1. Home
  2. Road Test
  3. Beware of imported used cars
Beware of imported used cars

Beware of imported used cars

by Mashfique Hussain Chowdhury. June 1, 2009.

Jeep on fire
One of our readers sent in photos of yet another car that went up in flames in the UAE for no apparent reason. It seems to be becoming a common occurence, and is simply being blamed on heat and bad maintenance. While some cases have been due to age or bad stereo installations, others can simply be attributed to the source of the cars. Take this Jeep, for example. I also drive a Jeep, but mine is a GCC-spec version with full service history. The one in the photo is not.

The American-spec bumpers give away the fact that this burnt Jeep Grand Cherokee was probably bought from one of the UAE’s used car dealers in Dubai or Sharjah. It is now time to bust some myths.

There is nothing inherently wrong in buying an American-spec import. Except for the gauges in “mph” instead of “kph,” most of the mechanicals are usually the same nowadays, and there are many people who are happy with their “grey” imports here. The used car dealers are happy too, since resale values in the United States are comparatively much lower for every car there, so they buy low there and sell high here.

The problem comes with the used car dealers who get greedy and try to make even more money. It is a given that there will be no service history with these imports. Even more disturbing is that many dealers are buying up cancelled cars from the U.S. at auctions. These cars were either in major accidents, hurricane-season floods or even fires. I’ve seen the state of these scrap cars myself, and I am pretty sure people died in these accidents, considering how badly they were crushed. I think I spotted blood a few times too.

There are garages dotted around Dubai and Sharjah that are openly repairing these cars using cheap Indo-Bangladeshi labour, effectively building these cars up again from scratch. For the accident-damaged cars, they weld hooks onto the chassis and pull them straight enough to pass annual police inspections. Then they cut off these welds, beat the dented body panels flat, slap on some “maajun” bondo to smoothen out the body, replace the rubber and glass, and add a thin layer of new paint that will probably fade in a year or two.

The flood-damaged cars are in visually-better shape, since they were only dunked in salt water for a few weeks rather than suffering a crash. Of course, half the electronics have fried by then and there is probably rust forming in unseen parts of the car. Electrical problems will only make themselves known randomly, while new paint will hide the rust underneath.

The worst part is they sell these fixed-up cars at regular used-car rates. For example, I spoke to a garage selling a destroyed-but-fixed imported 2009 Jeep Grand Cherokee V6 for Dhs 100,000, while a new 2009 one costs Dhs 115,000.

It may seem hopeless now for those looking into imports. Fortunately, there is an online service in the States called carfax.com, where one can enter a VIN number for any American-market car and come up with its full history, provided you don’t cheap out on the small fee, payable by credit card.

Indeed, it is not that hard to buy a “good” import. My old 1990 Mercedes-Benz was a Japanese import, and it ran safely for four years before I sold it in 2008. And I have a nagging feeling that my latest BMW is a European import too, as it has been repainted and lacks a service history. The trick is to know how to spot a “good” import, but that is a lesson for another day.

As for why the “bad” imports catch fire? All it takes is a loose fuel line and some static-electricity sparks among badly-placed components in a botched repair. Or the guy just drove it until it overheated. But would you want to be in something put together completely by ultra-cheap labour? Let’s not divert to a discussion on the local property market now.

About the author

Mashfique Hussain Chowdhury

Previous article
Al Ghandi Chevrolet Xbox soccer content winner in UAE
Next article
AW Rostamani UAE to sell Platin car batteries

What do you think?

*

Comments

  1. When cars catch fire like above, will insurance pay up anything? Or the owner is just doomed if he ever survives.

  2. Author

    Good question. Check your insurance papers I guess.

  3. Yup the insurance papers should state, but provided you got full comprehensive insurance..

  4. you r better off not buying these cars….

  5. that is way I prefer to buy new car then used car.

    espeically in this region where people are known to abuse the car.

    only if it low milage and a European driven I will think of buying 2nd hand from them.

