Cape Town - Police are investigating a fraud case after a Cape Town couple said they bought a BMW from Auric Auto dealership in Constantia sold to them as new for R700 000, but later discovered the car has been involved in a collision, poorly repaired and unlawfully registered.
In an affidavit which is part of the case they laid with police, which Carin-Lee Masters shared with Weekend Argus, she states that she bought the vehicle from Auric Auto, a BMW/Mini dealership in January 2018.
She further detailed that the vehicle had been exported to South Africa and delivered to the premises of the said dealership on November 21, 2017.
This information they gathered from a three year long independent investigation by her husband, German born, Wilhelm Geuking- Cohausz, who has a motor mechanic background.
The couple claimed, following ownership of the vehicle in 2018, it presented numerous problems which they alleged were reported to the dealership.
These include mechanical and cosmetic issues such as a constant “crackling” noise from the engine, issues with the wishbone and rubber hydraulic mount, misaligned front doors, on one occasion the vehicle was flooded with water including missing lock nuts.
Geuking-Cohausz then sought to retrieve the vehicle’s history.
“On growing increasingly suspicious, my husband began investigating the vehicle’s history and we discovered the alarming facts which include that it had been involved in a collision and was poorly repaired and then falsely sold to us as a new vehicle,” said Masters.
“On June 6 2022, we met with the dealer principal to discuss our concerns and it was agreed that a technician would thoroughly inspect the vehicle, measuring the bodywork and performing a paint analysis.”
The Weekend Argus has since established that Auric Auto BMW/Mini dealer has since been taken over by another dealership linked to BMW whose attorneys have clarified that they were not part of the original sale transaction and has no ties to its sale.
However, BMW SA’s communications, Hailey Philander confirmed they were aware of the matter but could not comment as it was an ongoing legal investigation.
“As this topic remains subject to an internal investigation, I cannot comment
at this point. The findings of this investigation will be shared directly with the customer once concluded, and I will gladly update you at such time,” she said.
It seems that physically Auric Auto no longer exists, but that everything pertaining to BMW is in the hands of BMW SA.
Masters said since their meeting their concerns were not addressed.
She further claimed that the vehicle via proof of the eNatis documentation system showed that it was previously registered before it was sold to her.
Geuking-Cohausz told Weekend Argus they had waited three years before formally opening a case with police after they had all the proof they needed and were not seeking royalties with their claims: “It is all there with the eNatis system and we even learnt that the front suspension was loose. We will leave it in the hands of the court to decide what must happen from here.”
Geuking-Cohausz paged through his file which he had meticulously put together with proof of the vehicle’s registration, journey of exportation to South Africa etc.
He further claimed data also proved the vehicle had been re-registered following being written off after an apparent accident.
According to the affidavit it states the vehicle had originally registered under BMW Group Rosslyn on December 29 2017 and that on January 9 2018, BMW SA PTY Ltd became the second statutory owner followed by Auric Auto, the Mini/ BMW dealership.
“On January 24 the vehicle was registered in my name but the registration was retroactively set to January 1, 2018 despite being banned from being driven on a public road,” Masters said.
Police spokesperson, Sergeant Wesley Twigg confirmed the case opened.
“The mentioned case number is a fraud case. The circumstances surrounding the incident are under investigation and no arrests have been made yet,” he said.
“According to the complainant she was misrepresented when she bought a vehicle. The investigation continues.”