I�ve purchased my Avanza 1.5G in 2007 from Toyota sales centre in Ampang Point. I religiously follow the scheduled maintenance as stated by Toyota. During my first maintenance, I sent my car to Kepong's service centre and was very satisfied.

However, during my second maintenance and subsequent maintenance, I switched to the service centre at Shamelin, which is nearer to my office. This is when my problems started. Immediately after my second maintenance, I started to experience problems with my car. The door indicator light started blinking and there were noises coming from the back tyres.

I brought my car for 3rd maintenance and complained about the light and noises and they said they will look into it. Since I need to work, I left my car with them and collected it after office. My car was with them for almost 8 hours! When I collected it, they said the problems have been solved but when I drove out of their office, I found out that the noises and the blinking were still there. I called them and they assure me that the car is safe and they will look at it again during my next maintenance.

During my 4th maintenance, the same thing happened, only this time they didn�t record my complaint since according to them it was already in the system. These problems persisted until my last maintenance i.e. 7th maintenance last June. All the while they said the problems have been resolved but when I drove out of their service centre, I can still hear the noises and see the blinking. I got frustrated and called the service advisor again. The same thing happened and he asked me to bring the car to them.

The thing is, I can�t just take my leave from office at my whim and fancy and I told him I cannot bring my car immediately and asked whether the car is safe. He assured me that it is safe to drive the car and I can wait for the next maintenance. Based on his assurance, I continue to drive my car with the noises.

However, to my surprise and worry, it got worst and on our way back to Kelantan, the noises were getting worst and the car also started to be unbalanced. Fearing for our safety, we brought the car to the nearest workshop to check and we were told that there was a problem with the �bearing� and apparently it was a manufacturing defect! The mechanic was so surprise and called me a daredevil driver because I drove the car for so long with that condition! According to him there�s a possibility that the tyre might �jam� and my car will skidded and caused accident.

Hearing this, my husband called Shamelin service centre since the car is still under warranty. We were bluntly told to wait and bring the car after raya even though we have explained that it was recurrent problem that they failed to identify and it was dangerous for us to drive in that condition. We were rudely told by the person answering the phone that it was our problem and we have to fix it ourselves.

Fearing for our safety and since we have to go back that day because that was the day before raya, we asked the workshop to repair the car so that we can continue our journey to Kelantan. The mechanic repaired our car and asked us to immediately visit Toyota Service Centre in KB once we arrived there. Luckily, what the mechanic did eliminate the noise and made us arrived safely in Kelantan and celebrated Raya.

However, when we brought our car to Toyota service centre, there was a leakage and we were told that the leakage as well as the noises will only be resolved if we change the entire part and we were asked to pay RM3,500 for that, even though we had explained what transpired previously and there was a record showing that we have complained about the same thing for at least three times (as per their record, and numerous unrecorded complaints).

I called Shamelin�s service centre and they keep on saying they will return my call. In fact Kota Bharu service centre also called them and asked the manager to call me back but it took them forever to return my call. When I finally managed to talk to the manager at Shamelin�s service centre, they refused to take responsibility and said that it was our own doing because we sent it to independent workshop and thus, the warranty is void! According to them, whatever the external workshop have done was not right and thus the breakdown is external and not caused by them. My arguments are:

1. We have complained about the same thing numerous times and they failed to identify as well as rectify the problems, as far as I�m concern, there is a direct link because their failure to rectify the problem endanger our lives and giving us no choice but to send the car to external workshop, or else we cannot go back to Kelantan to celebrate Raya as well as celebrate my brother�s wedding;
2. Shamelin�s service centre was negligent and incompetent for not trying to identify and rectify the manufacturing defect in my car and their blatant refusal to check our car when we called them on the day itself tantamount to them jeopardizing our lives, imagine if our car break down in the middle of hilly forest at Karak highway or if the car �jam� and the car skidded into the ravine!
3. The fact that we were told that the car was safe is a representation from them, a qualified service centre and so called expert and skilful mechanics.
4. Why can�t they hear the noises or see the light blinking and find the problems during previous maintenances when it took an independent workshop less than 30 minutes to hear the noise and find the problem? Are they employing the deaf and the blind as mechanics? Each time I sent my car to them, I always left it there and they have more than enough time to run test drive and check my car, 8 hours to be exact. In fact they never told me to leave my car with them longer for them to do further check up but they simply told me the problems have been rectified or they cannot find the problems and the car was safe. As a driver, I can presume that the blinking of the door light is caused by faulty wiring, even that obvious problem also they failed to identify and rectify!
5. When I purchased the car, there is an express and implied warranty that the car is suppose to be of merchantable quality and fit for purpose and that I am eligible for free services and parts from them. But what happened is that I only found out about faulty and defective manufacturing of �bearing� from an independent workshop! And that obviously is a breach of warranty that the car was of merchantable quality and fit for purpose!� Even though I have sent the car to an independent workshop, the fact is that I only sent it there because they have failed and refused to give me their best services i.e. there is a blatant breach of their obligations, not to mention an insult to my rights as their customer.
6. I only sent the car to independent workshop after they refused to check my car up and asked me to bring it to them after Raya and we can�t wait anymore because the next day was Raya and we have to get back because my brother was getting married and some of his stuffs for the ceremony were in our car!
7. I did call Toyota�s customer service to talk to them about this matter, I was told that the manager (head of department) will call me back but he never returns my call.
8. Toyota has sold me a defective car and they should take responsibility for that instead of asking me to pay RM3,500.00 to make sure the car is safe for travel! That is a daylight robbery! As far as I�m concerned, there is a clear direct nexus between my earlier complaints and the leakage. Their failures to rectify my problems have forced me to send my car to an independent workshop and whatever that workshop did had indeed guaranteed our safe arrival to Kelantan!
9. Being a person with no knowledge of car�s repair and maintenance, how should we know whether what the workshop did was right or not, our only concern was to make sure that we arrived safely in Kelantan. If Toyota service centre is claiming that the external workshop did what was not supposed to be done, why in the first place they didn�t do what supposed to be done? Why didn�t they conduct a thorough check up on my car when I�ve complained over the same thing for more than 3 times?

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I am deeply frustrated and angry with the level of after sales services provided by UMW Toyota, especially by Toyota service centre at Taman Shamelin. They�ve cost me a lot of troubles, in monetary term as well as time. Being a service centre appointed by Toyota, they should possess the necessary expertise and skill, but apparently they don�t possess that and failed to rectify the problems for more than a year when it took an external mechanic less than 30 minutes to identify them! Right now my car is still with Kota Bharu�s Toyota service centre and hasn�t been repaired because of this warranty issue. And I have to take public transport to go to office and to attend meetings.

It cost me a bomb, not to mention time consuming since my house is a bit far from public transportation�s route and when I have to attend a meeting, the fastest way (i.e. monorail or lrt) is not only the best way because I have to carry a lot of things. The only choice is by taxi, which is becoming very expensive nowadays!

I hope you can help me in this matter because from my point of view, Toyota was negligent and breach their own warranties as to the skills and expertise of their maintenance team and as such, as their customer, I shouldn�t be penalised for their faults and mistakes and should still be eligible for spare parts warranty.
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NCCC's Advice: We will write a letter to the company to settle the problem and we also will cc copy to Kementerian Perdagangan Dalam Negeri.

Abdullah Bin Mohamad Abu Bakar
Legal Executive/Complaints Manager
Pusat Khidmat Aduan Pengguna Nasional
National Consumer Complaints Centre
E-Mail: abdul@nccc.org.myThis e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it