  6. how bout doctor driven cars ? are they safe to buy ?
    how bout an european doctor !?

  7. I am only saying about the statics and mostly the things I see.

    other 2nd hand I would buy is if someone I know him.

  8. I own a us import grand cherokee 4.0… I checked in on car fax… found out it was a salvage car.. Already started noticing the signs of how it was badly crashed on time as i was naive & in a hurry when i got it..

  9. Author

    Maybe you can list out problems you’ve had. Would be interesting to compare.

  10. Hey mash… looks similar to your car… hope it wont explode one day… no effence… but clearly the reason is heat, i never trusted any car that is not GCC specification…

  11. When I was looking for a car 2 years ago, I was searching gulfnews classifieds, and found so many cars imported from the US.I used to take the VIN (Chassis number), and found that more than 90% of them are totalled (canceled) cars, that were bought from the US for almost scrap prices. Please search for the car history before you buy it. One month subscription will cost you around $20, which is better than losing thousands of dirhams. All you need is the vehicle identity number, and subscription to a website like carfax.
    Be Safe

  12. Dear Gladiator..

    With professional help, you can modify the car to GCC specs. In some cars, you need to switch to a bigger radiator, and a whole new set of fan switches and thermostats. In addition to that it is important to change the tires, since some of those cars come from very cold states. My father bought a US imported Caprice back in 1993. It was the best car he ever drove, all he did was changing the radiator and thermostat, and he used it for 12 years after that. Please don’t forget that some American spec cars come with some luxury options and modifications that never exist in this region.

  13. using cheap Indo-Bangladeshi labour??? where u from dude? do u get better labourer than them? If u think u r rich why don’t u go and buy a new car instead of buying a used car? BLOODY CHEAP!!

  14. Retard. If you had half a brain, you’d understand the meaning of the sentence. And if you read this site long enough, you’d also know that Mash is bangladeshi and has close friends in the working-class community. Morons like you get offended at simple things like this, and yet keep quiet about injustices that Mash is exposing.

  15. @ dr. Ankesh… why are you angry man… just because we are only like text friends and propably we would never see each other, it doesnt mean to be angry and act like a big guy… this site is meant to discuss cars and ralated subjects…. if you dont like what you read, then say it in a polite way….. and i agree with aws about his comment… he said it all when he said (With professional help)….

  16. My name is Steve. I am a licensed independent car dealer on the East coast of the United States. With my contacts I can locate any car you can dream of and at dealer only pricing. My dealership does not buy and resell salvage cars. We sell clean, low mileage, late model American specs, pre-owned cars. We are happy to provide a Carfax with any car we sell. There are plenty of dishonest car dealers. There are plenty of dishonest people in general all over the world. If you are interested in what we can do please do not hesitate to call or e-mail us and give us a chance to show that all dealers are not alike. Thank you for your time.

    Steve Martin
    SUN CONSULTING LLC
    steve@smoothsayer.com
    1.804.216.3414

  17. Hi,

    My name is Siraj. I am in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. Got an offer for a Canadian imported Chevy Trailblazer LS 2007 model, which was used in Jeddah last 3 months.

    Is there any alteration needed in Saudi Arabia? Does the spare parts will be available in KSA?

    Please advice.

    Siraj

  18. I presume i too was trapped by the used car dealer in sharjah and bought a 4×4, but a price lesser than the market price…later i realised the car was met with an accident in which the full driver side airbags were inflated…they didnt let me take the car to Tasjeel for electrical checking the reason was they didnt hv a number plate for the car…i got it checked with 2 local shops …who certified the car to be good for that price….it had a full service history in it …I wish to know if Consumer Protection Law prevails in UAE to punish these type of cheaters who cheat ppls hard earned money…?

