SOLD ME A DUD CAR

So after being in a serious accident in early January 2020, and sadly not being covered by insurance due to circumstances, I went about trying to find a good, reliable, safe second-hand vehicle for R50k (which money I had to borrow from my sister-in-law). I saw an Adverti*****t on Facebook advertised by what was known as MW Auto (which premises is named Freeman Cars). The car I was really interested in was a Mazda 2 that was quite appealing and which car had a very good review. When I arrived at the business I was met by Johnny Biggs SA, whom was my contact on enquiry of the vehicle. I was rather disappointed to find out that the car I was initially interested was not there but Johnny insisted that it was coming - coming from where nobody knows but it never arrived. A blue Mazda 2 arrived that was in shocking condition, and which car I rejected, I then saw a Nissan Micra that looked very clean and in good condition, maybe that was because the lighting inside the premises was bad and as we all know, everything looks better in the dark. After asking the questions, which is a given - Is the car reliable; has the car been in an accident; are there any issues with the car, mechanically or otherwise?, the answers were all NO and Johnny promised me that the car was in perfect condition. He gave me his word. I took the car for a test drive which was approximately 2 blocks in the centre of Johannesburg doing around 60kms an hour, the car felt okay and didn't seem to have any issues, although there would not be found to be in such a short distance travelled and at the speed I was driving. My Brother-in-Law and Nephew were with me in the car when I test drove it. After a little haggling on the price and the admin fee of R2000, which I may add did not include Roadworthy, change of ownership, a valet or full tank of petrol, the expired licence disc and costs associated with the licence disc, my sister-in-law did an immediate EFT into their account and we drove off with the car, with the temporary licence taped to the back windscreen. I was excited to finally be able to have a vehicle to get to work and get my independence back. Sadly such excitement was short-lived. We noticed from day 4 that the car was leaking water constantly and I was having to put water in twice a day. We bought the car on 22 January 2020 and this started from 24 January 2020 when I started travelling the 40km's one way to work and the 40kms back from work. I sent a message to Johnny right away on 24 January 2020, and I got no response. The 27th of January I sent voice messages to him regarding the expired licence disc, which I was questioned about and which was not believed. With no response regarding the leaking water issue, I booked the car into my mechanic for a quick check to see if there were any issues and to see what needed to be done in order to get roadworthy done. Note - my Mechanic just did a quick overall of the car and NOT a full diagnosis. My mechanic then advised me that there were a number of issues with the car, 2 of which were of major concern, and which were visibly noticeable. There was a leak in the radiator, the front shocks and boots needed to be replaced, the V-belt needed to be replaced, the windscreen wipers needed replacing, the globe above the licence plate needed replacing, brakes linings needed rebonding. The leaking radiator issue became a big problem on Tuesday 28 January 2020 when the car started overheating and I had to pull into a garage to check the water etc. The car was boiling and the water had disappeared. I could not understand as just before I left work, I had checked the water and I had only travelled around 20kms when the car started overheating. I immediately sent pictures to Johnny and voiced my concerns. Eventually they agreed to replace the radiator which I was grateful for, but advised me that they would not fix the other problems as the radiator was the most important. The radiator was replaced, which radiator was confirmed by Johnny to be brand new. I dropped the car off for the day, which day I had to take a day’s leave which my boss was not happy about. They replaced the radiator and decided to do wheel alignment as they said that the shocks and boots are fine and it must be the alignment. The car has not performed better on the road since wheel alignment was done. Two days after the new radiator was installed I was travelling home from work when the next minute the water temperature light came on and the car starting spurting water all over the windscreen which did not happen with the first radiator. I sent pictures and messages immediately to Johnny and told him that there was something wrong with the radiator. He proceeded to tell me that the radiator was fine. How can it be okay? It’s worse than before the old one was replaced? I have been fighting since and they just don’t care what happens to a woman who drives on the road at 4am to get to work every morning. I eventually took the car in to Silverton Radiators on Friday 21 February 2020 and was told that the car had a blown head gasket. I was fuming. The gentleman proceeded to tell me that the new radiator could not have caused this and that the problem stemmed from the first radiator. He also said that the engine was obviously not checked before they put the new radiator in, and this is very important before replacing a radiator. The gentleman gave me his card and told me to tell Johnny to phone him and he would tell him what the situation is. I then sent messages to Johnny, at which time I was angry, frustrated, disappointed and tired. I am yet to receive a response. I have told them that this is not acceptable and that I want to return the car for a full refund. I do not want these problems, nor do I want an unreliable car where I could find myself without a car or stuck on the side of the road. I do not want any more promises, charm talk, their word or anything else. I WANT A FULL REFUND AND I WALK AWAY. I went to meet with Johnny Biggs and Freeman (the Owner) on Monday 24 February 2020, and after some very frustrating arguments and facts, the owner did say that he would pay for half the cost to get the head gasket fixed but if it was more that R5,000 he was not going to pay. (I have audio recordings of the conversations). I am not happy with this situation and am not happy with the outcome. We asked if they could maybe give me another car to the same value, to which the answer was no, we do not have another vehicle to the same value. The owner told me that if I wanted my money back that it would have to go on auction and I would have to wait until such time as it sold before I got my money back. EISH. That is not acceptable due to the fact that I do not have a car to get to work every day, and I do not have the money to hire a vehicle until such time that the car is sold. This is ludicrous. I left with the pretence that I was happy with what had been offered, but in fact the exact opposite is the truth. I needed to get back to work and was getting tired of arguing.

