Bought My First Car With King Cars, And It Turned Into A Nightmare.

I purchased a 2021 Hyundai Grand i10 from King Cars Bellville in March 2024 and also took out an additional interior/exterior maintenance policy. From the moment I drove the car, I noticed it veering slightly to the right. I flagged this during the test drive, and the sales consultant brushed it off as “just the road.” Trusting their word, I moved forward with the purchase.

However, the problem persisted from day one and worsened. When I finally raised it again after a month of ownership, the sales consultant denied our previous conversation. They arranged a wheel alignment, but it didn’t fix the issue. I then discovered the oil level was empty — just weeks after the car had supposedly been serviced before delivery.

King Cars booked the car at Hyundai N1 City for a check-up. Hyundai topped up the oil and told me to return after 1000km. When I asked about the steering again, they confirmed the steering was off-center and said the previous alignment wasn’t done properly. I returned the vehicle to a different alignment center, per King Cars’ instruction — still, no fix.

This back-and-forth between King Cars and Hyundai continued for months. Eventually, after more oil loss, they diagnosed a blown gasket — on a car with under 50,000km that I had only owned for a few months. I had to chase both Hyundai and King Cars for information.

King Cars gave me a basic loan vehicle that didn’t even have central locking. After I complained, they swapped it for a more appropriate vehicle — but still, I had to deal with inconvenient car swaps and check-ins for a problem I didn't cause.

To make things worse, they expected me to coordinate directly with Hyundai, handle bookings, follow up on repairs, and take full responsibility for resolving the issue — even though I bought the car from King Cars, not Hyundai. Only when I complained furiously did they finally step in and assist with Hyundai directly.

The steering issue still persists to this day, despite: • 3 wheel alignments • 5+ visits to Hyundai • Multiple complaints • Zero accountability

Today, I followed up on the interior/exterior maintenance policy I purchased for R5000 with the vehicle. At the time of sale, I was told that for 2 years, I could bring the car to King Cars for repairs to minor scratches, dents, scuffs, and upholstery damage — and that it would be sorted out, no hassle. That was the pitch, plain and simple.

Now, a year and a half later, I want to sort out some scratches, I was suddenly told a very different story:

1. The repairs must be done off-site at a third-party company.

2. I must first get a quote, then wait for approval from some external “traffic committee.”

3. There is a monthly claim limit of R3000, which was never disclosed at the time of sale.(So I've lost out on over a year of claiming, because I thought I'd rather go at one time and have them do it all together at the same time.)

4. The quote I received was R4000, and I was told I must pay the full amount upfront, and then get reimbursed!? • I must also cover the shortfall out of pocket.(Almost R1000)

I left feeling completely frustrated and embarrassed — standing in the middle of a process I never signed up for.

When I brought this up to King Cars again, I was told "this is the process". No ownership. The policy I paid for through King Cars is now apparently not their responsibility, and I’m once again left doing the legwork — just like I had to with the mechanical issues from day one

This has been a deeply disappointing experience from start to finish. King Cars Bellville sold me a defective vehicle, failed to take accountability, provided poor after-sales service, and left me to chase resolutions that should have been their responsibility.

I regret ever trusting King Cars, and I would caution any potential buyers to document everything, ask hard questions, and not take vague answers at face value.

This experience has cost me months of stress and inconvenience — and I still don’t have a properly functioning car.