₦airaland Forum

Lalasticlala
Mynd44
Ishilove
Marpol
Semid4lyfe
Obinoscopy
Seun

In Lagos, there are tens of thousands of commercial vehicle operators. That is, Danfo drivers, conductors, Keke Marwa riders, Okada riders, BRT drivers, etc.

Now, of this huge number, how many do we see around wearing prescription glasses?

Perhaps, there are. However, finding one is an extremely rare sight.

So, are commercial bus drivers and Okada riders immune to eye problems? Certainly not.

In Lagos, it is almost impossible to find commercial drivers or riders putting on prescription glasses. Note that this is in a society that suffers from heavy cloud of dust in the atmosphere. And also, it is a society with a heavy dependence of carbohydrate diet.


It is also a known fact that aging, reading for hours, working for long on a computer or smartphone, driving long distances and generally overusing their eyes are the chief causes of eyestrain or macular degradation. All these often lead to blurred vision.

According to the Lagos State Drivers’ Institute (LASDRI), which has trained about 65,000 drivers since August 2009, about 22 per cent of the trained drivers or 14,300 were discovered to be partially blind.

Indeed, the reality in Lagos state is that millions of commuters are being transported by literarily blind people. And even worse is that some of these drivers ply very dangerous routes.

Now, imagine being driven by someone that cannot see beyond 10 meters ahead of him. Yet, such an individual is in the business of transporting passengers on the very dizzying traffic on the Third Mainland Bridge. Or a half blind Okada rider throttling on an express road with you as a co-rider.

There is, indeed, an urgent need for the authorities to find a way to enforce regular eye-tests for commercial vehicle operators. Otherwise, these sort of things are what makes Lagos state one of the most dangerous locations to reside in.


https://autojosh.com/have-you-seen-a-danfo-driver-or-okada-rider-wearing-prescription-glasses/

Lalasticlala
Mynd44
Ishilove
Marpol
Semid4lyfe
Obinoscopy
Seun

More pic

More

Evidently, the Ambode administration is not sparing any effort to ease public transport in Lagos.

Since the inception of the current administration, not a few infrastructure in the transport sector have been developed. Some of them were built from scratch, while others were reconstructed.


One of the infrastructure that was reconstructed is the new imposing Tafewa Balewa Square bus terminal at Onikan, Lagos Island.

The TBS bus terminal is a clear mix of elegance and functionality.

The Bus terminal features a very sophisticated sitting arena, dedicated driveways, ticketing booths for various destinations, CCTV coverage, Taxi Park, large screen display, covered stands, terminal offices, etc

Perhaps, until the Ikeja Bus terminal is commissioned, I dare say, this has got to be the most sophisticated and ultra-modern bus terminal in Nigeria.

Clearly, Ambode Is Not Joking!

Or what do you think?


#AmbodeIsNotJoking

Source:


https://autojosh.com/is-the-tbs-bus-terminal-the-most-ultra-modern-bus-terminal-in-nigeria/

Lalasticlala
Mynd44
Ishilove
Marpol
Semid4lyfe
Obinoscopy
Seun

Wow.

I was a bit surprised that so many car brand names are generally mispronounced.

Even automobile buffs will fail the test to pronounce some of their favourite car brands. Well, I know I did.

Anyway, watch this short video below and see how to pronounce some popular car brands.


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4th9Tf-mKJE



Source:

https://autojosh.com/this-is-how-to-correctly-pronounce-the-names-of-car-brands/


Lalasticlala
Mynd44
Ishilove
Marpol
Semid4lyfe
Obinoscopy
Seun

MODS

Lalasticlala
Mynd44
Ishilove
Marpol
Semid4lyfe
Obinoscopy
Seun

For those that went to driving school, we learned that we use same right foot for break and accelerator.

In manual cars, the left foot is reserved for the clutch alone while in automatic cars, the left foot takes a chill pill. It does nothing. Except you want to use your foot emergency brake.

It is recommended that you use one foot for both brake and accelerator.

It is erroneous to drive your automatic car with both legs on the various pedals.

Driving with the left foot for brake and the right foot for accelerator can gradually cause damage to your car.

This is how.

When using both the feet, sometimes the driver steps on both the pedal simultaneously. As a result, more strain is put on transmission fluid, brake, and torque converter. Obviously, this would reduce the efficiency of car parts and its essential controls.

For the sake of your car durability and longevity, you were not thought to drive with both feet.

Driving with both feet is extremely dangerous during emergency maneuvers. In this situation, the driver may unknowingly step on the wrong pedal, or step on both brake and accelerator simultaneously.
In case of sudden emergency scenarios, this is what you can mistakenly do and that mistake can be fatal.

Driving with both legs is mostly practiced by novice drivers who ignorantly think they’ve discovered a better and more efficient way to drive that is better than everyone else or professional race car drivers who have mastered the art.

Tell us what you experienced when you attempted to drive your automatic transmission car with both legs on different pedals.

https://autojosh.com/this-is-why-you-should-not-drive-your-automatic-cars-with-both-feet/

Lalasticlala
Mynd44
Ishilove
Marpol
Semid4lyfe
Obinoscopy
Seun

Lalasticlala
Mynd44
Ishilove
Marpol
Semid4lyfe
Obinoscopy
Seun

Japan vehicle brands enjoy the most loyalty from their customers.

