Hey I thought it would be a great idea to start a car thread. I know I cant be the only car enthusiast here and I cant remember seeing a car topic apart from references to kano chicks and Hondas.
You dont realise how car crazy we are till you see the rides plying our crummy roads. Sometimes you stand better chance of seeing an exotic supercar right here in obodo than in the dealership in Europe.
I saw two maybach 62's almost a year ago, one for delivery to Abuja( where else) and one still for sale in case any of our aspiring Rap Stars want to up the Bling Factor in their neighbourhood( ko dai duk abin a baki ne :lol: )
And I had to see this to believe it!! Somebody actually brought in a Mercedes Mclaren SLR :shock: Bear in mind this is a $400,000.00 plus sports car with a top speed in excess of 320 kmph. Where in Gods name do you drive this thing in Northern Nigeria.
Anyone else seen some crazy exotic beast dodging pot holes in naibawa??
Does any one know of an enthusiast car club in Kano or environs? The motor club has been reduced to drinking joint and kwankwaso carved it up and gave out plots to his cronies anyway so you can barely park your car there now.
What about a decent mechanic or custom car joint??
Lets hear it guys (and gals).
Some car stories please.
This is a good idea kitkat, but why just a thread? I can start up new Forum. We can have AUTOMOTIVE Forum not just Car thread, if you or any other person can moderate it.
Let me know if you want to moderate...
Count me in Admin. I'd love to moderate a car forum.
Anyone else out there interested??
car forum? that wud be nice kitty.maybach benz?? :shock: i'd seen it once in maiduguru,i was told it belong to the embassy/consulate of germany here in naija,it was during IBB's son's wedding that took place a couple of months back..so u can imagine how much varities we saw...bentlies,pegasis,maybachs,rolls royses..kai nidai motochi kadan ne a duniyar nan basu hallara ba lokachin nan..mun bawa idon mu abinchi har da na banza..dont 4get 17 PJ's on the runway..
& abaut that other maybach that's still on sale..maybe its waiting 4 dan-kauye to hit the ultimate jack pot..its mine baby! dream!..lol..
er..erm..how abaut this car..HONDA ELEMENT? i've seen two here in kano but it looks kinda weird 4 a honda..infact i dont even know if it's mini van or jeep..lol
peace y'all.
See what I mean. I saw a brown element in kano up for sale and they were asking for something stupid for what is basically a cheap students car. The element is hondas answer to Toyotas boxy looking scion which was aimed at campus teens but ended up being a hit with the street crowd and the level entry "pimp my ride" practitioners. One version of the element is actually designed to be "hosed down" in and out, with rubber seats and mats and water proof dash. I cant imagine what you wanna hose down but remember this is a campus car and with its "bed " configuration seats anything goes :shock:
Hummers are now a dime a dozen down here and ive seen an 04 Porsche 911 turbo (996 water cooled) with 19" wheels and about 3 AMG G55 wagens.
Work on that jackpot Dan kauye, sai mun zo dani!!!
Thanks kitkat & dan kauye,
OK. Now that the AUTOMOTIVE Board is created, I am going to move this topic to that board. Lets meet up there.
TO MR. ADMIN, I BELIEVE IS A LOVELY DEVELOPMENT TO HAVE THE AUTOMOTIVE FORUM. BUT AT SAME TIME THIS FORUM WILL ATRACT THE BIG SHOTS OF THIS FORUM ONLY, MU MASU FAMA DA NA MASARA AI SAI DAI WASU DAKUNAN KUMA!
ALL THE SAME THAT'S SOUNDS FINE.
Far from it mlbash!! Dont let the references to hummers and maybachs fool you. Its a case of "if wishes were sports cars, beggars will drive". Muma nan yan faman ne and you may pick up a few tips on DIY jalopy repair if you dont mind getting grease on your shirt over the weekend.
IThe forum is meant to be about all things vehicular and a lot of it should ideally be members experiences with cars, new or old, borrowed or owned.
I for example would love to find out if anyone knows a good body shop in the kano area where i can get a good paint job without morgaging my house.
Quote from: "kitkat"Far from it mlbash!! Dont let the references to hummers and maybachs fool you. Its a case of "if wishes were sports cars, beggars will drive". Muma nan yan faman ne and you may pick up a few tips on DIY jalopy repair if you dont mind getting grease on your shirt over the weekend.
IThe forum is meant to be about all things vehicular and a lot of it should ideally be members experiences with cars, new or old, borrowed or owned.
I for example would love to find out if anyone knows a good body shop in the kano area where i can get a good paint job without morgaging my house.
:lol: :lol: YOU CAN TELL THAT TO THE BIRDS MR. KITKAT, HABA AI ANCE; BABBAN GORO SAI MAGOGIN KARFE, KUMA; RIGIJI GABJI BIGI SAI BIGI! WELL I DON'T THINK YOU EXPECT ME TO BELIEVE THAT, AIN'T YOU?
