What informs an average Nigerian’s choice of what brand of car to buy is 'popular street opinion' which usually originates from Mechanic workshops. This is a wise choice for such decision making. But to understand the effect this decision is having on the Nigerian automobile market, you need to know what an average Nigerian Mechanic is made of.

In advanced Countries (at least in 'who got what first') like Europe, Canada and the US where there are training centers like the Automotive training center Surrey, Jaguar Land Rover centers and other apprenticeship centers that are owned or supported by the brands they represent, technical information on new technologies can be handed down to apprentists by the very companies that introduced them.

The situation in Nigerian is quite different. I refer to what we have as ‘inherited Technical skills’. This is a situation where an apprentice serves a master for a period of time, during which he is expected to acquire the skill of his master. This would have been a good strategy if only the masters skill (which he also inherited), together with the ones he acquired from trial and error methods (from peoples cars of course) are still relevant in repair of modern cars.

Developments in Automobile Technology

Let’s look at developments in automobile technology over the past 15 years. The basics of ignition, transmission and propulsion have not changed much, but something else have. The late 90’s till now have seen an application of electronic and computer technology in governing and controlling of the basics of car systems. Such control systems include ECUs (Engine Control Systems), PECUs (Programmable ECUs), CCU (Central Control Unit) etc. An understanding of the basic systems without a follow up on the governing systems will only result in flaw in an attempt to fix any modern car.

That is the average situation of an average Nigerian car mechanic. The skills they are working with and transferring to the next generation of repair guys are obsolete basic skills. I call them obsolete because the car systems that those skill sets can fix rarely go bad these days. Gone are the days when cylinder heads and pistons need periodic cleaning (decarbonising) to keep the car running. These days, a car can go in excess of 300,000 km on factory fitted parts and with good lubrication practices without decarbonising or replacement. A good gear box or clutch system will also go about the same distance or more with good driving skills.

Over the years, the mechanics themselves have discovered that the number of car brands and even models that they can successfully fix is narrowing down. This is a fact that they may not voice out but will be obvious if you go ask for your mechanic’s opinion on buying any of those car models, say a 2002 Peugeot 406 over a Toyota Camry of same year.

This is because, unlike the days of Peugeot 504,505 and Volkswagen Golf and Passat MKII or MKIII (second and third generation) cars when Peugeot Automobile Nigeria (PAN) and Volkswagen Group were operating their assembly and services factories respectively in Nigeria, the Peugeot 406 and other later models picked up some improved electrical systems.

The mechanics never had the set up and opportunity to learn these systems to be able to manage them. The case is different for Japanese models like Toyota and Honda who have kept things very close to the basics especially in the Corolla and Civic models. Though their reason may be to keep low cost of production.

These popular opinions on what brand to buy that originated from car workshops have made it to the streets among drivers and the general public. A break down of the acceptable brands has Toyota and Honda taking the front seats, closely followed by Nissan, VW and Mercedes. Even among these brands, some models have been handpicked and labeled a no-go area.

Does that mean you cant find other models on Nigerian roads? The answer is NO! you will still find brands like Land Rover, BMW, Audi, Peugeot and others. Most of these brands can be seen among top earners some of which buy them brand-new from sales partners who will promise after sale services. Though these services barely exist as these class of buyers only use cars for a few years, within which the cars may only require change of oil and maybe break pads before they are changed for later models.

The Way Forward

If this trend continues, an unfair market that will favor only sales of certain brands will be created. This will cause a hike in the price of cars from such brands and models compared to other markets as can be noticed in Nigeria. To avert such a situation, automobile training centers should be encouraged and instituted to teach advance automobile design and electronic technology and prepare the country for the move to hybrid and electric cars.

I’ll like to point out that some young Nigerian car enthusiasts, professional mechanics and institutions like the Bank of Industry (BOI) have discovered these trends and have started acquiring modern diagnosis tool and skills required to fix modern cars. Most of these modern diagnosis centers are found in the southern parts of Nigeria. The North, including Abuja is still lacking in such centers.

Credit: Gabriel Salifu

https://autojosh.com/nigerians-afraid-buy-car-brands-gabriel-salifu/

http://101carsense..com.ng/2012/12/why-nigerians-are-afraid-to-buy-some.html

Lalasticlala
Mynd44
Ishilove
Marpol
Semid4lyfe
Obinoscopy
Seun

when you write an article like this give credits to ikenna351, code red. And all technicians on Nairaland who deal with European and American cars...not the lazy ones who are only at home with Japanese and Korean automobiles.

Too bad, my cousin still finds it pretty hard to get a good mech to work on his Mk3 Vw golf

If there is no mechanic to fix a particular brand of car in your locality, don't buy it

True talk

You self look at the these monsters, where you wan get the parts??

menstrualpad:
when you write an article like this give credits to ikenna351, code red. And all technicians on Nairaland who deal with European and American cars...not the lazy ones who are only at home with Japanese and Korean automobiles.