This is according to the 2018 Edmunds Trade-In Loyalty Report.

The report, which studied more than 13.9 million vehicle transactions from 2007 to 2017, shows that customers are most loyal to Japanese brands such as Subaru, Toyota and Honda.

Other brands that enjoy reasonable amount of loyalty from their patrons include Ram and Chevrolet. They both had a loyalty rating of 54%.
At the other end, brands that enjoys the least loyalty include Chrysler, Smart and Dodge. These set – according to the Edmund report - experienced less return customers than Fiat and Mitsubishi.

The report also show that in the last decade, Subaru and Mazda experienced significant upsurge in customer retention. Mazda had the most number of return customers than any vehicle in 2017.

Meanwhile, on the losing side were Chrysler and Dodge.

These brands experienced very poor loyalty ratings. Their customers reduced by half over the studied period. Buick, also, did not fare well as its rating dropped from 35% in 2007 to 29% in 2017.

The Luxury segment experienced some loyalty to some brands.

For instance, Lexus, Land Rover and Audi experienced the most loyalty from its customers. These brands were followed closely by followed by Mercedes, Porsche and BMW.

However, in the category of the least loyal luxury customers include brands like Jaguar, Infiniti and Volvo.

In order for automobile brands to enjoy and maintain loyal following, Edmunds suggested that automakers need to “leverage emotional design, offer a wide array of SUVs and have a solid history of reliability.”


Source:

https://autojosh.com/japanese-cars-have-the-most-loyal-customers/

Lalasticlala
Mynd44
Ishilove
Marpol
Semid4lyfe
Obinoscopy
Seun

sooperrescue:
Autojosh, I thought you were in Geneva motor show. You have done well even better than me. The lady is seeking for sympathisers. Do they really import cars from SA? I used to know of Japan.

AutoJosh is everywhere

You have also done an excellent job.

Yes, they ship from SA as well.

The Commercial Vehicles department of Weststar Associates Limited – (Authorised General Distributor of Mercedes-Benz in the Federal Republic of Nigeria) on Friday 2nd of March 2018 debuted its first unit of the new Atego 1725 firefighting truck for the year 2018 to support firefighting operations in Nigeria. This is in line with Weststar’s new strategic philosophy to support firefighting operations in Nigeria.

The Mercedes-Benz Atego Firefighting truck comes with a double cabin laid-out for 6 people - driver plus one person in front and four people behind. It features Autonomous Respirators built into the seat backrests. The Pump compartment in this Atego Firefighting vehicle is mounted between the cabin and the water tank made of aluminum profiles and coated with smooth aluminum with its Pump access door on the right side and with roller blind-type door located on the left of the driver’s side.

The structure and firefighting equipment are in accordance with MBR 14096 – for firefighting vehicles, setting the minimum conditions required for the design, construction and performance of the vehicle. Two tanks are within the inner compartment, one for water and another for LGE, with capacity respectively of 5000 liters of water and 500 liters LGE, fitted with internal longitudinal and transverse deflectors according to standards boost flexibility when driving in rough terrain.

The Atego 1725 firefighting truck is the perfect match for organizations striving to achieve total quality in fire protection solutions as it is equipped with a strong and robust 6.4 liter inline, 6 cylinder Mercedes-Benz engine that produces 245hp ensuring excellent performance, complies with Euro 3 emission standards ensuring a low level emission of pollutants and low fuel consumption. The dashboard of the vehicle supports economical driving by featuring a real time indicator for fuel consumption as well as an econometer, which indicates the most appropriate engine speed in every operating situation.

Extremely hazardous fires require top-level skills and innovative agents. Twin-Agent Fire Suppression Systems provide proven technology to fight large flammable liquid and gas fires. This main capability distinguishes the Atego 1725 firefighting truck from others in its category - combining dry chemical agents for rapid flame knock down and Aqueous Film Forming Foam (AFFF) for securing the fire area. Available with Class BC dry chemicals (Purple K or sodium bicarbonate) and your choice of 3% or 6% AFFF concentrate.

In the words of Mr. Mirko Plath, Managing/CEO, Weststar Associates Limited – the Mercedes-Benz’ fire-fighting truck is a genuine all-rounder with extensive equipment and technical payload to match specific needs and situations. It is most suitable and will demonstrate high quality and reliability as a fire truck in Nigeria. It is available for immediate delivery through Weststar with up-to-the-minute aftersales support synonymous worldwide with the Mercedes-Benz brand”.

https://autojosh.com/mercedes-benz-atego-1725-firefighting-truck-arrives-nigeria-weststar/

Lalasticlala
Mynd44
Ishilove
Marpol
Semid4lyfe
Obinoscopy
Seun

How good are you in knowing cars?

If you’re good enough, can you tell us which cars are in the sketches below.

