New law to regulate auto spare parts in UAE from October 2018

Dubai: Counterfeit auto parts will face further roadblocks in the UAE as the Emirates Authority for Standardisation and Metrology (ESMA) partially implements a new countrywide vehicle safety system from next month.

The system will ensure that no auto parts without the ESMA quality mark will enter the UAE market from the beginning of October, the authority announced on Tuesday.

Part of a new set of standards that will govern the sale and use of auto spares across the UAE, the regulation will initially control only new parts entering the UAE market.

Non-complying parts

However, the local traders have a year’s time to get rid of non-complying parts in the market.

Abdullah Al Muaini, Director General of ESMA said that the standards are being implemented in coordination with local authorities who will monitor the market, while adding that enough time will be given to traders to phase out non-complying products.

With the partial implementation of the regulations, the authority is expecting to control at least 50 per cent of counterfeit products within the first year.

Developed by ESMA in 2016, the UAE Vehicle Control System when fully implemented will cover all aspects of vehicle safety management regulating auto garages, body workshops, testing facilities, manufacturing units etc.

Improve the quality

Approved by the UAE cabinet in April, the regulation aims to improve the quality of spare parts used in local markets and ensure the protection and rights of the consumer by filtering out counterfeit and defective products.

The regulations will cover all aspects of the auto spare industry, right from manufacturing, packaging, transportation, storage and usage of these products.

Hatem Ghani, head of enforcement at a law firm representing car and parts manufacturers holds up fake auto spares seized during a raid conducted against counterfeiters in the the UAE.  Gulf News File photo

“The regulation is part of the ESMA’s strategy to regulate the transport sector and vehicles in a comprehensive and integrated manner in order to ensure safety of vehicles on roads and to reduce traffic accidents and breakdowns,” said Al Muaini.

The new system specifies standards and criteria for safety, performance and technical soundness of the spare parts.

The system will also create a database which will have the information about all the spare parts manufactured or imported in the country.

Database

The database will identify the make and model of the products, helping differentiate between the original and counterfeit products.

As part of the system, ESMA is working on the standards to govern the sector that will set a minimum requirement in terms of skills of mechanics and service quality for a workshop to operate.

In the next stage, the workshops will be categorised according to the type of service they offer like AC repair, tyre service, bodywork, mechanical or electrical work etc.

In the final stage, all workshops will get ratings in their respective categories and all the information about the workshops will be available on a central portal for consumers to search for the right mechanic for their vehicles.