Occasional contributor Nicholas Pillay has a scary incident on the roads which gives him newfound confidence in Chinese cars.
It’s no secret that Chinese cars have entered the South African auto market with a bang. With their budget-friendly, high-tech offerings, brands like Haval and Chery are fast becoming household names. However, there is a lingering cloud still in the air, simply because they’re made in China.
“But, It’s Made in China?”
I recently purchased a new Omoda C5 Elegance S. While everyone was impressed by its futuristic looks and tech, I noticed how shocked many people were when they experienced the premium perceived quality inside. The myth of low-quality Chinese manufacturing is still around, despite China being a manufacturing powerhouse that produces more than just the popular household items like those from Temu or Shein. If you look at your brand-new iPhone, it will also say ‘Made in China’. The same applies to almost everything we use and rely on every day. Although, I agree it’s a bit different when you’re talking about a car as safety and reliability are essential. Plush leather and 360-degree HD cameras don’t matter if the car is unreliable or too fragile for our South African roads.
Follow Double Apex on Instagram and Facebook where we share more car content.
“Is It Reliable?”
Chery has done quite a bit to ease reliability concerns with an impressive five-year service plan, five-year warranty, and one-million km engine warranty. This industry-leading guarantee gave me confidence in purchasing my Omoda. This shows the confidence of the brand when entering the South African market. Let’s not ignore the elephant in the room, these cars are significantly more affordable than their German rivals. So, many may think that they must have cut costs somewhere along the line? That surely would make them less durable? Well, this is where you would be wrong.
A Hair-Raising Moment
A few weeks ago, I was driving my Omoda on the R24 highway towards O.R. Tambo International Airport. I was cruising comfortably at 120 km/h in the evening when all of a sudden, the car in front of me hit a full tyre (with a rim) that was in the middle of the highway. There was no avoiding it. I hit the tyre as well, heard the spine-chilling bang, and felt the car rise due to the impact. I immediately slowed down but didn’t want to come to a full stop if I didn’t need to, just in case the tyre was placed there deliberately.
To my surprise, no warning lights came on to warn me of any damage or failures. I proceeded cautiously and waited nervously to see the damage this must have caused to the car. When I arrived, I was shocked to see that there was no visible damage to the front or rear bumper. Not even a scratch. I could see the tyre impression on the lower front bumper, but nothing more than that. When I looked underneath the car, that’s when I saw the undercarriage protective cover broken and hanging down slightly.
Finding Help on a Long Weekend
The following day, which happened to be in the middle of a long weekend, I phoned the closest Omoda dealership I could find. That’s when I connected with Steven du Plessis from Omoda Northcliff. He instantly told me to bring the car in for him and a technician to have a look at it. Mind you, I didn’t buy my Omoda from this dealership; this was just the closest one that popped up on Google. Regardless, Steven was gracious enough to have the car inspected.
That’s when he confirmed there was absolutely no damage to the car besides that protective cover that lines the front third of the undercarriage. Essentially, the protective cover took the impact at 120 km/h and did its job to protect the rest of the car. And might I say it did so brilliantly. Since the protective cover was broken and hanging from the undercarriage, Steven fastened it with zip ties and told me to come back on Tuesday to have a full inspection and get a quote on the replacement parts.
“But, What About Spare Parts?”
To be honest, I was just glad to find out that the damage was so limited. This does wonders for the brand’s durability in my eyes and is a major advantage for the South African market that is all too familiar with surprise potholes and tyres sprinkled around our roads. Now the question turned to the availability and cost of spare parts to have my Omoda restored to its full health. This is often another area of concern for people as brands like Chery, Omoda, and Jaecoo are all new to our market.
Do they have parts in stock? How long is it going to take to get parts? How much are these parts going to cost me? That’s what prospective buyers are asking these days, and rightfully so. However, this is where I was pleasantly surprised as well. I brought my Omoda back to Omoda Northcliff for a full inspection where they confirmed that there was no other damage to the car besides that protective cover. Now for the shocker. The cost of the replacement part? R1 500. Availability of the part? Approx. 3-4 working days. After-sales service? Impeccable.
Bringing My Omoda Back to Full Health
The incident happened on Friday night, the 14th of June. Since the following Monday was also a public holiday, I ended up taking my car for the inspection on Wednesday, the 19th of June. After getting the quote, the part was ordered on the 20th. While they initially said 3-4 working days, I got the call on the 28th of June that my parts have arrived. This turned out to be 6 working days, nevertheless, it was relatively quick.
I brought my Omoda in on Monday, the 1st of July and within 90 minutes of arrival, everything was done. I managed to watch the technicians do the repairs and they knew exactly what they were doing and only spent about 30 minutes working on the car to get it all sorted out. This is another area that may ease the minds of customers as many people warned me about new-entry vehicles, saying that technicians may not know how to work with them just yet. That did not seem like the case at all.
Feeling Confident
While nobody would be happy after having an accident in their one-month-old car, let alone their first accident ever, I will say that this experience has given me confidence in Omoda and its build quality. Anecdotal yes, but the Omoda C5 does have a five-star European NCAP rating, which goes to show that its build quality extends beyond the plush interior to the car’s fundamental structure.
I can’t stress this enough: I did not buy my Omoda from the Northcliff branch. They don’t know me, but they still went above and beyond to help me. That is not always the case with brands, so it’s comforting to know that help is always around the corner. So, if you’re on the fence about getting a Chery, Omoda, or Jaecoo because you’re worried about it being ‘Made in China’ or that it may not be safe, reliable, or durable, rest assured these cars are built strong. And even after you buy one, they’ll still look after you.
Had one sold after 3 months
Sadly we seem to be in an era of good looking but disposable cars. How will we in sa fix the technology the cars are stuffed with?
No real bumpers, all colour coded and shiny.
That looks great but will it last, or can it be fixed?
The Suzuki Jimny is really different. Functional and usable. Just look at the bumpers. These little jeeps last forever, no unnecessary technology.
So different to anything else
It’s not the country of origin but the design ethos.
Hi Nicholas. Thanks for the article. I am indeed one of those that are extremely sceptical when it comes to Chinese car brands. This is what I believe: China can (i.e. have the ability and resources to) produce quality goods. This, however, comes at a cost…like the iPhone example that you used. They also produce cheaper phones. But, a cheaper phone is cheaper for a reason. The phone will still reliably make calls and do whatever you expect from a smartphone (for example), but the battery might not last as long or you might experience issues with WiFi connection. The same applies with their cars. If they can sell a fully spec’d SUV at half the price of its German counterpart, something has to give. There are various aspects where quality can be defined such as ride quality, the good old ‘thump’ when closing a door, wind noise when travelling at 120km/h, comfort of the seats and a personal one of mine, cabin noise – eg. rattles and squeaks coming from (what is often) a complicated, large dashboard. The soft touch (often leather-like) material used on a dashboard and door trims make a huge difference in this particular ‘category’. I’m glad your experience with the Omoda has so far been a pleasant one. It will be great to hear from you once the car has done 10 000km. If there’s still no rattle or squeak – if there isn’t already – I’ll change my mind. Promise.