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Working for years in the automobile industry and dealing with countless mechanics have given me a broad view of mechanics in Nigeria and how they operate. As vehicle technology gets more advanced and more electronic, many Nigerian mechanics are yet to catch up with the development. This is okay since every mechanic now and then needs an update into the development of automobile technology, but in the case of Nigerian mechanics it’s completely different. Most Nigerian mechanics are illiterate and they learn by simple tool process that is from master to apprentice, this results in lack of interest, particularly in technology advancement, rather, their primary focus is money making simple and short. After all that’s what they got the training for.
Many Nigerian mechanics will never admit they don’t understand the mechanism of a car, rather they prefer to use the car as a learning tool, especially when you are not there–of course they expect you not to be there, it’s a dirty job! In the process of putting the car apart without having any idea of what they are doing, other issues may arise from this. What do they care, you will still pay for the damage they caused. It’s common to experience significant problems arising with a vehicle after visiting these mechanics.
Many inexperienced or unsuspecting car owners fall victim to these mechanics. Unfortunately there is little we can do since this is what is obtainable in our society but we can arm ourselves with information to know when we are being victimized:
Trial And Error
This is the number one practice of Nigerian mechanics. It’s not professional to take apart a vehicle without knowing what you are looking for. Many modern cars comes with OBII port which vehicle manufacturers have installed to help owners or technicians to scan for error with diagnosing tools, this is to understand precisely the fault in a car and make sense of it before proceeding to open up the car, in effect the technician goes straight to where the faulty part is without tampering with other parts.
Charging For Unnecessary Repairs
After you take delivery of your car from a mechanic workshop, Surprise! Surprise! the problem is still there and even worse. You take it back and another fault is discovered or another story comes up, you are forced to reluctantly pay for another repair. The truth is, when the mechanic was putting apart the car to look for issues, he damaged something in the process, knowing what he has done, he tights it back with good knowledge that you will come back to complain or some will call you up to tell you there’s a new fault discovered (which is the damaged component) that you must fix, of course you will pay the bill. In some cases, the initial damage may never be fixed.
Misdiagnosing Faults
This is the outcome when trial and error guess work is done. The vehicle consists of various systems, there’s no way you can ever be accurate in guessing the precise fault. But in Nigeria, this is common. The good component will be worked on leaving the faulty one, at the end, the problem continues and you continue to work on the car. Some mechanics sometimes removes a perfectly working component, collect money from you to buy a replacement and end up putting back the same component they removed.
Purchasing Of Inferior Parts
This is very common in Nigeria, many mechanics go for the cheapest, which is always the most inferior replacement parts to make more money from you. In many occasion they are given money for good parts but end up buying inferior parts, thus the issue continues after a little while.
My advice to every vehicle owner is to be fully involved in the process of repair. If you don’t have time, wait till you have time. Supervise the repair of your vehicle, buy your parts yourself. Most times when you fully participate in the process, you often get your money’s worth and avoid unnecessary issues which you will suffer later on.
Finding a good technician can be tasking in Nigeria. That’s why we have our platform to help you get the right person with proper knowledge of your car. You can fill out your information HERE and a technician will contact you within 24 hours.
