Lawsuit against Automax – Claiming defects in a new and very expensive vehicle

Why was a lawsuit filed against Automax?

In this case, a lawsuit against Automax was filed after the company's client contacted our office after purchasing an electric Chevrolet Silverado vehicle for almost 400,000 shekels, and after a few days discovered defects in the vehicle.

The customer contacted the company, which denied any knowledge of defects in the vehicle. The customer inspected the vehicle at a vehicle inspection institute and then contacted a car appraiser, who located defects in the vehicle and determined a decrease in value of tens of percent.

Appraiser's opinion It was transferred to the company and it was even given the opportunity to inspect the vehicle with an expert on its behalf. Despite this, a warning letter sent to the company was not responded to and the company did not agree. Cancel the new car deal And return the customer's money.

In this case, the customer has no choice but to submit Claim against Automax in order to obtain relief in the form of cancellation of the transaction and financial compensation from the company. You can find additional examples of the wording on the website. A lawsuit against a car importer.

Lawsuit against Automax

Regarding:

The plaintiff: שם הלקוח, ת"ז: ________
________ Street, _______ City 
Tel: _________ 
ע"י עוה"ד אדי בליטשטיין (מ.ר. 60023)
13 HaHagana St., Rishon LeZion (Yaron Miller Tower, Office 501) 
Tel: 03-6427876; Fax: 077-4704697

N G D

Defendant: גלובל אוטו מקס בע"מ, ח.פ. 515052991
15 Harakavim Street, Jerusalem 9346213 

Claim

Essence of the claim:  Property damage – vehicle. 
Requested remedies: Canceling a transaction, alternatively, Replacing the vehicle with a new one. פיצוי/החזר כספי בסך 627,621 ש"ח.
amount Court fee: 15,690.53 ש"ח (7,845.27 ש"ח במועד זה לפי תקנה 6(א) ופרט 1 לתקנות בתי המשפט (אגרות), תשס"ז -2007).
The existence of an additional procedure: As far as the plaintiff is aware, there is no other proceeding relevant to the disputes between the parties detailed in this statement of claim.

Summons

Since the plaintiff has filed this lawsuit against you, you are invited to file Statement of defense within sixty days From the date this invitation was presented to you.

לתשומת לבכם, אם לא תגישו כתב הגנה אזי לפי תקנה 130 לתקנות סדר הדין האזרחי, התשע"ט-2018, תהיה לתובע הזכות לקבל A verdict not before you.

The emphasis in the statement of claim is not in the original unless otherwise noted.

A concise description of the litigants

1. The plaintiff is ______ who uses his vehicle for work.
2. The defendant is a company that deals In parallel import of vehicles from various manufacturers, and has several branches across the country, including in the city of Rishon LeZion.

The reliefs requested in brief

• The Honorable Court is hereby requested to grant the plaintiff the following reliefs:
• A declaratory order stating that the plaintiff lawfully canceled the transaction even before the lawsuit was filed and/or an order ordering the cancellation of the transaction, and ordering the defendant to return to the plaintiff the amount paid for the vehicle, in the amount of ______ NIS, plus interest and linkage from the date the lawsuit was filed until the date of actual payment.
• Alternatively, and for reasons of caution, insofar as the Honorable Court does not order the cancellation of the transaction, it is hereby requested to order the defendant to replace the vehicle subject to the lawsuit with a new vehicle of the same model.
• To order the defendant to compensate the plaintiff in the amount of NIS 50,000 for his non-pecuniary damages (mental distress, loss of enjoyment of a new vehicle, inconvenience and loss of time).
• In the event that the court does not order the cancellation of the transaction or the replacement of the vehicle with a new one, it is requested to order compensation in the amount of commercial depreciation in the amount of 10% of the value of the vehicle, in the amount of _____ NIS, as well as in respect of depreciation determined in the expert opinion in the amount of ______ NIS.
• To order the defendant to refund to the plaintiff the payment paid to his attorney in the amount of 47,200 NIS, and the amounts paid to the expert on behalf of the plaintiff and to the testing institute that inspected the vehicle (4500 NIS + 600 NIS).

