THE charred, wrecked remains of his car's engine greeted Mr
Hairudien on 6 Aug.
Click to see larger image
The engine compartment of Mr Hairudien's Kia Cerato was destroyed
in the fire.
That was the day when the 33-year-old's silver Kia Cerato caught
fire. Mr Hairudien was sleeping when his father woke him up around
4am and told him to rush down to the open-air carpark in their
block.
By the time Mr Hairudien reached there, firemen had put out the
fire that had engulfed the front half of the silver 2 1/2-year-old
Kia Cerato.
The freelance graphics designer later found out from the SCDF
report that the fire was probably due to to an electrical short
circuit.
MECHANICAL PROBLEMS
He told The New Paper that the car had been sent for repairs about
two months before the fire, because of mechanical problems.
He said: 'A few times, when I stopped at a traffic light or
junction, the car would stall. The light indicating that there was
something wrong with the engine also came on.
'So I sent the car to the Kia workshop, and the technician told me
that they had to monitor the car for a week.'
When he collected his car a week later, he was informed that the
car's purge valve, which controls the flow of fuel, had been
replaced for free, as the car was still under warranty.
Mr Hairudien bought the car for more than $60,000. The 10-year
loan, including interest, came up to more than $70,000. He said he
couldn't recall the exact loan amount.
Now the car has been officially valued at $32,000. The valuation
depends on the car make and model, and how old it is.
A salvage buyer has offered to pay this amount, excluding a $500
insurance excess which Mr Hairudien has to pay.
His insurance company, AIG, will pay another $1,400 towards
settling the balance of Mr Hairudien's car loan with Maybank.
When The New Paper contacted AIG last Friday to ask why the
insurance amount was so low, they said they are investigating the
matter.
But as of yesterday, Mr Hairudien claimed the company hasn't
contacted him.
Despite the offer from the salvage buyer and the payout from the
insurance company, Mr Hairudien claims he must fork out $13,500 to
settle the loan amount by tomorrow or Maybank will start to charge
him interest.
He said he has been paying $588 a month for the last 2 1/2 years as
part of his repayment plan.
He had also traded in his earlier car to offset the new car's
cost.
Mr Hairudien approached Kia twice - on the day his car was burnt
and then on 21 Aug. They offered him a new car at a discount.
Kia offered to pay the $13,500 upfront, and then add the sum to the
total cost of his new car, to be paid back in instalments.
When contacted, Cycle & Carriage, which distributes Kia,
declined to comment on the loan repayment offer but said it would
act in accordance with AIG's conclusions.
Customer assistance centre manager Dora Yan said: 'Mr Hairudien's
accident case is currently being handled by his insurance company,
AIG. They are looking into his case and Cycle & Carriage will
assist AIG in this matter.
'As for the sum of money that he has to pay to his finance company,
Maybank, we are not in a position to comment as it is the bank's
decision.
'Our company offered Mr Hairudien a goodwill discount on his new
car package, should he wish to purchase a new car from our
company.
'This is done purely to show our appreciation to Mr Hairudien for
being a loyal customer.'
