Extended car maintenance contracts for “consumer spare parts” are incomplete

Consumers criticized the lack of clarity in the extended maintenance contracts offered by some car dealerships, which extend up to five years from the entry into force of the contract, especially regarding what are known as “consumer spare parts,” considering this a kind of misleading.

They explained to “Emirates Today” that a large number of spare parts are no longer included in the contract, after two or three years from the date of the contract, which makes these contracts incomplete and useless, pointing out that this costs the consumer, the owner of the vehicle, additional amounts, the cost of purchasing those parts, even though the maintenance and warranty contract that he purchased is extended for up to five years.

In turn, officials in the automotive sector said that the nature of contracts for maintenance and warranty after a period of consumption does not include all the parts in the cars, stressing that there is no company that guarantees spare parts for long periods, according to the nature of those consumable parts, and the fact that they are naturally exposed to damage during certain periods of consumption.

They stressed the importance of consumers paying attention to reading the terms of maintenance and warranty contracts, and inquiring about them before purchasing and upon signing the contract, calling on consumers to differentiate between “regular” and “comprehensive” maintenance contracts.

According to car agency officials, the most prominent spare parts that fall within what is known as “consumer spare parts” are: batteries, tires, brake pads and brake discs, and windshield wipers, for which warranty and maintenance periods range between one and three years, according to each company’s policies.

Consumer feedback

In detail, consumer Wael Samer said that after purchasing a car as part of an offer that included an extended maintenance and warranty contract, he was surprised that a large number of spare parts were no longer included in the contract after two or three years, which makes these contracts incomplete and useless, compared to the large advertisements that promote cars with packages and extended maintenance and warranty contracts for spare parts.

For his part, consumer Muhammad Abdel Hamid said, “Many vehicle selling agencies and companies compete with offers for extended maintenance and warranty upon purchase, while it is discovered that these contracts do not include a large number of spare parts after a period of use, despite the fact that the vehicle is still within the warranty and maintenance period, under the pretext that they are consumer spare parts.”

Abdul Hamid considered this a form of misleading consumers, especially since these conditions were not explained to the consumer when purchasing.

In the same context, consumer Abdullah Ahmed said: “Although the maintenance and extended warranty contracts offered by car agencies, for a period of five years each, are among the attractive offers, the consumer discovers after two or three years from the start date of the contract, that it does not include a number of spare parts known as (consumable parts), which incurs additional amounts to the consumer, the owner of the vehicle, the cost of purchasing those parts, even though the maintenance contract on the car is extended on the car for up to five years.”

As for the consumer, Sherif Hazem, he saw that “the failure of car agencies and companies to clarify all the items covered by the maintenance and warranty contracts granted on the cars sold is a kind of misleading, especially since the contracts include, even when trying to read them, many unclear points,” pointing out that vehicles are sold at high prices, and one of the consumer’s most basic rights is to be informed of all the items covered by the maintenance and warranty contracts, and not to obtain only the dealers’ signature on those contracts within the process of completing the car sale deal.

Consumable parts

In addition, the General Manager of the Porsche Auto Center Abu Dhabi, Wissam Khalil, told Emirates Al-Youm, “The nature of contracts for maintenance and warranty after a period of consumption does not in turn include all the parts in the cars, and there is no company that guarantees spare parts for long periods, according to the nature of those consumable parts, and that they are naturally exposed to damage upon consumption for periods, and need to be replaced after a certain period.”

He added: “Among the most prominent parts classified as consumable parts that are not covered by extended maintenance for five years, but rather for limited periods: batteries, tires, brake pads, brake discs, and plugs, for which warranty and maintenance periods range between one and three years, according to the policies of different companies,” pointing out that these parts depend on the nature of the driver’s personal use, even if they naturally need to be changed after varying periods.

Khalil continued: “The consumer must also differentiate between (regular) and (comprehensive) maintenance contracts, and know the difference between them so that he has sufficient awareness when contracting with companies. Regular maintenance contracts include only periodic work such as changing the oil, checking fluids, brakes, and technical inspection of some parts, while comprehensive maintenance contracts, whose cost is higher than (regular), include everything that regular contracts include in addition to immediate repairs and replacement of damaged or defective mechanical parts.”

He said: “It is important for consumers to pay attention to reading the terms of maintenance and warranty contracts, and to inquire about them with companies before purchasing and upon signing the contract, especially since some companies transfer the remaining warranty contracts after the end of the (factory warranty), which ranges between two and three years, according to the brands, to external companies specialized in maintenance and inspection services for cars according to the outsourcing system.”

Shared responsibility

In turn, automotive sector expert and General Manager of Rolls-Royce Motor Cars, the mechanical center of the Arabian Gulf in Dubai and the northern regions, Mamdouh Khairallah, said, “The maintenance and extended warranty offers, which have recently reached unprecedentedly long periods (the warranty period is up to 10 years), have become one of the elements of competitiveness that many car dealerships benefit from to increase their sales, especially after the sharpness of competitiveness has remarkably intensified in the automotive sector.”

He added: “The responsibility is shared by the need for companies to clarify to the consumer the nature of what is included in the contract offers, whether maintenance and warranty, and the consumer must inquire clearly and in advance about the contracts and their nature, and the terms and policies they include related to service standards for the car.”

Common errors

As for the sales consultant at one of the car companies, Ahmed Salah, he told “Emirates Today”: “There are some common mistakes among many consumers when purchasing cars covered by extended maintenance and warranty contracts, which is not reading those contracts or inquiring about them clearly when signing them, and when practicing maintenance and warranty services, he discovers what these contracts contain or what they do not include after a while, especially consumable parts that need to be replaced after a while, whether according to the validity of their use or the nature of personal consumption.”

He explained that consumer spare parts include, for example: tires, windshield wipers, batteries, and brake parts, if the warranty periods on these products range between one and three years according to custom or company policies.