Summary of the facts necessary to establish the cause of action and when it arose

• The plaintiff purchased from the defendant on ______ a luxury vehicle for his work, a Chevrolet Silverado electric model, for a total of _______ NIS. The vehicle was actually delivered to the plaintiff on ________.
• Four days after receiving the vehicle, the plaintiff noticed that parts of the vehicle's body were bent. The plaintiff began to suspect that the vehicle had been in an accident even before it was sold and delivered to the plaintiff.
• The plaintiff began contacting the defendant's representatives, who denied any defect in the vehicle.
• The plaintiff hired the services of Mr. ________, a car appraiser since ________, who examined the vehicle and discovered damage to the vehicle that amounted to a decrease in value of ____, some of which was considered safety damage. Among the damage was also significant rust damage, which is not at all typical of a new vehicle.
• The plaintiff met with the defendant's representative and gave him a copy of the opinion and demanded the cancellation of the transaction. The defendant refused to cancel the transaction.
• ביום ________ פנה ב"כ התובע לנתבעת בהתראה לפני הגשת תביעה ומתן הודעה נוספת לביטול עסקה.
• Following this letter, the defendant requested that she be allowed to inspect the vehicle by an expert on her behalf. The plaintiff agreed on the condition that the defendant forward the opinion to him. The vehicle was inspected by the expert on behalf of the defendant on _________, but to date a copy of the opinion has not been provided to the plaintiff, and the warning letter remains unanswered.
• בעקבות אותה בדיקה הנתבעת ביקשה מהתובע לגשת למוסך בנתניה כדי שינסה לבצע "כיוון פרונט" (בזמן נסיעה בקו ישר ההגה "מושך" לצד). התובע הגיע Twice To the garage in Netanya, but the problem was not fixed.
• Despite the lengthy negotiations with the defendant until the lawsuit was filed, the defendant did not agree to cancel the deal or replace the vehicle, and in addition to compensating the plaintiff.
• Hence the lawsuit.

The facts that give the court jurisdiction

1. The Honorable Court has the authority to hear the claim in light of its nature and the amount of the claim, and also because the defendant has a branch in the city of Rishon LeZion (according to the publication on its website), in accordance with Regulation 7(a) of the Civil Procedure Regulations.

Details of the allegations

1. The plaintiff purchased from the defendant on _______ a luxury vehicle for his work, a Chevrolet Silverado electric model, for a total of ________ NIS. The vehicle was actually delivered to the plaintiff on _______.

Appendix 1: Vehicle purchase agreement.

1. Four days after receiving the vehicle, the plaintiff noticed that parts of the vehicle's body were bent. The plaintiff began to suspect that the vehicle had been in an accident even before it was sold and delivered to the plaintiff.
2. יודגש כבר עתה כי התובע לא היה מסכים לרכוש את הרכב (שעלה כמעט 400 אלף שקלים), גם לא במחיר נמוך יותר, אילו נציגי הנתבעת היו מעדכנים אותו מראש שהוא יקבל רכב עם פגמים (ראו חובה הקבועה בסעיף 82 לחוק רישוי שירותים ומקצועות בענף הרכב והגדרת "תיאור" בחוק זה, המחייבים לגלות לרוכש על כל פגם ברכב). לא לשם כך נרכש רכב חדש ויוקרתי.
3. The plaintiff contacted the defendant's representative via WhatsApp and asked whether the vehicle was involved in an accident. On _______, the defendant sent the plaintiff a document stating that no bodywork or paint repairs had been performed on the vehicle in the importer's warehouses.

Appendix 2: The plaintiff's WhatsApp request and the document received from the defendant dated ________-.

1. On ________, the plaintiff inspected the vehicle at a vehicle inspection institute. As part of this inspection, it was found that there were indeed defects in various body parts of the vehicle.

