Car dealer claims 8 of his vehicles were damaged on purpose, says ‘sometimes they even look like signatures’

SINGAPORE: A car dealer has complained that eight cars, including luxury models such as Porsche and Mercedes-Benz, parked in an HDB block have been vandalised over the past two years, leaving multiple scratches. 

The 65-year-old dealer reported to Shin Min Daily News that he sometimes parks the vehicles in the open-air parking lot of his HDB block on Tampines Street. At the end of 2023, he began noticing unexplained scratches on his vehicles, but initially paid them little attention. However, he later realised that something was wrong when these problems persisted. 

According to him, the scratches don’t look like ordinary scrapes; it was as if somebody intentionally scratched the car with a sharp object, damaging the paint surface and leaving long white marks. 

“Sometimes, they even look like ‘signatures’,” he said.

The man shared that in the course of two years, eight of his vehicles have been vandalised. In his police report, he said the hood of one of his cars was recently scratched on Nov 1, and he handed over the dashcam footage to the authorities to help with the investigation. 

“I just bought this car a few months ago, and the body is almost brand new,” he said. 

 Initial observation revealed three or four marks visible on the hood, with two scratches approximately 40 centimetres long evident in the middle. The man shared that these cars are intended for sale, and he has to pay out of his own pocket to have them repainted. 

He revealed that the accumulated total cost of repainting the damaged cars was almost S$30,000, with the roof and side panels of one of the Mercedes-Benz costing more than S$2,000. 

The authorities confirmed that they have received this case. 

In Singapore, anyone who commits, attempts to commit, or abets an act of vandalism can be fined up to S$2,000, jailed for up to three years, and given three to eight strokes of the cane. A first offence may result in a fine and imprisonment while caning is reserved for repeat offences or more severe vandalism cases.