Crashed cars being repaired locally, sold as reconditioned from Japan

Crashed cars being repaired locally, sold as reconditioned from Japan – Businessman warns

Apr 23, 2017 News

Last February, Ryan Mohabir purchased a Toyota Premio from a popular East Bank Demerara Auto Sales company. He paid $3.5M to the dealer for a reconditioned vehicle from Japan.

The circle highlights the hole that was drilled to hold the bumper in place and the dry-wall screw is seen protruding.

He picked up the car and drove from the business place to a nearby gas station. En route Mohabir noticed that the headlamps became “foggy”.
He immediately took it back to the dealer who informed him that it was something normal and that he should not be worried.
He then contacted his father overseas, businessman Michael Mohabir, who became suspicious.
Michael told his son to check for specific markings and tags to verify if the car was indeed from Japan, as was advertised by the dealership. There were no markings nor were there any tags.
The car was taken to an auto body workshop in the City where it was stripped down. Michael Mohabir said what was found was beyond unbelievable.
There were dry-wall screws holding the bumper together; the windshield was defective; the aftermarket lights were inferior and some of the components were visibly modified and installed on the vehicle. There were also other defects.
The repair technician informed the Mohabir family that the car was a “crashed one” that had been repaired locally and not in Japan.
The dealer has since made moves to provide the necessary parts to replace some of the defective and inferior components of the car.
Michael Mohabir said that he informed the dealership that he would prefer that his son be reimbursed. However; he was informed that the auto sale had already moved to register the car.
“They told us that the car was already registered. I mean, that has nothing to do with me. My son didn’t get what he paid for and that should be enough to get back his money.” A visibly frustrated Michael Mohabir told Kaieteur News yesterday.
He noted that the car would have already been carried to the workshop three times to effect repairs to defective components.
“The dealer said that he will pay for everything and since February, nothing has happened. I prefer a refund. The car was bought by my son to surprise us (parents) but he got a bigger surprise.
They used five-minute paste (glue) to hold some parts together. Holes were drilled and washer and screws…It was a real butcher job. If you look at the structure of the vehicle itself – I know about bodywork – you can see that it was lashed.
There are parts that show it was grind down…The bumper can’t be taken off because they dry-wall screw it to the frame. Under the bonnet you can see large cracks. I just want the matter resolved,” Michael Mohabir said.
He added that he visited the Guyana National Bureau of Standards (GNBS) and lodged a complaint.
“Friday is going to be a month since we visited there. They haven’t gotten back to us and we’re frustrated. At the same time, I don’t want other people to fall victim to these kinds of scams. It’s illegal and people will be robbed”
A popular Georgetown auto-dealer told Kaieteur News yesterday that “this has been going on for years”.
“Look, to bring in a crashed vehicle is obviously cheaper that bringing in a reconditioned vehicle. You don’t pay the same duty. So some dealers bring in these crashed cars and they basically put together a car with cheap parts here and sell it.”