Small car workshops may struggle over new govt rules

The workshops can’t display the qualifications of its mechanics as they rely on experience, says a business association.

PETALING JAYA: Small motor workshops may have difficulty adhering to a new government regulation requiring a list of its mechanics and their qualifications to be displayed, according to a trade group.

Many small workshop owners have no paper qualifications themselves, and tend to employ workers based on their experience, said Abdul Muner Hanafiah, president of the Malaysian Automotive Prosper Entrepreneur Association.

He defined small workshops as those with fewer than five workers and revenue of less than RM50,000 a month.

“For small workshops especially in the rural areas, the new regulations are difficult to implement. They are not hands-on on matters that involve paperwork,” he said.

Obtaining a certificate would also require workers to commit to evening classes.

The new regulation, which came into force on July 1, also requires workshops to state whether spare parts being fitted were new, used, or reconditioned.

Muner said most workshops in the Klang Valley would have no problem with the new regulations as most workshops would hire mechanics with the Sijil Kemahiran Malaysia skills certificate.

Izhamirul Izlan, a workshop branch manager in Puncak Alam, said senior mechanics whose skills were acquired over decades of experience are less likely to attend classes just to obtain certificates.

“On the other hand, many automotive graduates, who clearly have the paper qualifications, have chosen to become a food delivery rider as they can earn more.”

Khor Kong Siah, head of the Federation of Automobile Workshop Owners’ Association, said the new government regulation would instil confidence among consumers.

Khor said the association would encourage and assist their members without qualifications to obtain them.