A woman bought a Mercedes-Benz and drove it for three years before discovering that the wheels were installed backwards and the car was driving backwards every day

After buying a Mercedes-Benz and driving it for three years, Ms. Yu discovered that the left front wheel of the vehicle was installed upside down and the wheel hubs of the two front wheels were inconsistent. Ms. Yu believed that the dealer had committed fraud when selling the vehicle, so she sued for a refund of one and three times the compensation, a total of 1.81 million yuan. The dealer said that the vehicle passed the inspection when it was delivered, and there is currently no evidence to prove that there is a problem with the vehicle.

On the morning of December 17, the case was heard at the Huaxiang Court of Beijing Fengtai Court.

In 2012, Ms. Yu spent 444,000 yuan to buy a Mercedes-Benz car in a 4S store, and has been using it normally without any repairs. The vehicle inspection form and vehicle conformity certificate at the time of vehicle delivery showed that the annual routine maintenance was qualified.

Unexpectedly, during maintenance in 2015, the maintenance staff discovered that the left front wheel of the vehicle was installed upside down. Before that, Ms. Yu had discovered that the vehicle occasionally made strange noises during actual use, but the staff said that this problem did not affect the use.

It was not until the annual vehicle inspection in 2018 that the inspection site discovered that the car still had serious problems. The wheel hubs of the two front wheels were not the same size, so it was not inspected. "I have never moved the two front wheels of my car, but now the bearing of the left front wheel is seriously worn."

Ms. Yu believes that the 4S store concealed the fact that the tires and wheels of the vehicle had been replaced when selling the vehicle, which resulted in the vehicle being unable to be driven on the road. The vehicle manual clearly states that tires, wheels, and accessories that are not approved by Mercedes-Benz, or that are not used correctly, may reduce driving safety and cause accidents.

After communication, the 4S store said it could replace four tires for Ms. Yu for free, plus a 20,000 yuan voucher, but Ms. Yu could not accept it and sued the court. She believed that the 4S store's concealment was fraud, so she asked the court to order the defendant to refund one and compensate three, a total of more than 1.81 million yuan.

In court, the 4S store said that there is no evidence to prove that the vehicle had the problem when it was delivered. If the tire is assembled incorrectly, it can be identified by the naked eye. Before the vehicle involved in the case failed the vehicle inspection in 2018, the vehicle had two other inspections that passed, which is consistent with the inspection record at the time of sale, indicating that there was no problem with the vehicle before.

After learning that there was something wrong with the vehicle's tire, Ms. Yu continued to use it until it failed the vehicle inspection and then filed a lawsuit. This cannot prove that the 4S shop was at fault, and there is no evidence to prove that she did not repair the vehicle herself. Therefore, the 4S shop should not bear the liability for compensation.

"Just because there were no problems during the first two vehicle inspections doesn't mean there are no problems with the vehicle itself." Ms. Yu believes that from the license photo taken before the vehicle was registered, it can be seen that the left front tire is protruding outward, while the normally installed tire is concave, indicating that there was a problem when the vehicle was delivered. However, the model of the wheel hub is relatively hidden and requires careful inspection to see. "If they didn't tell us during maintenance, we might never have discovered this."

At present, the vehicle involved in the case has been parked in the basement for two years and cannot be used. Looking back now, Ms. Yu is still scared because the wheel hub on one side is obviously too large and the wheel and shock absorber are tightly attached together. "Fortunately, our car has never been on the highway, otherwise the wheel may have flown directly, and the consequences would be disastrous."

As a winner of Toutiao's Qingyun Plan and Baijiahao's Bai+ Plan, the 2019 Baidu Digital Author of the Year, the Baijiahao's Most Popular Author in the Technology Field, the 2019 Sogou Technology and Culture Author, and the 2021 Baijiahao Quarterly Influential Creator, he has won many awards, including the 2013 Sohu Best Industry Media Person, the 2015 China New Media Entrepreneurship Competition Beijing Third Place, the 2015 Guangmang Experience Award, the 2015 China New Media Entrepreneurship Competition Finals Third Place, and the 2018 Baidu Dynamic Annual Powerful Celebrity.