4th biggest con job in the auto industry, the car battery!
Recently at the Bosch press conference it was shared with the attending guests and media that car battery failures are on the rise in Malaysia.
“From our surveys done in 2018, more than 50 percent of Malaysian drivers lack knowledge in basic car maintenance and its impact on passenger, car and road safety. Through the ‘Drive for Life’ campaign, Bosch’s impart automotive expertise to equip drivers with basic vehicle maintenance knowledge when drivers encounter a car problem,” said Marcio Coelho, Director of Sales and Marketing Services of Bosch Automotive Aftermarket for Asia Pacific Southeast.
From the same surveys, 70 percent of car breakdowns are caused by battery malfunction, with less than 50 percent of drivers and only one percent of women knowing how to troubleshoot their car during a breakdown.
Now, this is not NEW news, battery failures are a common problem and even with new high technology cars (in the last 15 years or so) the car battery is stressed as we drive in heavy traffic daily. This is why battery manufacturers provide only a 1-year warranty and year on year the price of the car battery rises a little. But even with this price rise yearly, many car authorized workshops overcharge their customers to the tune of 200% or more.
Case 1: Female car owner driving a local assembled 1.6L sedan needs a new battery. Authorized workshop gives a quote for RM733.00. We at www.dsf.my suggested to the car owner to visit our regular battery supplier and installer and she got her battery replaced for just RM285.00 with labour. A savings of RM448.00.
Case 2: Female car owner driving an imported 2.0L hatchback needs a new battery. Authorized workshop gives a quote for RM910.00. We at www.dsf.my suggested to the car owner to visit our regular battery supplier and installer and she got her battery replaced for just RM335.00 with labour. A savings of RM555.00.
Now, the above are just 2 of many cases of overcharging consumers for a new battery by scaring them into thinking they need to get their batteries replaced ONLY at the authorized service center in order to keep their vehicle warranty. This is not so at all. You can replace your car battery at any battery shop as long as you get a good brand as both ladies above did, make sure your new battery follows the guidelines stipulated in your car manual and get a 12 month (or 20,000 KM warranty).
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Daniel Sherman Fernandez www.dsf.my is a service to the public and other website owners. www.dsf.my is not responsible for, and expressly disclaims all liability for, damages of any kind arising out of use, reference to, or reliance on any information contained within the site www.dsf.my. While the information contained within the site is periodically updated, no guarantee is given that the information provided in this website is correct, complete, and up-to-date. www.dsf.my is not responsible for the accuracy or content of information contained inside.
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