BAIC Bryanston – 30,000 km service caused major fault, zero accountability

took my BAIC BJ40 Diesel to BAIC Bryanston for its 30,000 km service on 16 July 2026. The vehicle went in perfectly fine. The moment I collected it and drove off, there was a loud, abnormal whistling noise on acceleration – so obvious that other motorists were pointing at my car.

Since then, my experience has been shocking:

I was promised multiple call‑backs on the day of service and afterwards – they simply never happened.

When I returned the vehicle on 21 July 2026, the mechanic who allegedly serviced the car could not detect the issue, raising serious questions about the quality of the service.

Service advisor Anthea and Clayton actually recorded the noise and told me it was the fan belt and that she would call me to replace it. She never did. I had to keep calling them – nothing happened.

Now, suddenly, I’m told the issue is the turbocharger and that they will “order the turbo” and let me know when to bring the car back. No clear explanation how a routine service turned into a major turbo issue.

Throughout, there has been no proper documentation of what was done at the 30,000 km service, no breakdown of parts replaced, and no parts shown or returned to me.

I repeatedly asked for a courtesy vehicle since the problem arose immediately after their service. I was told there is “absolutely no car available” and at one point offered a completely inferior vehicle, with no real apology or accountability.

Management interaction (particularly with Angelo, the Sales Manager) was dismissive and unprofessional, with finger‑tapping and impatience while I tried to explain what happened.

I am now left with:

A vehicle that was fine before the service,

A serious mechanical fault that emerged immediately after their work,

Conflicting explanations (first “fan belt”, now “turbo”),

No courtesy car, no proper feedback, and broken promises of call‑backs from staff and their so‑called “VP”.

As a loyal BAIC customer and a black client, I felt disrespected, unheard and taken for granted. There has been no sincere apology, no clear acceptance of responsibility, and no transparent explanation of what actually went wrong.

I have escalated this to BAIC South Africa Head Office, reserved my rights under South African consumer law, and I am prepared to obtain an independent mechanical assessment and pursue further action if necessary.

I strongly warn potential customers to think very carefully before servicing at BAIC Bryanston. The lack of technical clarity, transparency, follow‑through and basic respect is simply unacceptable and damaging to the BAIC brand.

Michael Martin - ***