Major automobile repair, insurance disputes of 2023

Insurance claims and repairs are not always smooth sailing for car owners as no one wants to fork out money when accidents occur.

Macan owner locks horns with Porsche over damaged gearbox

In December 2022 Pham Anh Tan, owner of a 2016 Porsche Macan, took his car to Porsche Saigon, the company’s dealership in HCMC, to replace its front bumper, which took nine days.

A week later the car screen had various issues and Tan could not shift gears to start driving.

He called Porsche and was told to add more oil to the engine, but the problems persisted.

By then the company’s maintenance staff had gone on Christmas break and so he had to take it to a private auto repair shop, who said the car was significantly damaged and should be handled by the carmaker.

After the holiday Tan returned to Porsche Saigon, where the Macan was diagnosed with oil leakage and a damaged gearbox valve body, resulting in a VND600 million repair bill.

Furious, Tan blamed the dealership saying his car had no such problems before the front bumper replacement.

Porsche Saigon refused to take responsibility, saying an incorrect type of oil was put into the gearbox and glue was used on the transmission fluid pan gasket which is not in line with Porsche’s standards.

But the dealership admitted to making some mistakes during the process of receiving and handing over the car to Tan and offered to foot 40% of the bill.

Tan turned down the offer and the two parties have not come to an agreement at the time of publication.

Heated debate over the value of a burned car

Son's i10 burned to a cinder. Photo courtesy of Dinh Minh Thai Son

In late 2022 Dinh Minh Thai Son was driving on the Phap Van–Cau Gie Expressway in Hanoi when his 2014 Hyundai i10 caught fire.

Fortunately, he managed to steer it to the emergency lane and escaped unscathed before the car burned to a cinder.

Son later contacted VNI Thang Long, his car insurer, but it did not dispatch inspectors to the spot.

This February the police announced that the fire was caused by electrical issues and valued the car at VND190 million.

But in April VNI Thang Long valued the car at VND170 million, which translated to a VND144 million insurance payout.

The owner rightfully refused and pointed out that the car was valued at VND270 million in the insurance contract.

Son claimed the value of the car was VND200 million and demanded a VND188 million payout. After some discussion the two parties settled on a VND185 million payout.

Auto repair shop used old parts in VND100 million engine overhaul

Long's 2008 Ford Ranger in need of an engine overhaul. Photo courtesy of Nguyen Long

In October 2022 Nguyen Long took his 2008 Ford Ranger to a private auto repair shop in HCMC’s Cu Chi District for a VND100 million engine overhaul.

The car was handed back to him in late December but immediately ran into numerous issues, including excessive exhaust smoke, a stiff clutch, stuttering, and a broken air conditioner.

He took the car back to the shop for troubleshooting, which lasted until March this year. But a month after that the car died.

Long was told to bring the car back to the garage for another look.

It turned out that the cylinder head installed during the first overhaul was a used one from another vehicle.

After a heated argument, the shop offered him two choices -- replace the cylinder head with another used one at no additional cost or replace it with a brand new one – but both had a catch in Long’s reckoning.

If he chose the first, the shop would no longer provide a warranty on the cylinder head.

In the case of the second option, Long would have to foot the difference in prices between the used part and the new one but the workshop would provide a warranty.

Long refused both options and demanded a warranty on the used part.

A rocky situation on the highway

The rock on the highway and the damage it caused on Chung's car. Photo courtesy of Quang Chung

On the evening of April 16, Quang Chung's Honda City was damaged after striking an object resembling a rock on the Hanoi – Ninh Binh Expressway.

He contacted Gia Han Logistics, identified from the object's packaging, seeking compensation.

The logistics company, while acknowledging their transport of the item, denied liability for the incident and suggested Chung speak with the truck driver. However, the driver denied any compensation, leaving Chung without a resolution.