KUALA LUMPUR: A clerk expressed frustration after a newly-purchased Perodua Bezza broke down within less than eight hours.
Nagakanni Subramaniam, 31, said she was also obligated to pay the monthly loan instalment of RM537 for her new car, even though it is currently stranded at a service centre.
She said the car was bought from a vehicle sales centre in Segamat at 11am on Oct 17.
Almost eight hours later at 7.40pm, the car could not start.
"On Oct 18, I took my car to a service centre in Segamat, and the mechanic there informed me that the engine was damaged.
"Following the incident, I applied for a replacement for a new car before being asked to wait for a decision from its headquarters, which could take two weeks to a month.
"On Nov 9, an individual known as Suffian from Perodua's headquarters contacted me, stating that based on their initial investigation, the car's engine was damaged due to foreign objects such as sugar, and claimed that the substance was not used by the car manufacturer," she said on Facebook when quoted by Berita Harian.
Nagakanni claimed she never brought any food or sugar into the car during the eight hours after receiving it, let alone tampering with the engine compartment.
Elaborating, Nagakanni said she was contacted by Suffian again and informed to apply for a new loan to get a new car on Nov 15.
"I said I could apply for a new loan only after he settled my old loan because I am still paying off the loan for the damaged car.
"However, on Dec 4, the salesperson from the sales centre in Segamat requested documents from me to apply for the second loan, but I declined the request as my first loan had not been settled.
"Immediately on Dec 8, customer services informed me that the last process had not been approved, and its headquarters was investigating internal errors. They could not provide a definitive approval for my car's replacement," she said.
Nagakanni said that until now, she has not received any response from the car manufacturer, even though more than two months have passed.
"I still have to pay the car loan every month. I hope my friends on Facebook can share this post to help resolve this issue.
"I'm just fighting to defend my rights," Nagakanni said.