Free audit on all state-owned cars as Proton seeks answers

Annual servicing cost of Perdana V6 owned by Terengganu government (Total service cost at authorised and unauthorised centres from 2004-2008 (as quoted in media) - RM1.071 million

PETALING JAYA: Proton is determined to get to the bottom of the Perdana V6 maintenance cost controversy.

It has offered a free audit of the cars owned by all state governments.

Furthermore, it is conducting its own investigations into claims of high maintenance and has suspended a service centre in Terengganu.

Proton Holdings managing director Datuk Syed Zainal Abidin Syed Mohamed Tahir revealed the average maintenance cost and the cost of the gearbox to show that the Perdana V6 had been maligned.

However, Zainal Abidin said he was not pointing fingers at Terengganu Menteri Besar Datuk Ahmad Said or other state leaders who had complained of high maintenance costs of their Perdanas.
"I am not saying the MB (Ahmad) is wrong, because they are also going by facts they have, but something is not right (with the figures)."

He said the nationwide average maintenance cost of a Perdana V6 was RM2,373 annually, compared with RM3,600 for a Mercedes.

The gearbox, he said, cost about RM3,000 from Proton service centres, but it was reported that the Selangor government was charged RM23,000 to replace the gearbox in one of its Perdanas.

"Proton will work with and support the Anti-Corruption Agency and we will take action if anyone is found to be involved in any wrongdoing."

On the audit, he said it was to ensure the quality and safety of the vehicles.

He gave an example where the disc brakes of a Perdana V6 belonging to the Terengganu government had holes in them.

"Genuine disc brakes do not have holes.

"The person who installed the brakes may have passed them off as high-performance brakes and charged a higher price.

"We hope to meet them (state governments) and explain our position," he said at a press conference at its Platinum showroom here yesterday.

The press conference was held following news of a RM3.43 million purchase of 14 Mercedes Benz E200 Kompressor cars by the Terengganu government, which Ahmad justified as a "cost-cutting" measure in view of the high maintenance cost of its fleet of Perdana V6 cars.

Ahmad said the state had spent RM1.071 million since 2004 on the maintenance of its Perdanas.

Zainal Abidin said Proton's records showed that Terengganu had been billed only RM78,048.68 by its authorised service centres. The balance of RM993,620.14 was spent on 16 V6 cars serviced by unauthorised centres.

"These 16 cars were not serviced under our warranty system, so we have no control (over the cost and service)."

-The New Straits Times Online