Talking about "prestige" cars. Merc, BMW Jag etc. What really is the story on the problems of cars from Singapore. Experiences preferred, not the "my mate had." stories. Are ODO's verified!Do some come without heaters! Is rust an issue! Thanks for any info that isnt just an urban myth.
tgray,
Mar 25, 2:24am
Funny how people go on about the high humidity in Singapore playing havoc with the eletcrics, when no one worries about the humidity in Japan. I have been to Japan, and the humidity is often overwhelming. Couldn't imagine it worse, but perhaps it is.
twink19,
Mar 25, 3:06am
humidity much worse in Singapore, have lived inJapan and not that bad. I wouldnt buy a Singapore import,
foreverfalcon,
Mar 25, 3:14am
Singapore imports, i.e. merc, BMW etc, have to have a local content, some parts need to be added locally, So its not 100% German, a Jap imported Merc, BMW etc, is more likely to be 100% German, normally electronics, brake pars etc.
cuda.340,
Mar 25, 3:18am
singapore cars don't have a heater so you'll get mighty cold in winter & that damn windscreen will take forever to demist.
phillip.weston,
Mar 25, 3:21am
Really! my Volvo 850 from Singapore certainly had a heater - it had dual zone climate control which worked on both hot and cold. I found with mine, the head lining sagged and had to be pulled off entirely, and one corner of the dash board got a little deformed from its original mould - two things which I didn't see on other 850s when I went looking.
eagles9999,
Mar 25, 3:27am
Theso-called effect of the humidity on the electrics is just that . so-called. It doesnt happen. Well I havent heard any reports and my brother is an auto electrician who hasseen his share of Mercs and BMW's from Singapore and Hong Kong.As for heaters every one I have seen recently being offered for sale has had Climate Control which presumably covers the cold end of the scale too.
zak1998,
Mar 25, 3:41am
The paint on all imports from the far east cant handle N.Z sun. Buy N.Z New
kcc55a,
Mar 25, 3:41am
Sorry I dont think this is correct. Where did you get this from. Singapore has no car manufacturing capability so whhy would they even have this rule!
cuda.340,
Mar 25, 3:42am
well maybe only some cars didn't get heaters. i drove a mate around one day looking at beemers as he was adimant he wanted one. 2 of the cars we looked at were singapore imports & neither had factory heaters, i assumed they all didn't. was your volvo new in singapore or built for the singapore market! these beemers were & they had the same distinct rims.
pat56,
Mar 25, 3:44am
Nonsense. Might've been the case in 60s & 70s when service personel used to bring them back but certainly not now. My C Class AMG is fantastic. Full service history (in english). Better optioned than ex Jap examples I've seen. I got it straight off the boat & didn't even need grooming.Engine bay immaculate unlike the smog filled Jappers. I likeJappers as well but they tend to be filthy when they arrive here. They rarely groom them in Japan.
eagles9999,
Mar 25, 3:45am
That is rubbish.
craigsmith,
Mar 25, 3:48am
Bullshit on no heaters. Bullshit on partially locally manufactured. Bullshit on the paint. Actually a lot of Singapore imports have had their paint destroyed by the heat and sun up there, and get re-sprays before export - but that's a good thing, the re-spray on my car is top quality, was like a new car. Bullshit on the humidity issue if the car's not too old - under 5 years and you're safe I think. I've had no issues with a Ford that was 6 years old when imported.
