Please friends help me, I need your advice on cars converted from right hand drive to left hand drive. what are the disadvantages. Someone sold a converted Honda 2003 end of discussion to me and I got to realise this after 2 weeks of purchase. the seller has been trying to convince me that it is normal but my friend told me the steering can disengage during motion, lose control and cause accident, and that conversion is never 100% succesful.

^^^ If done properly, it's perfectly safe.

Japanese cars are engineered as RHD when built, and converted to LHD for export to countries that drive on the right.
Virtually all LHD Japanese cars in Nigeria, other African countries, as well as most of The Americas started life as RHD.

DeltaVAG^TM

Thanks Siena,

The problem with this very one is that the conversion was done in Lagos, and was not done very neatly. Is there a way of confirming that it was done well? is there a place one can go in Nigeria to confirm that? I live in Abuja anyway.

to add a little to what sienna has said, from my experience, those cars can only be converted perfectly by the manufacturers. The conversions in nigeria is just about 40% durable. most of the time they destroy the moto-tronics and wiring system. so after you use them for a while you start having problem. anyway what problems are you having with yours and what is the make of the vehicle. we could try to help.

iykezoral:

Thanks Siena,

The problem with this very one is that the conversion was done in Lagos, and was not done very neatly. Is there a way of confirming that it was done well? is there a place one can go in Nigeria to confirm that? I live in Abuja anyway.

To be honest, there's little you can do to verify it was done properly, short of removing the dash / fascia, which can hide a multitude of sins.
When I convert, I take pictures of the different stages as I go along, so the customer at least has an idea what the "hidden areas" look like once the dash is back in place.

A lot of cars converted in Nigeria lose the OBD / OBDII / EOBD capabilities, as the "technicians" that carry out the work have no idea how to integrate the system, and often leave wires either cut, or removed completely, as long as the car runs.

very correct

Thanks Siena,

You interest me a lot. You have a great experince in automoblie engineering. Please what is OBD / OBDII / EOBD capabilities. If OBD / OBDII / EOBD capabilities is not integrated well, can it cause mechanical failures that may result in accident, or what is/are the effects. Please sorry for bothering you with questions. I am a novice in automobile and I need to know whether it is safe to continue to use my newly purchased vehicle or to return it. I dont want to die of accident caused by wrong vehicle conversion from RHD to LHD.

Moreso, the electronic buttons are working well for now, the Airbag light stays on most times and sometimes it doesnt come on at all, and it seems the airbag is gone. The handbrake is still on right hand side, The over drive knob on the gear lever is gone, The Gas pedal and the brake are very close and can be pressed mistakenly for each other, the gas pedal is unusally hard. the steering doesnt seem to be normal, it makes little noise when you turn it while the vehicle is parked and on motion, it shifts a little before turning and needs serious carefulness. Apart from minor bruises here and there on the dashboard especially on the passengers airbag which seems empty, the exterior and the interior (Leather) are good, very good with chrome every where, very unusual spec from thailand. I paid 1.6m for the car. But I need to know if it is safe especially mechanically. Thanks Siena. You are really wonderful.

Thanks kablooee,

The car is Honda Accord 2003 Thailand. The car is about 2 weeks old with me now. I ve stated what I noticed about it above. Please advice. Thanks.

on behalf of the pro. siena, let me answer your questions. OBD/OBDII/EOBD all mean Onboard Diagnostics OBDII is a later version of OBD and EOBD is the european version of Onboard diagnostics. On-Board Diagnostic systems are in most cars and light trucks on the road today. During the '70s and early 1980's manufacturers started using electronic means to control engine functions and diagnose engine problems. This was primarily to meet EPA emission standards. Through the years on-board diagnostic systems have become more sophisticated. OBD-II, a new standard introduced in the mid-'90s, provides almost complete engine control and also monitors parts of the chassis, body and accessory devices, as well as the diagnostic control network of the car. siena will add more if need be

Kablooee's said it all.

