Another major car dealer in Qatar has made it cheaper for customers to repair and maintain their vehicles, the Ministry of Economy and Commerce (MEC) has said.

Abdullah Abdulghani & Bros Co (AAB), which operates the country’s Lexus and Toyota dealerships, is reducing its service rates by 6 percent to 39 percent, the MEC said in a statement.

The ministry’s announcement comes one week after Saleh Al Hamad Al Mana Co. – which is the exclusive distributor of Nissan, Infiniti and Renault vehicles in Qatar – lowered its maintenance prices.

The ministry said the moves stem from a new set of warranty and service rules imposed upon dealers earlier this year.

However, those regulations were aimed at encouraging car dealers to improve their performance and to become more competitive.

They also aimed to raise standards of maintenance and repairs, the ministry said at the time, rather than explicitly push down prices.

Qatar residents have previously told the ministry that they believe service costs are too high, both during and after the warranty period, and expressed limited confidence in repair facilities, according to a survey published last year.

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