Appendix 3: Vehicle inspection form and proof of payment for the inspection.

• On _____, the plaintiff made two different requests and requested additional information from the defendant regarding the vehicle, accidents, and where it was parked and/or stored prior to its delivery to the plaintiff.

Appendix 4: Plaintiff's requests to the defendant dated ______.

• No response was received to these inquiries.
• Towards the end of March, the plaintiff hired the services of Mr. ______, a car appraiser since ____, who examined the vehicle and discovered damage to the vehicle that amounted to a decrease in value of _____. Among the damages were also rust damage, which is not at all typical of a new vehicle, and is a hidden defect. In section E of the opinion on behalf of Mr. _____, a cumulative decrease in value was determined in the amount of _____ of the value of the vehicle (______ NIS).

Appendix 5: Copy of the opinion of the vehicle appraiser, Mr. _______.

• לאור פגמים אלה היה על הנתבעת לעדכן את התובע מראש ובכתב בהתאם להוראות תקנה 11 לתקנות רישוי שירותים ומקצועות בענף הרכב (ייבוא רכב ושיווקו, תיווך בייבוא אישי ואגרות), תשע"ז-2016 (וכך גם מכוח סעיף 6 לחוק המכר, וחובת תום הלב הקבועה בחוק החוזים), וכן מכוח סעיף 87 לחוק רישוי שירותים ומקצועות בענף הרכב, תשע"ו – 2016In light of what is stated in Regulation 11(b), the defendant also had to have the plaintiff sign that he was aware of the deficiencies. If the defendant had acted lawfully, the plaintiff would not have agreed to purchase and/or receive the vehicle for his possession in the first place. In fact, the situation we are in now is entirely the fault of the defendant, who did not comply with the provisions of the law. Under these circumstances, she must bear all damages, cancel the transaction, return the plaintiff's money, and compensate him for the damages he suffered.
• בסעיף 20 לחוות דעתו של מר ____ הוא התייחס גם לרתיעת רוכש העתידי מלרכוש את הרכב מהתובע, שכן התובע יאלץ לחשוף בפני הרוכש את מלוא הנזקים והפגמים שידועים לו. מר _____ אמנם לא התייחס לירידת ערך מסחרית במסגרת חוות דעתו, ולא כימת עניין זה באחוזים או כסף, אך הפסיקה הכירה בפסיקת פיצוי בגין ירידת ערך מסחרית על דרך האומדנה (ת"א 16120-11-11 אושרת שרה מכלוף נ' חברת יוניון מוטורס בע"מ (Published in Nevo, August 13, 2015)), and in the plaintiff's opinion, it is appropriate to award for this head of damage an amount that will not be less than 10% of the value of the vehicle.
• יודגש, בחוות דעתו של מר _____ מוזכר חוזר שנשלח מטעם משרד התחבורה ליבואני הרכב עוד בשנת 2007 (נספח י"ד לחוות הדעת). מכיוון שהחוזר במסגרת חוות דעתו של מר ____ מעט מטושטש מצורף נוסח ברור יותר.

Appendix 6: Circular from the Ministry of Transportation sent to vehicle importers back in 2007.

• Section 4.3 of this circular also stipulates a reporting obligation for the customer. In writing, and the customer is required to confirm receipt of the report with his signature.
• Section 5.1a of this circular explicitly states that if a vehicle has suffered a decrease in value of 3.5% or more, the importer of the vehicle Obliged to cancel the transaction (As a reminder, Mr. _____ determined a depreciation of ____%).
• Section 6 of this circular states that the importer must compensate the customer for any decrease in value caused to the vehicle.
• The plaintiff continued to negotiate with the defendant's representatives but to no avail. Finally, on _____ the plaintiff arrived at a meeting with the defendant's representative named _____. During this meeting, the plaintiff handed ______ a copy of the opinion and demanded the cancellation of the transaction. This opinion was also handed to another representative of the defendant named ____ on ______.

