Once Bitten, Twice Shy

A warning for all prospective buyers!

Used car dealers have a reputation, and we all know that. Some just know how to hide issues better than others.

So, if you consider ever buying a car, and looking at the used market, just be very very careful! Once bitten, twice shy as they say.

I bought a gold Mercedes Benz CLK350 Cabriolet Avantgarde (FV 57 DX GP) from this dealer in January 2021 (my dream car), and that is where my ultimate dream turned into an ultimate nightmare. Day 1 (day of delivery) the car was brought to my house full of scratches with a broken tail light so I sent the driver back. Me and my partner sat at the dealership for the entire Saturday thereafter to (again) take delivery of a perfect car…. Or so we thought….

The car was advertised as a full service history car, and also with Bluetooth connectivity of which both were not true. When I followed up with Mercedes Benz on the Bluetooth and how to use it, I issued them with the VIN number only to find that the car had its engine changed in its life, then found out after further investigation that the engine was from a wrecker yard so there goes the ‘FULL’ service history out the window as well.

Well, then the issues really started. Fuel gauge not working, oil leaks, engine lights, performance issues, funny noises in the engine, etc. The car was back for a total of 13 times with no luck of repairing. The car left myself and my partner stranded twice in Cape Town and when we finally got the car back (car went into Limp Mode on numerous occasions coming back, minus a fuel gauge) I sent the car in (again) and got told the same story that all the work is done and the car is perfect (5 weeks later). So, on my way to work (first day driving the car again after return) I got smoke from the bonnet (oil leak still), car went into limp mode with engine light illuminated on the highway and the CD shuttle stopped operating. Jobcards and invoices were requested on the car for all the previous work done, and never provided. Needless to say, after being told that this is embarrassing to them and not the type of vehicles they sell, 3 days later the car was listed for sale again on the floor, at a premium of 20k higher and with full service history as per the website which later changed to partial (of which actually there is none).

So, I had it, told them to take the car back and refund, of which they did….. but… I decided to give them another chance and bought a white Ford Fiesta 1.6i Trend in white (SEK 026 GP) from them, which again, was ‘accident free’ with full service history…. So, the car was with me for a week when I decided to check it out in the garage. First thing that happened is that the key did not open the driver’s door which is odd and should’ve been picked up by the dealer, so I decided to check if everything else was there including the spare wheel. So, lifted the carpet and found thick smeared body putty all over inside the spare wheel well as well as a big dried blob where someone cleaned a putty knife (which according to Mit Mak managers is factory spec as they confirmed with Ford South Africa). There were various panels sprayed and the inner sound deadening material under the bonnet was badly cut with a scissors that looked like the job of a 5 year old to quickly repair something. The bonnet was dented in the middle and plastic parts were broken in the engine compartment. The service book also had the last 5 or 6 services signed with no stamp with the same handwriting and no jobcard number, this anyone can fill in (so once again, very questionable).

So, that car went back and I called it quits with Mit Mak Motors.

Just a word of advice, do your homework on the service history of their cars as well as check for previous repairs, something is off. Also, a warranty which was sold at a huge price with all the cars (mandatory) is no longer valid as the insurer has liquidated, so there goes all warranty jobs.

I would not recommend at all, prospective buyers beware.