The Terengganu state government will justify its recent purchase of 14 units of the Mercedes-Benz E200K for state exco use by providing a detailed breakdown of maintenance costs associated with the 4-year old Proton Perdana V6 Executive cars that the E200Ks replace.
Two of the Perdana V6s in particular seemed to need constant expensive repairs, racking up massive repair costs of RM175,229.97 and RM132,357.76 respectively since 2004. It’s not completely off target for them to assume the rest of the fleet are timebombs just waiting for everything to start breaking down. However, no information has been revealed so far as to which party has been maintaining the cars.
I don’t know about them and won’t assume anything but from my personal experience of owning a 2001 Proton Perdana V6 which I bought second hand, in the past 1.5 years of ownership I’ve spent not more than RM10,000 in repairs which included extensive repairs to the suspension and gearbox and minor repairs to the engine.
BTW I think its worth noting that the Perdana V6 Executive is the slightly longer (but not full limo length) Perdana you sometimes see on the road that has a rear door stretched 250mm longer. The conversion is done by Automotive Conversion Engineering Sdn Bhd, a subsidiary of EON. ACE also builds the TD2000.
Related Story:
New Mercedes-Benz E200K cars for Terengganu exco
After dabbling for years in the IT industry, Paul Tan initially began this site as a general blog covering various topics of personal interest. With an increasing number of readers paying rapt attention to the motoring stories, one thing led to another and the rest, as they say, is history. An avid electronic gadget aficionado as well as big-time coffee lover, he's also the executive producer of the Driven motoring TV programme.
Hahaha! I love the number plate! Kudos Paul, for that great sense of humour.
If G themselves don’t support the local car manufacturer, why should we! Instead they go for a German luxury! Good think I UBAH MY GAYA HIDUP by investing in a German luxury too!
Corrupt, corrupt, corrupt!!
I don’t understand how to justify 175,229.97 and RM132,357.76 respectively for the cost of repairing proton cars. Local, Malaysia made car!?
Are they using gold plated replacement parts? Custom-made, one of the kind spareparts? Are the maintenance staff attending to the repairs were PHD holders? Are the parts requires exotic material, like F1 cars? Do these cars requires lab testing, tuning, track time testing?
ANSWER is NO!!!
So, what happened? Do I smell Corruption? Misuse of public fund?
BTW, were the cars being abused/misused/correctly used/maintained in the first place?, even before the car was sent for repair. hell, even a TANK can rosak if the users abuse the TANK. My unker has been driving his Perdana for 2 years, the car needs only periodical maintenance, just like changing oil, filters, etc. Nothing major.
Anyway, I wouldn’t bet my money on getting a resolution of this case, knowing the GOVT is pretty much “hangat-hangat tahi ayam”. Talk-talk, and nothing happen. EVER.
It acceptable for any company that are making a great profit, to purchase a luxury cars for their employees usage. Same goes to a government, or any states government. But the question is Does Terengganu state government making a good profit ? are there any other reasons to purchase E200k rather than “expensive repair costs” ?
pls use my tax money wisely~~ pls ~~i am begging for the poor~~
no matter wat reasons they give, those are juz plain ridiculous and nonsense… buying mercs at this time at this moment is all WRONG… and y merc? as mentioned earlier, they can get better reliable jap cars instead of expensive german automobile… doin such move at this time means they are juz finding a hole of s**t to step in… btw, this is juz malaysia…
If what Terrengganu govt claims are true, thats gonna be a disgrace for proton for producing Perdana V6 but i dont believe the cost of repair that much. I think ACA got a job to do !!!
All datuk can ride on cow why you are special want to ride on horse power. Mau Ubah Gaya Hidup. or Mau Gaya
1. The G must reveal the party that involved in the maintaining and repairing the 2 perdana.
2. What Proton got to say about this?
3. Why Merc?. Why not Kia Optima, Accord, Camry, Proton Chancellor?(In future, i think we can even see private helicopter parking in their front yard).
BN G – Ubah Gaya Hidup For Better (Perdana to Merc)
Rakyat – Ubah Gaya Hidup For Worse (Kancil to Kapcai)
ACA, time to investigate new case!
i am sure it will turn up something shocking for the headlines.
gogo!
