A man’s excitement over purchasing his first car quickly turned into a prolonged ordeal after he experienced a series of issues with the dealership, SG Auto Private Limited. Nishit Dilip Shah, a 30-year-old product manager, bought a second-hand Mercedes Benz C180 Kompressor on March 20, paying $86,500 for the vehicle. However, the joy of owning a car quickly turned sour when the vehicle broke down just hours after collection.
While driving home, Nishit noticed the ‘check engine’ light illuminated on the dashboard. He returned the car to SG Auto Private Limited’s workshop the next day, where he was told that the car would need three days for repairs. Shocked by the situation, Nishit expressed his frustration as he had only driven the car for less than 24 hours. On March 24, the dealership claimed the faulty timing chain was the issue, and despite being under a one-year warranty, Nishit was told he would need to pay $300 for the replacement.
As the situation dragged on, Nishit received conflicting information and delays. By March 31, Alvin, the salesman, informed him that the car was still not ready due to further problems. Frustrated with the lack of progress, Nishit demanded his car back, but Alvin reportedly ignored his requests. Nishit then threatened to call the police, which prompted Alvin to offer a replacement car. However, when the details were followed up, Alvin pretended to be unaware of the arrangement.
On April 4, after filing a police report, Nishit finally received his car but discovered that no repairs had been made, and the car had been left untouched in another workshop for over two weeks. Seeking a resolution, Nishit took the car to another mechanic, who charged him $2,599 to fix the issues. The car is now functioning properly, but the ordeal left Nishit deeply disappointed and frustrated.
In an interview with AsiaOne, Nishit expressed his anger at the deceitful practices and his loss of trust in second-hand car dealerships. He has initiated legal proceedings against SG Auto Private Limited, seeking to recover approximately $4,700 for repair costs and compensation for the loss of car usage. The dealership, in response, stated they are investigating the matter and will take necessary action against the staff involved.