Diagnostics not wired up isn't dangerous, it just means electrical / electronic faults have to be diagnosed manually, and could be more hit-or-miss than it needs to be, depending on who's working on the car.

Iykezoral, from all you've said in your post, I'm very concerned about the integrity of the conversion on your car.
I've got a nasty feeling the original RHD pedals have been used in a LHD layout - not good. They are angled completely differently, and the only way to squeeze the RHD assembly into a LHD set-up is to bend them.

Unfortunately, the spaces between the pedals will be greatly reduced, easy to stamp on the gas pedal by accident, instead of the brake.
The gas pedal will be stiff, as the cable routing is completely wrong, and is probably rubbing on areas it shouldn't be.

I believe the original RHD steering column has been adapted for a LHD steering rack - now this is my main concern.
I take what you say about "movement" to mean there's a fair bit of free play before turning the steering wheel actually moves the road wheels. That's dangerous! A car that requires so much concentration and correction to steer is an accident waiting to happen.

There's also a possibility, where the RHD steering column has been adapted to a LHD layout, the "technician" that carried out the work has had to knock up some brackets to secure the upper column / bearing support. It's possible the whole bracket's moving when you turn the wheel, giving rise to the "shift" you mentioned.

If possible, I'd return the car, I wouldn't feel safe driving it.

The airbag lamp warning is probably just one of many electrical gremlins waiting to rear their ugly heads. A 2003 Thailand / Asian-spec car will be OBDII, but I'm confident that your car no longer has OBDII capability.

The genius has said it all. My advice is that you return that car if its still under any form of warranty.

sell the car,

I presently use a Converted 4WD, it was done properly by sensible people so for the past years, no issues.

On the other hand, Get ready for a major accident, because you will lose control of both the wheel and your bowels.

But why can't RHD cars be allowed in Lagos? You can freely drive LHD in the UK.

Perfect conversion will require the manufacturer's attention.

Siena:

^^^ If done properly, it's perfectly safe.

Japanese cars are engineered as RHD when built, and converted to LHD for export to countries that drive on the right.
Virtually all LHD Japanese cars in Nigeria, other African countries, as well as most of The Americas started life as RHD.

DeltaVAG^TM

This is not true. Might be true if you are referring to USED vehicles from Japan.
Japan is a major exporter of new cars. Most countries they export to, use LHD and the vehicles are manufactured as such. Though they use RHD in Japan, cars made for export are LHD.

Funny, i saw two RHD drivers today, feeling really fly with themselves, it just doesnt work. .

baduks:

But why can't RHD cars be allowed in Lagos? You can freely drive LHD in the UK.

Perfect conversion will require the manufacturer's attention.

The reason is that there needs to be law and order, and uniformity.
You don't want people driving on "wrong" sides of the road due to different wheel systems.

I agree, people should be allowed to drive RHD if they acquire special license from which govt can further earn extra income. Otherwise converted RHD will keep posing a treat to riders and other road users. Hence, govt will have to deploy a special task force to root out all converted RHD.

A-town:

This is not true. Might be true if you are referring to USED vehicles from Japan.
Japan is a major exporter of new cars. Most countries they export to, use LHD and the vehicles are manufactured as such. Though they use RHD in Japan, cars made for export are LHD.

It is true. Japanese cars are manufactured with chasis that are expecting LHD or RHD. You can easily verify this by doing an internet search.

@Poster

Based on what you described, I'll advice you to return the car even if you have to lose some of the amount you initially paid. You'll save yourself a lot of headache and probably save your life too. My last car in Nigeria was a converted 1999 Mitsubishi Galant. I bought the car then because I thought it was flashy and I thought I got a good deal. I used the car for less than two years and I spent tons of money on it. There was so many niggling electrical problems. The steering had several faults several times like you described too with wobbly excessive travel. I had a hell of a time with the shaft and gear box which I replaced three times. I replaced the power window control. I don't know what was done to the AC ducts with air comming out from the wrong place. The car was one big pain in ass which I was happy to get rid off by giving it away. Just get rid of that car!