  19. Most cars in SHJ r totalled & sold to people…

  20. can anyone tellme if the cars sold on SOUQ.COM or GULFNEWS.COM, are reliable or not? as most of them are sold by private owners…or how to check if the car was accidented or not? apart from service history.

  21. Author

    That’s a long story. You’ll have to post in the MyRide forums for a proper answer.

  22. take car to dealer, pay them about 300dhs and they can tell you if it was serviced by them and if there are any accident repairs done to it.
    you can also call the insurance company and ask if there was any claims.
    good luck, do take care while buying cars everyone

  23. Hello All,
    I’ve been trying to check the VIN of a Nissan Infiniti G35 I’m interested in buying from someone…problem is, all of the VIN checking websites (carfax included) require US-based Credit Cards, and I can’t seem to get around it.

    Any ideas?

  24. Okay, just checked it, and turns out the car was a salvage. At least it wasn’t in a flood or fire, but still, the car was damaged seriously. When I drove it, it ran so well.

  25. I recenty bought an Americe specs Honda Civic. Had it transferred from Sharjah to Dubai. Although Tasjeel passed the car, they say that the car has been repaired and these remarks are mentioned in the passing report. Will i have any problems passing the car next year?

  26. What do you think ” Salvage” is?
    It is to retrieve, restore or rescue something from fire, danger etc. Now, If a car is saved this way, what is wrong with that. If an engine catches fire, you report it to your insurance company in the States and labor is so expensive in the States that insurance companies total those vehicles instead of fixing it and pay the driver it’s fair blue book value. Then insurance company informs the department of Motor vehicle that this vehicle. If I buy that car cheap, replace the engine drive it. Car is going to be fine with the new engine but the title will read as “Salvage Title”. I see no problem in that. Have you ever been sick and had an operation? Were you saved by your doctor? Should we label you Salvaged person like a car?

  27. Author

    ^ You forgot the part where you tell the next buyer that the car has been fixed up by a random garage.

  28. Idont think there is any harm in buying american spec cars only that they are not serviced by dealers ,but u have options of lots of garage to get servicing done ,i have seen GCC SPEC cars catching fire ,no big deal ,these dealers out here just frighten u ,i own a toyota camry american spec ,and its just going good and has better options than that of the gcc spec

  29. You can check on the net.. There are some sites that offer salvage reports for a car.. Usually by entering the VIN no. they will tell you if the car was once salvage.. A full report can be purchased also but by knowing i have a salvage report on a car is more than enough..

  30. Can any1 tell me how i can order a VHR from carfax.com without having a US credit card.

  31. hi,
    To all american specs owners in dubai, where do you service your cars from, i drive a Nissan Murano 2009, and it keeps giving me an indication of ‘Service Engine Soon’, thought i have chaged the engine oil and stuff.
    1- how do i reset this indication ?
    2- Please tell me if there are any workshops that service American Specification Vehicles ?

    Thankyou,
    regards

  32. Hi all
    My friend had bought a 2007 Toyota Fortuner last thursday…he found out that the car had been in an accident. When he asked the seller (many times) they said nothing about being in accident. So the moral is check the car throughly before buying it..don’t trust some the sellers…they are out to get your mone…is there any law that protects the buyers?

  33. Dear Whatever I have been usind American spec car since 15 years and this is my 4th car I never had a problem with any of my car , just the normal service tyres thats all, these cars are american specs but still are from Japan so japan make all the cars same even the parts are the same, American specs cars have low fuel consemption than GCC and are fully loaded, the car which has a burn the driver never noticed the temperature guage of the Jeep and he never checked if there is water in the radiator, some people just drive, please check your car before driving it at lease once in 3 days water air pressure oil etc

  34. I have an offer to buy a Toyota camry SE 2009,very low milage,Dubai used, for 66000 SR. Now as a layman how can I check that it is accidented or not..Are there any tips? Kindly guide..urgent please

  35. as a general dont buy US imports.. you will regret it

  36. hey if u buy a second hand car get it from a certified dealer

    that’s my advice

  37. I work next to a huge warehouse here in the USA that purchases crashed (baiscally destroyed) vehicles that are shipped to Dubi in contaners, and as the story says above are cheaply fixed and sold for big $. Avoid buying used garbage in Dubi. This has to be illegal and these people should be arrested!