Odos however are almost always wound back. Big problem. Verification doesn't mean much. Optimech guy (Avondale) used to work up there and testified in my disputes tribunal hearing that winding back up there is "endemic". Treat 'em all as if they're clocked.
texastwo,
Mar 25, 3:50am
Yes that does seem to be the biggest concern. Dont BMW and Merc factories run databases of odometer readings. Though I suppose that only works if a vehicle is serviced by an acredited agent.
tigra,
Mar 25, 4:13am
I'm curious. How do you manage to get the information in item 2 before you buy the car!
xs1100,
Mar 25, 6:32am
singapore cars are generally considered a lot higher risk than a jap import/nz new car and the quickest way would be to ring up a few dealers in your own area and quote your own car and say "its a singapore import"
pat56,
Mar 25, 8:06am
If you insist to know, yes I used to go up regularly. Imported 900 odd cars over 7 years & invariably the engine bays are smogged up. Beg to differ about the fastidiousness of jap car owners. Seen the ciggie burns in them, spilt coffee & goddam knows what else and the majority are not serviced to anywhere near the manufacturers recommendations. Having said that we had very few major problems. Now go into a japanese home & there won't be a spec of dust, but when it comes to cars it's a different kettle of fish. There, the cat's outta the bag, I used to be a dealer. Brought in about a dozen cars from Singapore & one was a dog. A VW Beetle. & I suspect a fair portion of blame can be laid at the feet of a car manufactured in MEXICO. Cheap grade plastics that crystalised and disintegrated. And yes, my Benz came direct to me, funny that. Had it 4 years & in no hurry to sell it. Could say it was my gold watch to myself.
mantagsi,
Mar 25, 8:35am
I happened to have the pleasure of working on jap imports fresh from the docks, god almighty almost every single one that rolled in off the transporter was absolutely filthy! It seems that having a car in Japan means that it is mandatory to smoke menthol ciggies like they are going out of fashion. On several occasions I found that the ashtray had been taken out and the last owner just kept on putting cigarette buts into the space where the tray was - in some rare cases jamming up a huge amount of space behind the centre console with menthol smoke butts! Mind you a good groom and clean, 9.9/10 times they looked great, and 9.9/10 times they would be in pretty top condition mechanically. Filthy buggers though!
intrade,
Mar 25, 9:53pm
first of all everything that is imported you cant guarantee its milage. a sticker that it iscertified is worth asmutch as a (vip mcdonalds sticker ) on the windscreen. You have to inspect the car the same as any caryou want to buy to find out its condition, there are signes to look for and milage is not an issue . I rather buy acar with 300,000km and its only 3year old then one with 150 and its 3 year old if the car with 150k is neverserviced then it be way worse rooted then one that was fully serviced at all time with 300k. thats the sortof stuff to look for
budgel,
Mar 25, 10:09pm
As a motorist that has never imported a car, let alone owned one from Singapore, I am most aware of the bad name they seem tohave that could cause difficulties when the time comes to sell it.
Having said that, I would consider one if the price was heavily discounted and the car checked out OK.
fiatracer,
Mar 25, 10:23pm
ok, there's lots of claims, and many shouted down. My observation is that imports tend to have much worse clearcoat peeling. It's not true to say all Singapore imports lack heaters. Clearly. But some did. Regarding electrics and rubberwear [seals, hoses etc]. my best mate works in a euro dealership so gets to see lots of Volvos, Jags, Audis, etc and is adamant that the Singaporean imports give a huge amount more trouble in these areas.
madcow,
Jun 10, 11:42pm
So do the maintenance odds swing back in favour if the Singapore import has been in the country for four years! Presumably the first owner/s have had all the grief; or just been lucky.
gusthe1,
Jun 11, 12:59am
How many suns are there!
phillip.weston,
Jun 11, 1:59am
Yes but what other countries have huge holes in the ozone layer right about them! Our sun is intense in the sense that more UV rays come through. Why else would you get horribly sunburnt here within 30 mins but not overseas within a few hours!
ceedoubleyou,
Jun 11, 4:11am
I heard Mercs had a bio degradable wiring loom and it breaks down much faster from the humidity in Singapore. Colleague has 2000 MB C240, 1st 3 years it would have spent 3 mths out of 12 in workshop with electrical problems and all the plastic knobs on the dashboard were all soft and ekky. So it may only apply to Mercs, another collegue had a BMW 730 from Singapore and it was fine.
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