Brand New Omoda C5 Does Not Start After 8km

I recently purchased an Omoda C5 1.5T Luxury S vehicle from Auto Investments Centurion on May 7, 2024, and my experience has been highly disappointing.

Upon collecting the car, the odometer read 16km. After driving it just 8km home, the car failed to restart and displayed a 'Gearbox Failure' error at 24km. I immediately contacted our salesman, who arranged for the vehicle to be picked up the next day.

On May 8, 2024, I was informed that the car was taken to Chery SA, where it was discovered that the battery had a factory fault and needed to be replaced entirely. Despite this quick resolution, we were deeply dissatisfied and requested a replacement vehicle. The salesman mentioned he would discuss this with his manager and get back to us.

We were later contacted by another representative, who stated that under the Consumer Protection Act, replacing the faulty terminal was deemed sufficient and no replacement vehicle would be provided. However, according to the Consumer Protection Act, it is the customer's right to choose between a replacement or a repaired vehicle. We disagreed with this resolution and expressed our preference for a replacement vehicle. Despite this, we were informed that the vehicle had been repaired and that Auto Investments Centurion would assume responsibility for any future issues. They also mentioned that a replacement vehicle would only be provided if mandated by a letter from the Ombudsman.

I had hoped for urgent review and intervention from Chery South Africa in this matter. Originally, providing a replacement vehicle from Auto Investments Centurion would have addressed the immediate issues and demonstrated Chery’s commitment to high service standards and customer satisfaction. However, from Chery SA's lack of action, it is very clear they are not committed to high service standards and customer satisfaction.