Lol it is also safe to call ikenna351 lazy for having knowledge about Peugeot and Peugeot alone. Have u ever seen him make any comment whenever there's a thread related to any other car brand? Moral is u need to focus on ur area of specialty instead of being jack of all trades and master of nothing.

and

Lack of mechanics is the reason, some cars are too sophisticated for kazeems, I can remember back then when people were been discouraged to buy cars with automatic gears mainly because there were no much mechanics that handle them.

ITbomb:
If there is no mechanic to fix a particular brand of car in your locality, don't buy it

Word. Even in advanced countries like the US majority still buy Toyotas. Just check out their sales figures especially in the used car market. Those expensive cars are left for the dealerships to fix, so what then happens when cars are out of warranty? They sell them and buy the newer model. And the huge repair bills are left for the 2nd or 3rd owners mostly Nigerians that ship them here.

autojosh:
What informs an average Nigerian’s choice of what brand of car to buy is 'popular street opinion' which usually originates from Mechanic workshops. This is a wise choice for such decision making. But to understand the effect this decision is having on the Nigerian automobile market, you need to know what an average Nigerian Mechanic is made of.

In advanced Countries (at least in 'who got what first') like Europe, Canada and the US where there are training centers like the Automotive training center Surrey, Jaguar Land Rover centers and other apprenticeship centers that are owned or supported by the brands they represent, technical information on new technologies can be handed down to apprentists by the very companies that introduced them.

The situation in Nigerian is quite different. I refer to what we have as ‘inherited Technical skills’. This is a situation where an apprentice serves a master for a period of time, during which he is expected to acquire the skill of his master. This would have been a good strategy if only the masters skill (which he also inherited), together with the ones he acquired from trial and error methods (from peoples cars of course) are still relevant in repair of modern cars.

Developments in Automobile Technology

Let’s look at developments in automobile technology over the past 15 years. The basics of ignition, transmission and propulsion have not changed much, but something else have. The late 90’s till now have seen an application of electronic and computer technology in governing and controlling of the basics of car systems. Such control systems include ECUs (Engine Control Systems), PECUs (Programmable ECUs), CCU (Central Control Unit) etc. An understanding of the basic systems without a follow up on the governing systems will only result in flaw in an attempt to fix any modern car.

That is the average situation of an average Nigerian car mechanic. The skills they are working with and transferring to the next generation of repair guys are obsolete basic skills. I call them obsolete because the car systems that those skill sets can fix rarely go bad these days. Gone are the days when cylinder heads and pistons need periodic cleaning (decarbonising) to keep the car running. These days, a car can go in excess of 300,000 km on factory fitted parts and with good lubrication practices without decarbonising or replacement. A good gear box or clutch system will also go about the same distance or more with good driving skills.

Over the years, the mechanics themselves have discovered that the number of car brands and even models that they can successfully fix is narrowing down. This is a fact that they may not voice out but will be obvious if you go ask for your mechanic’s opinion on buying any of those car models, say a 2002 Peugeot 406 over a Toyota Camry of same year.

This is because, unlike the days of Peugeot 504,505 and Volkswagen Golf and Passat MKII or MKIII (second and third generation) cars when Peugeot Automobile Nigeria (PAN) and Volkswagen Group were operating their assembly and services factories respectively in Nigeria, the Peugeot 406 and other later models picked up some improved electrical systems.

The mechanics never had the set up and opportunity to learn these systems to be able to manage them. The case is different for Japanese models like Toyota and Honda who have kept things very close to the basics especially in the Corolla and Civic models. Though their reason may be to keep low cost of production.

These popular opinions on what brand to buy that originated from car workshops have made it to the streets among drivers and the general public. A break down of the acceptable brands has Toyota and Honda taking the front seats, closely followed by Nissan, VW and Mercedes. Even among these brands, some models have been handpicked and labeled a no-go area.

Does that mean you cant find other models on Nigerian roads? The answer is NO! you will still find brands like Land Rover, BMW, Audi, Peugeot and others. Most of these brands can be seen among top earners some of which buy them brand-new from sales partners who will promise after sale services. Though these services barely exist as these class of buyers only use cars for a few years, within which the cars may only require change of oil and maybe break pads before they are changed for later models.

The Way Forward

If this trend continues, an unfair market that will favor only sales of certain brands will be created. This will cause a hike in the price of cars from such brands and models compared to other markets as can be noticed in Nigeria. To avert such a situation, automobile training centers should be encouraged and instituted to teach advance automobile design and electronic technology and prepare the country for the move to hybrid and electric cars.

