We purchased and took delivery of a brand new Haval Jolion on 20 April 2022 from Haval Edenvale. I have attached an image of the license disc with the registration and vin number for your reference.
Within 24 hours of use we noticed a burning smell that smelled like the clutch was burning. It pulled sluggish at random times. We had difficulty putting the car in 1st gear at random times as well. We notified the sales person of our issue and made him aware of the similar complaints that we saw on Hello Peter which caused deep concern. He informed us that he has not experienced or heard of and isn't aware of any complaints.
Upon collection of the number plates I took him to the vehicle so he could experience the smell. His explanation was that they put a corrosion protective wax on the under-carriage to protect it against the seawater while shipping the vehicle to South Africa. Once it heats up it smells like clutch that's burning. He reassured me that it cannot be the clutch as it is a new vehicle.
We continued experiencing difficulty putting the car in first gear. His explanation was that it could be the tracking device was installed close to gearshift. Therefore our difficulty. We made him aware that we experience random slipping of the clutch, where the vehicle would Rev up but not gain speed. The explanation was that the clutch is self-adjusting and would resolve itself. As the problem was random and sporadic, we continued under those conditions as we were nearing our 15,000 km service interval.
The vehicle was serviced at Haval The Glen. We made the service manager aware of our problem concerning the first gear selection and random slipping. They adjusted the links and added gearbox oil in an attempt to rectify the problem. He said that they would test drive it to see if they experience the clutch slipping. His conclusion was that it is difficult to diagnose as it couldn't be the clutch failing as it was new. He indicated that the clutch is self-adjusting. The frustrating part was that it didn't seem like there was any resolution.
He stated that the gear selection should become easier as the oil works through the gearbox.
The problem persisted at random and sporadic times. This made it quite frustrating as it couldn't be diagnosed.
Our vehicle was due to be serviced again this Saturday, 26 November 2022.
On Wednesday, 24 November 2022 while traveling to work, the vehicle started losing power. The vehicle couldn't accelerate. The vehicle goes into gear but doesn't accelerate.
We contacted Haval roadside assist who collected the vehicle and towed it to Haval Woodmead.
After examining the vehicle they concluded that the clutch has burned and must be replaced. They informed us that as the vehicle is now over 20k km it is no longer under warranty and must therefore paid for.
The workshop manager accused us of unsubstantiated bad driving habits. Insinuating that we rest our foot on the clutch which is utter rubbish.
I've been driving for over 20 years. We've owned vehicles in the past that we drove brand new from the showroom floor up to 200k km. We have never had clutch issues. So clearly our method of driving is not the issue. Secondly we don't drive irresponsibly. I consider his conclusion as an attack and a refusal to take responsibility of the issue that we have made Haval aware of since day one. As the vehicle is registered in my wife Melicia name, she was speaking to the workshop manager. I believe that his statement and attitude was sexist.
Our concern is that it is illogical that a car's clutch can fail within seven months. We've seen numerous complaints on Hello Peter that this issue is very common.It is clear that Haval should have a recall to address the clutch issue and take responsibility.
It is very disconcerting that we still have 6 years on our finance term to deal with such terrible after sales service and vague guessing diagnoses.
We trust that this matter will receive your urgent attention be expedited to a speedy conclusion.
Regards
Desired outcome: I would like them to fix my car