2004 to 2008 = 5 years
RM175,229.97 /5yrs = RM35046 per year
RM35046 / 12 mths = RM2920.5 per mth
—
RM132,357.76 / 5yrs = RM26471.55 per year
RM26471.55 / 12 mths = RM2206 per mth
makan two thousand more per mth is ok wat. If you compare to those makan million and billion, they have integrity and loyal haha…
My only question is why MERC? If i blif watever their justification is, I M TOTALLY IDIOTS
even if they chose mercs, they should have gone for the diesel engine units. the environmentally friendliness and all outweighs the cons. then again, they could have snapped a good hyundai elantra with ngv kits. damn these MBs are too dumb to figure out other alternatives than the e-class and the e-class is known to be a electrical gremlin.
RM175,229.97 and RM132,357.76 for a repair? This is totally CRAZY!!! Tell me which part of the car require this amount of repair cost? Tukar engine? Tukar turbo? Are they driving a turbo perdana executive everyday to work? Or Proton parts are getting outrage? IMPOSSIBLE!
Summore. With that kinda repair cost. Dun tell me they’re stupid enuf that they dunno it can actually buy another brand new Perdana instead of repairing it. How can this shits happens? Babi Negara really BABI. Hopeless on them.
First of all – we need a new Perdana (like new shape new car)
Another thing is where did they repair all those V6s? Japan?
And I agree why Mercedes Benz, why not Audi/Lexus/Toyota Camry/Honda Accord or other cars?
i was a liaison officer for foreign VIPs, the driver was a part timer, drives a normal v6. But he had many friends who had driven those executives for local VIPs, told him that those cars were so custom made they wouldnt pass PUSPAKOM safety checks, esp the chassis.
I’m sure the gearbox is not the same as a normal v6 to cater for the bigger size, hence the extra cost. But i agree it cannot be that expensive.
All the more reason now for Dato Syed Zainal to get involved and clear the reputation of Proton in this matter. It’s a massive blow to the reputation of Proton’s a) Quality and b) Aftersales Service.
What kind of repair do those perdana’s get actually? Tak cermat langsung YB-YB di Terengganu ni. Guano mung? About the fuel consumption, just install Hydrofuel to those perdanas dear Mr. MB. Like pak lah once said. Work together weith me, not work under me.
haha.. no comment lar..
maybe can try using wira 1.5. mine is trouble free after about a decade using it!
aduiz..
i know pll who’s got Perdana and the only issue with it is the fuel consumption, but since these are executives, i’ve driven a Wira Exec before and when it rains, the back door leaks… truly a limo fit for loosers
Long long time ago, they decide to start Proton and JUSTIFY how this would help the economy being the people’s car. In addition, they slap ridiculously unfair taxation on non Malaysian makes.
Now they are JUSTIFYING why they TAK BOLEH PAKAI Proton in front of the whole nation, saying it is no fit for the excos.
So what are they getting from all this justifications? If MB pull it thru that mercs are more cost saving, does this mean that the government will abandone Proton for its official vehicles? In this case, full fledged CKD production of Mercs for all government vehicles, taxis and even police cars.
Well, when this comes up in details, there are some tough questions to be answered.
1) Why the absurdly high maintenance cost? Who signs them off/approves the contracts?
2) Why not cheaper Japanese marques, which if anything, would be historically more reliable than the germans (if reliability and maintenance cost was the issue here)?
3) How will Proton answer this? I have a feeling they wont take this slap on the face lying down.
4) If the state government does not pay taxes on the cars they buy, how did 14 cars add up to 3. something million? They factored in maintenance costs/contracts???? Which leads us all back to square 1.
Reading between the lines, and by “WILL justify”, it is saying they did not do the justification before making the switch. It is also saying they WILL, by all means, do up the justification with the intention just for show, post-decision.
See, the intention is wrong, the process is wrong, I wonder what else is right in Terengganu BN gov?
Satu lagi project meliwat rakyat, dari BN, untuk Rakyat!
