Compulsory condition of automobiles agency warranty abolished

Abu Dhabi - "The ministry is currently engaged in collaboration with the ministry of interior and ESMA in classifying as many as 40,000 workshops."

The compulsory condition for maintaining motor vehicles at automobile dealers' workshops has been abolished ,to the convenience of car owners with warranty intact. Motorists can get their cars serviced at other car repair and maintenance workshops, ministry of economy announced on Tuesday.
The ministry said the pre-requisite condition is essential for the continued car warranty between the owner of the car and the car dealer has been revoked, a step seen as organizational that allows the motorists to have their motor vehicles maintained in workshops other than the car agencies.
"It is designed to provide alternatives for the consumers and reduce the cost of maintenance and repair", the ministry said adding the workshops other than those in car agencies will be classified "., the  ministry noted. " The ministry of economy is currently working in collaboration with the ministry of interior and the Emirates Authority for Standardizations and Metrology ESMA on rating 40,000 car maintenance and repair workshops on the basis of stars rating system, which ascends from one star to four stars.
The higher committee for consumer protection has approved at its recent meeting the amendment of the cars warranty conditions with the car dealers and car manufacturers not to cancel the warranty by the car agent or the manufacturing company for just maintaining the consumer's vehicle outside the agency.
Complaints pertaining to motor vehicles alone constitute 20 per cent every month of the total consumer complaints in the country.
Maintenance and warranty:
"Revoking the compulsory condition of maintaining the motor vehicle inside the car dealer's workshop, as essential for the continuity of the cars guarantee, and which is included in the unified cars purchase contract, aims at providing alternatives for the consumers and reduce the cost of maintenance and repair services for the consumers by getting their vehicles maintained in outside workshops", said Dr Hashim Nuaimi Director of the Consumer Protection Department at the Ministry of Economy.
In a press briefing in Abu Dhabi on Tuesday, he said the ministry received over the last period complaints lodged by car owners on cancelling the motor vehicles warranty contracts after getting their cars maintained outside the agency's workshop. That, according to him, includes oil change even for only once. They demanded reconsidering the maintenance warranty when cars are purchased.
 Workshops rating:
"The ministry is currently engaged in collaboration with the ministry of interior and ESMA in classifying as many as 40,000 workshops other than those of the car agencies  by using the one star to four stars rating system, so the consumers can get their cars maintained in these workshops after being classified and rated", he noted.
 
He said:" the ministry had lately received complaints that a number of consumers were conned by car and maintenance workshops". " The workshops where they took their cars to be repaired  made mistakes when they were repairing their defective cars while some others used old and low quality spare parts instead of the genuine ones", they claimed
" The Ministry had completed last year conducting a full-fledged study on facts about car maintenance workshops in the country, and the feasibility of rating them", he said adding the study is designed to improve the quality standards and provide the best services to the consumers by coordinating with the local economic departments and the municipalities.
"The Higher Committee for consumer protection is currently studying the project to sanction it, and fix a time for enforcement", he said noting the project will include a general frame streamlining and classifying the quality services, and to what extent the technical workshops are prepared for offering the services to the consumers efficiently and qualitatively ".
Rating system is meant for the various workshops, which include cars electricity, mechanic, paintings, and discs and metal wheels turning. He said the study contains a number of key factors for improving the workshops including the space, tools, used techniques, experienced workers among others-E