Q: Dear sir/madam, I bought a second-hand car from an Indian seller. At the time of the sale, he said that it is perfect inside and outside, and in perfect mechanical condition. The car passed an RTA inspection so we trusted him. Three days later, the car broke down while we were driving. We took the car to a mechanic and they discovered that there are 11,000 dirhams worth of mechanical failures. One of these was in the brake system with low brake fluid and pads that need to be replaced. We are upset because the man told us the car was in perfect mechanical condition and also because we could have been injured by driving a car with failing brakes. Is there anything we can do about this situation? Hope we hear from you soon!

Q: Hi, I financed a car from a second-hand dealership in Sharjah. The car is a 2018 Mustang GT! They said the car was fine and had no accidents, it looked fine too. I took the deal and even had a new car screen put in through the dealer for AED 2000. The car has given me problems from the first month. Hazard lights would come on and kill the battery. The dealer told me to give the car to the garage, so they took the car and said a new screen is needed and they made me pay AED 1000 even though it was not my fault. I even paid to have the car delivered there but I paid out of the goodness of my heart. Next month it started dying randomly and would need jump-starts. Now it dies every day after a jump start. Now they are saying to me I need to pay for another fix! Please can someone tell me what to do? Is there any legal way they can take the car back and pay the bank back the money they took?

Q: I bought a car from a Dubai dealer in November 2020 and in July 2021 (less than a year) the engine of the car stopped working. When the dealer removed the engine from the car to see what happened, he realized that the engine has already been repaired before with non-original pieces. When I bought it, they only stated that the car has been repainted; it's an obvious fraud. Is there any way I can ask for a refund of the damages? Thank you.

Q: Dear Sir/Madam, I bought a car from a seller 10 days ago. They texted me on WhatsApp saying that the car was in good condition and didn't require any work. They only mentioned a minor accident. However, I cannot drive the car now because the number plate was canceled during the vehicle transfer process. When I asked about the vehicle's slow acceleration, they told me these cars are usually like that. Ten days after the name transfer, I noticed a coolant leak and went to a repair shop. The repair shop informed me of a mix-up between the coolant and the transmission oil. They advised me to take the car to a service center. However, when I went there, they informed me that they had given a quotation of 47,000 AED in December for the same issue but it was not attended to. Due to this issue, I have held the cheque from the bank to the seller and asked them to take the car back. However, they are not taking responsibility and are asking me to release the amount from the bank and get the repairs done from outside.

Q: I bought a used car yesterday for 80k and on the classified, he stated that the car model was 2014 but after the testing reports came out it stated 2013. The guy was shady overall and even took the car to a testing center without our supervision in an unknown place, far from where we first saw the car. Asked to return the vehicle and get a refund and he declined and said he can't take it back once bought. What do I do?

Q: My wife and I went and saw a car at a dealership in the Sharjah car market. The dealer claimed the car had a very minor accident. We asked for some scratches to be fixed as a condition to buy, and he agreed. We paid 1000 dirhams and signed. later, he asked for another 4000. I transferred another 4000 online to him, so in total I paid 5000 Dirham, and sent him a note about the expectations, and he responded back with “agreed” on Whatsapp. A few days later he said the car is ready. We went but none of what we agreed on was done. He asked us to come back again on Monday. On my request, he sent this note on Whatsapp and agreed to refund the deposit on Monday if the car was still not ready. On Monday the car wasn't ready. I asked for my refund as he agreed before but he refused. I asked for a receipt of my 4000 payments. He forged the document and added a note about the 4000 on the document that I already signed, to make that a non-refundable! Later I found the car also had a major accident and he distracted us.

Q: Hi Sir, I bought a second-hand car from a reputed dealer in Dubai On April 18, 2024. After four days of ownership, I realized the car was jittering/vibrating/ hesitating to maintain at a particular speed. I immediately informed the car dealer and they promised to fix it the first time but when I got the car after rectifying and repairing it, it had the same issue. Again I informed the car dealer about it and they took the car again for a spark plug change and took three and a half days to repair it. Once I got the car back I realized the same issue was still there. Now for the third time, I informed them and they are asking me to come again for repair/inspection purposes. I asked them to share the pre-inspection report as they claim they have a 150-point check-up but they have not shared the report to date. The car is under warranty for a year. Please advise what should I do in this case as I’m worried that the car may have some hidden problem which in future may cost me money. Thanks and Regards J. S,

Q: Hello, I bought a second-hand car from a showroom based in the Ras Al Khor area. When the car was taken to care in service I learned that the car had an accident that was around AED 206K. I bought the car for AED 133K also. They did not say anything about the accident and when I checked the car according to the plate number, there was not any notification online. I have been in Dubai for around 1 year and I do not know what should I do right now. The car brand is [----] - 2021.

An interview-format article covering the topic of contracts in the UAE. This is from the legal podcast of lawyer Ludmila Yamalova, the founder of Lawgical with LYLAW.

The provisions of this law, promulgating UAE Civil Code, govern the civil transactions in the United Arab Emirates. The commercial transactions remain subject to the laws and regulations applicable in their regard.

The provisions of this law On Evidence in Civil and Commercial Transactions (Law of Evidence) govern evidence in civil and commercial disputes in the UAE.

The provisions of this Federal Law, known as the "New Consumer Protection Law", govern Consumer Protection regulations in the United Arab Emirates. The New Consumer Protection Law repeals the previous UAE Consumer Protection Law (Federal Law No. (24) of 2006 on Consumer Protection).

The provisions of this Cabinet Resolution No (12) of 2007 Concerning the Executive Regulations of Federal Law No (24) of 2006 on Consumer Protection.