Let the quiz begin. Let’s know how good you are.

https://autojosh.com/you-think-you-know-cars-tell-us-the-name-of-these-cars/

AutoJosh’s take on the issue between Hayastark and Cars45 which has been trending on Nairaland is rather late but better than never.

I absolutely agree that a fraud was committed which is disheartening. Car buyers in Nigeria are frequently susceptible to deception; this is what always prompts me to write and publish several articles that can help protect the next victim from being preyed upon. Some of these articles can be found at the end of this post.

After reading through Hayastark’s thread again on Wednesday (7th of March), I decided to contact her to get some more details and lend support. As usual, unfounded conclusions had been jumped into and name-calling had become the order of her Nairaland thread.

The first thing I did that morning was to send a mail to Hayastark asking for permission to talk to her, make more findings and escalate the issue as much as possible. I stated my phone number in the mail and confirmed to her that I was not in anyway related to Cars45 as the objective of my car blog is to provide valuable information about cars to existing and potential car users in Nigeria.

She responded thanking me for my interest and said she already shared every detail online and will not talk to anyone except Cars45 if that will make her get the money back.


On Thursday morning, I decided to contact Cars45 since Hayastark was not forthcoming. I placed a call to their customer care number but it was a bad idea because they only depleted my airtime for nothing. All I got over the phone was that, I was not calling for my transaction and they could not attend to me. After that call, I sent a message to them on Twitter and a response came back with a phone number to call in no time.

After introducing myself to the Cars45’s staff, I went straight to my questions and she gave the following answers:

1. AutoJosh: Have you seen the fraud allegation leveled against your company on Nairaland?
Cars45’s staff: Yes

2. AutoJosh: Does Cars45 sell cars to individuals?
Cars45 : No

3. AutoJosh: Who sold the car to the client?
Cars45: A dealer, as Cars45 does not sell to individuals.

4. AutoJosh: Can I get the inspection reports of the car?
Cars45: Yes.

5. AutoJosh: Was the car converted from Right to Left-Hand-Drive?
Cars45: No

6. AutoJosh: Did the aggrieved client escalate the issue directly to Cars45?
Cars45: No, We only saw it on Nairaland

7. AutoJosh: I’d like to visit the place the car was sold to her.
Cars45: Okay. Not a problem

8. AutoJosh: Is tomorrow (Friday) okay for the visit?
Cars45: No, because we have an event tomorrow and I’ll be busy all day. Can we do Monday?

9. AutoJosh: Monday is far I replied. Can we make it today, which is Thursday?
Cars45: Okay, let’s do 4pm but call at 3pm to confirm I will be available



My colleague and myself got to their Head Office at Agidingbi, Ikeja, Lagos around 4:30 pm and met with 2 of their staff. We started with most of the questions I already asked over the phone, then we were debriefed on how Cars45 operates.

How Cars45 Operates

You walk into Cars45 to sell your vehicle, they inspect it, then upload images and details on their bid platform where about 1,000 car dealers have access to bid on it. The dealers can make a purchase using the “Bid” or “Buy Now” option. The bid lasts for 30 minutes and prices are determined by 3 major factors, market demand, availability of parts and condition of the vehicle.

Cars45 pays the seller immediately the bid is done. The dealer that won the bid is expected to pay Cars45 and pick up the vehicle within 72 hours. There is also a “Lockdown Program” where the dealers only pay 30% of the value of the vehicle after the bid and pays the balance of 70% at a later date or after the dealer has sold the vehicle.

Each vehicle comes with a 200-point inspection report, Auto Reg report as well as custom import duty report.

The company is currently introducing a “Merchant Program” where individuals can become merchants and earn commissions when they refer buyers to the dealers. These merchants will eventually be supported with N5 million start-up funds to help them become dealers as well. This N5 million grant will be in partnership with Lagos State Employment Trust Fund.



Carsbazr

https://i67.tinypic.com/xbmpa8.jpg

Now done at their Head Office, we took a short drive to their car sales lot, called Carsbazr. We were escorted by one of the two staff that welcomed us earlier and the following findings were made at the Carsbazr, which is the same place Hayastark bought her car.

1. The Carsbazr car lot has notice boards on the premises notifying prospective car buyers of the following:

- End users cannot buy directly from Carsbazr
- All cars can only be bought through dealers.
- You can bring your technician for double verification.
- Always ensure you request for and go through car reports.

See image below..

https://i67.tinypic.com/14312ls.jpg

2. Buyers only relate with the dealers. They negotiate with the dealers and pay to the dealers. The Carsbazr car lot was made available to dealers for two major reasons. The first reason is, some of them don’t have adequate space to park the cars they’ve won. While the second reason is, some partake in the Cars45 “Lockdown Program”.

3. The car sales lot is actually not dark. These photos below were snapped around 5:30pm and no artificial brightness was added.

https://i66.tinypic.com/205fa54.jpg

4. The vehicles in the lot have detailed history reports. Most of the vehicles had a printed summary of their problems pasted on the windshields. They also used inscriptions with white chalk stating the problems on some of the vehicles. See the green arrows below.

https://i65.tinypic.com/2vt61kw.jpg

5. Cars45 could not provide the inspection reports of the car in question because they were yet to receive a complaint from Hayastark. So they didn’t have some vital details, which would facilitate their investigation. e.g Name of the client, name of the dealer, registration number of the car, chassis number and the centre the car was sold.

