Puspakom inspections do not include verifying car parts

PETALING JAYA: Puspakom inspections do not include verifying whether a vehicle’s used car parts are original or imitation products.

Its communications department said the inspections were to ensure that owners’ vehicles complied with the standards set by the Road Transport Department (JPJ).

However, it said, the inspections were conducted without having to dismantle vehicle component parts to verify their originality.

“Puspakom’s role is to check the condition of the vehicles; to ensure they are roadworthy and have complied with the regulations set by the JPJ,” it said in a statement to The Star.

According to its website, Puspakom’s services include “insurance inspection” for the providers who request for it.

It states that vehicles will be inspected after repairs have been carried out to ascertain if they were done properly and if the cars are safe to be driven.

“This inspection looks for evidence of cut-and-join repair work in particular,” stated the website.

“Once the vehicles have passed the inspection, the motor insurance company can process the renewal of the third party insurance.”

The Star reported on Friday that there were motor workshops that installed imitation car parts and passed them off to unsuspecting customers as original parts.

The affected customers are owners whose vehicles are over five years old.

A total 1,984,140 out of the 9,721,447 cars on the road fall under this category.

In the event these cars meet with accidents, insurance companies stipulate that original used parts, which are about the same age as the vehicle, should be used.

Owners can opt to fix new parts if they agree to pay a “betterment” charge, usually between 5% and 40% of the price of the replacements.

Car owners would have to pay the difference between the insurance payments and workshop charges.