AMW strives for a fraud-free market for pre-owned vehicles

Sri Lanka’s pioneer in automotive sales and services, Associated Motorways Ltd. recently announced that the AMW Certified Vehicles initiative for pre-owned vehicles has taken the lead since its launch in April 2020 coinciding with the recent ban of motor vehicle imports. AMW Certified has been the established market leader in the pre-owned vehicle market with over 10,000 customers island-wide.

The company claimed that its entry into the unregulated pre-owned vehicle market which was dominated by brokers has propelled certain positive changes such as greater transparency with customers naturally gravitating towards established players such as AMW for a premium quality product with an assurance of safety.

AMW Certified facilitates a swift and streamlined experience for buying and selling of pre-owned vehicles of all brands in addition to its core brands, Nissan, Suzuki, Datsun and Renault, with which the company has years of experience and expertise with. 

AMW can purchase a customer’s vehicle immediately with a payment guarantee within just four hours. All vehicles are backed by an AMW Technical Certification, a warranty of one to three years and mileage up to 100,000 kilometers – another first for preowned vehicles in Sri Lanka.

Commenting on the initiative, Associated Motorways General Manager – Suzuki, Automall & Certified Vehicles Virann De Zoysa opined: “We have identified a niche and delivered a groundbreaking product to satisfy the customers’ appetite in these trying times. After we ventured into dealing with pre-owned vehicles it is encouraging to note that many other agents/distributors have also entered this segment to provide superior value for customers in the pre-owned vehicle arena. This ultimately benefits all potential buyers and sellers because organisations such as AMW are particular about transparency, quality and trust which are components gravely lacking in the unregulated pre-owned car market. Vehicles carrying AMW Certification are cleared from unscrupulous mileage meddling and other fraudulent activities embedded in the pre-owned market due to lack of a regulatory framework.”

According to De Zoysa, in keeping with AMW’s commitment to countering fraudulence in the pre-owned vehicle market, the Consumer Affairs Authority will be immediately alerted about incidents of mileage tampering and other unscrupulous activities detected during the inspection and quality certification of pre-owned vehicles. 

De Zoysa noted that the automobile industry had shown commendable agility and resilience through back-to-back calamities such as the Easter attack of April 2019 followed by the global pandemic compelling economies to slow down: “A challenge facing the industry at present, more so than the import ban itself, is the barrage of misinformation sellers and buyers have to navigate; rumors give buyers false hope and furthers uncertainty in the market.”

Apart from odometer manipulation, Zoysa also warned prospective buyers of other fraudulent activities pertaining to the pre-owned vehicles market such as selling stolen, rented vehicles after processing forged documents. In order to navigate such issues and save money and time, he advised customers to always seek the services of a reputed and authorised agent, as such are subjected to monitoring and regulation by relevant authorities for quality of services rendered. 

Further information about the AMW Certified service could be obtained from the wide network of dealers situated throughout Sri Lanka. The service offers a host of benefits to buyers and sellers alike, including lower processing time, assurance of quality and aftercare. Authorised agents such as AMW are equipped with best-in-class after sales services carried out by well-trained technicians who follow the manufacturers’ guidelines and use authentic spare parts for repairs.