  38. salam I wana ask about w scarp cars how can I buy and where I can find in dubai sharja al ain some scarp cars to buy specialy BMW and Mercedes

  39. 🙂 Guys, if you know at least basics of cars, you can even buy yourself a “salvage” and have it repaired under your patronage. It will save you a lot of money. If you don’t know even why exactly regular service is needed for cars, then don’t bother, buy a car from certified dealership, or a new car. You will also save a lot of money… but temporarily… 🙂 Cheers!

  40. hi my name is ahmad i live in abu dhabi, i bought honda accord 2007 and exported to lebanon but the car is still on the way by cargo,there is something not clear about the vin nbr, i tried to check it in carfax but it doesnt exist how can i find it
    JHMCM56517C402814
    PLZ IF ANYONE can help my email is amneimneh@hotmail.com i need to know before the care arrives lebanon and pay 10,000 $ customs

  41. to all the users who have been cheated the the used car dealers.

    Why don’t we publish the company names of the used car dealers, so that we know about them.

    I am on to purchase a used import car from Japan in Sharjah Abu-shagra from jumbo used cars for a good deal. dont know whether they are trustworth. I belive there would be some dealers who are trust worthy.

    jihadshah@gmail.com

  42. I have brought in my nissam murano from US and wanted to get the first service done here in Dubai but local dealer doesn’t want to do American specs as they are not trained. Does anyone know a good service/repair workshop in Dubai for US spec nissan cars?

    Thanks

  43. bought a car a later on i started facing problems within a week. and later that week, i was told that it is an accident car which i was no totld by the previous owner. is there a chance to get my money back? i was cheatted

  44. Can any one tell me which is the good work shop for Honda Accord in Abu Dhabi. I want to repair the car AC and Electric system for windows.

  45. i am planning to import a Lexus LS430 from the US to UAE, but what i heard that i cant resell the car in UAE and i have to take it back to the US. Is this true?? i need a solid answer if imported cars will not be licensed to be driven in UAE unless with the GCC specs, and not to be reselled and should be only for self use

  46. in Dubai, i bought an used honda civic car 2004 model after using 1 month i found problem in engine, the seller didnt told me anything about engine, the car has too much complaint, is there any possibiliy to register my complaint against the seller of car and recover the damages. please advice.

    • nope….not much can be done now….bad luck

    • asad is obviously wrong, of course u have means under local laws.

      the catch is that u have to provide proof that u were mislead at bad intent when purchasing the car. so depending on what the issue is and how u may be able to provide evidence, u may certainly have a chance!

      good luck

  47. Hi,,
    I would like to buy Honda Accord 2007 full automatic, recently imported from Japan. What thigs I have to check before buying this Car ? Someone please help..

    • Firstly, are you sure it came from Japan? Because I haven’t seen a Honda Accord imported by an individual from Japan but have seen them from US. Most of the Hondas that come from Japan are the Type-Rs.

      Anyways you need check for steering drive conversion like from right hand drive car to left hand drive. Authorities don’t pass the annual testing of those cars.

  48. Hi,

    Can any one help me to make a final decision on my Nissan Altima 2011 model which i am planning to buy from Sharjah which is imported from US.Its look amazing and no noticeable complaints or scratches.its full option with sunroof.

  49. Dear freinds,

    Where can i find Infiniti G35 model 2003 to 2005 and how much will it cost in UAE? i dont mind if it is imported from USA / Canada or Japan. please anyone can help?

