johor Baru.

The 55-year-old said he felt something was wrong with the vehicle on the way to Bandar Muadzam Shah, Pahang, about 175km from Batu Pahat.

"I saw engine oil leaking along the way but did not think much of it as the vehicle was still moving, '' he said, adding that it suddenly stalled along the road in Bandar Muadzam Shah and had to be towed to Md Yazid's friend's workshop in Kuantan.

He said the vehicle was left behind at the workshop and the eight members of his family, including him, rented a van for RM450 for three days to continue their journey to Besut.

The vehicle was towed back to Johor Baru from Kuantan on Aug 23, and the cost was borne by the insurance company as the vehicle was still under a six-month warranty.

Md Yazid said the second-hand car dealer had promised that the company would take responsibility for the repairs and handed it back to him on Sept 22,2018.

"However, the MPV started giving problems again after two months and I spent RM15,000 to repair the engine, '' he said.

He said apart from engine problems, he found out that the vehicle's previous owner had four outstanding traffic summonses in Singapore, amounting to RM1,728.90.

Md Yazid, who attended the hearing on behalf of his wife Suharnizan, said he had claimed RM9,000 from the respondent.

Consumer Claims Tribunal president R. Nadarajan rejected the sum claimed as the vehicle's six-month warranty period, starting on Aug 20,2018, had ended on Feb 19,2019.

He ordered the respondent to pay the claimant RM1,728.90 within 14 days.