Interview with Mr. Hamid Moaref, Managing Director – Orange Auto – Dubai

1. Can you tell us a little bit about your background and how you came into the automotive service and repair industry here in Dubai?

I was raised in Dubai since 1981 and have seen this flourishing city develop into what it is now. I went on to continuing my education in Vancouver Canada after high school where I got my degree in bachelors of business administration as well as a diploma in magazine publishing. Our family business has been in tires wholesale for the past 50 years. I was never in the tires business but was selling alloy wheels at a wholesale level to countries in the region until that business slowly faded away. Just like most other tire wholesales in the UAE and the region our company decided to get into the retail industry to expand our portfolio. It was not an easy process, as I had to learn everything from scratch.

2. What are your biggest challenges with running and operating orange auto in Dubai?

I have two main challenges when running an operation like Orange Auto. One of them is making sure that the staff are cohesive and learn to work with each other smoothly. This arises because they all come from different nationalities, backgrounds, age groups etc… and having them work together without conflict can be a bit of a challenge. My second biggest challenge is the ongoing online battle for marketing, especially with the number of competitors that are coming up.

3. What should people look out for when buying a used car in Dubai?

When buying a used car in Dubai such as a BMW, Mercedes or Audi etc… from my personal experience whether it is a local GCC specification car or if it is imported from another country is to always take it to a car garage or service center like ours and have it checked. You can never know what the car has been through, as you don’t want to end up buying a lemon. It may have been through a major accident and have its chassis repaired which makes a large impact on the resale value. You may be paying a small fee for the inspection, which prevents you from hefty repairs and surprises later.

4. What services do you offer at Orange Auto in Dubai?

Our services include, but are not limited to the following:

• complete bumper-to-bumper vehicle maintenance and repairs
• tire change services
• car care (3m window tinting, ceramic coating, polishing, interior detailing and headlight restoration)
• pre-purchase car inspection

5. What tips would you give on car maintenance in Dubai? Especially during the hot summer months?

One of the most important car maintenance tips I can give is to park your car in the shade. Heat is the biggest enemy for any vehicle as it deteriorates plastic and rubber components in vehicles over time. One example of this would be components in your suspension system. Some other tips are as follows:

• Check your tires for wear and tear, and air pressure. Tire failure can happen especially in the hot weather months in Dubai.
• Make sure your car cooling system is working well.
• Check your battery power, you don’t want to be stranded in the heat and have your car not start
• Check your vehicle’s air conditioning system

6. How do you keep your level of customer satisfaction high?

I believe that in any type of business, you need to have a personal relationship with each and every customer to ensure that they are happy. We keep them updated on every step and process of what is going on with their vehicle. This creates trust and a feeling of comfort.

7. Which is your favorite vehicle and why?

I drive my favorite vehicle which is a Porsche 911, you may ask me if I were to change it what would I buy? I would buy another Porsche 911. I love it because it has prestige, low maintenance costs and absolutely beautiful. You can take it on the track and have a few laps and also use it as your daily driver. I don’t know if any other car that would last in the UAE conditions the way a Porsche 911 does.

8. Dubai is known for its love of luxury cars. How does your garage cater to the needs of this unique market?

Luxury vehicles are our bread and butter in terms of maintenance, repairs and car care. Our car garage provides various repair and maintenance services for BMW, Mercedes, Audi, Porsche and many other car brands. We understand our customers’ needs very well due to our experience as well as our technicians that come with a lot of experience. We treat every vehicle that comes into our workshop as if it were our own.

9. What sets your car garage apart from other service garages in Dubai?

Our commitment in being transparent with our customers. We provide genuine quality spare parts and try to exceed our customers’ expectations when it comes to delivery.

10. How have you managed to build and retain a high-skilled team in your garage?

This is very simple, we in Orange Auto as a team see each other more than we do our families, so in a way the team in Orange Auto is our extended family. We listen to each individual’s issues and problems and build on team-individual relationships.

11. How do you ensure quality control in your garage’s services?

We follow ISO rules and regulation at Orange Auto that is also customized for our needs and through time just like every business we add more stringent rules to make sure every process is as smooth as possible.