6. There is also a possibility that the dealer presented fake documents or deceived Hayastark in order to sell the car to her. However, this cannot be ascertained until the requested documents are reviewed. Pending that, I was told that Cars45 is currently clamping down the dealers in a bid to investigate the issue and other fraudulent acts.

7. Buyers are not allowed to do a test drive due to the lockdown program and security breaches from car buyers in the past.

8. I asked if it was the same dealer that sold the car to both buyers but the company was yet to determine that.



After the meeting with Cars45, I sent the mail below to Hayastark on Thursday Night.

Good evening, This is Tunde again from AutoJosh. I will like to schedule an appointment for us to meet with you and Cars45 in a bid to investigate and resolve this issue.

Kindly give us a feedback on how we can make this happen.

Regards.



Around12 noon the next day (Friday), I sent another mail as seen below to Hayastark since there was no response from her.

Good morning, I still await your response.

Pending your feedback, I’ll like to clarify some things.

1. How did you find out about the yard you bought the car from? Were you referred there from a Cars45 office or a car dealer took you there from their independent car lot?

2. Who attended to you at the yard? Was it a Cars45 staff or the dealer?

3. While the transaction was going on, did you believe you were buying the car from Cars45 or from the dealer who took you to the yard?

4. Did you pay the funds used to purchase the car into Cars45’s bank account or into the dealers account?

5. Do you believe the person that attended to you fraudulently provided a fake inspection report or you believe the deception was from Cars45?

6. Will you be willing to assist with a copy of both inspection reports? i.e the inspection report you got when buying the car as 2011 and the one you got when selling the car as 2008?

7. Will you be willing to provide the VIN (Vehicle Identification Number) of the car? This will reveal more details about the car in question.

8. How did your driver’s mechanic ascertain the car was converted from Right-Hand-Drive to Left-Hand-Drive? What reasons did the mechanic give?

9. To what extent did you escalate this issue within Cars45? Did you contact their office to lodge a complaint about the entire scenario? What was their response if you did?

10. Did you complain to the agent that sold the car to you? What response did she give to you if you did?

11. I will also appreciate if you can link me up with the actual person that sold the car to you as well as the second buyer that bought the car for N1.4m. I have some questions to ask them e.g. Is it the same agent that sold the same car to the second buyer and what inspection report was given to the second buyer?

Your response will go a long way in ensuring this issue is resolved as well as enlighten others not to fall prey.

Thank you for your anticipated support.



She responded to the above mail that Friday night saying “Thank you for your interest. I am not interested in telling my story through you. I am also active on social media I will tell my story through this platform when I am ready”.


In conclusion, I support that Hayastark should pursue this case as much as she can in order to get her refunds. However, is her case really meant to be against Cars45 or the dealer with possible help from Cars45?

Below are AutoJosh’s concerns on the things Hayastark may need to know to enable her have a better case.

1. Hayastark is yet to provide convincing evidence to prove her case. This seems more like an appeal to pity rather than presentation of facts. She should get facts like comparison between both inspection reports as against the actual details found on the car. Another fact she should present is evidence of payment to reveal she paid into Cars45’s bank account when she bought the car.

2. It is difficult to agree that Cars45 was the one who defrauded her since she impliedly stated that she saw the car on another car selling website. That website led her and Dh to the dealer who took them to Carsbazr and there are notice boards at the car lot which clearly states that they can only deal from those dealers.

3. At the beginning of her complaint, she confirmed that Cars45 is set up in a way that you can sell your car to them but you need to go through an agent when you want to buy. Hayastark does not seem to be standing firm by this claim. After agreeing that Cars45 does not sell cars to individuals, she still went ahead to say they should stop lying about not selling cars. What do they do with the purchased cars? Smoke them? She asked in one of her comments.

4. It is surprising that Hayastark does not want to give audience to anyone who wants to know more than what she has written on Nairaland. On the contrary, Cars45 gave more audience even though they are yet to provide the documents we asked for. At this point, I can’t but think that the onus lies on the Hayastark to back up her claims with adequate evidence and documents. It should be easier to get evidence from an aggrieved individual than from an accused corporate organization that has processes and systems, which may amount to delayed response.

5. Someone replied Hayastark that that Toyota Corolla model does not come in Right-Hand-Drives but I beg to differ. Some people are actually not aware that the Right-Hand-Drives of that Toyota Corolla model are actually imported from South Africa and converted in Nigeria. I still wonder why people do this.

6. No one is going to force you to buy a vehicle without test-driving it. Never heard of that before. Moreover, bulk of the tokunbo vehicles that are shipped to Nigeria are bought from auction yards and most auction yards don’t allow you do a test drive. The best you can do is to start the engines and engage the gears with your leg on the brakes to see if the vehicles have the capacity to move under their own power but moving them is a No No. You don’t even drive the car out of their storage yard after making payment. It’s a forklift that usually takes them out even if the vehicle does not have a single defect.

