'Brand new' car proves to be a real nightmare ride

Vehicle has been in repair shop numerous times

Beverley Goeieman’s brand “new” car was so damaged and faulty that her dashboard screen would instruct her to take a coffee break after driving for 10 minutes. 

She said the car’s bonnet had been resprayed, bumper was not aligned and its battery had to be changed within four months after the vehicle was sold as a brand new vehicle to her by the Chery dealership in Alberton in June.

Goeieman told Sowetan Consumer that the R717,000 Chery Tigo 8 Pro Max switched off on the same day – June 24 – she picked it up from the dealership.

“The car switched off in front of the house and refused to start. I called the sales lady and she informed me that her senior manager and a technician would come and collect the car in an hour. They came to my house, handed me the key to a courtesy vehicle. They then proceeded to replace the battery of my new car and left,” said Goeieman.

The car switched off in front of the house and refused to start. I called the sales lady and she informed me that her senior manager and a technician would come and collect the car in an hour.Beverley Goeieman

She said she received a call from the dealership a day later and was told the car was fixed When it was returned to her, she was assured there should not be any other issues.

However, soon after that the vehicle’s smart key battery kept signalling that it was low.

The dealership changed the battery, she said.

But weeks later, she noticed that her rims were scratched and the car had to be, once again, taken away to fix the wheels.

On July 22, while driving on the N12, her vehicle overheated, she recalled.

“We sat in traffic for almost two hours and all of a sudden the car started signalling a coolant warning. This was followed by steam coming from the bonnet of the car. As I was pulling over onto the side of the road a loud bang came from the bonnet.

"I called Chery and informed them that the car had overheated and I was scared to start it. The sales lady arrived with her manager and they provided me with another courtesy car,” said Goeieman.

The car had to be taken in to repair the engine, Goeieman said.

Verene Petersen, Chery SA spokesperson, confirmed this, saying: “The vehicle is currently undergoing repairs at Chery Alberton, in line with our warranty obligations. It will be restored to manufacturer specification at no direct cost to the customer.”

Goeieman said the dealership informed her that a petrol attendant had tampered with the coolant cap, leading to the car overheating. The problem was fixed. 

On July 30, while driving on the M1 in fourth gear, she saw a big warning sign: “gearbox failure”, on her dashboard.

She called the dealership again and was told that they would send someone to collect the car the following day.

After test-driving the car for 300km, the dealership informed her that they could find no fault in the vehicle. 

“When I arrived at the service centre I was assured that all was in order, and the car should not have any further issues. However, from my previous encounters with this dealership, I felt uneasy and decided to get a second opinion,” said Goeieman.

She took the car to View4You to be inspected and diagnostics confirmed that the fan of the vehicle did not work and the car reeked of coolant.

“Visible on the driver’s side, chrome above the door is distorted and the bonnet is bent as well the gaps between the front fender and bonnet are not uniform. There are also fish eyes on bonnet respray,” read the report.

She returned the car to the dealership in August and it is still in the shop.

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