I’ll like to point out that some young Nigerian car enthusiasts, professional mechanics and institutions like the Bank of Industry (BOI) have discovered these trends and have started acquiring modern diagnosis tool and skills required to fix modern cars. Most of these modern diagnosis centers are found in the southern parts of Nigeria. The North, including Abuja is still lacking in such centers.

Credit: Gabriel Salifu

https://autojosh.com/nigerians-afraid-buy-car-brands-gabriel-salifu/

http://101carsense..com.ng/2012/12/why-nigerians-are-afraid-to-buy-some.html

Lalasticlala
Mynd44
Ishilove
Marpol
Semid4lyfe
Obinoscopy
Seun

Manicspears

Motor part is the problem.

Mechanics and spare parts. Who wan run down

A seemingly little thing like finding brake pads on some cars is a problem.
Why would anyone go through that hassle? Take a trip to mechanic workshops in your area, there are newer cars that look abandoned by owners because the spare parts have to be shipped from abroad. If the locals stock such parts, there is not enough turnover to make it profitable. There are some cars the owners dare not drive to their villages because there are no parts or knowledgeable mechanics to fix them.

Even the so-called "big men" have their fair share of trials and tribulations to get their cars working efficiently.
/

Ok

Our Kazeems only know their way around Toyota cars.

073

LexngtonSteele:
WOW...who knows the name of the Volvo in the pix?

I am in love

the name is . VOLVO. Very old looking vehicular object

If its not Toyota, it can never be Toyota


Check my signature to order your football jerseys and get FREE CUSTOMIZATION, YES you heard me right FREE CUSTOMIZATION

muller101:
the name is . VOLVO. Very old looking vehicular object

Yawn....

Sigh. Only if you know how much comfort you miss when you don't drive these premium car brands because of the lazy mechanics that can't fix them. I mean, you have machines nowadays to detect any faults, you have the INTERNET and YouTube especially that you can learn just about anything about these cars and their faults. Nigerian mechanics are just lazy and dubious and deprive us of comfort and quality. If I set my mind to it, I'll become an expert in the repair of all these premium car brands.

I lost hope when my mechanic - who is supposedly a volkswagen specialist argued vehemently that a Passat 2007 fsi can never come brand new with just one reverse light.

By the way, Japanese cars are just not it abeg.

Really

Never minding the availability or lack thereof of spare parts or lack of expertise in mechanics, Mercedes-Benz, the epitome of automobile excellence is still the way to go...at least for me.

dabraska:
Sigh. Only if you know how much comfort you miss when you don't drive these premium car brands because of the lazy mechanics that can't fix them. I mean, you have machines nowadays to detect any faults, you have the INTERNET and YouTube especially that you can learn just about anything about these cars and their faults. Nigerian mechanics are just lazy and dubious and deprive us of comfort and quality. If I set my mind to it, I'll become an expert in the repair of all these premium car brands.

I lost hope when my mechanic - who is supposedly a volkswagen specialist argued vehemently that a Passat 2007 fsi can never come brand new with just one reverse light.

By the way, Japanese cars are just not it abeg.

U r right but there's no point buying what someone cannot maintain. Lots of range rovers abandoned in mechanic workshops because apart from the fact that the mechanics have limited knowledge, the owners also so not have the money to ship the parts, because if they do what stops them from taking the cars to coscharis so they can give them bills running into millions.

Do u know the brake pads of Mercedes Benz SLR costs $20,000 to replace? That's more than the price of a Toyota Corolla or Honda Civic just for break pads. Will u own that kind of car and use it as a daily driver?

HAH:
Lack of mechanics is the reason, some cars are too sophisticated for kazeems, I can remember back then when people were been discouraged to buy cars with automatic gears mainly because there were no much mechanics that handle them.

This also reminds me of an incident in 2005 at a town called Ikire in Osun state with our 2002 ML 320, the mechanic have to hit Ibadan to buy pulley belt only to realised he could not fix it, he called in half of the mechanic in the town and they could not fix ordinary pulley belt for the whole day, left with no choice than to bring in mechanic who travelled from Lagos for a belt he fixed in just 5 minutes leaving them so confused and outdated with there regular Beatle and Peugeot easy fix.

greenhulk:


U r right but there's no point buying what someone cannot maintain. Lots of range rovers abandoned in mechanic workshops because apart from the fact that the mechanics have limited knowledge, the owners also so not have the money to ship the parts, because if they do what stops them from taking the cars to coscharis so they can give them bills running into millions.

Do u know the brake pads of Mercedes Benz SLR costs $20,000 to replace? That's more than the price of a Toyota Corolla or Honda Civic just for break pads. Will u own that kind of car and use it as a daily driver?

You can lie for Africa. It may be expensive to fix but not $20,000. Its no Bugatti.