Talk:Zhongxing

This is the history of the worst car I ever had in the last 30 years: Komodo VLX 4x4 is the commercial name of Chinese ZxAuto (Zhongxing) "Landmark" in Egypt The following is an objective account of the problems I faced since I purchased the Komodo VLX 4x4 car in Egypt from Automotive Gate Egypt: 1- The following day to purchasing the car, I discovered a water leakage from the motor engine as a result of a water leakage from a water elbow. 2- The electric motor starter broke down after five day of purchasing the car. I went to the service centre in Abou Rawash and they couldn't figure out how to fix it. I was referred the next day after leaving the car for a whole day at the service centre to the AAV factory where they assemble the Komodo cars. It was finally fixed after 6 days. 3- I informed them of other problems in the car when the electrical motor starter broke down. Some of them were fixed in the service centre and in the factory while others still disturb me till this day. For example: 3-1- The rear brake lamp does not switch off after releasing the brake pedal. 3-2- The check engine lamp switches on at 80 km/hr speed. 3-3- The fuel tank meter does not work properly and gives wrong readings. 3-4- The automatic transmission handle is sometimes stuck at the "P" position and won't move from this position. 3-5- Water leakage from an elbow in the engine. 3-6- The radio cassette does not store the setup after the car is powered off because the backup cable is not connected to the battery. 3-7- The safety seat belts are not correctly installed. 3-8- There is a knocking sound in the motor when the fuel pedal is released and when the brake pedal is pressed. 3-9- The thermometer gauge for in and out temperature gives faulty readings all the time. 3-10- The window glass lift unit does not work properly when the car is locked using the remote control key and most of the time more than one window remains open. 3-11- The window glass sometimes steps out of its track and becomes stuck in the middle. 3-12- In the front right area of the inner car, excessive heat, which is emitted from the exhaust pipe underneath the car body, is felt. 4- I went to the service station for the 1000 km service and told them again about the malfunctions which still persisted in the car like the window lift unit. After I received the car, I found out that the problems were not fixed. Besides, I found out that they reversed the function of the rear left window button as it went up instead of going down and vice versa. Moreover, the rear left door handle was broken. 5- After a few days, a leakage was found again from the same elbow in the engine I told them about before. 6- I went again to the service station because I realized that the automatic gear box did not engage the fourth gear and the car was running only on the first three gears. The RPM meter read 4000 r.p.m. or more when the car reached 100 km/hr speed while the 3rd gear was still engaged. They did replace the control block with another one, but after I left the service station, on my way home, I found that the new control block engaged the 4th gear; however, it caused the car to shake at 80 km/hr speed. Next day I went again to the service station and they replaced the control unit with another one again but the new one also did not work properly. The RPM meter went crazy when the car reached 120 km/hr specially when the road was uphill and the same happened at speed 100km/hr when the road was sharp uphill. In both cases, the RPM meter oscillated rapidly between 3000 and 4500 RPM several times. 7- I went to the service station for the 5000 km service and asked them to fix the fault in the left rear window button and told them that the hand brake did not work properly. I asked them to repair the electric windows and the lifting unit. During this visit to the station, they told me that the rear right brake was not functioning at all and they changed the whole part with a new one. I took the car home after they finished the maintenance and while locking the car using the remote control key, I discovered that the rear left window glass goes down not up. (Does the lifting unit work nowadays as a lowering unit??!!!) 8- I went again to the service station to fix the lifting unit. 9- After 3 days from my last visit to the station, the car's heat meter pointer reached the red zone and a beep sound was heard. I stopped the car and found that the cooling fan was not working at all. I went to a car electrician and he used an external electrical wire to connect the cooling fan directly to the battery until I go again to the service station. I phoned the company manager Mr. Mohamed Ibrahim and told him about all these problems and he told me to go to the service station again and told me that because I am a KOMODO customer, I will take the car in the very best condition. I told them in the service station again about all the problems. They fixed the cooling fan and changed the right front glass; however, this window does not work properly until now. 10- I sent the car to the station two more times to fix the problems and malfunctions without any progress. After all these visits to the service station (about 14 times in 7 months and driving the car 7000 Km, 1400 km of which were driving to and from the service station), I still have the following problems: a. The front electrical windows do not work properly. b. A high sound is heard from the back area, but I don't know whether it is from the leaf springs or from the back door. c. The air conditioner shuts down frequently while driving the car. d. There is a knocking sound in the motor when the fuel pedal is released and when the brake pedal is pressed. e. Excessive heat is still felt at the front right area above the exhaust pipe. f. The inner and outer temperature gauge reads faulty readings. g. The fuel consumption is very high. h. The RPM meter and the control block still do not work properly.

Finally, I contacted Mr. Mohamed Ibrahim personally and met him in his office. I asked him to return the car back to the company but he refused. I asked him to give me the e-mail addresses of Mr. khaled Jafali or Mr. Majed or Nasser Wattar " the company owners in Egypt" but he refused and said they have nothing to do with the company management!!! and they are financers only!!

I finally realized that I must resell the car. I sold it and lost about 5000 US$ in reselling it. The CKD in Egypt is closed since April 2009 due to the huge no. of malfunctions in this car.

Professor Dr. Eng. Khaled Elkholy Ain Shams University Faculty of Engineering EX-Owner of Komodo VLX 4x4 Chassis no. 106 Motor no. 782000106