Appendix 7: Screenshot from WhatsApp conversation with ______.

• In response, _____ immediately ended the meeting and, literally, dismissed the plaintiff.
• Under these circumstances, the plaintiff was forced to hire the services of his attorney, to whom he paid a total of NIS 47,200 to represent him in this proceeding. The plaintiff believes that under the circumstances of the case, he is entitled to a full refund of the fee, which should be imposed on the defendant. If the defendant had agreed to cancel the transaction, as it was required to do under the circumstances, the payment to the plaintiff's attorney would have been unnecessary.
• On _____, the plaintiff's attorney sent a notice before taking legal action and once again announced the cancellation of the transaction.

Appendix 8: Warning letter dated _____.

• בעקבות מכתב התראה זה הנתבעת ביקשה מהתובע לאפשר לה לבדוק את רכבו. התובע הסכים בתנאי שהעתק מתוצאת הבדיקה והעתק מחוות דעת המומחה מטעם הנתבעת יומצאו לעיונו. עד למועד הגשת כתב התביעה שום מסמך לא הומצא לתובע, למרות שהרכב נבדק במכון שנבחר על ידי הנתבעת _____ בתאריך ______ (ולמרות שב"כ התובע שלח לב"כ הנתבעת אינספור תזכורת בעניין זה).

Appendix 9: פניות ב"כ התובע לב"כ הנתבעת בעניין העברת חוות הדעת מטעם הנתבעת.

• During the inspection, defects in the vehicle were found and verified.
• הנתבעת ביקשה מהתובע להגיע לכיוון פרונט (גלגלים קדמיים בלבד) במוסך בנתניה מכיוון שהרכב "מושך" לצד במהלך נסיעה. ב"כ התובע ציין בפני ב"כ הנתבע כי במהלך הבדיקה הבוחן מטעם הנתבעת איתר פגם חמור גם באחד הגלגלים האחוריים, אך בעניין זה הנתבעת לא עשתה דבר. התובע הסכים להגיע למוסך בנתניה מבלי שהדבר יהווה ויתור על דרישתו לביטול עסקה.
• התובע הגיע פעמיים בתאריכים ______, ________. למרות שני הביקורים הבעיה לא נפתרה והרכב עדיין "מושך" לצד. התובע תהה מדוע הנתבעת בחרה להפנות אותו דווקא לאותו מוסך בנתניה וזאת מכיוון שבמוסך תלוי שלט גדול בו נכתב בצורה גלויה, ברורה ומפורשת: "לקוח יקר! במוסך זה לא פותרים בעיות של משיכה."

Appendix 10: השלט שתלוי במוסך בנתניה בעניין בעיות "משיכה" והודעת וואטסאפ למכונאי שטיפל ברכבו של התובע בנתניה בעניין המשך קיומה של התקלה.

• It should be emphasized that the defendant's requests to visit various testing centers and/or garages took up a lot of the plaintiff's time.Each time the plaintiff is forced to come and spend several hours at the expense of his work. To this must be added the vehicle's inspections at an inspection center on his behalf and by an expert on behalf of the plaintiff, as well as endless correspondence and attendance at a meeting (from which the plaintiff was eventually dismissed) with the defendant's representative. All of this adds up to entire workdays wasted, and only because the defendant provided the plaintiff with a new, damaged vehicle, despite charging him almost NIS 400,000. This conduct of the defendant must be taken into account when awarding damages to her, since, instead of trying to reduce the plaintiff's damage, she increased it.
• The defendant's conduct caused the plaintiff disappointment andMental anguish רבה. התובע רכש רכב יוקרתי חדש כדי שזה ישמש אותו לעבודתו, אך קיבל רכב פגום שבמהלך הנסיעה "מושך" לצד, בעל פגמי חלודה רבים, וחלקי מרכב רכב עקומים. לא לשם כך נרכש רכב חדש ויוקרתי וברור בנסיבות העניין מדוע נגרם לתובע אובדן הנאה מרכבו החדש והפגום. בנסיבות אלה התובע סבור כי הוא זכאי לפיצוי כספי בסך 50 אלף שקלים בגין נזקיו הלא ממוניים ובגין הטרטורים הרבים שהוא עבר לצורך בדיקת הרכב (לרבות לבקשת הנתבעת, כפי שתואר לעיל).
• The ruling recognized compensation of 50,000 shekels for defects in a new vehicle.
• לדוגמה ת"א 2449/07 שלמה אנג'ל נ' צ'מפיון מוטורס (ישראל) בע"מ (Published in Nevo, June 9, 2011):

