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Recently, Mr. He from Xinjiang reported to The Paper's Quality View Complaint Platform (https://tousu.thepaper.cn) that in July this year, he bought a Toyota Crossover from a second-hand car dealership in Guangzhou Yunhehui Creative Park for a total cost of more than 140,000 yuan. "When I bought it, the staff said that the chassis was flooded, but I didn't expect to find mud stains inside the headlights after driving it, and the engine must have been flooded. It is a completely flooded car, not a flooded car." Mr. He said that he was also rejected by many insurance companies for buying insurance for the car, saying that the vehicle had been insured for total loss.

In response to this, staff at the car dealership involved stated that they had been clearly informed before purchasing the vehicle that it was a "flood repaired vehicle" and that the contract also noted that "the vehicle was submerged in water and the insurance was a total loss", so there was no way to return the vehicle or receive compensation.

The insurance underwriting system shows that the vehicle is suspected to be a "total loss vehicle" and cannot be insured.

According to Mr. He, on July 15, he was introduced by a friend to a used car dealership in Yunhehui Creative Park to buy a used car. After selection, he decided on a Toyota Crossover. "When we met, the staff said that the chassis of this car was flooded. I think it is normal for an off-road vehicle to have its chassis flooded. We tested the car in the yard and found nothing unusual, so we didn't care." After the two parties signed the contract, Mr. He paid 143,000 yuan and prepared to drive the car back to Urumqi to register it.

However, on the way back to Urumqi, Mr. He found that the exhaust pipe often had black carbon deposits and unstable idle speed when the vehicle was driving. "When we passed Chengdu, we happened to live next to a 4S store, so we drove the car over for inspection. The staff said that the pressure of the four cylinders was uneven and there were signs of water ingress inside the headlights." Mr. He said that the height of the vehicle's headlights was already higher than the top of the engine. "In this case, the engine must have been flooded. The uneven cylinder pressure was also because the car was forced to start after the engine was flooded, resulting in a cylinder push."

The 4S shop said that there were mud stains on the vehicle's headlights due to water ingress.

Mr. He said that he contacted the car dealership where he bought the car, but the dealership denied that water had entered the engine, insisting that the water had only flooded the chassis. "At that time, I asked for a refund or some compensation, and I would go to Xinjiang to repair it myself, but the dealership never responded." Mr. He said that because he was anxious to return to Xinjiang, he continued to drive back to Xinjiang after replacing the spark plugs, but the problem with the car still existed, "not the spark plug problem."

The dealership staff said that no water had entered the engine.

After arriving in Urumqi, Mr. He tried to buy insurance and register the car, but was rejected by several insurance companies. "The insurance system showed that the car was suspected to be a total loss and was not recommended for insurance." Mr. He said that the insurance company staff told him that the car had been reported as a total loss before, and the insurance company recovered the vehicle after paying the claim. "The vehicle was transferred to the second-hand market and could no longer be insured for vehicle damage insurance."

Mr. He said that he contacted the car dealer again, but the dealer changed his words and said that he had been clearly informed that the car was flooded when he bought it, and it was also marked on the contract. It was then that Mr. He noticed that the dealer had indeed written the words "vehicle flooded, insurance total loss" on the contract. "When we signed the contract and put our fingerprints on it, there was no such sentence. They wrote it after we signed. At that time, they said they would write the 800 yuan discount on the contract, but they didn't tell us that this content was written, and we didn't check the contract again and put it away."

In addition, Mr. He told The Paper that the car dealership is located in the Yunhehui Creative Park, and no dealership name or company information is posted inside or outside the dealership. The account used to sign the contract with him and pay the car price was also a personal staff member, making it difficult to protect his rights at present.

In response to the above situation, on August 14, The Paper called the staff of the car dealership that handled Mr. He’s car purchase. He said that he had been clearly informed before buying the car that it was a “flood repaired car” and the contract also noted that “the vehicle was soaked in water and the insurance was a total loss”. “They have been using it for a month. The insurance was previously bought by the car dealership, which allowed them to use the car for free to Xinjiang. After arriving in Xinjiang, we refunded the insurance, and the other party was unhappy and started to find fault.” The staff member said that the car could be sold normally after repair, and the transfer procedures had been completed, so there was no way to return the car or receive compensation.

Source: The Paper