A resident of Astana reported that the warranty repair of her Chinese car, purchased in 2024, took about six months due to a lack of a gearbox. In December 2025, the car stopped moving properly, after which it was taken to a service centre.
WHY THE REPAIR TOOK SEVERAL MONTHS
According to Nege.kz, the cause of the long wait was a shortage of necessary spare parts. As explained by the Kazakhstan Automotive Union, the volume of parts supplied to official dealer networks is calculated based on the number of cars officially imported and sold in the country.
Meanwhile, these same spare parts are used by owners of cars imported into Kazakhstan through unofficial schemes. As a result, official dealers are working to expand their range of spare parts.
WHY THE PROBLEM HAS BECOME MORE NOTICEABLE
The share of Chinese brands among new cars sold by official dealers rose from 2% in 2019 to 39% by the end of 2025.
The organisation noted that as the number of cars increases, it is necessary to expand the capacity of service centres, increase the number of specialists, and boost stocks of components. However, according to the union, for some brands the pace of sales has outpaced the development of service infrastructure.
WHAT RIGHTS CAR OWNERS HAVE
There is no single warranty repair period for all cars. The specific period must be stated in the sales contract. Moreover, the absence of a necessary part in Kazakhstan does not relieve the dealer of responsibility to the buyer.
If the repair is not completed within the period set by the contract, or if the identified defect is significant, the consumer has the right to demand a replacement vehicle, a refund of the amount paid, or termination of the contract.
The union also reported that official dealers may have a mechanism in place to provide a courtesy car for the duration of the repair. However, the specific terms must be clarified with the dealer or in the contract.
WHAT IS KNOWN ABOUT SPARE PARTS STOCKS
It is reported that the law does not establish a single standard for the quantity of spare parts that dealers must hold for each car model. The volume of warehouse stocks is determined by the internal requirements of the manufacturer, the distributor, dealer standards, and the number of cars sold.
The organisation also noted that there is no single, publicly available statistics on complaints about the quality of Chinese cars, delays in spare parts deliveries, or lengthy warranty repairs. Therefore, as the union emphasised, it cannot be claimed that such a problem is typical of all Chinese cars.