"One of the goals of purchasing a new vehicle is to avoid frequent garage services, except as required by the manufacturer's instructions. This is a reasonable and legitimate expectation of a vehicle purchaser and deserves legal protection. (See also Cell (Y-M) 9670/00) מילר נ' יוניון מוטורוס בע"מ, [פורסם בנבו] כב' הש' ד"ר אגמון-גונן מיום 10/11/05).

…

A person who purchases a new vehicle does so, among other things, in order to drive safely without needing frequent visits to the garage for repairs, certainly in the first year of the vehicle's life.

…

...The plaintiff was indeed caused significant emotional distress and I set the compensation for emotional distress at a total of NIS 50,000 as of the date the claim was filed."

• דוגמה נוספת: ת"א 9670/00 יהודה יואל מילר נ' יוניון מוטורס בע"מ (Published in Nevo, 10.11.2005):

" בית המשפט רשאי לקבוע לתובע פיצויים בגין עוגמת נפש, אשר יקבעו בשיעור הנראה סביר בנסיבות העניין. Among other things, the ruling emphasized the importance of the loss of pleasure and disappointment caused to the plaintiff, and for these, the court may also compensate the plaintiff as mental anguish. (ע"א 82/85 כהן נ' כורי פ"ד מא(2), 778; ע"א 430/79 בנישתי נ' ששון פ"ד לה (2), 400).
…
If Union Motors had taken responsibility for a new vehicle in which new serious faults were discovered frequently, and had replaced the vehicle for the plaintiff at the time, the whole matter would have been avoided.
…
In light of the above, I determine the amount of compensation for emotional distress, for which the defendant is liable to the plaintiff, at NIS 50,000. 

42. Examples of additional court rulings in which tens of thousands of shekels were awarded for Mental anguish and/or loss of pleasure and/or annoyance and/or loss of time: ת"א 20011-04-11 אפרת שהם דליות נ' צ'מפיון מוטורס בע"מ (פורסם בנבו, 25.10.2012); ת"א 3158/06 בסטוני חסאן נ' צ'מפיון מוטורס ישראל בע"מ (פורסם בנבו, 8.2.2010); ת"א 50525-11-12 חנה שנהב נ' צ'מפיון מוטורס בע"מ (פורסם בנבו, 11.5.2015); ת"א 10081/00 אברהמי עליזה נ' מכשירי תנועה בע"מ (Published in Nevo, May 19, 2002); ת"א 10514/04 קורפין השקעות בע"מ נ' דוד לובינסקי בע"מ (Published in Nevo, September 4, 2005); ת"א 59005/00 צהלה חסון נ' חברת המזרח לשיווק מכוניות (1994) בע"מ (פורסם בנבו, 11.12.2001); תא"מ 11127-08-18 אייל קראוס נ' צ'מפיון מוטורס בע"מ (Published in Nevo, 7.5.2019).

In conclusion

• In light of all of the above, the Honorable Court is hereby requested to summon the defendant to a hearing before it and to rule as follows:
• the remedies detailed in this statement of claim.
• לחייב את הנתבעת בתשלום הוצאות משפט ושכר טרחת עו"ד בתוספת מע"מ.
• To grant any other relief that the Honorable Court deems appropriate in the circumstances of the case.

_______________
עו"ד אדי בליטשטיין
ב"כ התובע