The more they open their mouth; they are showing the CARE LESS about the rakyat.
Change lifestyle the G style? pathetic.
*Perdana at least equivalent to Camry lah, not E class!
I have never heard of an european brand car having higher resale value than the japanese brand car. Although I agreed than the Perdana needs alot of repairs, replacing them with a Japanese brand car like the Accord and Camry should be sufficient.
What ever justification they claims on the purchase of the E200K are merely bullshits. Syok sendiri dulu tapi rakyat sengsara.
I think the issue is not to buy merc, but to remove the engaged contractor & to highlight the wrongdoings fo the past few years.. I guess in the end they’ll buy the new Perdana if and only if Proton themselves will give warranty and services intead of 3rd party company (i don’t want to make accusition here) hehhhh.. but merc contract package (with unlimited millage) is really worth to look at if youre running a fleet..
The MB never have a look of a great leader. Look like someone who have always dreams. He used our tax money to fulfill 1 of his dream. Nothing wrong if u use your own money MB!!
The outcome from this whole episode will benefit us anyhow. It will be interesting to keep a close eye on things. Let’s look at the possibilities:
1) Terengganu EXCO justification VALID, Proton loses face, Proton gets into hot soup (hopefully quality improve, or protection reduce, which I personally think neither will happen). Proton starts to buckle up, Rakyat benefits.
2) Terengganu EXCO justification INVALID, Proton stays safe, BN has alot of answering to do (Rakyat’s money mishandled and funds abused, and BN may not get to retain Terengganu in next elections). Certain officials get into hot soup. ACA investigates and possibility of sacking. Rakyat benefits.
Personally I think (2) is likely the case, but my concern is will ACA be strict enough? As far as I know the ACA and the BN are ‘somewhat’ a gang. The ACA themselves are busy with ongoing DSAI case.
seriously….something is not right here. How could anyone spend RM175,229.97 and RM132,375.76 respectively on two cars alone? There has to be some form of explanation.
At the very least, the service records must be made available for the public to see if the astronomic repair bills are justifiable.
It’s only natural we ask because, after all tax payers money is being used.
If the Terengannu Goverment views itself responsible and takes the suffering of the rakyat in these trying times, they should switch to a cheaper and more economical alternatives.
I find it ridiculous that the state government is taking 3.4mil out of it’s coffers to buy high end luxury cars for official use.
Here is the best part…the State Govt insist that they are not touching the oil royalties from Petronas..so where is this money coming from? Think about it.
Why cant they buy something below 100K? WhY not a Proton Waja, a Honda City or a VIOS? If they need something big…go get a Citra.
In today’s Star, Mentri Besar Datuk Ahmad Said said that excos were eligible for more expensive cars such as the E240, but lower end Mercedes were chosen to keep costs down. “I dont see why the procurement was made an issue.” (Page N14)
Of course the procurement was made an issue…
Why the need for luxury when everyone else is cutting down on food and other necessities?
If there is anyone from Terengganu here, it would be nice to see what that RM3.4 million could serve if put into better use….
Improving public transportation?
Better education facilities?
Health facilities?
175,229.97 and RM132,357.Sound stupid.The cost is higher than Mercedes?Don;t showed stupid amount to the rakyat.The maintenance cost is cheaper cos everything made in Malaysia.No tax at all.The amount stated there have been marked up for personal use.Rakyat is not stupid.Since that the cost is higher,what for the rakyat use proton.Why don;t the gov close down the proton production?At night,the driver will drive the car jalan jalan show off to the public.PPl tought they are investor or businessman.Actually,they are only a driver.Wasting rakyat money and wasting fuel.Gov increased the price fuel is for those stupid to enjoy at night.Why should we pay for them?
it just a mimic.. Dato’ Mat Said want to show to public.. how money in Idris Jusoh spent..
now it is a headline news..
mat said agree to give details of each maintenance cost.. and guest what.. that belong to whoes era? idris jusoh
Today’s Star reports that the Perdana V6 Club (V-Sixers) has come to the defence of the Proton Perdana, saying that it is a good car!
http://thestar.com.my/news/story.asp?file=/2008/7/23/nation/21884011&sec=nation
I can foresee that they gonna spend half a million on maintaining each of the merc.
