New Car - Old Problems, Dishonesty, and Misrepresentation.

On 14 December 2023, I purchased what was sold to me as a brand-new 2023 Haval Jolion Lux from Haval Frank Vos in Worcester. Although the remote sales process via calls, emails, and instant messaging was initially smooth and the finance deal favourable, the experience that followed has been extremely distressing, misleading, and financially burdensome.

1. Vehicle Delivered with Missing Parts The vehicle was delivered to my home in the Eastern Cape by a driver. Upon delivery, I discovered that the parcel shelf was missing — something that should never happen with a new vehicle. I was told it was “forgotten” during preparation. A replacement was ordered, but it took nearly two months before it was delivered to my residence.

2. Damaged Exterior Trim on Delivery The left rear quarter window trim arrived with a dent, and the driver’s side window trim had welding burn marks. My salesperson failed to address or resolve these issues, despite multiple attempts to raise them.

3. Dealer Failed to Register the Vehicle I was assured that the dealer would register the vehicle in Worcester during the first week of January 2024. Despite submitting all documents and regular follow-ups, this was not done. I received continuous run-around from the person assigned to the task until my temporary permit expired.

As a result, I was forced to drive for two days with an expired permit. Ultimately, I had to travel to KwaZulu-Natal to register the vehicle myself — something that should have been the dealer’s responsibility. I had to fight to obtain a refund of the licensing fee from the dealership.

4. Dust Entering the Cabin Approximately three months later, dust began entering the cabin through the doors. When I reported this issue to my salesperson, he told me he could not assist because he had resigned and moved to Rola Haval. I then logged a complaint with HAVAL Head Office, who opened an enquiry with Frank Vos.

5. Undisclosed Hail Damage Revealed Later During HAVAL’s enquiry, I was informed that my vehicle had been hit by hail at the port before I purchased it — information that was never disclosed. My salesperson denied this entirely, claiming he sold me a brand-new car with no issues.

A separate inspection at another HAVAL dealership revealed the following:

The paint on the left rear quarter panel did not match the rest of the vehicle.

The door rubbers appeared to have been tampered with, likely during repair.

The seam sealers on the panels were not the original factory sealers, indicating post-production body repair.

This confirmed that the car had undergone repairs prior to me receiving it, and that these repairs were never disclosed — a direct violation of consumer rights.

6. Warranty Activated Months Before My Purchase I later discovered that the vehicle warranty had been activated months before I bought the car. This meant:

Some warranty periods had already lapsed before I even received the vehicle.

Certain issues could not be claimed under warranty because the “clock” had started long before my ownership began.

This is unacceptable for a vehicle sold as new and was never disclosed to me at any stage of the purchase.

7. False Claims and Lack of Transparency After raising the hail-damage issue, the dealership falsely claimed that they had disclosed this to me — which is untrue. At no point was I told the vehicle had sustained damage or undergone repairs.

8. Salesperson Not Paid Commission I later learned that my salesperson, Gideon None, was not even paid commission for my sale. This raises serious concerns about the dealership’s internal practices and integrity.

9. MIOSA Unable to Assist Due to Dealer’s Non-Cooperation I escalated the matter to the Motor Industry Ombudsman (MIOSA). Despite multiple attempts, the dealership did not respond to the Ombudsman at all. MIOSA eventually issued the following conclusion:

“After a number of attempts to acquire a response from the supplier have failed, we conclude that there is no reasonable probability of the parties resolving their dispute through the process of conciliation and the MIOSA therefore hereby terminates the process. The complainant may now proceed to approach the National Consumer Commission to exercise his/her rights in terms of Section 71 of the CPA.”

10. Ongoing Impact Because the purchase was made online and I live in the Eastern Cape, it is impossible to take the car back to Worcester for inspections or repairs. This has left me with no meaningful support from the dealership. I am essentially left with a vehicle that:

Was sold as new but had undisclosed damage and repairs

Has mismatched paint and non-original sealers

Allows dust into the cabin

Was delivered with missing and damaged parts

Has a warranty that was partially expired before I even owned the car

11. Final Remarks I cannot and will not recommend Haval Frank Vos. I urge all potential buyers to read reviews and avoid purchasing from this dealership. Whenever possible, buy from a dealer close to where you live to avoid being trapped in a situation like mine.