Owning a car in Qatar has never been a cheap affair. While prices of new cars are higher than anywhere else in the GCC, spare parts too have seen a spike in value.

Higher prices and unavailability of spare parts are causing car owners in Qatar to see red, reported Qatar Tribune.

The newspaper said that people are now looking at neighbouring countries for importing genuine spare parts that are also genuine.

The prices of spare parts are so high in Qatar that many are forced to go for duplicate ones, which often does not last long.

There are often long queues at dealer-approved workshops and parts are often unavailable, adding to the wait-time and cost factor.

Recently, the Ministry of Commerce and Economy had made it clear that people can get their cars repaired at a workshop of their choice without affecting the warranty.

But people who go to private workshops for repairs are also not too happy with the experience levels of staff there. Add to it chances of being duped with older spare parts and overcharging, people are caught between the rock and a hard place.

A routine check-up of a vehicle at dealership often costs up to QR3,000, with non-negotiable labour charges forming a large part of it.