Al Ain Court Orders Couple to Pay Dh32,506 in Car Workshop Dispute

An Al Ain court has ordered a woman and her husband to pay Dh32,506 to a car repair workshop, ruling that the amount represents the outstanding balance for engine modification work carried out on the woman’s vehicle.

In its judgment, the court said the claimant failed to submit any technical evidence proving that the agreed work had not been completed.

The dispute arose after the woman filed a civil lawsuit against the workshop, seeking Dh46,100, legal interest, and the return of the car engine and its components, or compensation valued at Dh125,960. She also claimed Dh100,000 in material and moral damages, along with court costs and lawyers’ fees, and asked that the workshop owner and his son be held jointly liable.

According to the claimant, she had handed over her vehicle to the workshop for engine modifications and mechanical work. A representative acting on her behalf made bank transfers totalling Dh46,100 to facilitate the job after being informed that the required parts had arrived from the manufacturer.

She further alleged that due to limited space at the workshop, she requested the removal of the car body while the engine and its accessories remained there. However, she claimed the workshop failed to complete the work, retained the transferred funds, and refused to return the engine and its parts.

The workshop owner and his son denied the allegations and filed a counterclaim, arguing that the woman was not a party to the original contract. They demanded Dh32,506 as the remaining balance, along with Dh10,000 in compensation for non-payment.

In its ruling, the court relied on the findings of a court-appointed engineering expert, who examined whether the engine modification work had been properly completed. The expert confirmed that the workshop had submitted invoices for imported spare parts and machining work, while the claimant failed to provide any technical proof of non-performance.

The report concluded that the engine had undergone professional, high-level modifications using imported components, in accordance with a prior agreement. Claims that the engine was not original were rejected as unsupported by technical or documentary evidence.

The expert also found that the woman’s husband had paid Dh45,100 in instalments, leaving an outstanding balance of Dh32,506. He determined that the breach stemmed from non-payment and delays in collecting the engine, rather than any failure on the part of the workshop.

The court dismissed the original lawsuit and ordered the couple to jointly pay Dh32,506, along with Dh3,000 in compensation, court fees, and Dh300 in legal expenses.

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