If you’ve ever tried selling a car in Dubai, you’ll know the whole experience is just a tad different from back home. In the UK, you stick it on Auto Trader, take three photos in the rain, and someone will turn up with a coat that doesn’t fit and an envelope full of cash. Here, buyers are on a totally different wavelength. People inspect cars like they’re choosing a racehorse. They’ll crouch down, peer underneath, poke the tyres, stare silently at the dashboard, and then wander off without so much as a ‘sorry pal, not for me’ if something doesn’t feel right.

I learnt this the awkward way the first time I tried selling a car here. I had a perfectly good motor, clean inside and out, but the moment someone asked for the service book and I said I’d “misplaced it”, their expression changed like I’d confessed to armed robbery of Mouawad. After a few more viewings, I realised Dubai’s second-hand market runs on trust, history, and whether your AC can blow Arctic air at 3pm in July.

So if you want your car to fetch a decent price here, you can’t treat maintenance the way we sometimes do in the UK, which is basically to ignore everything until the MOT man gives us a lecture. Dubai does not forgive that sort of behaviour. Here are the big mistakes people make that quietly drain thousands off their resale value, even if the car still looks good parked outside the building.

1. Not Keeping Your Service Records Safe

This is the absolute classic. If there is one thing buyers want more than anything else, it’s proof. Not stories, not promises, not “I’ve always looked after it”. They want stamps, receipts, invoices, screenshots, whatever you have. They want the full history, and they want it neatly presented like you’re applying for a mortgage.

Dubai’s climate is tough. The heat, the stop-start driving, the sandy air sliding into every little gap. Buyers know all of this, so they want evidence that the car hasn’t been suffering quietly. Even something simple like an oil change shows consistency. A missing service history, on the other hand, puts you in the dreaded “unknown condition” category. And unknown is where ‘market value’ goes to die.

It’s not dramatic to say that proper documentation can swing your offers by 15 to 20 percent. That is not pocket change. It’s just basic admin. Keep your paperwork. Treat it like passport photos from your childhood. One day you’ll be glad you hung on to it.

2. Stretching Oil Changes or Going for the Cheapest Option

We all know the feeling. You check the oil change sticker on the windscreen and realise you’re… slightly overdue. You convince yourself you’ll pop in next week. You see the traffic on Al Khail Road and decide the car can wait. You tell yourself “it’s synthetic, it’ll be fine.” Then before you know it, you’re 5,000 kilometres past the recommended interval without meaning to be.

Thing is, Dubai doesn’t give your engine much of a break. Oil works harder here. Cheap oil works twice as hard. And a neglected engine announces itself pretty quickly to anyone who knows what they’re listening for. Rattles, sluggishness, the dipstick showing oil that looks… thicker than it should.

A buyer will spot this during a test drive and immediately start subtracting numbers in their head. Fresh oil is one of those tiny things that make the whole car feel healthier. Don’t skimp on it. Your future self, counting the extra money, will thank you.

3. Ignoring Paint Chips and Sand Damage

Dubai’s roads basically sandblast your car for free. Between the wind, the lorries, the construction sites and the random bits of gravel that appear out of nowhere, paint damage happens quickly. One small chip looks harmless at first. Leave it alone and it quietly becomes a rust spot. Leave it even longer and suddenly the entire panel looks like it needs professional attention.

Buyers here notice this stuff right away. They give panels a little tap with their knuckles like they’re sensing ghosts. If they see rust, even tiny specks, they’ll assume the problem runs deeper. Touch-up paint is so cheap it’s almost embarrassing. Regular washes help as well because sand scratches the clear coat if you leave it sitting for too long.

A bit of care goes a long way. The desert sun doesn’t negotiate with people who forget to look after their paintwork.

4. Letting the AC Get Weaker Without Realising It

Anyone who has lived in Dubai for longer than a week knows the AC is not just a comfort feature. It is life support. If it doesn’t get cold quickly, your potential buyer will look at you like you’re trying to sell them a hairdryer with wheels.

