Know your rights! New Regulations for Car Dealers

By, 2016-02-03

More than 20 major car dealers in Qatar have agreed on the new regulations which been set up by the Ministry of Economy and Commerce (MEC). The MEC has established nine new warranty clauses that must be followed by local dealerships in Qatar.

A total of 22 car and vehicle dealers in Qatar have given written confirmation that they will comply with the new regulations. The new regulations are to encourage car dealers to improve their performance and to become more competitive, while also raising standards of maintenance and repairs. As there has been many complains from consumers over the past years.

Nine-point Regulations:

1. Dealers must not include any restrictive clauses or vague terms that could limit customers’ choice of which garage to go to for repairs and servicing for a car within its warranty period.

2. Customers should be free to chose any garage, provided that they keep a receipt that shows repairs or servicing was carried out on time and according to the terms detailed by the car manufacturer.

3. Car owners can choose to use oil, filters or other spare parts that are of the same specification as the original parts, as long as they are accredited for use by the vehicle’s manufacturer.

4. Spare parts that don’t meet the manufacturer’s technical specifications can void that part of the warranty, but not the coverage for other parts of the car.

5. Dealers must prove that damage occurred in a car as a result of maintenance work that didn’t comply with technical requirements before taking any action on the warranty.

6. Dealers also cannot incorporate the cost of repairs or servicing into the sale price of a car, unless as part of a promotion that has been pre-approved by authorities, and any changes to dealers’ warranty booklets must be submitted to the Competition Protection Department for acceptance.

7. The MEC warns customers who chose third-party garages to undertake services or repairs that they should keep all receipts, which should detail the job done and the date it was undertaken.

8. Car buyers are also encouraged to carefully read dealers’ warranty books to ensure they comply with the new terms.

9. Complaints can be lodged by calling the MEC’s hotline (16001), by emailing [email protected] or through Twitter, @MEC_Qatar.