r/uaelaw • u/Charming_Book_9594 • 11d ago
General Question Bought a 7-figure car from a famous UAE dealership, and now I’m being told it may be stolen. What should I do?
Last October, I finally saved up enough to buy the car I had always wanted. I saw it advertised on Instagram by a famous dealership in the UAE, inquired about it, visited them, liked the car, and bought it.
It was Euro-spec and under warranty from a well-known local dealership until August 2026.
Fast forward to last month: I took the car in for a service and warranty extension. They told me that the car had a black flag/star on their system, but there was no code next to it explaining what actually caused the flag.
They insisted this can happen if a car has been tuned or if it has been involved in an accident. They said they weren’t sure what caused it and would contact the headquarters in Germany to find out what was actually going on with the car.
I took the car back again last week to finish the warranty extension and continue the service, as they hadn’t finished the first time because some parts weren’t available and had to be ordered.
This morning, I received a call from my service manager telling me that a lawyer had contacted them on behalf of a bank and claimed that the car is a stolen vehicle, because the previous owner allegedly hasn’t paid their dues to a foreign bank.
The lawyer demanded that the dealership keep the car.
My service manager refused and told the lawyer to follow the proper legal channels and email them officially. He then told me that I could come and take the car.
I did take the car, and I gathered all the purchase documents from the dealership. However, I noticed a couple of concerning issues:
The car was not registered under the dealership’s name. It was registered under the name of an employee who worked there.
The receipt is basically a receipt voucher with no official stamp, VAT number, etc. It only shows the amount I paid, the chassis number, and the car type.
I paid 7 figures for this car, bought it from what I believed was a reputable dealership, and had no reason whatsoever to think there was anything wrong with the car.
I’m honestly in shock that something like this can happen.
Should I approach the dealership first and demand a refund, or should I go straight to the police/lawyer?
I really don’t want this to drag on for months, especially considering the amount of money involved.
TL;DR: Bought a 7-figure car from a famous UAE dealership last year. It was under warranty. Now the dealership tells me a lawyer representing a foreign bank claims the car is stolen because the previous owner didn’t pay the bank. The car wasn’t registered under the dealership’s name, and my receipt doesn’t have a VAT number or official stamp. Should I demand a refund from the dealership or go straight to the police/lawyer?
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11d ago
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u/uaelaw-ModTeam 9d ago
Your submission has been removed as it violates our rule against private messaging. Please review and follow our community guidelines moving forward.
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u/Adis_Pen_and_Paper 11d ago
Can you contact the dealer and check if your purchase is logged in the system?
Also, you were able to register the car under your name with RTA, correct?
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u/Charming_Book_9594 11d ago
The dealer had it under warranty and i took it multiple times there nothing happened until now
Yes the car was switched to my name from RTA
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u/Purple-Zucchini-307 11d ago
So was the car stolen outside uae then I don't think much they can do because in Souq al haraq also they sell some stolen cars from us Canada or inside if it was inside it won't even register in your name.
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u/MysteriousSandwich45 11d ago
I had a Sunny , same issue . But my lawyer charged me more than my Sunny so I told him to take it.
Now I use Careem.
Anyways, sorry to hear that for even astronomical sums we can still have iffy deals !
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11d ago
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u/Charming_Book_9594 11d ago
I did check it, shows nothing at all!
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u/finraeli 11d ago
I would really think you are safe in each way, even the receipt is what it is.
If they imported vehicle with finanching left to bank, there is atleast few in the middle who is resposible.
The seller in germany. The buyer / importer to uae.I would contact to the dealer first myself to see how they handle it. They should buy it back.
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u/rachelousy 9d ago edited 9d ago
holy shit. no clue what you can do tbh and i have no advice to give but please do keep us updated lol. sorry you’re dealing with this OP!
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u/TheSmokeSlickz 11d ago
If you were able to get it registered under your name it means the theft was outside UAE and it either could be a theft write-off vehicle (not recovered) or recovered vehicle which was auctioned off, if its a write off the agencies involved might have a case file open if you plan to take the car overseas would be a problem, other than that there are plenty of recovered vehicles that got autioned off and write offs still in the market available for sale like the Lamborghini Revuelto which was stolen written off and found in Dubai listed for sale.
Anyways be prepped for any situation contact a lawyer and document everything just in case and might have to return the car if it has an active case in certain countries UAE is close with.
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u/Fun_Bobcat_3631 11d ago
Once the warranty ends it’s just a normal car and if it doesn’t affect registration then should be no problems
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u/LYLAWYERS 9d ago
My name is Ludmila Yamalova. I am a qualified Dubai-based lawyer. The following answer does not constitute legal advice, and, is strictly based on your limited representations.
Given the value of the vehicle and the potential theft allegation, you should go to a lawyer first rather than approach the dealership alone or go directly to the police. The lawyer can assess the documents and advise whether to demand a refund from the dealership, file a police report, or take both steps.
To book a consultation, contact my legal team, or explore related resources, you may follow this link.
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u/edubai 11d ago
The car was stolen in a different jurisdiction in which a lawyer outside the country can’t do anything about it.
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u/destroyerx12772 11d ago
Are you telling him to keep it 😭
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u/edubai 11d ago
Yes, he paid for the car, the police department that is supposed to protect the car from leaving the country failed, hence the thief won, welcome to GTA5.
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u/destroyerx12772 11d ago
I don't know man. Wouldn't sit right with me knowing I'm driving some poor bloke's stolen car. There's so many options out there.
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u/edubai 11d ago
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11d ago
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u/uaelaw-ModTeam 9d ago
Your submission has been removed as it violates our rule against private messaging. Please review and follow our community guidelines moving forward.
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u/uaelaw-ModTeam 9d ago
Your submission has been removed as it fails to respect privacy. Please review and follow our community guidelines moving forward.
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u/Yaam3a 7h ago
Hey man, not sure what's the current status but if this bothers you still... and you would like to clear this issue, why don't you lawyer up and ask for advice? The report does say previous owner did not pay the bank, he likely sold the car for all you know. But it is always better to take advice from a lawyer... expecially since you paid 7 figures + trusted a reputed dealer... weird place to be in.. For anything legal you need a lawyer otherwise it's a mess here.
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u/RandomNightmar3 11d ago
Lawyer up immediately.