The widow of a BMW owner who had been seeking compensation for a faulty car has finished - and won - the battle her husband started before his death.

Nearly a year after her husband Chu Luo Chang died suddenly, Mrs Eleanor Chu has been given a full refund of $175,000 by BMW agent Performance Motors for the couple's three-week old Beemer which sprang a leak in its roof.

The agent has also picked up the tab on expenses such as financing charges, insurance and legal fees incurred by Mrs Chu in pursuing the case. It has also paid her a compensation sum for the hardship caused by the faulty car.

The dark green 5-series model which the Chus bought in December 2005 began leaking three days before Christmas, after it had been parked in the rain. The rear passenger compartment was soaked through after rainwater found its way through the car's antenna.

Mr Chu pressed Performance Motors, a company owned by Malaysian-listed conglomerate Sime Darby, for compensation. But he died of cardiac arrest after a Sunday game of squash. His widow then vowed to continue his cause.

She declined comment on the settlement when contacted, because she has signed a confidentiality agreement with Performance Motors.

But The Straits Times understands she has received what she and her late husband had asked for - a full refund on the vehicle.

The company initially resisted the claim by Mr Chu, but changed its mind after his death. Performance Motors' managing director Simon Rock apparently approved the refund and compensation soon afterwards.

Mr Rock was also unavailable for comment, but Performance Motors said in a brief statement that "everything has been amicably resolved".

The issue took almost a year to resolve, mainly because of matters relating to Mr Chu's estate. The Straits Times understands that Performance Motors wanted to be doubly sure Mrs Chu was the rightful recipient of the money and there would be no contest from other parties.

After the car let in the rain in December 2005, Performance Motors had repaired it fully, but Mr Chu asked for the car to be replaced because he was unsure of the extent of the rain damage and had lost confidence in the car.