The problem with American specs?

We need to address the elephant in the room: Used cars with American specs. We've heard stories from people who got duped into buying American specced vehicles with unreasonably low prices. 

What was the ugly surprise? 

They were shocked to find out these cars were "salvage cars," that is, cars damaged or submerged in floods. The new owners had to pay high repair costs; some couldn't even salvage the vehicles! 

These cars usually flood our markets when floods in the United States and Canada ravage cities and thousands of vehicles. Such total-loss cars are being imported into the UAE from auction houses. According to a 2016 Gulf News article, legitimate dealers said that salvage cars are flooding some UAE markets and estimated that 80-90 percent of used vehicles imported from North America are cars deemed as salvage. According to the same Gulf News article, car dealers claimed that once these cars are shipped to Dubai, they're repaired and resold as sound cars in their original condition to unsuspecting buyers.

However, there's some good news. In 2017, the Emirates Authority for Standardization and Metrology (ESMA) toughened import procedures for used vehicles involved in serious accidents, fires, immersions in water, disassembled or overhauled, or with manufacturing defects. The ban happened on May 1, 2017, to protect public safety, the environment, and consumer rights, according to the Director-General of ESMA, Abdullah Abdulkader Al Maeeni. The decision came after careful deliberation and feedback from UAE regulators about the used car market.

The Gulf News article states, "When a vehicle has been in an accident, flooded, drowned or burnt out, and the total damage exceeds a certain percentage of the value of the car (ranging from 75 percent to 90 percent), the insurance company will decide that it is not economically feasible to repair it and declares it a “total loss.” The motor vehicle agency will then issue a “salvage certificate” to the car. This means that the car cannot be driven, sold, or registered in its current condition. ESMA has access to databases of all used car exporting countries to keep track of these vehicles and prevent them from reaching our market. Draft laws for conformity of spare parts and classification of auto workshops across the UAE have been submitted to the Cabinet for approval. Al Maeeni said ESMA, traffic departments, and insurance companies across the UAE are also cooperating to prevent totaled or salvage cars after an accident in the UAE from being sold in the market. Al Maeeni added the prime goal of this is to make sure that people face no risks when driving these vehicles." 

Still, it's always better to be vigilant, especially when buying American specced cars. So how can you solve this problem if you're looking forward to buying an American specced car? Following our guidelines: 

1- If the price is too good to be true, it probably is. Trust your instinct. Does the price make any sense? If it's too low compared to the market, there's probably something wrong with the car. 

2-  Carefully check the interior and exterior of the car. Looks can be deceiving, no matter how pretty the vehicle looks. 

3- Go for a test drive and check if the car drives smoothly. Check for any noises and flashing dashboard lights, such as the check engine light. 

4- Check the car's service and accident history. Several websites can help you do that, such as this one:

https://www.bumper.com

It helps you check accidents, salvage, and theft records from the United States for American specced cars. It also lets you check titles, liens, and sales records to help you make the right decision. 

5- Check this local website from EVG, which stands for the Emirates Vehicle Gate Electronic Services for all Drivers and Vehicle Owners in the UAE. You can view the accident history of each of your vehicles and manage motor accident claims, generate repair estimates and get online approvals while being able to monitor the repair progress at all times.

https://evg.ae/_layouts/evg/trafficaccidents.aspx?language=en

6- Go for a complete vehicle inspection from an RTA-approved testing center:

https://www.rta.ae/wpsv5/links/VIMS.pdf

We hope this article helped you learn more about salvage vehicles in the UAE.  

Sources: 

https://gulfnews.com/business/ban-on-import-of-used-cars-with-major-faults-from-may-1-1.1982069

https://gulfnews.com/uae/transport/total-loss-cars-from-us-hurting-dubai-market-auto-traders-claim-1.1708567