(From left) Han and Partners managing partner Lee Kien Han, EWP Services general manager Chan Yew Sum, Goh, Opal Auto Mart director William Chung and chief executive officer David Lee. — Low Boon Tat/The Star
OPAL Warranty is set to be the country’s largest extended warranty provider and administrator in Malaysia.
This follows the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding for the merger of Opal Auto Mart and EWP Services.
Opal Auto Mart will be a wholly owned subsidiary of One Auto Group, subject to approval from the relevant authorities.
One Auto Group of Companies managing director Datuk Billy Goh said the new entity’s combined assets would give customers access to more workshops and allow Opal Warranty to make greater headway in the region.
“Apart from reaching out further to consumers in Malaysia, we are looking to make Opal Warranty a major player in South-east Asia,” he said.
Opal Warranty newly-appointed chief executive officer David Lee said the merger meant greater financial stability so owners could be even more confident when purchasing an extended warranty from the company.
“Opal first offered warranties for reconditioned (unregistered) vehicles in 2011.
“We do not just pay lip service when we offer our warranties.
“We are a legitimate enterprise aimed at giving owners of older and reconditioned vehicles a safety net that covers major repair bills,” he said.
Lee said there would be no changes to existing packages with the merger, rather, their programmes would be realigned.
“It will be better and more competitive. We aim to fill the gap in the market.”
He said the current standardised packages would be maintained in the run-up to Chinese New Year.
“We will roll out new packages after the festive season because we are in the process of combining more than 200 workshops and we need to streamline (our operations) across the board,” he said.
Opal Warranty’s online arm, Cars and Bikes (Cake) Malaysia (www.cakemalaysia.com.my), is set to be the largest portal for online bookings.
The service is not just for Opal Warranty customers; anyone can use it to make an appointment at any of the 200-plus workshops that will be listed.
The website is currently under maintenance and is expected to be available on March 1. However, customers can make an appointment via the Opal SOS, a newly launched app.
It can be downloaded for free and allows users to book appointments at any authorised workshop.
On a related matter, AmGeneral Insurance Bhd has also appointed Opal Auto Mart as the third-party administrator for its Mechanical Breakdown Insurance programme for used and reconditioned cars.
With this appointment, vehicles will be inspected, serviced and maintained by all 200 Opal authorised panel workshops nationwide.
