1 reviews | Active since Jan 2020
No accountability
We purchased a vehicle from bna motors mid June 2025 for my younger brother who attends college, a 2023 model VW polo vivo which at the time had 43501km on the clock, the vehicle was sent down from cape town to Johannesburg with a truck, which already started this ********** journey as we were told it would take a week to get here. There was bare minimum communication from the salesman and after going back and forth it took 3 weeks for the vehicle to arrive. Upon arrival the vehicle had no licence plates or disk as it was being registered so it had a temporary permit. Two weeks into driving the vehicle my brother got stopped by the metro police who checked the permit and claimed that the permit was a photocopy and had incorrect vehicle details on it of which they were going to impound the car. After a lengthy plead with the police they confiscated the permit and escorted the vehicle back home where it parked until the registration was sorted out. Bear in mind the vehicle barely gets driven as it’s for someone who attends college. Fast forward December 15th we took a trip down to Durban where we booked till the 20th the vehicle drove all good and well up until the 19th, we picked up someone from the Durban airport who was joining the holiday, upon leaving the airport there was a loud bang in the engine, we stopped,switched off the vehicle and checked and found oil pouring out. The insurance was called and the vehicle was towed to VW umhlanga rocks who diagnosed what the problem could be. Bna sales man and manager was informed the day it happened, we got a response a week later from the manager. VW umhlanga rocks claimed that there was water that went into the engine causing the conrod to go through the block. Bare in mind at this point the car has only 47619km on the clock. The vehicle was not driven in water, a puddle or even in the rain as there was clear weather during our stay and had undercover parking at the residence we stayed at. We waiting for a response from BNA motors barely getting any communication from them we spent R1650 diagnostics fee at Vw and a further R7000 to tow the car back to Johannesburg. According to a second opinion if there was water that’s in the engine it would show signs on the oil dipstick and oil cap, in this case there is nothing showing signs of water in the engine. With lack of communication from the dealership we were eventually advised that they cannot be held accountable for anything, this is without requesting a second opinion or a detailed diagnostics. How does a car drive for 3000km and have a conrod go through the block? Now the dealership is deflecting responsibility
Thank you for your detailed communication and for outlining the events surrounding the vehicle.
We understand your frustration and would like to address the matter from a technical and mechanical standpoint.
Based on assessment and industry-standard mechanical principles, a connecting rod (conrod) failure that results in the conrod penetrating the engine block does not occur suddenly without prior warning. In such cases, there are typically clear indicators beforehand, including but not limited to:
Oil pressure warning light illumination
Abnormal engine noise (knocking or rattling)
Loss of power
Engine warning lights
Once an oil pressure warning light is displayed, the manufacturer’s instruction is to switch the engine off immediately to prevent catastrophic engine damage. Continued operation of the vehicle after such warnings can lead to severe internal engine failure, including conrod and block damage.
With regard to the claim of water ingress, if water had entered the engine, this would normally be evident through visible signs such as contamination on the oil dipstick, oil filler cap, or emulsified oil, which according to your own second opinion, were not present.
It is also important to note that the vehicle covered approximately 3,000 km after purchase, and during this period no mechanical concerns or faults were reported to us. The vehicle was sold in running condition, and no defects were identified or disclosed at the time of sale.
Unfortunately, engine failure of this nature is typically the result of operational or external factors occurring after delivery, and not due to a latent defect present at the time of sale. For this reason, and based on the information currently available, we are unable to accept liability for the damage.
We do acknowledge the inconvenience and costs incurred, and while we empathize with the situation, the damage described falls outside our responsibility as the selling dealership.
Regards
BNA Motors
Thank you for your detailed communication and for outlining the events surrounding the vehicle.
We understand your frustration and would like to address the matter from a technical and mechanical standpoint.
Based on assessment and industry-standard mechanical principles, a connecting rod (conrod) failure that results in the conrod penetrating the engine block does not occur suddenly without prior warning. In such cases, there are typically clear indicators beforehand, including but not limited to:
Oil pressure warning light illumination
Abnormal engine noise (knocking or rattling)
Loss of power
Engine warning lights
Once an oil pressure warning light is displayed, the manufacturer’s instruction is to switch the engine off immediately to prevent catastrophic engine damage. Continued operation of the vehicle after such warnings can lead to severe internal engine failure, including conrod and block damage.
With regard to the claim of water ingress, if water had entered the engine, this would normally be evident through visible signs such as contamination on the oil dipstick, oil filler cap, or emulsified oil, which according to your own second opinion, were not present.
It is also important to note that the vehicle covered approximately 3,000 km after purchase, and during this period no mechanical concerns or faults were reported to us. The vehicle was sold in running condition, and no defects were identified or disclosed at the time of sale.
Unfortunately, engine failure of this nature is typically the result of operational or external factors occurring after delivery, and not due to a latent defect present at the time of sale. For this reason, and based on the information currently available, we are unable to accept liability for the damage.
We do acknowledge the inconvenience and costs incurred, and while we empathize with the situation, the damage described falls outside our responsibility as the selling dealership.
Regards
BNA Motors