Notable car damage disputes in 2023

Disputes over vehicle damage during use are one of the most annoying issues for users. Because when there is major damage, the parties involved do not want to lose money or take responsibility. Below are the most popular disputes in 2023.

Macan and Porsche owners argue over broken gearbox costing 600 million

In late 2022, the owner of a 2016 Macan, Pham Anh Tan (Ho Chi Minh City), went to Porsche Saigon to replace the front bumper. About a week later, the car displayed a series of errors on the screen and could not be shifted into gear to move. Tan contacted the company and was instructed to add engine oil to the engine, but the error was not fixed. Because the facility announced that it would not accept cars during the Christmas holiday, he took the car to a private garage for inspection.

The private garage said the car had a serious problem and advised him to take it to an authorized dealer for repair. After the holiday, Tan took the car to Porsche Saigon for inspection and was informed that the transmission fluid was leaking and the control valve was damaged, and the cost to repair the transmission was 600 million VND.

Mr. Tan said that the gearbox only broke down after being at the official workshop, and had not broken down before. The company said that based on abnormalities such as the wrong type of gearbox oil being replaced, and the bottom gasket of the gearbox oil pan showing signs of glue, "the gearbox failure is not Porsche's responsibility". However, Porsche Vietnam admitted that there were errors in the process of receiving, repairing, and delivering Mr. Tan's car, so they offered a 40% discount on the repair cost. The car owner did not accept.

Controversy over insurance company valuing burned cars lower than police

At the end of 2022, Mr. Dinh Minh Thai Son (Gia Lam, Hanoi) had his 2014 Hyundai i10 caught fire on the Phap Van - Cau Gie highway. After moving the car into the emergency lane, the fire broke out and burned the car to the ground. Luckily, he escaped. He contacted Thang Long Aviation Insurance Company (VNI Thang Long) to report the incident, but no staff came to the scene.

In February, the authorities determined that the car fire was caused by an electrical short circuit, without external force, and the property value was assessed at 190 million VND. In April, VNI Thang Long sent a notice approving a compensation plan for the car value of 170 million VND, after deducting the burnt electrical wire of more than 25 million VND, the actual amount received was only 144 million VND. The car owner did not accept.

The value of the car stated in the insurance contract is 270 million. Therefore, the plan that Son proposed is to compensate the car value of 200 million, deducting 12 million for the electric wire. Thus, the amount Son wants to receive is 188 million VND. Up to now, both sides have resolved it satisfactorily, VNI Thang Long has finalized the compensation plan of 185 million VND for Mr. Son.

Engine repair costs 100 million without warranty

In October 2022, Nguyen Long (Binh Phuoc) brought his 2008 Ford Ranger to a service workshop in Cu Chi (Ho Chi Minh City) for an overhaul, costing more than 100 million VND. The car owner agreed to this quote.

At the end of December, Long received the car, but encountered problems after only one day of use, such as a lot of smoke when running, a heavy clutch, the engine jerked, the engine error light came on, and the air conditioner had no cold air. Long brought the car back to the workshop to fix the problem.

Long received the car back in early March, but the car still emitted little smoke when running. A month later, the engine died. He took the car back to the facility for inspection according to the service advisor's instructions. His car was disassembled for inspection, and the advisor said the cracked culasse head was removed from another vehicle, not a new one from the manufacturer, and the workshop had not yet found the cause of the crack.

The garage said the solution is to replace the culasse head with another type that is also removed from the car, which is not covered by the warranty, or replace it with a 100% new type that is covered by the warranty. Meanwhile, the car owner requested that if he replaced the same type removed from the car, it would still be covered by the warranty for a certain period of time.

Car owner demands compensation for hitting a rock in the middle of the highway

Quang Chung (Ninh Binh) drove a Honda City on the Hanoi - Ninh Binh highway on the evening of April 16, and collided with a large rock in the middle of the road, which was identified as a package in transit, with the recipient's information written on the outer packaging.

Mr. Chung contacted the information on the cover and learned that the stone had fallen from a truck belonging to Gia Han Logistics (Hanoi). Contacting the transport company, Mr. Chung requested compensation. The transport company confirmed that the item belonged to the company, however, this unit responded to the press that "it was an unfortunate incident, not responsible for compensation" and asked Mr. Chung to resolve the matter with the truck driver. The transporter did not cooperate to resolve the matter.

Car owner "stunned" because the windshield defroster was not covered by warranty

Nguyen Doan’s A-size car (Bac Giang) had a broken windshield defroster system after 17,000 km. After checking, the authorized service workshop informed Doan that the defroster was broken, the cause could be due to improper heat-insulating film application, leading to damage during operation.

The service advisor said that the glass defroster is not covered by the warranty because the system is located directly on the car glass and is included in the wear and tear over the years of use. If you want to repair it, you will have to spend about 1-2 million VND yourself, and the heat-insulating film will have to be peeled off to redo the glass defroster copper circuits.