Toyota is trying to rip me off

When I saw the RAV4 on the floor at Automark Toyota Lynwood in Pretoria, I impulsively decided to buy it. After test driving the car around the block, I realized that the clutch was faulty. The salesperson assured me that I shouldn’t worry because they would repair the clutch. True to his word, the clutch was repaired, and he called to let me know that the car would be ready for delivery on the 31st of July 2024. I took it for another test drive around the block, and I was satisfied with the clutch, not realizing that there was another problem which is the whining noise while driving at less than 60 km/h. I took delivery of the car on the 31st of July 2024 before the registration was completed. I was then asked to bring the car back on Friday the 2nd of August 2024, for the installation of number plates and a repair to the front bumper. Then I went straight home, which is 500 meters away from the dealership. The following day, when I drove the car on the highway, I began hearing a disturbing whining noise. I thought I would need to report this issue when I returned to the dealership for the number plates and bumper fix.

I dropped off the car on Friday morning of the 2nd of August 2024, but the salesperson who sold me the car was on leave. I explained the problem to the gentleman who received the car that morning, mentioning that I was hearing a whining noise but couldn’t pinpoint where it was coming from. We took a short drive around the block, but I couldn’t hear it because I was driving at less than 60 km/h, and I was not aware that the noise starts at 60 km/h. I asked him to relay the message to their technician for used cars, who was scheduled to work on the car that day. Later that afternoon, when I returned to pick up the car, I test drove it around the block with one of the young salesmento try and determine where the noise was coming from. But we still did not hear the noise since we were also driving at less than 60 km/h.

During the weekend of the 3rd of August 2024, I realized that the car starts making noise from 60 km/h. Additionally, I noticed that the gear lever moves during deceleration and acceleration when the car is in fifth gear. On Monday, the 5th of August 2024, I returned to Toyota to complain. The used car technician promised me that they would arrange for the car to be diagnosed by a gearbox specialist and that he would call me to schedule a time to bring it in for repairs once they had a slot available.

On Wednesday the 8th of August 2024, the technician called to ask me to bring the car in the following day, the 9th of August 2024, for further diagnosis as promised. I dropped off the car on the morning of the 9th. When I returned in the afternoon to pick it up, he confirmed that there is indeed a problem with gear number 5 and the whining noise. He then assured me that he would make an appointment to have the car fixed. On the 12th of August 2024, he called again and requested that I bring the car in the next day, the 13th of August 2024, for the repairer to disassemble the gearbox, stating this would allow the repairer to provide Toyota Lynwood with a quotation before proceeding with the repairs. I dropped off the car at Toyota Lynwood on the 13th of August 2024. Since then the car was in and out and going to multiple repairers, and till today the problem persists with additional problems that arose during the attempt to fix the vehicle. I decided to cancel the deal since I cannot drive or keep a car that is not mechanically sound. I have given Toyota multiple chances to fix the car, but they failed. They are also refusing to cancel the deal but offer to trade in the car, which will leave me losing my deposit plus installments that I paid thus far. Please intervene. Please contact the Sales Manager Jean Katzke *** or the Dealer Principal named Jana Policar using their landline: ***. I have close to plus or minus 70 emails that we exchanged from when I started this journey as proof. They refuse to cancel the deal, and they suggest that I should go to an ombudsman for the motor industry. Case: *** | JTMBH31V20D021700. My contacts are: *** Cell: ***.