A-town:

This is not true. Might be true if you are referring to USED vehicles from Japan.
Japan is a major exporter of new cars. Most countries they export to, use LHD and the vehicles are manufactured as such. Though they use RHD in Japan, cars made for export are LHD.

Siena is right,they are engineered as RHD,but built up(or assembled) as LHDs. Since the days of Henry Ford ,car manufacturers have same engineering for all their models. Its cost effective.

i dnt in anyway agree with some issue raised here. beleive it or not there are lots of good mechcanics in nigeria that will put the so called expert oversea out of job.My brother in law had 3 of his car converted for the past 5 year, me still waitin when the wheeels will come off?

well by the way can anybody in nigeria help out?

where can i get emm complete dash board for honda accord 2000 vtec in nigeria? is it avalaible? with the rack etc

Jairzinho:

Siena is right,they are engineered as RHD,but built up(or assembled) as LHDs. Since the days of Henry Ford ,car manufacturers have same engineering for all their models. Its cost effective.

If the cars are assembled as LHD, then they have never been RHD. ALL NEW japanese exports to america are LHD. Siena implied they were once RHD's that were converted to LHD's.


Quote from: Siena on February 25, 2009, 07:51 PM
^^^ If done properly, it's perfectly safe.

Japanese cars are engineered as RHD when built, and converted to LHD for export to countries that drive on the right.
Virtually all LHD Japanese cars in Nigeria, other African countries, as well as most of The Americas started life as RHD.

DeltaVAGTM

kindly let me correct you with my little experience in the auto industry. Siena is very correct regarding Japan made vehicles been originally engineered as RHD and then Converted or assembled as LHD.
@A-town

Car assembly lines are very expensive to build and maintain, it takes a lot of extra effort to actually have two assembly lines, Honda(USA) attempted this once about 15 years ago and they went down the rail producing just the Honda Accord Coupé and the Honda Accord Wagon that  same year they recorded their highest loss. 
The easiest option to deal with is a direct substitution, eg, glass, radio, wheels, dampers and trim etc. though newly built plants are designed putting both drives into consideration but Structurally an assembly plant is either a RHD plant or LHD. in japan its is default RHD.  USA default LHD.

in conclusion any vehicle made for export are not necessarily engineered originally as the export countries drive rule.  once again Japan exports cars are ORIGINALLY ENGINEERED TO BE RHD.

I am very impressed with everybody's knowledge on cars and the automotive world in general.

@A-town @siena @gamine @ikeyman00 @Jairzinho @MrCrackles @Tha_dude @Every poster. etc,  we are all learning. keep it up.

hmmm good stuff!

kablooee:

@A-town @siena @gamine etc, we are all learning. keep it up.

Me nko ??

Oga nawa for you oooooooo. ok it has been edited

To be honest, I AM VERY IMPRESSED WITH MOST PEOPLES KNOWLEDGE IN THIS AREA.
One question though, what are we doing with this? Its amazing that you find Nigerians with all this knowledge and we do not have good autoengineering manufacturing companies or firms around. Tells a lot about our business environment and policies. We should be harnessing all this knowledge.
Keep it up guys!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

"where can i get emm complete dash board for honda accord 2000 vtec in nigeria? is it avalaible? with the rack etc"

Ikeyman go to Ladipo, Lagos. If you don't get it there then you may not get it in Nigeria.

1.why dont u take pictures of the pedals,dashboard,overdrive knob and any other dings lets see.
2.another lesson to learn about cars generally is---never rush to buy a car cause of low price-it may likely have such ''hidden issues''

itua10:

2.another lesson to learn about cars generally is---never rush to buy a car cause of low price-it may likely have such ''hidden issues''

A good advice.

Epiphany:

One question though, what are we doing with this?

Good question.

Answer - Nigeria as currently run can only stifle innovation.