other car brands-page 2

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Road side mechanic
Road-side mechanic
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 that 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.
other brands

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 who can afford 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 period of about 1 to 2 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
using car scanner
using scanner to identify engine fault
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 and institutions like the Bank of Industry (BOI) have discovered these trends and are working to acquire the 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 center.
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