(PS: takkan the repair cost include petrol cost?)
(PPS: evil car plate you have there!)
just watch..they going to do a david blaine by plucking figures from the air…then suddenly make the issue dissapear and the public ‘s attention diverted to something else.
I do agree with some of the posts. Let’s wait for the details breakdown of the maintenance cost because it’s unbelieveable the Perdana could cost that much.
If they are concerning on the maintainance cost on thier vehicle. Get a japanese car.. whats with the Merc??? They don’t breakdown? cause thats the last thing i believe. Not to mention how much clarkson and the rest of the world complains about it.
Now we know where MOST of the allocation of Terrengganu’s funds went! All to car maintenance! Pathetic!
mercedes-benz is the most unreliable german car
Good, after a few years using the E200K, they will said it is espensive to maintain again, and using few hundred thounsand to buy Camry … good BN !!! undi lar BN !!! ubahlah cara hidup …hypocrite
hk_loo, change Camry to BMW and few hundreds k to few mil.
Julianlee2, what made you say that mb is most unreliable german car???
So, what our PM got to say about this, he always advice rakyat to spend wisely, save money and so on. What about this MB who is sucking its own rakyat blood ??
Still no action by PM ??? DAto ABB got no power like Tun during his era
JULIANLEE2 always says the darndest thing.
Paul I like what The Star quoted you. Exactly the country’s sentiments and you’re the perfect channel.
don’t the perdanas have warranty?
shouldn’t it be 3 years?
oh ya, there’s the mileage too, but it’ll still be good for 1-2 years right?
so the repair cost would probably for 1-2 years making it even more ridiculous
but then again, consideing how the whack the car on the higways, i don’t think much cars can last very long
if repair cost is like what they mentioned, would replacing the unit with a hew one during the end of warranty more economical?
Just another KOREK KOREK KOREK case BOCOR again.
They are not just don’t understand simple MATHS, but now we also knew THEY are as STUPID as PXG.
How can A proton car REPAIR cost more than RM100K what a JOKE of the YEAR. Ini cukup qualified Masuk WORLD RECORD lah.
Wtf RM175,229.97 ??!!!!
Did they install a 7-speed sequential gearbox into the perdana or transplant a 3 litre twin turbo into the car?
I smell something rotten here:
So lets see…oil filter RM25 but claim RM500, pocket RM475. Sparkplugs RM90 but claim RM 2000, pocket RM 1910
This is what they do to your tax money.
hk_loo said,
July 23, 2008 @ 11:09 am
Good, after a few years using the E200K, they will said it is espensive to maintain again, and using few hundred thounsand to buy Camry … good BN !!! undi lar BN !!! ubahlah cara hidup …hypocrite
_____
i think after a few years using the E200K, they will say expensive to maintain again, then probably change to 760Li or Bentley continental flying spur. Thank you BN voters.
Two of the Perdana V6s in particular seemed to need constant expensive repairs, racking up massive repair costs of RM175,229.97 and RM132,357.76 respectively since 2004.
————————————
can buy new Perdana already… haha…
before they decided on the Benz… did they consider the Proton Waja Chancellor? aren’t this Chancellor meant for ppl like them??
totally unacceptable action by them… if YB Lim Guan Eng get a new car… i think there will be a really big uproar in the country from UMNO… you will see it on frontpage everyone condeming him…wt f…double standard…
if buying merc is saving cost… i think i wanna trade my swift for a merc also…save maintenance cost…my d1ck!
What a bunch of bullsh*t!! Everyone knows that Petronas had given a new royalty since you BN take over Terengganu from PAS in the last election. Kalau dah GATAL nak pakai kereta mewah pun jangan la bagi alasan mengarut macam nie!
narrowband said,
July 23, 2008 @ 11:46 am
Paul I like what The Star quoted you. Exactly the country’s sentiments and you’re the perfect channel.
___
haha…the Star should have used your photo of the car with
“UBAH GAYA HIDUP” number plate. i particularly like the one on the E200k.
