Consumers criticize the lack of clarity in extended maintenance contracts offered by some car dealerships, which can last up to five years from the contract's start date, especially concerning what is known as 'consumable parts'. They consider this a form of misleading advertising. Consumers explained to 'Emirates Today' that the coverage for many parts expires after two or three years, rendering such contracts incomplete and useless. This forces the consumer, the car owner, to incur additional costs for purchasing these parts, even though the service and warranty contract they purchased is valid for five years. In turn, officials in the automotive sector stated that the nature of post-consumption service and warranty contracts does not include every part in a car. They emphasized that no company can guarantee parts for long periods due to their consumable nature and natural wear over time. They strongly urged consumers to carefully read the terms of service and warranty contracts, ask questions before purchasing and signing, and to differentiate between 'standard' and 'comprehensive' service contracts. According to car dealership officials, key consumable parts not covered by a five-year extended service include batteries, tires, brake pads and discs, and windshield wipers, with warranty periods for these parts ranging from one to three years, depending on the company's policy. Consumer Wael Samir said that after buying a car as part of an offer that included an extended service and warranty contract, he was surprised that the coverage for many parts ended after two or three years. He found these contracts incomplete and ineffective compared to the major advertisements promoting cars with extended service and warranty packages. Consumer Mohamed Abdelhamid said: 'Many car dealerships and vehicle sales companies compete by offering extended service and warranty packages at the time of purchase, yet it is later discovered that these contracts do not cover a large number of parts after a period of use, even though the vehicle is still within its warranty period, under the pretext that they are consumable parts.' Abdelhamid considers this a form of misleading consumers, especially when these conditions are not clarified to the buyer at the time of purchase. Consumer Abdullah Ahmed said: 'Despite the extended service and warranty contracts offered by car dealerships for five years being part of attractive offers, the consumer discovers after two or three years that they do not cover a number of parts known as 'consumable parts.' This forces the car owner to bear additional costs for purchasing these parts, even though the service contract for the car is extended for five years.' Consumer Sherif Hazem believes that the failure of car dealerships and companies to clarify all the terms of service and warranty contracts for the cars they sell is a form of misleading advertising. He noted that the contracts contain many unclear points, and that vehicles are sold at high prices, so the least a consumer can expect is to be informed of all the terms, not just to sign the contract as part of the sales process. General Manager of Porsche Center Abu Dhabi, Waseem Khalil, explained that the nature of service and warranty contracts after a period of consumption does not include all parts in a car, and no company can guarantee parts for long periods due to their consumable nature and natural wear. He added that key consumable parts not covered by a five-year extended service include batteries, tires, brake components, and wiper blades, with warranty periods on them ranging from one to three years according to company policies. He noted that these parts depend on personal driving habits and need replacement at varying intervals. Khalil urged consumers to differentiate between 'standard' and 'comprehensive' service contracts. General Manager of Rolls-Royce Motor Cars for the region, Mudukheer Allah, stated that extended service and warranty packages, which have recently reached unprecedented lengths (up to 10 years), have become a competitive element for car dealerships. He noted that responsibility is shared: companies must clarify the nature of their offers to consumers, and consumers must make clear and prior inquiries about the contracts. A sales consultant at an automotive company, Ahmed Salah, spoke about common consumer mistakes: failing to read contracts or ask clear questions when signing them, and then discovering that the contracts do not cover certain parts, especially consumables that require replacement after a certain period.
