Tribunal rules in dealership's favour in 'faulty' Ferrari matter

A CAPE Town dealership, Millstock Cars was successful in a matter before the National Consumer Tribunal where it had contested a ruling by the National Consumer Commission (NCC) that ordered it to refund over R269,000 to a customer for repairs to be made to a faulty Ferrari.

- SINENHLANHLA MASILELA

The issue began when Mychajlo Jevon Gambale purchased a used Ferrari for over R3.6 million in April 2021.

However, just five months after the purchase, the car displayed a warning light and Gambale promptly notified Millstock Cars, and the vehicle was diagnosed at Ferrari Cape Town with a faulty temperature sensor, requiring replacement at a cost exceeding R53 000. Initially, the dealership argued that the car was sold "voetstoots" (as is), thus denying liability for the sensor replacement. However, after negotiations, Millstock agreed to cover 50% of the repair costs and paid a deposit to Ferrari Cape Town.

According to Gambale, after Millstock confirmed that it would pay for the replacement of the sensor, the manufacturer, Ferrari Italy, identified an underlying issue with the Clutch Control Plane (CCP) and recommended that the entire CCP be replaced after conducting a remote diagnostic test on the vehicle.