You don’t mind they borrow your pic do you?
I want style. I want luxury. I want Mercedes. I want $$$. I want….
I don’t want to hear what rakyat say. I don’t want to know how rakysat suffers. I don’t want to know how poor is the poorest.
watever it is dear MPs u gon get it..yall jus pull off sum ‘stunts’ when ppl r tryin to cut down expenses..yall gon get it..o..yall r so gona get it..
If a local car Perdana V6 repair cost can hit RM175,229.97 and RM132,357.76, what would be the figure for Mercedes? x2 or move one decimal point?
The Malaysia inflation rate is increasing. Why there are still some ppl spending like no body business….?
What about the fuel comsumption for Mercedes? Better than Perdana?
Haha.everyone here is half right… 1. yes merc seems to be very very much more expensive but thats bcos of the taxes.. if you are the malaysian govt..then realistically you are looking at much less difference in price between proton perdana and an e class merc.dont forget a streched proton also cost maybe 20 or 30% more than a normal perdana
2. after considering resale value, the total cost of ownership of merc may not be that expensive, provided you are able to pay upfront a huge lumpsum.. its more of a cashflow issue
3. the perdana engine is definitely not fuel efficient if compared to newer cars so nothing to argue about
4.proton auto gearbox has a history of problems, mainly becos it requires very much tender loving care and only uses a specific auto transmission oil which is different from the normal…many workshop guys curi makan and give you the normal garden variety,…and thats where your problem starts….im not surprised if it happens to those govt cars as well.. lol.. btw the problems with the proton gearbox are well documented and mitsubishi, chrysler and hyundai cars using the same gearbox also face the same problem,
5. the proton perdana is about 15 yrears old model, parts will soon become scarce and thus replacement parts may soon well be more expensive than merc parts…
So i would say that the Terengannu govt is quit right not to buy a Proton Perdana as replacement. lets face it. except govt purchasers nowadays.. no one buys Proton Perdana’s la… even if you buy a Kia Optima u r wayyy better off.. Kia Optima downside is it has got taxi image lol
mat said say.. don’t worry… we have all prove including receipt..
”
“who that poor fella that deal with this maintenance and vendor for maintaining the car in terengganu..
terengganu is the second poorest state in the country, despite d oil wealth. if this kind of mentality persists, d people’s welfare n state of affairs r not gonna change anytime soon. pity.
I was looking forward for the breakdown of the maintenance of perdana, see how ridiculous of that bills. And for second hand value, mercedes will have their values but will it be better then toyota camry or honda accord in term of selling off the vehicle? As far as I can see, selling a Camry or Accord definitely easier then Merc.
Or it will be much more easy to sell it back to the person who drive it? Since they demand for mercedes.
Let’s face the fact laa, it is just another typical stupid reason for the MB to inform us that “We need to drive Mercedes, then only can show our status”
CORRUPT…
SWINDLING PUBLIC FUND…
SOMEBODY IS FILLING UP HIS POCKET…
Why not buy Chansellor instead? That is cheaper, and I think is bigger compared to Perdana Executive. I have ridden in the executive model, front and back, and the only difference I see is that the front seats cannot be push far back and the back end has a huge space for your feat. Really meant for 2 people at the back. Well there are some nicer trims, but really its a waste of money.
Hmm…Normally BanyakMasukWorkshop would have lots of good things to say about Proton cars…Cat caught his tongue perhaps? Or should I say Gov xD
Yeah, how can you spend even RM50K on repairs on a Perdana V6? It probably has missile launchers, or maybe a badminton court inside.
Or maybe everyday change electric window motor? :S I’m baffled as Saiful Bukhairy…. -.-”
I wanna save long term maintenance cost. so I’m gonna sell my kapchai to buy a Merc…….
Can ar??
why not use proton juara….remeber dato2 n exco2 , remember juara?
why not Toyota Camry? Honda Accord? which I guest is more cheaper to maintain…….the 2nd value is better also..
let see how the Tengganu exco get fxck by the public.
still wanna shiok sendiri.
next election, u lagi shiok… my friend.
Why not Nautica?