QUESTION: WHY DO MEN LOVE CARS?
Quote from: "Anonymous"QUESTION: WHY DO MEN LOVE CARS?
Because women wont ride on motorcycles!! :lol:
Quote from: "mlbash"Quote from: "kitkat"Far from it mlbash!! Dont let the references to hummers and maybachs fool you. Its a case of "if wishes were sports cars, beggars will drive". Muma nan yan faman ne and you may pick up a few tips on DIY jalopy repair if you dont mind getting grease on your shirt over the weekend.
IThe forum is meant to be about all things vehicular and a lot of it should ideally be members experiences with cars, new or old, borrowed or owned.
I for example would love to find out if anyone knows a good body shop in the kano area where i can get a good paint job without morgaging my house.
:lol: :lol: YOU CAN TELL THAT TO THE BIRDS MRS KITKAT, HABA AI ANCE; BABBAN GORO SAI MAGOGIN KARFE, KUMA; RIGIJI GABJI BIGI SAI BIGI! WELL I DON'T THINK YOU EXPECT ME TO BELIEVE THAT, AIN'T YOU?
Why is it so hard to believe?? In fact I suspect you may be in the "oppressor" class thats why ure raisng this issue as a cover. Watakila marsandin ka sai a Leventis a ke bude ta!
(http://weakycars.free.fr/galeries/x_allemagne/maybach/Type12_12.jpg)
For the benefit of precious and any other curious kanoonliner, this is the interior of a maybach 62. Maybe precious will now appreciate what all the fuss is about.
Idan mlbash ya ba ki lift a tashi sai kun wuce inda za ki je kina barci :lol: :lol:
Thank you kitkat for this image... if we can't afford it then at least we can Dream!
Does it really Massages your body too? the Massage seat does not seems to be in the "Owner's Corner"
Both rear seats have the massage system as well as "active seat ventilation" which basically means the ac is coming in thru vents in the seat as well. The Volkswagen Phaeton has massage seats for all 4 passengers.
Other highlights in the maybach include a 600 watt 21 speaker Bose stereo that has microphones in the car to attenuate interior sound and adjust the volume to compensate for road noise or talkative girlfriends!!
8)
what a car. for more pictures interested k-onliners can visit germancarfans.com.There are beautiful pics of the car(and others,too) in the forum section, under mercedes.
Or you can visit my backyard for a peek at the real thing.
:D
uhf! that's a real beaut! wow! kai kitkat why doing this to irinmu, masu neman na tuwo! wannan sai asa mu fantasizing!
Salaam' Alaikum. Good day every body. Am new on the forum (though I haven't registered yet). I think this forum is okay, considering the many troubles of the tokunbo cars we use. Iam presently having problem with my car's gear box. The mechanic can't seem to make up his mind if the problem is from the gear box or the brain box for the gear box. It is a Mazda '93 model, Xedos 6 (24 valve). Would be grateful for any help or suggestion from anyone.
Quote from: "Anonymous"Salaam' Alaikum. Good day every body. Am new on the forum (though I haven't registered yet). I think this forum is okay, considering the many troubles of the tokunbo cars we use. Iam presently having problem with my car's gear box. The mechanic can't seem to make up his mind if the problem is from the gear box or the brain box for the gear box. It is a Mazda '93 model, Xedos 6 (24 valve). Would be grateful for any help or suggestion from anyone.
lailai ka kawo kuka gidan mutuwa! kitkat will help you out!
Well Anonymous wellcome to the forum.
First of all you havent described the problem with your gearbox as this may help determine whether its an electrical or mechanical problem. Whats the mileage on your xedos, if its not very high then maybe its an electrical glitch as opposed to a mechanical failure.
First thing you have to do is check your cars manual if you bought it with one. You may be lucky to see a section on reading your ECU's (brain box to you and me) error codes which can basically tell you precisely where the problem lies. If you live in Kano I can let you know where to get a diagnosis using an ems reader. Anything else you do is simply guess work and these mechanics will simply keep fiddling with your car till your patience ( or your money) runs out.
An ECU diagnosis will not only pinpoint the problem but it may actually give you the part number of whatever needs replacing so that you dont buy the wrong part. There arent too many xedos' out there so it my not be something you may find and by all means dont let them "work" another cars part into your mazda, it may trigger off something more serious/
Well thanks everyone for a warm welcome.
kitkat: You sound knowledgeable about cars :D The problem initially is the car doesn't complete the gear shifts. It stops at 3. (I guess there are 4 shifts :? ) I changed gear box and it worked for a day before it stopped completely. The reverse refused to work. The gear box was repaired. It worked again for a day and broke down. A mechanic suggested electrical fault, so another gear box was fixed and they worked on the gear box's brain box. It is now working but not perfectly. Am not comfortable. The mileage on the car is 141,000. I work in Katsina (just got transferred here) but am in Kano every weekend. I would be grateful if you recommend to me where to get the diagnosis. Thanks.
