UAE: With 2-month wait for car repairs, residents spend thousands on rentals after rains

For more than 20 days now, Abdul Basith, a resident of JVC and a marketing executive at a real estate firm, has been grappling with transportation challenges after the record rainfall that hit the UAE last month. His flood-damaged car is currently undergoing repairs in a garage. However, during this time, he has already incurred expenses exceeding Dh4,500 since his car was damaged by the rain.

“On April 23rd, I took my car to a garage in Al Quoz, where I received an estimate exceeding Dh15,000 for the repairs, without making a claim. However, the garage owner advised me to take the car back and park it elsewhere, as he anticipated a surge in vehicles coming in for repairs,” said Abdul Basith, who owns a Kia Cadenza.

In light of recent challenges faced by motorists, many find themselves in a fix as they wait for their insurance claims to be approved, enduring lengthy delays of over a month. Adding to their burden, repairs are taking an additional one to two months to complete, leaving their damaged vehicles in garages. Faced with the inconvenience of being without their primary mode of transportation, these motorists have been compelled to seek alternative solutions, turning to renting cars to meet their daily commuting needs, which is an additional expenditure.

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To tow his vehicle back and forth from the garage, Basith had to shell out Dh1,200. “I had to park my car at an RTA parking, as I couldn’t tow it to my building parking. I spent around Dh250 only for the parking,” said Basit.

Until April 22, Basith resorted to taking a cab or metro to his work where he spent over Dh700 for only four days. “My friend advised me to rent a car, as it would be much cheaper. I have rented a car and the monthly expense just for the rent is Dh2,400,” said Basith, adding that it will take more than 40 days to get his car repaired.

A similar situation was faced by Patrick Fischer, a German expat and a resident of The Villa. “I had to abandon my car in the middle of the road as the engine failed. Two days later, I had to tow my vehicle to the authorised dealer and get it fixed,” said Fischer, who works in the oil and gas industry.

“But sadly, the vehicle is lying at their workshop, and there is no news of claim approval. I am currently renting a car which is costing me about Dh2,500 a month and is an added expenditure. The rent of the car is way more than my EMI,” said Fischer.

The rented car has a daily cap of 250 kilometres and “at times, my daily commute goes beyond 300 kilometres, which increases my expense,” said Fischer.

He fears that it may take more time just for the approval of the claim. “The repairs of my car would take more than 25 days as per the automobile expert, as they are grappling with repairs of damaged vehicles,” said Fischer.

Car rentals surge 30 % post rainfall

Car rentals in the UAE have reported a 30 percent increase following the recent onset of rainfall in the region.

“We've experienced a high demand for rentals. Recently, many residents have had to send their cars for repairs. This is due to the damage caused by the recent rain, and they're currently waiting for insurance claims to be processed and repairs to be completed,” said Ahmed from Royal Rent a Car service.

Selfdrive.ae has reported a surge of 30 percent post-rainfall and the company attributes this growth to factor like ease of post-damage control offered by car rental services. “As rainfall prompts concerns about vehicle safety and maintenance, customers increasingly turn to rental vehicles as a reliable solution,” said Soham Shah, CEO of Selfdrive.ae.

“We are committed to hassle-free damage control ensures that customers can navigate through the elements with confidence, knowing that any potential damage to the vehicle will be swiftly addressed by the rental service. Our focus on providing easy post-damage control ensures that customers can enjoy a worry-free driving experience, regardless of the weather conditions,” said Shah.

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