Gauteng man in a bitter dispute with dealership over refund after uncovering tempered mileage and crash history

A Gauteng motorist has become embroiled in an ongoing dispute with a local dealership after claiming that a vehicle he purchased was sold with misleading information regarding its mileage history and prior condition.

Jan Joubert Jooste purchased a 2019 Toyota Corolla from GP Combrink Car Sales CC towards the end of 2025 through finance provided by Absa. The vehicle was purchased for approximately R230,000, with monthly repayments of more than R5,200 before the account was eventually settled.

According to Jooste, the sales agreement recorded the vehicle’s mileage at 76,569km at the time of purchase.

Jooste said the issue started when he discovered alleged irregularities in February 2026 after he took the vehicle in for a routine service at Toyota.

According to Jooste, information which was revealed during the inspection suggested that the vehicle had already accumulated approximately 90,000km during 2023, creating concerns regarding the accuracy of the odometer reading reflected at the time of sale.

Jooste said he approached the dealership regarding the discrepancy and was allegedly informed that the vehicle’s instrument cluster had previously been damaged and had to be replaced.

According to him, the dealership proposed a resolution in the form of free vehicle services as compensation.

However, dissatisfied with the proposed resolution and still seeking answers regarding the vehicle’s history, Jooste decided to conduct his own investigation. He eventually managed to trace the previous owner who allegedly provided crucial information about the vehicle’s past.

Jooste said the previous owner told him that she never replaced the cluster.

“She sent me the pictures of the car and also made an affidavit confirming that while using the car, she never had to fix the cluster. Her insurance also sent her pictures confirming that the car never had a problem with the cluster, even after the accident, the cluster was not damaged,” he said.

Complicating Jooste’s predicament, the owner revealed that she was involved in an accident and the car was subsequently written off, information which Jooste claims was never revealed by the dealership.  

“She sent me photo of the accident and said she was no longer driving it because it was written off after the accident,” he said.

The dismayed Jooste said he confronted the dealership with the new information and he was ignored.

Before escalating the matter to the Motor Industry Ombudsman of South Africa (MIOSA), Jooste said he first attempted to resolve the issue directly with the dealership and was unsuccessful.

According to Jooste, after submitting the complaint he later obtained additional evidence relating to the vehicle’s history and submitted it to MIOSA while also copying the dealership into the communication.

He claims the evidence included photographs, supporting documentation and information relating to the vehicle’s mileage history and prior condition.

Jooste alleges that despite being copied into the communication, the dealership did not respond to the new information or make any effort to engage with him regarding the evidence submitted.

He said after MIOSA’s persuasion, the dealership responded by submitting an affidavit from a man named Edwin who indicated that the vehicle had already clocked around 97,000 kilometres when a replacement cluster was installed. 

On the affidavit seen by IOL, Edwin claimed that he bought the car at an auction and noticed that there was water inside and decided to change the cluster. He added that the replacement cluster displayed a lower reading of around 74,000 kilometres, effectively reducing the visible mileage by roughly 23,000 kilometres.

Notably, Edwin is not mentioned on the list of previous owners.

Jooste said despite the man’s dubious affidavit, his evidence still confirmed that the vehicle’s mileage was unreliable and materially inaccurate.

Jooste further alleged that the dealership possessed records showing the vehicle had already recorded close to 90,000 kilometres in 2023, information he said was never disclosed during the sale process.

“They told me that the car went through minor repairs and I trusted that. Unfortunately, I uncovered things which they were not honest about. First, it was the tampering of the cluster that upset me and I later discovered that the car was written off.”

Jooste argued that the dealership’s actions constituted a breach of trust, as they allegedly provided misleading information that rendered the mileage unreliable and materially inaccurate. 

“How am I ever going to sell the car now with the services and the cluster doesn’t align”? he asked.

Jooste said he demands rescission of the sale agreement and full reimbursement of all costs incurred, including the R261,000 settlement amount, monthly instalments already paid, and insurance premiums

“The best thing is for them to give me a refund including the interest I paid or come up with a very realistic compensation.”

He said he approached Absa for assistance believing that they had power to intervene, but he was unsuccessful.

“The bank just brushed me off because they already had all my money. So, there’s no support from Absa and they had the power to assist me.

“Now I’m stuck with a car that I can’t drive but I have to keep washing it like a fool,” he said angrily. 

In a response to Jooste’s allegations, the dealership said it had no knowledge at the time of sale that the vehicle’s cluster had been replaced and therefore could not have disclosed such information to the purchaser.

“The mileage reflected on the vehicle at the time of sale was the mileage displayed on the instrument cluster when the vehicle came into our possession,” the dealership said.

The dealership further disputed allegations that it knowingly ignored or concealed service records reflecting higher mileage figures, maintaining that it was unaware of any discrepancies in the vehicle’s mileage history.

Regarding the vehicle’s accident history, GP Combrink Car Sales CC confirmed that the vehicle had previously sustained accident damage and undergone repairs before being sold. However, it said this information was disclosed to Jooste before the transaction was finalised.

According to the dealership, Jooste acknowledged the disclosure in writing by signing a TransUnion accident report and related documentation.

“The purchaser was informed that the vehicle had accident damage and repairs prior to the sale being finalised,” the dealership stated.

The dealership said it conducted reasonable due diligence based on the information available at the time and that no information came to its attention indicating that the vehicle’s mileage had been altered.

It also said it could not comment on the authenticity or accuracy of photographs, affidavits and other information allegedly obtained from third parties or the previous owner without independent verification.

The dealership said it engaged with Jooste after he raised concerns and considered the issues he presented but maintained that it did not knowingly misrepresent the vehicle or conceal material information.

As a result, GP Combrink Car Sales CC said it does not accept liability for the allegations and does not believe there are grounds to rescind the sale agreement or reimburse the costs claimed by Jooste.

“At all times, the dealership acted in good faith based on the information available to us,” it said.

The dealership further noted that Jooste traded in an Audi as part of the transaction and alleged that the Audi’s instrument cluster had also previously been replaced. It argued that Jooste therefore had sufficient knowledge and experience to inspect and assess the Toyota before purchasing it.

According to the dealership, once the accident damage was disclosed and acknowledged through the signed TransUnion report, Jooste was given the opportunity not to proceed with the transaction but elected to continue with the purchase.

The dealership added that it had offered to assist Jooste by reselling the vehicle on his behalf but said he declined the proposal.

Meanwhile, ABSA had not responded by the time of publication.

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