7. In her original post, she said she was excited and even said “Wow” when she saw the car had 26,000 mileage. Note that 26,000 mileage on a 7 – 9 year old car should get you more worried instead of being excited. An exceptionally low mileage is a major green light to probe further.

8. The screenshot of the inspection report Hayastark posted on Nairaland does not show the name and details of the car the report belongs to. She should provide the two inspection reports of when she bought and sold the car. She should also schedule an appointment with the new buyer that bought the car for N1.4m and let an independent person go inspect the car in comparison with all the available inspection reports.

9. This seems more like a case of she bought a car from a dealer and sold to Cars45.

10. Why is she yet to meet with the appropriate authorities at Cars45? Why is she not giving audience to someone who tried to schedule an appointment for her to meet with them?

11. Finally, what Hayastark went through is a sad event, which Cars45 should make effort to resolve, and mitigate against future occurrences. At the same time, it is surprising that the alleged victim only complained about her ordeal to online sympathizers with no attempt to resolve the issue with the company and no response to vital questions requesting her to buttress her claim.


As one of the measures to curtail the excesses of the car dealers, I suggest that Cars45 should provide computer workstations at the Carsbarz car lot that will enable the buyers verify all the inspection documents of all vehicles independently without the interference of the dealers. This is because some dealers will want to ride on the goodwill of Cars45 to take advantage of car buyers. Personally, I gave two of my Nigerian used cars to two different dealers to help me sell at different times, They removed the number plates and presented the cars as Tokunbo. I had to withdraw the cars from them when I found out.



For avoidance of doubt, this post solely represents AutoJosh’s opinion about this issue.


Lest I forget, let me clarify that AutoJosh’s earlier post dated 2nd of March, 2018 was neither motivated by Hayastark’s complaint nor sponsored by Cars45. You can see the post titled “ Cars45, Do They Actually Buy Your Car In 45 Minutes? – By AutoJosh” here… https://autojosh.com/cars45-actually-sell-car-45-minutes-autojosh/


Please note that it is always quicker and easier to reach me through the contact page on my website (www.autojosh.com) than through Nairaland.


Don’t forget to also see some of the informative articles I have written and published on AutoJosh to help protect Nigerians from becoming victims in the hands of car dealers and private sellers:

9 Mistakes Car Buyers In Nigeria Usually Make
https://autojosh.com/9-mistakes-car-buyers-nigeria-usually-make/

5 Things Car Dealers In Nigeria Don’t Want Car Buyers To Know
https://autojosh.com/car-dealers-in-nigeria/

12 things to do before buying a Nigerian used car
https://autojosh.com/1532-2/

1 step you must never skip before you buy a car in Nigeria
https://autojosh.com/1-step-you-must-never-skip-before-you-buy-any-car-in-nigeria/

The scam of 6 months Nigerian used cars for sale
https://autojosh.com/the-scam-of-6-months-nigerian-used-cars-for-sale/

12 Reasons To Do A Car VIN Check Before You Buy That Car
https://autojosh.com/12-reasons-car-vin-check-buy-car/

7 steps to buy your car from USA and ship to Nigeria without leaving your bedroom
https://autojosh.com/car-from-usa/

Don’t fall for this cheap scam by a Nigerian car dealer
https://autojosh.com/let-us-behave-ourselves/


www.autojosh.com

...Your Mobility, Our Priority.

AutoJosh’s take on the issue between Hayastark and Cars45 which has been trending on Nairaland is rather late but better than never.

I absolutely agree that a fraud was committed which is disheartening. Car buyers in Nigeria are frequently susceptible to deception; this is what always prompts me to write and publish several articles that can help protect the next victim from being preyed upon. Some of these articles can be found at the end of this post.

After reading through Hayastark’s thread again on Wednesday (7th of March), I decided to contact her to get some more details and lend support. As usual, unfounded conclusions had been jumped into and name-calling had become the order of her Nairaland thread.

The first thing I did that morning was to send a mail to Hayastark asking for permission to talk to her, make more findings and escalate the issue as much as possible. I stated my phone number in the mail and confirmed to her that I was not in anyway related to Cars45 as the objective of my car blog is to provide valuable information about cars to existing and potential car users in Nigeria.

She responded thanking me for my interest and said she already shared every detail online and will not talk to anyone except Cars45 if that will make her get the money back.


On Thursday morning, I decided to contact Cars45 since Hayastark was not forthcoming. I placed a call to their customer care number but it was a bad idea because they only depleted my airtime for nothing. All I got over the phone was that, I was not calling for my transaction and they could not attend to me. After that call, I sent a message to them on Twitter and a response came back with a phone number to call in no time.

