Oman acts against illegal regrooving

Oman’s official news agency reports that the country’s Public Authority for Consumer Protection (PACP) has taken action against an establishment that regrooved end of life passenger car tyres and sold them to consumers as semi-new. In a statement, PACP chairman Dr. Said bin Khamis al-Ka'abi shared that a number of businesses, with links to “some expats”, have sold tyres unfit for use as semi-new; he referred to this as a “serious crime” that has “negative dimensions and effects on the safety of consumers.”

An investigation into this practice led to the arrest of 13 expatriate workers from Asia and the confiscation of regrooving tools. Commenting on the case, an unnamed industry expert said “in some countries re-grooving is done on used commercial vehicle tyres but one needs expertise to do so, I don’t think the suspects had that kind of expertise and equipment to regroove tyres of passenger cars.” Another source commented that while the retreading of commercial vehicle tyres is encouraged in Oman, attempting to present faulty, used tyres as new is another matter entirely.