PHV driver disputes rental charge after ‘over-revving’ and higher fuel usage, shop’s tests found no fault with transmission
A private-hire vehicle (PHV) driver says a rental car suffered from transmission slippage that affected its fuel efficiency before it eventually broke down and had to be towed.
Stomper Quin See, who has been renting vehicles to operate as a PHV driver for nearly 10 years, said he was issued a Kia K3 by Lion City Rentals on Aug 21.
According to Quin See, the car began experiencing transmission slippage almost immediately, causing the engine to over-rev while driving.
Some key signs of transmission slippage in cars include loud engine revs with little acceleration, jerking when shifting gears and unusual grinding sounds from the vehicle.
Quin See said its fuel efficiency dropped to around 10.8km per litre, compared with a 14.5km per litre benchmark, and estimated that he incurred $289.08 in additional fuel costs.
He brought the car to Lion City Rentals' service centre at 4 Jalan Besut twice — on Sept 8 and Sept 17 — to report the transmission issue.
However, he grew concerned after the transmission issue was not resolved after both visits.
“Instead of rectifying the core safety issue, the workshop performed cheap patch-repairs on external components like the alternator and fan belt, ordering me back onto the fast lanes of the expressway,” he claimed.
On Sept 19, he said the vehicle developed a loud metallic grinding noise while he was driving.
He believed the car subsequently lost its ability to cruise safely and had to be towed back to Lion City Rentals’ premises.
Quin See then requested a replacement vehicle and reimbursement of $289.08 for the additional fuel costs he believed were caused by the transmission issue.
He said the requests were rejected.
The PHV driver also claimed that he continued to receive weekly rental charges despite not having a vehicle he was able to use.
Rental shop: Diagnostic tests found no transmission fault
In response to Stomp's queries on Sept 25, Lion City Rentals confirmed that the driver had reported transmission slippage symptoms on Sept 8 and Sept 17.
The company added that it performed checks on the vehicle using its diagnostic tools, and that “no fault was detected”. A technician also conducted a test drive and confirmed that the transmission was working properly, it said.
Regarding the Sept 19 incident, Lion City Rentals said Quin See informed the company about a transmission failure late that evening, and the company arranged for the vehicle to be towed.
However, its technician found that the sound from the engine was caused by the fan belt, which was replaced.
The alternator was also replaced as it was due for replacement, Lion City Rentals said.
The company said its diagnostic tool again found no fault with the transmission and that a test drive by its technician and a company representative also found no transmission issue.
Lion City Rentals also addressed Quin See's $289.08 fuel reimbursement request.
It said the 14.5km per litre figure cited by the Stomper was only an estimate and that actual fuel consumption could vary depending on driving and operating conditions.
“Based on our checks, we are unable to establish that a transmission issue caused the additional fuel consumption feedback by the hirer,” Lion City Rentals said.
As such, it said it was unable to support the fuel reimbursement request.
On rental charges, Lion City Rentals said it has a rental reimbursement policy if repairs exceed a certain number of hours.
Car remains uncollected, company sends automated billing notice
The company said the Kia K3 had been ready for collection since Sept 23 and that it was open to conducting a test drive with Quin See to confirm that the issues had been rectified before he collected the vehicle.
Quin See said on Sept 30 that he did not accept the offer to collect the vehicle, nor was he offered a test drive.
“They did not offer a test drive with me, but denied the existence of any transmission slippages (denial implied that no repair done), instead told me to collect that inherently defective (three major repairs in 11 days) unroadworthy car,” the PHV driver lamented.
Instead, he claimed Lion City Rentals had maintained that there was no transmission slippage and he countered by informing the company that he would not take the vehicle back.
He also said he had given Lion City Rentals until 5pm on Sept 30 to provide a replacement vehicle, but claimed this did not happen.
Quin See said he subsequently received an automated billing notice for the week's rental and a warning about late payment charges.
He confirmed with Stomp that he had not been driving in the interim, and would be renting from another company from Oct 1.
Explore more on these topics
See something interesting? Contribute your story to us.
