e-CAR Menlyn

Dropped Off Working, Collected in Limp Mode

I waited two months before writing this review, pending the final cost to repair my vehicle after it went to e-car Menlyn for what was supposed to be a simple job. So buckle up — this is a long one. I took my BMW to e-car for a straightforward preventative maintenance repair on the suspension, specifically to replace the steering rack ends. This was work they themselves had recommended a few months prior, when the vehicle was there for other suspension repairs, which, incidentally, were also not handled properly. The quoted price for this job was around R2,400. On the scheduled day, I dropped the car off, arranged transport to work, and waited. At around 1 pm, I phoned for feedback, only to be told they could not find the parts and asked me to bring the car back another day. Completely unprofessional. The very least they could have done was ensure parts availability before booking the car in. I brought the car back on a different day. At around 2 pm, they called to say it was ready for collection. When my wife arrived, the car was parked outside on a steep incline, and it had just rained. After paying, she went to start the car — nothing. Full limp mode. Warning lights everywhere. I left work immediately and rushed there, only to be greeted by the manager with: “Is there something you are hiding from me?” An unbelievable question. The car was dropped off in perfect working condition. They pulled the car back into the workshop, and I left it with them to diagnose. A few days later, I received a call saying they had found the issue: water had supposedly entered the ECU, and I should contact my insurance. This explanation made no sense. The car is 14 years old and has endured some of the worst rain Pretoria has to offer without issue. The failure occurred while the vehicle was in their possession. Logically, if damage occurred on their premises, their insurance should handle it. The manager then claimed they are not liable for any part of the vehicle they did not directly work on. Since they worked on the suspension and not the ECU, they claimed no responsibility. That reasoning is simply unacceptable. They sent a photo allegedly showing water in the sealed ECU compartment. However, there was no explanation of how water entered, especially since the seals were intact. Furthermore, ECUs are well-sealed units — a small amount of water sitting at the bottom of a housing does not automatically “fry” a control module. Long story short: it cost me approximately R20,000 to replace, reprogramme, and reinstall the ECU. The specialist who performed the reprogramming confirmed that the ECU had sustained burn damage consistent with an electrical short, but there was no visible corrosion on the board that would indicate water damage. In short, the ECU was fried — but there is still no clear explanation as to how or why. When I eventually arranged a tow truck to remove my vehicle from their premises, they hadn’t even bothered to refit the plastic covers they had removed. They were simply dumped inside the car. Ironically, when you search for ECU specialists in Pretoria, e-car appears in the results. Yet at no point did they offer assistance or in-house solutions for the issue. After two months, I am finally driving my car again. Keep in mind, the last time it was driving properly was when it was there for suspension work. And immediately upon driving it, I could hear suspension knocking — once again indicating bolts had not been properly tightened. This is not the first time this has happened. After previous shock replacements, I had to return for them to properly tighten components. I cannot stress this enough: do not use this workshop. My experience has been one of poor planning, lack of accountability, unprofessional conduct, and questionable workmanship.