SOURCE: The Star Online Blog (Blog.thestar.com.my) August post. Posted by: sisleysusie, 1-Aug-2007.
Here's the article...
"I bought a brand new Proton Satria Neo 1.6 Auto HL in September 2006. Problems started after eight months of normal usage.
The first problem occurred in April-May this year and in a time span of four weeks I've been to the Proton service centre in Plentong 10 times to rectify one problem.
The second round of problems happened recently, in July/August.
Nature of the problem: Engine warning light will suddenly light while driving causing the car to jerk. This would be followed by a sudden gear change and drop in speed. The car can still be driven, however the RPM of the engine would increase to above 4,000 because the gear wouldn’t change, but would be locked in third gear (auto transmission).
Recently, the car behaved abnormally when the problem recurred. In fact, the car almost broke down all of a sudden when I was driving at 90kmh in the fast lane.
Every time the problem occurs, I have to drive for 40 minutes to the service centre, and spend a few hours waiting for my car to be fixed.
1st visit 21/04/07: They suspected a loose sensor and attempted to fix it but the problem was back three days later.
2nd visit 24/04/07: I was told that it’s a wiring or sensor problem. They fixed the sensor instead because that's the easiest to do, but the problem returned less than a week after my second visit.
3rd visit 30/04/07: They said the pedal sensor was faulty and the engine warning light was lit because the pedal sensor gave the wrong signal. They had no spare parts so I had to wait for the parts to arrive within 1-2 weeks. They also assured me that the initial problem had been fixed.
4th visit 04/05/07: The problem recurred. This time round, I demanded to see the service manager. I got the pedal sensor changed on the same day.
5th visit 05/05/07: The problem was still recurring. I reached the service centre at 6pm, but it was closed although the signboard reflects that the centre opens everyday until 8pm. A technician who was on standby assisted me, and once again assured me that the problem had been fixed.
6th visit 07/05/07: I went to the centre again to get the car further checked. The staff assured me that the problem would not recur.
7th visit 12/05/07: The problem returned soon enough. I called the manager and he said he would attend to us. Got the ECU and TCU changed which they had suspected earlier but did not take any action.
8th visit 14/05/07: After taking the car back, I realised that instead of solving the old problem, I was given even more problems related to the engine. I complained to the service manager, and I was told to leave my car at the service centre while they gave me a temporary replacement car.
9th Visit 15/05/07: I was called to the service centre to test drive the car. To my surprise, they removed my sport rims without my permission although the rims had nothing to do with the initial problem.
10th Visit 17/05/07: I collected my car and was assured many times that the problem had been solved.
11th Visit 27/07/07: The problem returned. This time the engine almost broke down, and the sudden drop in speed caused a trailer to almost hit me from the back. At the service centre I was told a wire was loose and they fixed it.
12th visit 28/07/07: Less than 12 hours after my 11th visit, the problem returned. I was driving at 90kmh in the fast lane along Jalan Skudai when the car suddenly jerked and the speed dropped suddenly. I almost had an accident because I was driving in the fast lane.
My car is still at the service centre now. Basically, it has been used as an experiment car to solve a problem which even Proton cannot solve. The car is barely one year old, but it has been repaired and cannibalised like a 10-year-old car.
I feel cheated of my RM54K. I'm a freelance programmer and also a student. As such, money is difficult to come by, and it wasn't easy to get my loan approved. But Proton has been playing around with my hard-earned money by selling me a faulty product.
I have filed a complaint via e-aduan at the Ministry of Domestic Trade & Consumer Affairs website. I only hope the ministry will be able to assist me in this matter."
Visitors Comments:
• We did some research some time ago in a foreign country for a motor magazine, comparing the quality of different vehicles. We only asked one core question - how busy is the service department and other sub-rider questions.
Proton's service department is very busy. This does not solve your current problem but may help your decision-making process when you consider your next vehicle.
By datuk_angin, 2-Aug-2007
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• Proton is the most expensive car in Malaysia when you take into account the servicing and money spent.
By HiraiKen, 2-Aug-2007
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• The very reason why I always advise others: Just say NO to Proton cars, no matter how great they look or how cheap they are.
In this case, the car looks great but being a Proton car, the price is not cheap either.
By joeina, 3-Aug-2007
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• My company "in following government policies and advice" bought some Protons in 2001, this is a simplified description of our problems with them:
a) One Wira had non-stop air-cond problems from Day 1 until today. Our log book showed 22 trips to Proton authorised workshops and the problem has yet to be solved.
b) Of 6 cars with auto cruise, 5 had the system failing on the drivers including one serious situation where the auto cruise refused to disengage.
c) It cost more to service a Perdana than to service a Honda (using authorised agents)- Standard Service.
These are just some of the "headaches" we face in using Proton as our company vehicle.
Our log also helps us in making future decisions when it comes to choosing a model to be our company car and this time Proton won't be on the list.
By mediaterrorist, 3-Aug-2007
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• I am very fortunate that the Proton cars that I bought - Saga, Wira and Iswara - have not given me any problems at all. But I have friends who had countless problems with theirs.
For the time being, I would not consider buying Proton cars because their parts and assembly practices are simply not up to par. I am particularly concerned about parts that are "Proton-designed", such as the Cam Pro engine, which has a poor reputation but Proton insists to continue to use. I was happy, as with other Proton owners, with the "older" engines that were or based on Mitsubishi engines.
Proton has no reason, other than foolish pride, to design and build its own engines. Not all other car manufacturers produce their own engines. Korean car-makers are smart to use engines that are developed jointly with prominent engine-makers. Ssangyong doesn't even develop its own but uses Mercedes Benz engines.
I think that Proton, with its pride and desire to move ahead, has clearly misstepped here. Instead of careful growth, it tried to join the big league too quickly. The blame lies squarely on the Government's practices to protect Proton. Proton has not evolved because there has been no need to. So, instead of having "strong legs" to compete, it is now a lame duck.
The vision of a global car-maker has all but vanished. The Government should realise and acknowledge this fact. Proton is quickly and surely losing market share even on homeground. How does Proton even dare to dream of competing regionally and globally?
It is fortunate that Malaysia still has another car-maker, Perodua, that is doing very well. Perhaps this is because Perodua is essentially a Toyota company, being 51% owned by Daihatsu, which in turn is owned by Toyota.
By sleekk, 3-Aug-2007
STILL WANT A "PROTON"? Think again...
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