Liability for defects (complaints)
This document says what to do when a vehicle bought from us has a defect — where you assert it, what you get from us and within what period. It is written for a consumer, that is, for a person buying a car for themselves. For a business purchase the rules of the Commercial Code and the wording of the purchase contract apply.
Who is liable and where you assert the defect
The seller is liable for defects of the vehicle: SIMA Car s.r.o., Dvojrad 348/28, 930 25 Vrakúň, IČO 50 812 327, DIČ 2120511998, IČ DPH SK2120511998, Obchodný register Okresného súdu Trnava, oddiel Sro, vložka č. 39960/T.
You assert the defect in person at Dvojrad 348/28, 930 25 Vrakúň, by phone on +421 908 84 08 95 or +421 919 49 19 59 or by e-mail at simacar@simacar.sk. One of these routes is enough — you do not have to use all of them.
If the vehicle needs to be brought in for a complaint, bring it to the registered address: Dvojrad 348/28, 930 25 Vrakúň. Complaints are handled directly by SIMA Car s.r.o.
Within what period
The seller is liable for defects the vehicle had on handover and which appear within the statutory period. For a used vehicle, the seller and the buyer may agree a shorter period, but not shorter than twelve months. If such a period is agreed, it is written in the purchase contract — what you signed is always what counts.
For a used vehicle sold to a consumer we are liable for defects for 24 months from handover, unless the purchase contract sets a shorter period — which may not be shorter than 12 months (§ 619 of the Slovak Civil Code). When buying as a business (with a company ID) the period is governed by the purchase contract.
The defect should be reported without undue delay after you discover it. The sooner we learn about it, the better it can be established whether the vehicle had the defect already on handover.
What is not a defect
A used vehicle is not a new one. Wear corresponding to the age of the vehicle and the number of kilometres driven is not a defect — and neither is a condition we pointed out to you at the purchase or for which we gave you a discount.
Nor is damage that arose only after the vehicle was handed over — for example through an accident, neglected maintenance or an unprofessional intervention.
We do not issue a separate list of known defects with the vehicles. What counts is the condition of the vehicle that you see in person when buying, and the details in the purchase contract.
How it proceeds
- You contact us and describe what is wrong with the vehicle. Photographs or a service record help.
- We accept the complaint and give you a written confirmation of it — when you asserted it and what you are complaining about.
- We assess the defect; if needed, we inspect the vehicle or request an expert opinion.
- We inform you of the outcome and remove the defect within thirty days from the day you pointed it out. A longer period is possible only where it is justified by an obstacle beyond our influence — for example the delivery of a spare part; in that case we tell you why and by when.
If the defect is removable, you have the right to have us remove it free of charge and in time. If it is not removable, or the same defect recurs, we resolve it under the Civil Code — including a discount from the price or withdrawal from the contract.
If we do not reach an agreement
Supervision over compliance with consumer rights is exercised by the Inšpektorát Slovenskej obchodnej inšpekcie pre Trnavský kraj (Slovak Trade Inspection Authority, inspectorate for the Trnava Region), Pekárska 23, 917 01 Trnava 1, tel. 033/321 25 27.
The dispute can also be resolved out of court under Act No 391/2015 Coll. on alternative resolution of consumer disputes. You file the proposal with an entity from the list kept by the ministry, for example: Slovenská obchodná inšpekcia, ústredný inšpektorát, Odbor pre medzinárodné vzťahy a alternatívne riešenie spotrebiteľských sporov (Slovak Trade Inspection Authority, central inspectorate, Department for International Relations and Alternative Consumer Dispute Resolution), Bajkalská 21/A, p. p. 29, 827 99 Bratislava 27, e-mail ars@soi.sk or adr@soi.sk. Filing the proposal is free of charge for you, or subject to a symbolic fee under the rules of that entity.
The European online dispute resolution platform (ODR) ceased operating on 20 July 2025, which is why we do not link to it — the link would lead to a dead page. The list of alternative dispute resolution entities across the European Union is kept by the European Commission at consumer-redress.ec.europa.eu/dispute-resolution-bodies.
None of this takes the court route away from you. Out-of-court resolution is an option, not a condition.
Why this document is not called a complaints procedure
Act No 108/2024 Coll. on consumer protection, in force since 1 July 2024, abolished the general obligation to have a complaints procedure — today only selected entities, such still have it. The obligation to inform you how and where to assert a defect has remained, however, and that is exactly what this document does. Liability for defects itself is governed by the Civil Code.
The title of the document therefore says what the document really is. We keep using the word “complaint” in its everyday sense — the way everyone understands it.
What this document does not change
This document does not limit or replace your statutory rights. Should any of its sentences conflict with the law, the law prevails.
Wording as at 9 October 2026.