An online car buying and auctioning platform for Nigerian used cars, Cars45, has entered into a car trade-in deal with Kia Motors.
This Partnership, according to the Chief Executive Officer, Cars45, Etop Ikpe, is to ensure that any pre-owned car can be traded-in at Kia’s Akin Adesola office in Victoria Island, Lagos to Cars45 for a new Kia, a fairly used Kia, or other cars owned by Cars45.
He said, “Our business is beyond providing a platform for Nigerians to sell their cars. The desire to meet the customers’ expectations is what is paramount for us at cars45.
“The used car market is growing and we have seen a lot of requests from Kia owners for an opportunity to swap their old Kia for new ones. This plan we believe further establishes Cars45´s commitment to Nigerians by ensuring that there are cars for the average Nigerian whenever they want one.”
Ikpe stated that Cars45 recently opened a new centre in Kia’s Akin Adesola office, adding that any pre-owned car could be driven to the centre and traded in for a brand new or previously owned Kia car.
According to the Vice President, Kia Motors Nigeria, Olu Tikolo, Kia has witnessed strong demand of its used cars and customers have over the years asked for a trade-in option for a new model.
He said the market size of pre-owned cars had grown significantly and their partnership with Cars45 was aimed at offering a well organised used car trade-in programme with hassle-free ownership experience to their customers.
Speaking further, he said the country’s used car market had a huge growth potential and it was expected that ‘Kia certified used car’ business would grow in the foreseeable future and contribute to the brand’s growth in Nigeria.
“Our partnership with a leading online used car sales portal will not only roll out a used certified car programme but also offer customers more choices, enabling them to create a bespoke buying process that suits their needs” Tikolo added.
The Head of Marketing, Cars45, Abiodun Onifade, said according to data and feedback from customers, it had been observed that there was an increased desire and demand for brand new Kia cars.
He described the partnership as a laudable initiative and expressed confidence that the partnership would increase customers’ experience and love for both the Cars45 and the Kia brand.

The ember months are here. They are months of festivities. But much as it is a period of celebration, it is sadly always punctuated by tragic road accidents that claim countless lives.

The Federal Road Safety Commission, FRSC estimates that about 13 people die daily by tragic road accidents on Nigerian roads.

But some stakeholders dispute this, arguing that more than 36,000 lives are lost annually to road accidents.

Whatever the figures may be, zero-casualty is what the citizens desire and should be the ultimate goals of the authorities.

There are several factors that result to carnage on our roads, but the major causes include poor state of vehicles and poor state of mind of drivers.

As Christmas approaches, many Nigerians would be traveling long distances to their hometowns to celebrate with their loved ones.

But if you are planning to make the trip with your own car, do bear in mind that a long trip is a serious test for your car and even a slight problem such as a worn windscreen wiper or out-of-balance tire can cause a lot of troubles.

To make sure your ride is in perfect condition to withstand the stress of long trips, the surest way would be to conduct full and thorough inspection on your vehicle through an expert such as [url]Cars45.com[/url] while preparing to make the trip.

Here are 3 key areas to focus on during your inspection as enumerated by David Fajobi who is the Head of Inspection at Cars45.com.

1. Suspension: The suspension of a vehicle is the system of tyres, tyre air, springs, shock absorbers and linkages that connects a vehicle to its wheels and allows relative motion between the two.

“It is important to get your mechanic to check your tyres properly, to ensure proper alignment and balanced wheel,” said Fajobi.

“This is because some cars have substantial risk of flipping over at top speed and poor alignment could make this inevitable especially during a long trip,” Fajobi added.

2. Ignition System: The ignition system generates a spark or heats an electrode to a high temperature that makes it possible for your vehicle engine to get started. Most of the time, the ignition of your car begins to show a problem when the ignition coil develops fault.

“The ignition coil takes power from the generator and relays it to the spark plugs. This ignites the fuel and makes your vehicle run. If it is faulty, it could make your car to backfire and could also cause overfloating which could end up damaging your car’s brainbox,” said Fajobi.
So, it is very key to get your mechanic to certify your ignition before making that long trip.

3. General Lubrication Service: This is what you already do perhaps every two or three months, depending on the distance your car regularly travels or what the manufacturer recommends.

If you are preparing for a long trip, it is highly advisable to change your vehicle’s oil. There are several of them including transmission oil, brake oil, engine oil etc and it is important to have them changed before a long trip.

“This is because oil also breaks down, deteriorates and gums up and become less efficient at providing good lubrication and protection for your engine,” noted Fajobi.

How often you change the oil has been debated for ages but to be on the safe side, a change of oil before a long trip becomes imperative