Old, decrepit cars pose danger to other motorists on Riyadh roads

Many motorists keep their old and decrepit vehicles either for sentimental reasons or because they cannot afford a new car, with possible dangerous consequences for themselves and other road users.
“Many car companies offer no down payment schemes for selected brand new cars. However, there are still many old cars which have become virtual rolling coffins on the capital city's main arteries,” said Benny Quiambao, a businessman who was a car workshop owner before embarking on a new business venture.
Many of these old cars are more than two decades old and are in a poor state because of a lack of maintenance.
“It's an irony that the owners of old and decrepit cars are the ones who don't maintain them. They hardly change the oil or check whether there's still water in the radiator. It's only when the car breaks down that they bring it to the car workshop for a check-up,” he said.
He said that these “rolling coffins” pose a danger to other motorists and advised owners to dispose of them and buy good second-hand or slightly used cars, if they can afford it.
“If a car is a necessity, it's better to buy a new car. Old cars need a lot of maintenance. Sometimes, spare parts for them are not available. You spend a lot of time going to the workshops for repairs. This is a hassle for people who consider time important,” he said.
Laki Brenna, a chief mechanic at a car workshop at the Old Industrial Area, said that a car suffers from wear and tear over the years until it becomes old and decrepit. He said these cars can still be seen running on the city's roads because car owners can buy imported spare parts from private companies.
"Dealers of brand new cars no longer sell spare parts for cars 15 years old or older but there are private firms which import these and make them available to old car owners," he said.
He added that if spare parts are not available, the companies can order from suppliers abroad. The only problem is that they have to wait for some time.
He added that if spare parts are out of stock, they go to Tashlih Al-Sayyarat outside the city. It is a wide, sprawling area in Hair district in the southeastern part of Riyadh. This area is full of junk shops with broken-down cars several years old.
“Old car owners go there despite the distance and check the old or broken down vehicles for the spare parts they need,” he said.
“If the junk shop owner inside the Tashlih Al-Sayyarat knows that the spare part sought by a customer is out of stock, he sells it at a hefty profit,” Brenna said. He said the old car owner has no choice but to buy it even if it's expensive because he will not find it anywhere else.
Asked why most mechanics use old or second-hand cars, an Indian mechanic said that the owners know how to maintain and repair these cars if they break down.
He added that many of those going to Tashlih Al-Sayyarat are mechanics themselves who fix customers' cars as a sideline job. “This is why on Fridays I go to Tashlih Al-Sayyarat with a customer to look for spare parts,” said the mechanic who works at a car workshop in Um Al-Hammam area.