I took the car to my Nephews Mechanic who tested the car and confirmed that the car had a blown head gasket. He also told me that this could not have occurred with the new radiator if the car was already leaking water with the old radiator. He said that if it was a radiator problem in the first place, then the new radiator would not be leaking. He will issue a report on his findings as well as a quotation to fix the head gasket – which he advised could be anything between R8,000 to R10,000. This would of course exclude all the other issues that were listed by my Mechanic, i.e. Front boots & shocks; rebonding brakes; V-belt replacing; windscreen wipers; globe for licence plate.

It has got to the point now where that car will not even start; I am stopping at least 3 times a day to put water in the radiator; am too scared to drive the car as I am not sure what will happen next. The rain is here and with the shocks and boots being an issue, and not stable on the road, I am in fear of my life.

I have ALL messages, all recordings, photos and snapshots of all conversations. I WILL NOT let people abuse and take advantage of single women in any way, and especially not when it comes to their safety on the roads. I will do whatever needs to be done to ensure that this is resolved to my satisfaction. We have the NCC and the Ombudsman on our side when it comes to others trying to take advantage.

This is now out of control, and a resolution needs to be reached at the Seller’s cost. I am not prepared to lose R50k for a car that has never been safe or sound on the road since Day 1 of them selling it to me. The excuse of them not being mechanics, and admitting to not have the car roadworthied or tested before placing it up for sale on their FB page or on their showroom floor is not an acceptable excuse or viable response.

I detailed the Law to them as per the Consumer Protection Act as well as that of the Automobile Ombudsman but they do not seem to care. Their lies from day one of selling me the car, and consistent lies and promises are ludicrous and I do not know how cars can be sold to any consumer in this fashion. Does the Law not mean a thing to anyone in South Africa, and are consumers not protected by an Act that is Law?

I cannot believe that there are people out there who are so ************ when it comes to making money that they have no care in the world that they are taking a single woman’s hard-earned money and sell her a car that may **** her without conscience.

I will take this matter ALL the way to the highest authority as I am tired of being taken advantage of as a woman, and being sold the one thing that helps me earn my bread and butter – a car. Without this, I will have no job, and without my job I will not be able to survive. I am a single woman in a very harsh world who is just trying to make ends meet and SURVIVE the best way I can.