After introducing myself to the Cars45’s staff, I went straight to my questions and she gave the following answers:

1. AutoJosh: Have you seen the fraud allegation leveled against your company on Nairaland?
Cars45’s staff: Yes

2. AutoJosh: Does Cars45 sell cars to individuals?
Cars45 : No

3. AutoJosh: Who sold the car to the client?
Cars45: A dealer, as Cars45 does not sell to individuals.

4. AutoJosh: Can I get the inspection reports of the car?
Cars45: Yes.

5. AutoJosh: Was the car converted from Right to Left-Hand-Drive?
Cars45: No

6. AutoJosh: Did the aggrieved client escalate the issue directly to Cars45?
Cars45: No, We only saw it on Nairaland

7. AutoJosh: I’d like to visit the place the car was sold to her.
Cars45: Okay. Not a problem

8. AutoJosh: Is tomorrow (Friday) okay for the visit?
Cars45: No, because we have an event tomorrow and I’ll be busy all day. Can we do Monday?

9. AutoJosh: Monday is far I replied. Can we make it today, which is Thursday?
Cars45: Okay, let’s do 4pm but call at 3pm to confirm I will be available



My colleague and myself got to their Head Office at Agidingbi, Ikeja, Lagos around 4:30 pm and met with 2 of their staff. We started with most of the questions I already asked over the phone, then we were debriefed on how Cars45 operates.

How Cars45 Operates

You walk into Cars45 to sell your vehicle, they inspect it, then upload images and details on their bid platform where about 1,000 car dealers have access to bid on it. The dealers can make a purchase using the “Bid” or “Buy Now” option. The bid lasts for 30 minutes and prices are determined by 3 major factors, market demand, availability of parts and condition of the vehicle.

Cars45 pays the seller immediately the bid is done. The dealer that won the bid is expected to pay Cars45 and pick up the vehicle within 72 hours. There is also a “Lockdown Program” where the dealers only pay 30% of the value of the vehicle after the bid and pays the balance of 70% at a later date or after the dealer has sold the vehicle.

Each vehicle comes with a 200-point inspection report, Auto Reg report as well as custom import duty report.

The company is currently introducing a “Merchant Program” where individuals can become merchants and earn commissions when they refer buyers to the dealers. These merchants will eventually be supported with N5 million start-up funds to help them become dealers as well. This N5 million grant will be in partnership with Lagos State Employment Trust Fund.



Carsbazr

https://i67.tinypic.com/xbmpa8.jpg

Now done at their Head Office, we took a short drive to their car sales lot, called Carsbazr. We were escorted by one of the two staff that welcomed us earlier and the following findings were made at the Carsbazr, which is the same place Hayastark bought her car.

1. The Carsbazr car lot has notice boards on the premises notifying prospective car buyers of the following:

- End users cannot buy directly from Carsbazr
- All cars can only be bought through dealers.
- You can bring your technician for double verification.
- Always ensure you request for and go through car reports.

See image below..

https://i67.tinypic.com/14312ls.jpg

2. Buyers only relate with the dealers. They negotiate with the dealers and pay to the dealers. The Carsbazr car lot was made available to dealers for two major reasons. The first reason is, some of them don’t have adequate space to park the cars they’ve won. While the second reason is, some partake in the Cars45 “Lockdown Program”.

3. The car sales lot is actually not dark. These photos below were snapped around 5:30pm and no artificial brightness was added.

https://i66.tinypic.com/205fa54.jpg

4. The vehicles in the lot have detailed history reports. Most of the vehicles had a printed summary of their problems pasted on the windshields. They also used inscriptions with white chalk stating the problems on some of the vehicles. See the green arrows below.

https://i65.tinypic.com/2vt61kw.jpg

5. Cars45 could not provide the inspection reports of the car in question because they were yet to receive a complaint from Hayastark. So they didn’t have some vital details, which would facilitate their investigation. e.g Name of the client, name of the dealer, registration number of the car, chassis number and the centre the car was sold.

6. There is also a possibility that the dealer presented fake documents or deceived Hayastark in order to sell the car to her. However, this cannot be ascertained until the requested documents are reviewed. Pending that, I was told that Cars45 is currently clamping down the dealers in a bid to investigate the issue and other fraudulent acts.

7. Buyers are not allowed to do a test drive due to the lockdown program and security breaches from car buyers in the past.

8. I asked if it was the same dealer that sold the car to both buyers but the company was yet to determine that.



After the meeting with Cars45, I sent the mail below to Hayastark on Thursday Night.

Good evening, This is Tunde again from AutoJosh. I will like to schedule an appointment for us to meet with you and Cars45 in a bid to investigate and resolve this issue.

Kindly give us a feedback on how we can make this happen.

Regards.



Around12 noon the next day (Friday), I sent another mail as seen below to Hayastark since there was no response from her.

Good morning, I still await your response.

Pending your feedback, I’ll like to clarify some things.

1. How did you find out about the yard you bought the car from? Were you referred there from a Cars45 office or a car dealer took you there from their independent car lot?

2. Who attended to you at the yard? Was it a Cars45 staff or the dealer?

3. While the transaction was going on, did you believe you were buying the car from Cars45 or from the dealer who took you to the yard?

4. Did you pay the funds used to purchase the car into Cars45’s bank account or into the dealers account?

5. Do you believe the person that attended to you fraudulently provided a fake inspection report or you believe the deception was from Cars45?

