Defective new car replaced

En Ghazali of Air Itam, Penang purchased a new 1.6 Waja on 31 July 2001. The car started giving him trouble six months later i.e in November 2001 when he was in Kuala Lumpur.

The engine stalled intermitently and when he managed to get it started, he drove to EON Damansara/Kepong for a check up. He had to leave it for four days. After collecting the car he drove to Bandar Utama. One hour later when he wanted to return to Penang, the car would not start again. A mechanic sent by EON’s service center could not get the car started and the car was finally towed away.

The car was in the workshop for the next three weeks before Encik Ghazali was called to collect it. He was told that the car was in good condition and that 90% of the wiring had been changed. He was given a verbal guarantee by the service centre that if the problem recurred the car would be replaced with a new one. Encik Ghazali went down to Kuala Lumpur to collect his car.

One month later, whilst in Penang, the problem recurred and the car was again towed to a workshop. The service manager said that there was no problems as the mechanics were able to start the car. However, after driving around for a few days the car once again stalled (10.3.02). The mechanics sent by Sahabat Eon could not restart the car and it had to be towed away. For the next four days the car was in the workshop, then two days on the road before it stalled again. This time the mechanics who came managed to start the car after trying for about an hour. The car was again taken to the workshop

In utter frustration, Encik Ghazali informed CAP on 19 March 2002 that the car had been towed five times and it has affected his job as a marketing manager. He has almost used up his annual leave attending to the car’s problems and inspite of the time and energy, the problem had not been solved. On 20 March, we faxed a letter to EON’s service centre relaying En Ghazali’s demand for a new replacement of the car if the problem could not be solved.

On 2 April, En Ghazali was told that there would be people including a Japanese engineer coming down from the Kuala Lumpur office to inspect his car. However when the party from Kuala Lumpur arrived there was no Japanese engineer but only two customer service executives.

On 15 April, En. Ghazali informed the workshop that he was not collecting the car and that he wanted EON to have the Waja replaced with a new one.

On 18 April, EON agreed to replace his Waja with a new one, strictly as a gesture of goodwill. On 31 May, En Ghazali got his replacement Waja.

(PROTON Bhd provides a two-year or 50,000km warranty (Subject to changes by Proton), whichever comes first, on the cars they manufacture. But a car manufacturer would also have to provide a car that is fit for its purpose under the Consumer Protection Act 1999.)