Singapore’s COVID-19 shutdown means showrooms will be closed until May 4, but you can still get your car towed, repaired

SINGAPORE

UPDATE April 8, 2020 – MTA has clarified that only emergency repairs are allowed, no regular servicing or grooming.

With ‘circuit breaker’ shutdown measures taking place from today onwards, carbuyers/owners here may be wondering whether they can even repair their cars, if they need service, or if you can even buy one right now.

The answer is that all car showrooms will be closed until May 4, the provisional date the lockdown ends, as they are quite clearly non-essential businesses.

However if your car breaks down or needs servicing, some authorised distributors’ (ADs) service centres will remain in operation, while all recovery services (towing) are still available, as are third-party accident reporting services.

However it seems that service centres are open only for urgent/emergency cases, and on an appointment basis only, so we don’t recommend showing up in person unless you book or call-in beforehand.

Update: The Motor Traders’ Association has communicated to all dealers that under the lockdown rules, only emergency repairs are allowed. That means you can still get your car fixed if you’ve been in an accident, but no grooming, regular service, or other non-essential services (window film, etc) are allowed.

Honda Singapore says in its Facebook update: “In view of the new directives from the authorities, our showrooms at 370 Ubi Road 3 and 255 Alexandra Road will be closed from 7th April to 4th May 2020.

Our workshops will continue to operate as usual during this period. For servicing, you may book an appointment via our website e-Service portal.”

Hyundai Singapore says: “The Hyundai service centre (Alexandra) remains open for emergency vehicle recovery and repairs only. Standard servicing and grooming are unavailable. Two other Hyundai Service Centres (Kembangan and Thomson) are temporarily closed.”

Meanwhile, Volvo Singapore says in its Facebook update: “In line with the recent Covid-19 circuit breaker advisory, we will be closing the Volvo Showroom from 7 Apr – 4 May. The Volvo Service Centre will operate daily from 8.30am – 6pm, for emergency repair services only.

What if you have already decided on a car and want to buy one now? Dealers are still taking orders – you can just call up their hotlines and make a booking. It’s just that you won’t get the car delivered until after May 4 since COE bidding for April has been suspended.

In the meantime, Toyota has rolled out an online ‘Contactless Purchase’ scheme, while Hyundai has Click&Drive an online purchasing portal for its cars.