The recent re-opening of the Jabatan Pengangkutan Jalanraya (JPJ) Malaysia offices nationwide after lockdown saw a surge in activity from used car dealers, new car dealers and also gray/reconditioned car importers who were trying very hard to clear the pre-lockdown car sales before some of these buyers decide not to take up their newly purchased cars or before their loans get re-examined by the financial institutions.
The online system was down for hours due to the surge in vehicle transfer transactions. Good news is it is back and ready to clear the backlog today but the service to transfer ownership (name transfer is still not running at the time of publishing).
Many car buyers who sent in their financial documents for a car loan before lockdown were not ready for a pay cut and even worse a job loss. After the lockdown these car dealers rushed to submit their customer documents so as to quickly deliver the cars before Hari Raya or before the buyer changes their mind.
New finance requirements
But it was some of the financial institutions who requested for document re-submission by car buyers to confirm their latest salary slip (no reduction if salary and still fully employed).
This is when used car dealers and their runners make the most amount of money as car sellers think it is a lot of trouble going to Puspakom to get the car inspected and then the long wait at JPJ to get the car transferred.
Runner fees
They are persuaded into using the used car dealer’s runner to do all this running around for a fee (anywhere between RM450.00 to as high as RM900.00) and at this economic time it is better for sellers to save money and do it yourself as it takes at the most a day to do and the savings are big enough to buy groceries for a week for the average family.
Still, you need to buy a used car and the used car dealers make it easy with financing and insurance and ‘runners’ to do the road transport (JPJ) and Puspakom documents.
DIY is possible
Let me inform you that you can easily do all this yourself. The JPJ has made it very easy and fast to do the transfer yourself. Just start early in the morning and by lunchtime latest your Puspakom inspection (which is the first thing you do and is very fast when you get to the center early) and road transport (JPJ) transfer will be done. I have done it myself and so can you. No runner fees and you get the documents done by yourself.
Now the Malaysian automotive business does not look good for the near future and it is going to be tough for new players to stay in business in the next few months to a year. Meanwhile the established car dealers (new, used and grey import) who have already paid up the showroom setup costs and have ample floor stocking facilities from the banks might be able to ‘weather’ this coming economic storm.
