Car dealer reportedly missing for 4 months as man’s car faces trouble 2 weeks after collection, Singapore News

After car dealership SG Auto Private Limited was reported by a customer last week for his used Mercedes breaking down hours after collection, another customer complained that the same car dealership had been avoiding him since he had found problems in his car that needed repair.

In May 2021, executive Gibs Lim struck a deal with SG Auto to buy a 10-year-old used Audi A5.

He then paid $76,888 for the Continental car.

Little did he know that nearly a year later he would end up suing the Tampines car dealership and owed him $4,945.50 in repairs — an amount that remains unpaid today, a- he declared.

In an interview with AsiaOne, the 29-year-old said he found out about SG Auto through the vehicle trading portal SgCarMart, and when viewing the car, he was alerted by an SG Auto salesman, Alvin, have the car’s sunroof liner and engine repaired.

In the previous AsiaOne story, an SG Auto employee named Alvin was also mentioned although it is unclear if this is the same seller.

According to Lim, SG Auto had included in the sales contract that they would fix these issues.

However, there would be more headaches around the corner for Lim as other parts of the car began to malfunction.

“After taking the car [for] about two weeks, the gearbox malfunctioned and the car wouldn’t accelerate,” Lim complained.

To rub salt in the wound, Lim said Alvin started ignoring his texts about fixing the sunroof, saying Lim “has to wait.”

Alvin responded sparingly to Lim’s constant reminders on WhatsApp, sometimes taking days and weeks, this car owner claimed.

In a text sent to Alvin on June 26, 2021, Lim said he listed issues that had already been resolved by the car dealership. But it looked like the sunroof and engine cover were the two remaining unattached items.

He punched that text three times and didn’t get a response from Alvin until about 10 days later.

“Brother, I always negotiate with [the] seller. He told me he sold the car very low,” Alvin replied.

Over the next few months, Alvin would continue to evade his texts and Lim decided enough was enough.

“After four months, they still haven’t responded despite my multiple attempts to talk to them. I then filed a complaint with the Small Claims Court,” Lim told AsiaOne.

SG Auto sent Alvin as a representative and he attended the first session while the second session was on Zoom.

However, he disappeared for the third session.

“He didn’t show up for the third round of hearings, where we actually separately reached an agreement that they’ll pay half of my repair costs, which is about $2,400,” Lim said.

Since no representative from the car dealership showed up, the court granted the order in favor of Lim. AsiaOne has seen a copy of the court order.

Unfortunately for Lim, his nightmare is far from over.

The court order was dated December 21, 2021 and required SG Auto to pay him a total of $4,945.50 by January 21, 2022.

Lim, who still drives the Audi today, said the car dealership has yet to pay him that amount.

AsiaOne has contacted SG Auto for more information.

ALSO READ: Buying a used car: a guide to getting the best price

[email protected]