Thanks Kunle but which site are you talking about?

I am aware that Rav4's of 2001 to 2003 have the potential to develop problems with the transmission. I was made to believe that this problem is actually traceable to the ECU. Therefore, Changing or repairing the ECU should solve the problem. My car has recently developed this problem again and I would like some advice on where this problem can be fixed permanently.

Thanks,

Well, some of these things I have noticed, like delay in gear shift, but I guess I really need to do a scan to be sure of the true situation. I will look for somewhere and get that done this weekend. Like you said, no need to derail this thread with this issue. I will also look out for that ecm thread, You can mail me at olalarke@yahoo.com if you find something I might use. Thanks,

if you are in port harcourt, i can refer you to someone who checked mine for me, for a small fee.my car is a 2003 rav 4 too.

i hope you are aware of the ecm issues generally experienced by all 2001 to 2003 rav4 models?, there is a thread somewhere on nairaland abt it.it affects the transmission.
attached below is the technical service bulletine issued by toyota corporation on the issue[quote][/quote]

cretin,
Thanks man, but I am in Lag.

I am not aware of any ecm transmission issues . However, I do know that the car takes its time to move especially after a red light. Is slow acceleration a transmission problem?

Ok cretin,
The first thing is that I have very little idea of these stuff you've mention. Only thing is that, yes, the check engine light is on. Infact its been on for a long time and as you've guessed I was told to ignore it. The mech said its probably because naija fuel is different. The car is 2001 Rav4. I will appreciate if you know somenone that can help with the scan. Thanks.

no your maths is wrong,
i said 152miles on half tank, so it implies i do 152 X2 on a full tank, doing the math i get 24.6mpg.
note my post cat oxygen sensors are bad, just changed them last wk, will check the mpg again when next i travell if i wud notice any increase.

Cretin, Please I am interested in this Cat oxygen issue that help reduce your fuel consumption. Can you give a lead on how you did it.
I don't have exact figures yet but I am convinced my Car is a guzzler. I will post the numbers after I get something consistent.

Amdman, I think Mastro's advice is good.

Sorry about your experience but its good that you share it here and hopefully it will help others.

For the guys that do not know how to go about resizing their pics, What Siena said is very true. You've got to learn the tools of your trade.

However there is no big deal about resizing a picture. If you have the microsoft office suite in your PC, (which I believe most guys have if you're on MS platform) you can easily use the office picture manager to do it. Infact most picture softwares have this ability. If you're using MAC or other systems the process is not much different.

I can explain it here using, for example, microsft office picture manager but it will be much clearer with graphics. I can email a graphic of the process to anybody interested.

Siena,

I think we are on the same page. If a car used for 8yrs in U.S is imported and then used in Nigeria, say, for 3 yrs like you said, I am almost sure that those 3 yrs will be more eventful than the 8yrs outside. In other words apart from theft, the car may have seen more grief than a VIN will reveal. What if it actually had A/C fitted originally from factory but had been badly smashed here that it had to be ripped off and later re-installed? stuff like that e.t.c
However I am not saying the VIN should not be displayed. For me the more information available the better for everybody.

Without Prejudice to car dealers, I would advice anybody that shops for a car, especially Tokunbo, on this platform to be suspicious of any advert without VIN. Be fair to yourself, if you want to buy that car, then that dealer should be bold enough to display the VIN even without a prompt. If not, get another dealer. If this is done, the wheat will be seperated from the chaff in no time.
As for the adverts without pictures I really dont know what to say.

Like someone had pointed out earlier, this will help the dealers a lot. Fraudsters will be eliminated and consumer confidence will get a boost.  

Cleaning this country should not be a Government thing alone.

Without Prejudice to car dealers, I would advice anybody that shops for a car, especially Tokunbo, on this platform to be suspicious of any advert without VIN. Be fair to yourself, if you want to buy that car, then that dealer should be bold enough to display the VIN even without a prompt. If not, get another dealer. If this is done, the wheat will be seperated from the chaff in no time.
As for the adverts without pictures I really dont know what to say.

Like someone had pointed out earlier, this will help the dealers a lot. Fraudsters will be eliminated and consumer confidence will get a boost.  

Cleaning this country should not be a Government thing alone.

Without Prejudice to car dealers, I would advice anybody that shops for a car, especially Tokunbo, on this platform to be suspicious of any advert without VIN. Be fair to yourself, if you want to buy that car, then that dealer should be bold enough to display the VIN even without a prompt. If not, get another dealer. If this is done, the wheat will be seperated from the chaff in no time.
As for the adverts without pictures I really dont know what to say.

Like someone had pointed out earlier, this will help the dealers a lot. Fraudsters will be eliminated and consumer confidence will get a boost.  

Cleaning this country should not be a Government thing alone.

I think the level of awareness of most Nigerians on this VIN issue is rather low compared to the U.S, Europe and better developed economies in general.This is one area that NL have really helped.
Most Nigerians want a car, cannot afford a brand new one, so they go for the fairly used imports or locally used equivalents depending on pocket and taste in that order. Once they see the car and it looks okay and a drive to the next block or so is satisfactory -some string along a local trial by error mechanic, who probably knows as much about cars as your grandmother-, the car is as good as bought if an agreement is reached as per price. This attitude is not because they don't know the danger involved but there is little choice and its always a case of trusting mother luck that "I will be lucky with my buy in Jesus name". In many cases people have been lucky with tokunbo cars and though there are no statistics, it is still believed that you can get a good car from the tokunbo market. In my opinion the major disaster is with the Nigerian used cars. I am certain that VIN posting will be of little value for these cars(except in cases where they've only been used for a very short time). The general impression is that a Nigerian will sell his car only because of some horrible problem which-of course-is not disclosed. Most Nigerian-used cars are poorly maintainance and for the few that are maintained, the records are not kept. Where is the database for such records anyway?

So yes VIN post will help for the imported cars. For the Nigerian fairly used? we might still need to wait a little bit longer.

My advice to buyers is to never be in a hurry. Take time to check the car and the VIN. It is possible that by the time you're done checking the VIN, another buyer has payed and gotten the car, but remember, it is equally possible that you have been saved a huge headache and grief.

Mr T O motors,

If it was in those days of TUDOR or KODAK film cameras, I would have guessed that your cameraman used his last exposure to take this picture for you and having no rextra roll of film on him, left you no choice but to post this sinlge picture!!!

Anyway Like Siena pointed out, I do not think that picture shows the interior of a Volkswagen vehicle.

On a more serious note, this post is not good enough. If you do have a car for sale then do the right thing.

I don't think 300k will get u " a working car" . I have a Toyota Carina II Serviced regularly and used infrequently I might let u have it if am convinced u need the car for personal purpose. It is not fancy but will take you places. Send mail to olalark@yahoo.com if you're interested.

This is a nice thread.

It can be very difficult to make a decision about buying a car when when most of the things advertised may not be correct.

Honesty is in short supply. while I agree that its not good to reveal names, it would be nice if innocent people can be saved from becoming victims of these bad people. Even if you do not fall victim, the fact that you burn fuel and waste valuable man hours to see a peice of junk cannot be pleasant!

I would encourage guys to share their experiences on this thread to help others.

Thanks, for the good job.

Can you kindly help to check this VIN: 3VWSK69MYZ2M181259

Thanks,

My guy, what is the price range for Honda Accord 2004/5 full options?

u can mail me at olalarke@yahoo.com

Thanks,

Can you post more pics? let's see the engine. Would be nice if there is a price tag!

send pics to olalarke@yahoo.com