  50. After reading some of your comments, I would like to clear confusions regarding ‘salvaged’ vehicles. I am a used car dealer who brings cars from the U.S that have salvage titles and repair and sell them. Let me clear the ‘salvage title’ issue that you all have the wrong idea about. A salvage title does not mean the car is garbage or wrecked. In the U.S, if a car has met in an accident and the repair cost is more than 50-75% more of the actual value of the car, the car is titled ‘salvage’. The repair cost is estimated by the dealers so they are obviously ridiculous. Here is a link of what a salvage vehicle looks like: ( http://images.copart.com/website/data/pix/20130228/15196903_1X.JPG ) This vehicle was issued a salvage title. As you can see, nobody probably died in an accident like that and the car is repairable. When I purchase a vehicle, I make sure the chassis is not bent and airbags not deployed. I myself have been driving a salvaged Lexus in Dubai for the past 4 years with NO ISSUES. Most of the cars in Sharjah and Ajman are safe, but I would recommend checking the carfax to see if the vehicles airbags were deployed…which indicates a major accident and the vehicle should not be purchased. Also test drive the vehicles..if they drive perfectly, they are good to purchase.

    • Ali, How does someone with a US Dealers License get hooked up with a list of Dubai car dealers buying from the US? I come thru Dubai every couple months. I would like to meet up with them.

  51. Is there any law to punish these cheaters? I have bought a toyota, they told me no accident. After 2 months car have problem and whey i check parts in google, it show me car in salvage cars from US. Any one who have filed a case or police report. These people should be out of the market or punished.

  52. Salvage means exactly what Ali has told. When a car is totalled it does not mean it is total damage. It just means the car model blue book value probably does not justify the labor cosy which is expensive in the US. Many a times, we do get beautiful cars which are declared totalled / salvaged.

  53. I have gone to yards where they open the containers & take out these cars in Sharjah.. Some are in bad shape, agreed. But 70% are repairable with only superficial damage & damages associated with shipping. That said i think its better that you choose your car before the damage has been repaired & better stay away from imports which are repaired & kept polished & claimed as ” absolutely accident-free ” by the dealer. Unless ofcourse one has a clean Carfax / Autocheck reports which cost about $ 70 together plus a full checkup from Muroor which cost about AED 450. Believe me, this is money well spent which gives you peace of mindmind in the long run at the same time, gives you a good car for the same

  54. And you get a good newer car for the price of a used one !!! I myself got a 2010 Camry LE which had roof damage & a broken windshield but the Chassis was intact as I checked under the bumper secretly with a flashlight .. The original VIN sticker on the main crossmember was intact as& Carfax indicated that there was no serious accident causing Frame damage or Airbag deployment . Ok, the garage didn’t do an altogether great job in fixing the roof, though I was present throughout the work, as I got it before repairwork started, mechanically & electrically, it is a gem… But priceless I got a good deal as I paid as much as a what a 2007 only including repair & No odometer rollback was reported according to Carfax & genuine low mileage was reported (the same mileage was in the Carfax report, which was on the odo)

  55. okay Ali, based on what you said, & ironically it is actually true, that picture you attached happens to be a im guessing 2005 – 2006 ls 430 with a damage to the bonnet, slight damage to the grill, scuffs and marks to the front bumper & right fender, now a car like this would be valued around 19000 dollars which is around 65000 dirhams. Now based on the condition that the value should be more than 50& would mean the total repair charges amounts to Aed 25000 minimum??
    Im sure if i had a similar model & approached al futtaim motors their quote wouldnt even be a quarter of that would it?

  56. I’ve got a nice lady driven hyundai veloster which is imported from US. what she says is that it was sent to her by a cousin who stays there along with a Volkswagen. Its kinda new car. 2012 model and just below 10k mileage. The main thing is that it’s a manual and you don’t get a manual veloster in UAE.
    whatsay?? trust worthy??

    • Also,
      What all papers should i look for?
      What’s a carfax report? should i ask that?
      Is there any authority to check and verify that its accident free and in good condition?
      Does an authorised Hyundai Service center help?

