RIYADH: Away from the watchful eyes of monitoring authorities, car-repair shops in Riyadh have raised prices of motor oil by 15 percent. Subsequently, a can of motor oil is being sold now for SR16. Dealers said prices have risen in the last three weeks to levels that are among the highest in the last several years. Falah, who owns a service station for oil changes, said: “The rise in price of car oil is mostly attributable to the multifold increase in the cost of production components, but it is the summer season, temperatures are high and people need to travel.” Several people expressed displeasure with the price hikes and said severe heat has forced some motorists to change their oil ahead of schedule. Owners of some shops said they will inform the Ministry of Commerce about the unjustified sudden price changes introduced by oil agents, which they said will have an impact on the prices of other products and affect consumers. Consumers are demanding that the Ministry of Commerce and the Consumer Protection Society establish a policy to limit to the rise in prices of motor oil. They suggested introducing an index and a price list for spare parts and oil, and stiff penalties for price fixing. Nabeel Al-Hussayen, a member of the National Committee for Automobile Agents at the Council of Saudi Chambers, justified rising prices for motor oil and said they are due to the rise in cargo charges and prices of raw materials used in making motor oil. Addressing the issue of difference in prices from one shop to another, he said some shopkeepers sell fake products and that local markets are full of them.
