The Ministry of Economy and representatives of car dealers in the country have agreed that a new car suffering from a manufacturing defect will be replaced According to a report in Al Ittihad newspaper, in a meeting between the two parties yesterday it was agreed that cars with manufacturing defects that cannot be repaired will be replaced without any additional charges to the owner. This was confirmed by Dr Hachim Al Nuaimi, Director of the Consumer Protection Department at the ministry. Al Nuaimi said: “After meeting with officials in 40 car dealerships in UAE and in the presence of Dubai Department of Economic Development it has been agreed to replace a defective car without any additional fees. “The agreement will be added to terms of the new standard unified contract for purchase of cars. “A consumer will be eligible to get a new car replaced or repaired or have its value retrieved, after depreciation, in case a breakdown of more than three times.” He added that the car reps and the MoE decided on a 20 per cent depreciation value per year. The meeting also agreed on a standard form for auto recovery operation and maintenance. The ministry asked agents to determine the applicable warranty parts and other parts that are not covered by warranty and educate the consumer and raise awareness of their rights. He added that it was also agreed that a neutral party with technical expertise be called in to identify reasons behind car failure. Dr Nuami called on consumers to communicate with the ministry by dialling 60052222.