The problem is AC systems rarely fail overnight. They fade slowly. The air gets less cool. The compressor makes a noise you swear wasn’t there before. The cabin filter starts smelling a bit like someone left some dirty washing under the dashboard.

Dubai’s dust kills cabin filters fast. An annual check and clean is cheap and prevents you from showing a buyer lukewarm air at the worst possible moment. If there is one thing buyers test obsessively, it is the AC. Make sure yours feels like someone opened a door to the gates of Eastern Siberia.

5. Using Cheap or Mismatched Tyres

There is something unmistakably dodgy about seeing four tyres that all come from different brands. Or tyres that look like they survived a Mad Max set. Or ones that are technically legal but basically ancient artifacts.

Dubai buyers always check the tyre date. Anything older than six years is considered expired. They’ll run their hand along the sidewall, check for cracks, and if the tyres look questionable, they assume everything else has been neglected too.

Good tyres transform the feel of a car during a test drive. Cheap ones make every bump feel like a red flag.

6. Putting Off Brake Maintenance Until the Last Minute

Brakes start with a tiny squeak and end with you wondering how much a full set of rotors costs here. Most people wait far too long before dealing with them. But squeaking, grinding or a soft pedal during a test drive kills any sense of confidence a buyer might have had.

Sort the brakes early. It’s cheaper, safer and stops your car giving buyers panic attacks at the first roundabout.

7. Neglecting the Interior Until It’s Beyond Saving

The exterior gets people interested but the interior is where they decide if they actually want the car. Dubai heat is brutal. Dashboards crack, leather dries out, plastic turns shiny and brittle. Any lingering smell sticks around because the air barely moves when the car is parked.

A simple sunshade works wonders. So does wiping things down occasionally and conditioning the leather. Once the interior looks like it has been through three desert summers without sunscreen, the cost to fix it becomes ridiculous.

Buyers love a clean, tidy interior. Not showroom-perfect, just well looked after. It makes them imagine themselves driving it. If they can’t imagine that, they won’t buy.

8. Ignoring Warning Lights Because the Car “Still Runs”

Back in the UK, we sometimes ignore warning lights on the dashboard until MOT time because the car still feels fine. In Dubai, that doesn’t work. Even the most laid-back buyer will notice a glowing light and immediately assume the worst.

Everyone here carries an OBD scanner, even people who barely know what the letters stand for. They will plug it in and check the codes. Clearing them and hoping for the best won’t cut it. Fix the problem properly.

A clean dashboard gives buyers a warm, fuzzy feeling. A glowing warning light does the opposite.

9. DIY Repairs That Look Homemade

There is nothing wrong with doing your own repairs if you know what you’re doing. But some people…probably shouldn’t. They watch a YouTube video once, grab a screwdriver, and hope for the best. Buyers can spot this instantly. A patchy paint job. Loose interior trim. Electrical tape where electrical tape really should not be.

If you’re confident, go for it and document your work. If you’re not, do yourself a favour and hand it to someone in Al Quoz who actually enjoys this stuff. A bad home repair can knock thousands off your asking price.

10. Waiting Until the Car Is Practically Begging for Mercy

The classic Dubai move is to keep a car until a major repair appears, panic, and sell it quickly. Buyers can sense desperation like sharks smell blood. A car that is overdue for major work will never get its full value.

Plan your exit a little earlier. Look at the service intervals, check what’s coming up. If the big jobs are around the corner, decide whether to do them or sell beforehand. What you shouldn’t do is pretend nothing is wrong and hope nobody notices. They will. They always will.

Final Thoughts

Dubai is a brilliant place for cars, but it demands more from owners than many people expect. If you stay on top of the basics, keep your records tidy, deal with small problems early and avoid cutting corners, the car will reward you when you eventually put it up for sale. Buyers here appreciate a motor that’s been cared for.

Treat the car like something you’ll eventually hand over with pride. Your future self, counting the extra cash, will be very glad you did.

If you’re looking for somewhere reliable and trustworthy to offload your motor in Dubai, look no further than ExpatCarBuyers, a highly rated company for selling car in Dubai, UAE. Minimal stress, maximum profit. Enquire today.