taddy_lah
Well-Known Member
March 2, 2006
Leaking BMW: Widow to continue case
By Christopher Tan
SENIOR CORRESPONDENT
A BUSINESSMAN'S efforts to get compensation for his faulty brand-new BMW will continue even though he died suddenly last weekend - his widow is now picking up where he left off.
For the last three months, in a protracted series of exchanges, Mr Chu Luo Chang had been trying to get BMW agent Performance Motors to make good on the $175,000 5-series model damaged by rainwater from a leaky roof.
There was to have been a meeting arranged for last Monday with lawyers for both parties present.
But it was a date Mr Chu, 38, could not keep. He collapsed from cardiac and respiratory failure after a squash game on Sunday afternoon. He was rushed to hospital but could not be revived.
His widow, Mrs Eleanor Chu, has taken up his cause. She does not want the car anymore and is seeking a full refund, an apology from Performance Motors and BMW and compensation 'for the hardship we had endured'.
She said: 'I'm not seeking monetary gains or trying to sensationalise this.
'I've already lost, you understand? I've already lost. My husband is gone, and nothing can bring him back. But I just want to do this for him, so that there is closure.'
The dark green BMW the Chus bought in December began leaking three days before Christmas, after it had been parked in the rain. The rear passenger compartment was soaked through, with rain water having somehow found its way into the roof lining, the back seat and the boot. What alarmed the couple the most was the dampness found near one of the car's airbags.
Performance Motors pinned the problem down to the car's antenna. While the leak could be fixed easily enough, Mr Chu told The Straits Times a few days before he died that he was upset that a new BMW - the second he had owned - could have such a basic flaw.
He also said it was difficult to determine the full extent of the water damage, as what looked like rust spots were already forming in the boot.
In exchanges with Performance Motors and BMW's regional headquarters here, he expressed his unhappiness and aired his concerns about its safety and resale value. He also raised the car's other problems: steering vibration, the air-conditioning system emitting a foul smell once and and the airbag warning light coming on once.
Performance Motors promised him a brand-new car if the leakage recurred within six months of the repair - subject to 'availability of stock' and Mr Chu's car being 'damage-free'.
Mr Chu, who had meanwhile been driving a courtesy car from Performance, felt this 'goodwill' offer was not enough, because he had initially asked for the car to be replaced. He wrote back with two demands - that the guarantee be extended to a year and that some accessories be thrown in as part of the deal.
Performance could not agree to this, so a meeting including the lawyers for both parties was set up for Feb 27. As it turned out, Mr Chu could not make the meeting.
Neither Performance Motors nor BMW would comment, since the case is now a legal matter.
The Consumers Association of Singapore, which is pushing for a 'lemon law' to protect consumers saddled with irreparable faulty goods, believes Mrs Chu may have a case.
Case executive director Seah Seng Choon said: 'If an independent surveyor can say that the car cannot be returned to its original condition, the owner has a good case under current laws.'
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Copyright © 2005 Singapore Press Holdings. All rights reserved. Privacy Statement & Condition of Access.
Leaking BMW: Widow to continue case
By Christopher Tan
SENIOR CORRESPONDENT
A BUSINESSMAN'S efforts to get compensation for his faulty brand-new BMW will continue even though he died suddenly last weekend - his widow is now picking up where he left off.
For the last three months, in a protracted series of exchanges, Mr Chu Luo Chang had been trying to get BMW agent Performance Motors to make good on the $175,000 5-series model damaged by rainwater from a leaky roof.
There was to have been a meeting arranged for last Monday with lawyers for both parties present.
But it was a date Mr Chu, 38, could not keep. He collapsed from cardiac and respiratory failure after a squash game on Sunday afternoon. He was rushed to hospital but could not be revived.
His widow, Mrs Eleanor Chu, has taken up his cause. She does not want the car anymore and is seeking a full refund, an apology from Performance Motors and BMW and compensation 'for the hardship we had endured'.
She said: 'I'm not seeking monetary gains or trying to sensationalise this.
'I've already lost, you understand? I've already lost. My husband is gone, and nothing can bring him back. But I just want to do this for him, so that there is closure.'
The dark green BMW the Chus bought in December began leaking three days before Christmas, after it had been parked in the rain. The rear passenger compartment was soaked through, with rain water having somehow found its way into the roof lining, the back seat and the boot. What alarmed the couple the most was the dampness found near one of the car's airbags.
Performance Motors pinned the problem down to the car's antenna. While the leak could be fixed easily enough, Mr Chu told The Straits Times a few days before he died that he was upset that a new BMW - the second he had owned - could have such a basic flaw.
He also said it was difficult to determine the full extent of the water damage, as what looked like rust spots were already forming in the boot.
In exchanges with Performance Motors and BMW's regional headquarters here, he expressed his unhappiness and aired his concerns about its safety and resale value. He also raised the car's other problems: steering vibration, the air-conditioning system emitting a foul smell once and and the airbag warning light coming on once.
Performance Motors promised him a brand-new car if the leakage recurred within six months of the repair - subject to 'availability of stock' and Mr Chu's car being 'damage-free'.
Mr Chu, who had meanwhile been driving a courtesy car from Performance, felt this 'goodwill' offer was not enough, because he had initially asked for the car to be replaced. He wrote back with two demands - that the guarantee be extended to a year and that some accessories be thrown in as part of the deal.
Performance could not agree to this, so a meeting including the lawyers for both parties was set up for Feb 27. As it turned out, Mr Chu could not make the meeting.
Neither Performance Motors nor BMW would comment, since the case is now a legal matter.
The Consumers Association of Singapore, which is pushing for a 'lemon law' to protect consumers saddled with irreparable faulty goods, believes Mrs Chu may have a case.
Case executive director Seah Seng Choon said: 'If an independent surveyor can say that the car cannot be returned to its original condition, the owner has a good case under current laws.'
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Copyright © 2005 Singapore Press Holdings. All rights reserved. Privacy Statement & Condition of Access.