Sorry this took so long. Muna wurin neman na tuwo as mlbash would say.
Call Paul on08037186472 and explain your problem. His workshop is somewhere behind Abdullahi Bayero way and as mechanics go he seems to know what he's doing. He can arrange for an electronic diagnosis on your ecu. and narrow down the problem.
An even better but more expensive option is Amar motors on Maganda road. He has a state of the art Bosch diagnostic center but repairs at his workshop can be quite pricey since he usually deals with the "money is no barrier" class. He does a very satisfactory job however and has a good stock of parts and can even order for you through his network.
Hope you find this info usefull
Thanks kitkat :D ! I was wondering why you suddenly went incommunicado. I would try Paul first. Even the name on the second option (Amar) sounds Lebanese. Those guys can fleece you :roll: !
I would keep in touch.
A nemi na tuwo lafiya.
kitkat, you sounds a car .................. what'r your hobbies?
Quote from: "mlbash"kitkat, you sounds a car .................. what'r your hobbies?
I love cars and driving but its more a neccesity than a hobby. I do quite a bit of local travelling and it helps to know a thing or two about cars if youre a member of the tokunbo brigade!!
oh really! that's cool, keep it up you are great at it.
admin I agree with your words.
Quote from: "Anonymous"admin I agree with your words.
IT'LL SUPRISE ME IF YOU DON'T!
Can someone recommend a good mechanic. I have a problem with my cooling system. Couldn't figure out whether the prob is mechanical or electrical.
Have you sorted out the cooling issue? You havent mentioned what model of car you have and what year. Im sure i can reccomend someone
Haven't sorted it out yet. Though some mechs recommeded flushing of the radiator which I did. The final verdict was it must be an electrical fault since the temperature gauge still shows "high", but I have used the car like that for almost a year without any problem. However, I don't want to completely rule out mechanical fault, or a combination of the two. It is a Mazda Xedos, '93 model.
Well even if its a faulty temperature sensor, it may be worth changing because if its giving a false reading then when you have an overheating problem youll only be aware when your gasket burns out or your radiator hose explodes. I actually have a portable diagnostic tool that would have identified the exact problem if electrical but it only has one OBD II socket which applies only to cars from 96 onwards.
Since the car appears to be running well just keep your fingers crossed and check your radiator coolant level every morning. If you need to top up more often than not, then youre probably running hotter than usual.
Thanks for the response. Pity your diagnostic tool won't fit in my car. Incidentally I now need to top up almost on a daily basis, though it was discovered that the radiator started leaking after a mechanic removed, opened and flushed it. He must have broken something :x :roll: Well, it means I need to get another radiator.
Salaam,i Know in europe if a car has gone less than 60000km,it is considered to be fairly used and its commercial value is determined by this.
I noticed that most tokumbo cars that come into Nigeria are at best gone 120000km.....and we buy them as fairly used.
Please can any body shed more light on this issue for me?
Also is this a fair deal for us?
what do you expect mr. zizo from a country where nothing is regarded as achievement and a yardstick of earning one's respect except corruption,bribery and looting of public funds?
Quote from: "zizo"Salaam,i Know in europe if a car has gone less than 60000km,it is considered to be fairly used and its commercial value is determined by this.
I noticed that most tokumbo cars that come into Nigeria are at best gone 120000km.....and we buy them as fairly used.
Please can any body shed more light on this issue for me?
Also is this a fair deal for us?
This is a function of the lopsided nature of our economy and our refusal to institute and enforce import standards. In every developed or developing country the middle class is the largest market for medium range cars which constitute the bulk of production for all major car manufacturers. were talking about the accord for honda, toyota camry, bmw 3 series, mercedes c and E class etc. In the states trucks or pick ups make up about half this segment. This target clientele can either afford to buy a new car via finacing on the average every 4 years, or they work for a company that will provide this class of car to them and depreciate it over 4 or 5 years for tax and accounting purposes.
The cars replaced in this way constitute a huge chunk of the 2nd hand car market and they are still good enough to command a reasonable 2nd hand value. Sometimes the same dealer that sells the original car will trade it in for a newer version, fix any faults on the old vehicle and sell it in his lot as "dealer approved" used car with some residual warranty.
The target market for these cars are those that cant afford a new car within that economy ie students fresh out of schol, lower middle class etc but still have the cash for a decent vehicle thats about 4 or 5 years old. Some cars hold their value better than others and sometimes the differential is not that wide.
When this segment drive their cars fror another 5 or 6 years it will have notched up the 120k or so mileage you refer to and it probably wont pass emission tests or mot certificaton, or it may involve a costly repair for it to be certified road worthy so its sold off on the chaep and our dealers round them up and bring them here since we dont give a damn about emissions and polution and all that crap.
Since we only have rich and poor with no in between these cars are bought by big men and that concludes the cycle.