6. Will you be willing to assist with a copy of both inspection reports? i.e the inspection report you got when buying the car as 2011 and the one you got when selling the car as 2008?

7. Will you be willing to provide the VIN (Vehicle Identification Number) of the car? This will reveal more details about the car in question.

8. How did your driver’s mechanic ascertain the car was converted from Right-Hand-Drive to Left-Hand-Drive? What reasons did the mechanic give?

9. To what extent did you escalate this issue within Cars45? Did you contact their office to lodge a complaint about the entire scenario? What was their response if you did?

10. Did you complain to the agent that sold the car to you? What response did she give to you if you did?

11. I will also appreciate if you can link me up with the actual person that sold the car to you as well as the second buyer that bought the car for N1.4m. I have some questions to ask them e.g. Is it the same agent that sold the same car to the second buyer and what inspection report was given to the second buyer?

Your response will go a long way in ensuring this issue is resolved as well as enlighten others not to fall prey.

Thank you for your anticipated support.



She responded to the above mail that Friday night saying “Thank you for your interest. I am not interested in telling my story through you. I am also active on social media I will tell my story through this platform when I am ready”.


In conclusion, I support that Hayastark should pursue this case as much as she can in order to get her refunds. However, is her case really meant to be against Cars45 or the dealer with possible help from Cars45?

Below are AutoJosh’s concerns on the things Hayastark may need to know to enable her have a better case.

1. Hayastark is yet to provide convincing evidence to prove her case. This seems more like an appeal to pity rather than presentation of facts. She should get facts like comparison between both inspection reports as against the actual details found on the car. Another fact she should present is evidence of payment to reveal she paid into Cars45’s bank account when she bought the car.

2. It is difficult to agree that Cars45 was the one who defrauded her since she impliedly stated that she saw the car on another car selling website. That website led her and Dh to the dealer who took them to Carsbazr and there are notice boards at the car lot which clearly states that they can only deal from those dealers.

3. At the beginning of her complaint, she confirmed that Cars45 is set up in a way that you can sell your car to them but you need to go through an agent when you want to buy. Hayastark does not seem to be standing firm by this claim. After agreeing that Cars45 does not sell cars to individuals, she still went ahead to say they should stop lying about not selling cars. What do they do with the purchased cars? Smoke them? She asked in one of her comments.

4. It is surprising that Hayastark does not want to give audience to anyone who wants to know more than what she has written on Nairaland. On the contrary, Cars45 gave more audience even though they are yet to provide the documents we asked for. At this point, I can’t but think that the onus lies on the Hayastark to back up her claims with adequate evidence and documents. It should be easier to get evidence from an aggrieved individual than from an accused corporate organization that has processes and systems, which may amount to delayed response.

5. Someone replied Hayastark that that Toyota Corolla model does not come in Right-Hand-Drives but I beg to differ. Some people are actually not aware that the Right-Hand-Drives of that Toyota Corolla model are actually imported from South Africa and converted in Nigeria. I still wonder why people do this.

6. No one is going to force you to buy a vehicle without test-driving it. Never heard of that before. Moreover, bulk of the tokunbo vehicles that are shipped to Nigeria are bought from auction yards and most auction yards don’t allow you do a test drive. The best you can do is to start the engines and engage the gears with your leg on the brakes to see if the vehicles have the capacity to move under their own power but moving them is a No No. You don’t even drive the car out of their storage yard after making payment. It’s a forklift that usually takes them out even if the vehicle does not have a single defect.

7. In her original post, she said she was excited and even said “Wow” when she saw the car had 26,000 mileage. Note that 26,000 mileage on a 7 – 9 year old car should get you more worried instead of being excited. An exceptionally low mileage is a major green light to probe further.

8. The screenshot of the inspection report Hayastark posted on Nairaland does not show the name and details of the car the report belongs to. She should provide the two inspection reports of when she bought and sold the car. She should also schedule an appointment with the new buyer that bought the car for N1.4m and let an independent person go inspect the car in comparison with all the available inspection reports.

9. This seems more like a case of she bought a car from a dealer and sold to Cars45.

10. Why is she yet to meet with the appropriate authorities at Cars45? Why is she not giving audience to someone who tried to schedule an appointment for her to meet with them?

11. Finally, what Hayastark went through is a sad event, which Cars45 should make effort to resolve, and mitigate against future occurrences. At the same time, it is surprising that the alleged victim only complained about her ordeal to online sympathizers with no attempt to resolve the issue with the company and no response to vital questions requesting her to buttress her claim.


As one of the measures to curtail the excesses of the car dealers, I suggest that Cars45 should provide computer workstations at the Carsbarz car lot that will enable the buyers verify all the inspection documents of all vehicles independently without the interference of the dealers. This is because some dealers will want to ride on the goodwill of Cars45 to take advantage of car buyers. Personally, I gave two of my Nigerian used cars to two different dealers to help me sell at different times, They removed the number plates and presented the cars as Tokunbo. I had to withdraw the cars from them when I found out.



For avoidance of doubt, this post solely represents AutoJosh’s opinion about this issue.


