Renault Newcastle Sold Me a Faulty Car — Now It’s Undrivable and They’re Blaming Me

I purchased a 2019 Renault Duster from Renault Newcastle (Prestige Motor Group). After the sale, the car developed issues which five Renault dealerships—Menlyn, Silverlakes, Hatfield, Ladysmith, and Pietermaritzburg—refused to assist with.

Eventually, I took it back to Renault Newcastle in January 2025, against my better judgment. The vehicle was fully drivable at the time.

Renault’s own diagnostic logs showed the fault was present before the sale. Despite this, they’ve ignored the evidence, claimed the issue is due to “contaminated fuel,” and now blame me.

Since their team worked on the car, it has gone from drivable to completely undrivable. And while my case is under review with the Motor Industry Ombudsman (MIOSA ***), they’re trying to pressure me into paying for repairs—and demanding the return of their faulty loan vehicle, without offering to return mine.

I was sold a broken car, denied help by five dealers, and now left stranded by the one that sold it to me. This is disgraceful service and a complete failure of accountability.