INFORMATION technology (IT) engineer who believed he had secured a bargain on a six-year-old German-marque vehicle, was instead left facing significant repair bills and a mileage fraud.
Lim Thye Teng was initially drawn to an advertisement by a used car dealer in Hulu Langat, Selangor, offering the car for RM160,000 with a low mileage of 50,000km.
“I was attracted to the low-mileage as advertised in the website,” he said when met outside the Johor Consumer Claims Tribunal at Menara Ansar in Johor Baru.
The 32-year-old claimant, who works in Singapore, said he went to several used car dealers in Johor Baru to make a comparison prior to making the purchase.
“Most of the six-year-old used vehicles of a similar model which I saw with an average mileage of 60,000km were also priced at RM160,000,” said Lim.
He travelled all the way from Johor Baru to Kajang in April last year to check out the car, and made a second trip on May 9, 2025.
The claimant paid RM500 as a processing fee for the in-house loans and drove the car back to Johor Baru on May 30, 2025, after the loans were approved.
In June, he began paying monthly instalments of RM1,800 under a nine-year loan tenure.
“The car did not have any problems for the next five months. The problems only started in November,” he said.
The claimant spent RM20,000 to replace the faulty odometer, engine mounting, piping and engine’s cooling system.
Lim then decided to take the vehicle to an authorised service centre in Tampoi, Johor Baru, where a mechanic informed him that the car’s mileage had been tampered with.
“The mechanic informed me that based on the car’s service records and the service reports in the computer system, the actual mileage was 142,000km, not 50,000km,” he said.
Lim said he spent RM2,500 to fix the car’s faulty air-conditioner and compressor in the week leading up to Chinese New Year on Feb 17.
Tribunal president Lee Chee Thim ordered the respondent to refund RM20,000 to the claimant within two weeks.
Those who need assistance can contact Johor Consumer Claims Tribunal at 07-227 1755/1766 or drop in at Level 17, Menara Ansar, Jalan Trus, Johor Baru, between 8am and 5pm Mondays to Thursdays, or between 8am and 4pm on Fridays, except during public holidays.
