Authorities probe Mercedes-Benz brouhaha

The market regulatory authority in Xi'an, Shaanxi province, has urged a local Mercedes-Benz dealer to give a customer a refund after she claimed the new car's engine was defective on the day she bought it.

The woman, who had signed a contract with the dealer Xi'an Lizhixing Co on Feb 25 to buy an imported Mercedes-Benz CLS300 vehicle through installment payments, claimed the engine developed problems after she picked up the car on March 27, according to a statement released by the Xi'an Internet Information Office on Sunday.

The woman, who was not named, then asked the company for either a refund or exchange for another car but failed.