By Lesedi Sibiya-Diplomatic Insider
A very rare occurrence of a vehicle that defied all possible means of prosperity, in a time where it has become increasingly difficult to preserve the quality of a motor vehicle, this particular Mercedes Benz C200 W202 has stood the test of time, with a remarkable feat of reaching a mileage of 1 million.
The vehicle, which was first serviced in the year 1999, has been driven with courtesy, precision, and care by one Marc Pauwels.
However, it wasn’t until 2006 when Marc Pauwels had decided to take his car in to be serviced by the resilient and trustworthy Sportline Auto, who specifically specialize in Mercedes Benz vehicles, had worked tirelessly for the better part of 19 years in service to Marc Pauwels’ precious vehicle.
Diplomatic Insider had the pleasure of catching up with the man who led the team that was able to give the car the best service they could, Mohammed Aadil Mia, who is the proprietor of Sportline Auto. Mia started his business in the year 2000, which at the time began with one lift and himself along with his partner in business.
“I started my little business in 2000 and from there, we started a small company with one lift, myself and my partner and that’s how we started,” said Aadil Mia as he began to recall the humble beginnings of his establishment.
“We booked the car in, we serviced the car, we ordered the parts, we finished the job, we test drove the car, we washed the car and handed it back to the customer,” he continued to recall.
Aadil Mia expressed the difficulty with his business getting off the ground at first due to adolescence of his business at the time, but as time moved on, he was able to accumulate and garner the trust of the customers that took a chance on Mia and his business.
“We have 12 technicians, and we have a guy washing the car, you’ve got the guy in the reception, and then Pauwels, the first time he brought his car in question with over 1 million kilometres. The first time he brought it was in 2006…he had 160,000 kilometers on the clock and from that day onwards we serviced the vehicle. Marc Pauwels was religiously bringing the car for service,” said Mia.
When asked how the car had managed to stay in shape for so many years in order to achieve such a remarkable feat, Mia mentioned that the trick is to work on the car without any hidden agendas and to uphold integrity in terms of servicing the vehicle, and even credited Mr Marc Pauwels as he mentioned that the way the car is driven is also just as important.
“He never cut any corners, whatever needed to be done to the car he did it properly with our help and guidance and I guess that’s how he actually reached the 1 million kilometers. I mean it’s not only my efforts, it also my staff’s efforts, my technicians from the beginning, from the cleaner, to the wash bay, to the driver, to all the current technicians, to the guy in admin, all of them played an important role, and we also can’t forget the brand Mercedes Benz, you can see it’s either the best or nothing,” said Mia has he gave acknowledgment to everyone who was involved in achieving this feat
Aadil also acknowledged his father as the man who gave him the passion behind Mercedes Benz vehicles who also gave him some advice that he lives by to this day “A man who dirties his hands will never lose his shirt.”
Mia also added that he started his apprenticeship at Mercedes Benz for different dealerships in his early years.
The vehicle owned by Pauwels is scheduled for today’s milestone service, during which it will officially reach the one-million-kilometre mark.
