Car dealership must refund customer, faces penalties over defective vehicle sale

A CAR dealership will have to refund a client the purchase price of a vehicle and pay an administration penalty fee of R50000 after the Western Cape High Court confirmed it had contravened a section of the Consumer Protection Act (CPA).

- CHEVON BOOYSEN

The litigation came after the client bought a secondhand vehicle from Wingfield Motors for his son in January 2021 but days after the purchase, the car presented with defects, despite it having been taken for a test drive on two dates before purchase.

The vehicle, a 2017 Ford Focus RS 2.3 EcoBoost, was also sent for a roadworthy testing assessment ang a report on its condition. Accordin Wingfield, the report did not re ect any meaningful faults with the vehicle, other than it being dirty and having a scratch on the front bumper paintwork.

The purchase tooka sour turn when the client reported, within three days of collecting the vehicle, a burning smell from the rear wheel and that the clutch did not feel right.