Market regulator probes Mercedes-Benz for oil leak scandal

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The market regulator in northwest China's Xi'an city has launched an investigation into a local Mercedes-Benz 4S dealership after a video clip of a buyer complaining about her newly bought car's oil leak problems went viral on Weibo.

In the video, the 30-year-old woman customer is sitting on top of a new Mercedes-Benz sedan, weeping and complaining that the new car she had just bought started leaking oil even before she drove it out of the dealership.

However, the salesperson only offered to change the engine for her after arguments back and forth that lasted for half a month.

The Mercedes-Benz CLS sedan she had bought cost around 660,000 yuan (98,213 U.S. dollars).

The city's market regulator has ordered the dealership to refund the customer as soon as possible, and is still investigating whether the vehicle, which is now sealed for examination, had quality problems before it was sold, according to local media.

The customer has also met with officials from the market watchdog, raising several demands including obtaining a full maintenance history of the car, an independent test by a third-party, and an official apology from Mercedes-Benz.

Mercedes-Benz (Beijing) Sales Co., Ltd. on Saturday apologized for the customer's "unpleasant experience," saying a special work group is heading to Xi'an to conduct a thorough investigation, and will work out a solution with the customer as soon as possible.

(Cover image: A Mercedes-Benz CLS sedan displayed on Mercedes-Benz China's website.)