      I would really like to get a manual veloster here.
      But should i really take it??

    • Author

      Just go to a Tasjeel test centre that also does a full test for Dhs 250 (like the one in Aweer Used Cars Market). Even a few garages like a2b and AAA do a check for a fee. Google them.

  57. After reading all the questions on this website about importing a car from the USA, I can state that there is a solution: USACarImport.com
    We have started this service 7 years ago and our buying office in Florida is over 30 years in business. we handle dealer and private requests. We only deal in new and young pre-owned cars. All with clean Carfax and our guarentee that the car is perfect. Never been in an accident. We can ship directy in a 20ft container. On http://www.usa-car-import.com/en/index.html you can see our English pages. We look forward to help you.

  58. How can know if the car is imported or not? Please advise as I am going to buy a car from used car market,it is nissan altima 2009 model, origin USA.

  59. I am expat working in Saudi & I found a good car in UAE . how can I purchase it . how the name plate get transferred . please guide .

  60. I wanted to service Nissan Altima US spec car can you pls recommend a service center becoz Arabian automobiles are not ready service the US spec as there are saying there is some comapatibility issue in connecting the vechile

  61. I have contacted Them but they are saying for any transmission problem contact the dealer directly I have some issue with gear box IS there any trained service center is there.

    • Author

      If you have a transmission issue, then you’re out of luck. The Murano does not have a gearbox, but a CVT, which no one knows how to fix. Even the dealer only knows how to replace it fully, not fix it. You may try to source a crashed Murano via a smaller garage and have them replace it, but I can’t recommend any.

  62. Good day,i would like to ask regarding buying and register the secondhand car in abu dhabi…one thing i have a problem is i have a police case regards of my credit card few weeks and still I didn’t fixed that case…my friend he’s selling he’s car and i want to buy it but im still thinking how i can buy he’s car that i have police case…pls give me quickly answer tnxz

  63. Question, am from dubai, I found BMW 328i convertible with 25k on thr clock, I really loved this car and I checked in car fax is registered as salvage. The car is 2011 model very clean car in and out. I wonder if I drive to bmw dealers will they service and also will insurances know if this car is a salvaged car ?

    • Author

      Varies from dealer to dealer, and some insurance companies are better than others, so you’ll have to check with them.

  64. So I am guessing, if you are unlucky enough to have bought one of the American salvage imports, you are stuck with it. The owner (private sale via dubizzle) never mentioned it was an American model, his advert was glowing about good mechanical order etc etc, surely there is something that can be done, plus do the insurance turn a blind eye to American imports?

    • Author

      There’s no law against selling used lemons (although you can still try your luck with the municipality’s Consumer Rights division if you bought from a dealer). Insurance should not be a problem.

    • Unfortunately it was a private sale :-((

  65. I bought a used 2009 Mazda6 in 2013 from a dealer in Aweer car market. It was fine when i took it for a test drive and liked it. They would not let me take it for inspection since it had no numberplates, and there was no service history. i ended up buying it and the guy said it passed with flying colours. A month in, i realized that the brakes were completely faded out and it was running on second quality pads.. I ended up replacing the discs,pads, and overtime engine mountings,wheel bearings and even put on new rubber.. In a year, i spent 8000DHS on it.. But since im a car lover, i bought only genuine parts and got it serviced at dynatrade. When i sold it last year, i told the buyer that he is lucky since almost everything on it is brand new, but i was unlucky.I bought a brand new outlander 2015 model, 3.0 V6 and loving it…Im done buying used cars!

  66. i bought american spec car from dealer and car is break down same day. and i bring to garage they show me so many problem with this car i have bill what can i do now i can not pay for repair.can i give them car and and my money back to me what rules for this please any one knows help please. thanks

  67. I have seem many Toyota RAV4 US SPEC selling in Dubai and can A/C it work in GCC weather ?

    Someone said Engine itself different design between Middle East and US spec car ..

    is that correct ?

