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Malaysia moves to regulate sale of junked cars welded together, painted over

KUALA LUMPUR: Malaysia will require all vehicles to undergo inspection before being resold, in a bid to end a flourishing scam where the usable halves of two junked cars are welded together and painted over.

Transport Minister Chan Kong Choy said the Government was concerned about the high number of vehicles that consist of welded "half-cuts," coming from bad accidents or from abroad. The Cabinet has approved a bylaw to require inspection before ownership can be transferred to protect used-car buyers from purchasing such "kereta potong" or "half cars," which are structurally weak and unsafe to drive.

The inspection will be done by Puspakom, a private company that specialises in keeping records of used cars.

The practice of joining two halves started a few years ago when insurance companies ordered totalled cars fixed to save money, a report said.

AP

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