Dubai: If you’re thinking of changing your car tyres before the summer begins, make sure the new set has a manufacturing date that is not more than 150 days old.
The Roads and Transport Authority (RTA) stipulates that the validity of a car tyre is five years from its date of manufacturing irrespective of use.
Many residents have fallen into the scam of buying brand new tyres with an old manufacturing date, resulting in a ‘fail’ at the RTA vehicle registration renewal test.
Rizwan Ali Rahmat, mechanic in charge at the Salim Ali Bin Haider Garage, in Dubai’s Um Ramool advises motorists to change tyres every three years.
“Drivers must look at the manufacturing date when buying tyres, which can be found in the inner edge of a tyre and consists of the month and year the tyre was produced. They should consider buying branded tyres to avoid any issues,” he said.
Rahmat also recommends rotating tyres every 30,000 kilometres, and changing them every 100,000 kilometres.
However, old stocks are still being sold to unsuspecting customers. In some cases, the tyres are more than four years old, giving the motorists just a year to use them before they are considered invalid at the RTA testing centre.
Sarah Khalid, an American expat, said she fell for the scam after buying four tyres from a reputable dealer in Dubai. “They had a buy one get one free offer, and since it was an offer from a dealer, I didn’t think twice,” she said. After failing her vehicle renewal test at the RTA, Khalid went to the dealer to exchange the tyres or get the refund but till now she has got nothing. “I was shocked at the way I was treated and the fact that the dealer was selling old stocks of tyres to customers. Next time, the first thing I will look at will be the manufacturing date on each tyre,” she said.
David Bly, a Canadian expat, said after a flat tyre, a roadside assistance insisted on taking his vehicle to a garage where he fell into the same trap.
“It was around midnight and I didn’t want to argue with the recovery service who repeatedly told me this garage would offer me great prices for new tyres. He charged me around Dh4,500 for four new tyres, which were all past their expiry date,” he said.
Like many others, Bly was shocked when his vehicle failed the RTA registration renewal test less than a year later. “To customers who have no knowledge about car tyres, the sight of dozens of brand new tyres stacked on top of each other at a garage, is reassuring. The scammers work on the fact that people only find out about the expiry date once they go to RTA centre for renewal of their vehicle registration, and it’s too late by then,” said Bly.