    • Yes. Rav4 US specs does have a 4 cylinder version and a V6. Secondly, their cooling systems are different from ours. The operating temprature always stays half way the temperature gauge which increases engine efficiency in icy climate of US and provides better cabin heat.

      I have never heard of a US spec Toyota overheating in our climate but just be sure you are not buying an accident or flood car.

  68. I am interested to buy Benz or Lexus 2004 model from Europe. Kindly advice me if there is any problem AC, radiator or engine in GCC atmosphere?

    I really thankful to the person who give me a good advice

  69. Hi,

    I just bought a US imported 2014 Dodge Challenger. I did the whole VIN number check (its well worth doing as it usually only costs US$1) and I was satisfied that the car hadnt been written off or stolen, etc.

    However, when it came to the warranty of vehicle, thats when I realised I might not have got the best deal. It turns out, that although the car is virtually new (2014 model) and only has 3500km on the clock, the US warranty becomes invalid and so there is now no warranty on the car (as confirmed with Dodge). I had asked the owner of the car if the warranty is still valid and he told me yes. As everything he had said before was true, I believed him.

    Im currently looking into buying an extended warranty or some kind of package that replaces the warranty you get with a new car. Does anyone have any suggestions of who to use?

    Cheers

    • Author

      There is a company called Gulf Warranties that you can approach, but I’ve never used them and I don’t know if they do imports.

  70. brother i am used car dealer
    and i deal in american and japanesse car.
    the cars u can find in japan and america are much better and well maintained then GCC cars.
    and its nothing like we pull the chassis and fill some MAJOON and paint it “NO”
    if there is a car whose chassis is hit
    we dont repair it by pulling it. coz its metal, once it is bend and pulled back its not as rigit as it was.
    so we change by “MIG WELDING” which makes it more stronger then it was.
    (i guess u havent heart of reinforced chassis.)
    and if someone like me and most of other people like a old car like the 80’s, and if u want to find it here in UAE, the only thing u will find is rusted and full of MAJOON body panels.
    and in “AMERICAN” spec cars they are not even painted.
    so please correct it, Mashfique Hussain Chowdhury
    and if any body have more questions, please mail me or call me (–) for more questions.
    or if anybody needs a classic or any car.

  71. Why did you focus on imported cars for this article?

    GCC spec cars are being cut and shut on a regular basis. Cars bought locally are being written off and repaired, and I was once in a Corolla Taxi in Abu Dhabi that was a front end 1987 back end 1986.
    This is not specific to imported cars – and if imported cars are going up in flames because of bad workmanship then it is workmanship here, and nothing to do with the fact that the car is imported.

    The garages are here. The bad workmanship is here.

    Totally out of order blaming imported cars.

  72. Hi guys 2 weeks ago i baught a 2013 nissan sentra frm sharja showroom and its imported from america so its us spcific. Since i drove the car in highway i heard a noise i have replace tyres with brand new but still have noise i took car to show garaj they told me its from wheel bearing. I want to know spare parts are same for gulf spcific and us? Can i buy spare part the same for gulf spcific and install on my car?
    Help me pls thanks.

  73. am going to buy a camaro ss v8 2010 and the dealer told me its GCC spes , where can i make a full check for the car ,, they told me al-shamil but it does check the engine gear and chassis or what ??

    thanks

  74. I m in love with Ls 430 , but most of them over the net is either Japanese or Us Spec!! they are well over 150k kms and in good shape inside out. any advises??

    • They are all US spec. Even ones that come from Japan are US spec since they are left-hand drive. Our advice is to stay away from them if they have no service history, which in most cases, they don’t. As we mentioned in the article, you can get the full history of US-spec cars from carfax.com for a small fee.

Recent Comments

Browse categories

Browse archives