Lest I forget, let me clarify that AutoJosh’s earlier post dated 2nd of March, 2018 was neither motivated by Hayastark’s complaint nor sponsored by Cars45. You can see the post titled “ Cars45, Do They Actually Buy Your Car In 45 Minutes? – By AutoJosh” here… https://autojosh.com/cars45-actually-sell-car-45-minutes-autojosh/


Please note that it is always quicker and easier to reach me through the contact page on my website (www.autojosh.com) than through Nairaland.


Don’t forget to also see some of the informative articles I have written and published on AutoJosh to help protect Nigerians from becoming victims in the hands of car dealers and private sellers:

9 Mistakes Car Buyers In Nigeria Usually Make
https://autojosh.com/9-mistakes-car-buyers-nigeria-usually-make/

5 Things Car Dealers In Nigeria Don’t Want Car Buyers To Know
https://autojosh.com/car-dealers-in-nigeria/

12 things to do before buying a Nigerian used car
https://autojosh.com/1532-2/

1 step you must never skip before you buy a car in Nigeria
https://autojosh.com/1-step-you-must-never-skip-before-you-buy-any-car-in-nigeria/

The scam of 6 months Nigerian used cars for sale
https://autojosh.com/the-scam-of-6-months-nigerian-used-cars-for-sale/

12 Reasons To Do A Car VIN Check Before You Buy That Car
https://autojosh.com/12-reasons-car-vin-check-buy-car/

7 steps to buy your car from USA and ship to Nigeria without leaving your bedroom
https://autojosh.com/car-from-usa/

Don’t fall for this cheap scam by a Nigerian car dealer
https://autojosh.com/let-us-behave-ourselves/


www.autojosh.com

...Your Mobility, Our Priority.

LASEMA Response Unit was at Sanya Bus Stop in Lagos to remove a container that fell on the express inward Oshodi.

See more photos..

https://autojosh.com/accident-as-container-falls-at-sanya-bus-stop-in-lagos-photos/

[quote author=mormoney85 post=65761689][/quote]Check that the battery of the car is sitting firmly and the terminals are tight. Because the dashboard display and engine can malfunction if the battery terminals are not tight.

However, it seem to be an electrical and wiring problem. The ABS light is on. Is the check engine light on? If no, that means there may have been a bypass somewhere. Your technician need to scan the car and do some trace work.

I wonder how you were able to take the photo with one hand pointing to the odometer and the other holding the phone when the car was on motion.

cc
Lalasticlala
Mynd44
Ishilove
Marpol
Semid4lyfe
Obinoscopy
Seun

cc
Lalasticlala
Mynd44
Ishilove
Marpol
Semid4lyfe
Obinoscopy
Seun

Lalasticlala
Mynd44
Ishilove
Marpol
Semid4lyfe
Obinoscopy
Seun

Coldfeett:
Hi josh. I just got a 2003 c200 Kompressor. Kindly advice me On the engine oil and oil filter to use so I don't get into buying something not compatible with it. Also add me to the MB WhatsApp group 08117295583 if available.

Thank you

Do you have the car's owners manual inside the glove compartment or in the boot of the car? Check the hardcopy manual or download a softcopy online and check for recommended engine oil..

The code is going to look like 0W-40 probably mobil 1 but please verify the actual code from your user manual and note that the code in the format of 0W-40 is the most important thing to consider when changing engine oil and not whether it's Total or Mobil or Forte Oil.

More

When it comes to safety, Mercedes Benz does not joke with it. Many automobile safety innovations have been credited to the Mercedes brand. And many of these innovations were released on the S-Class models.

In line with that tradition, Mercedes Benz is introducing a new safety technology to the auto world.

A new Digital Light system that proves to be more advanced than any headlights we have ever seen to date is being implemented on the new Mercedes-Maybach S-Class.

The system embeds over a million pixels of illumination in each of the headlamps.

What’s more is they can be individually controlled by the on-board computers to project specific symbols onto the road to help the driver stay in line on his lane.

For one, the system is designed to selectively switch off individual lighting elements when a vehicle approaches in the opposite direction to avoid blinding the other driver. And it doesn’t stop there.

The Digital Light system can also project warnings onto the road surface for the driver to see, taking the idea of a head-up display (typically projected onto the windshield) even further.

If the digital light system detects low-grip surface, for example, it can project a snowflake symbol in the illuminated roadway ahead.

So also does it act the same way at construction sites, imminent rear-end collisions, and objects in the driver’s blind spot. It can also project helpful symbols like lane guides and distance markers to the vehicle ahead. And these are just some of the functions Mercedes engineers have integrated into the first iteration of the system.

This advanced lighting units and their two-million-plus pixels are being is being showcase on an update Maybach at the ongoing Geneva Motor Show. After which, this technology will be implemented on a select fleet vehicles within the coming months.

Indeed, Mercedes continues in its reputation as the unrelenting innovator in the auto safety department.

Source:

https://autojosh.com/mercedes-benz-introduces-headlamps-with-over-a-million-pixels-of-illumination-in-them/

Lalasticlala
Mynd44
Ishilove
Marpol
Semid4lyfe
Obinoscopy
Seun

1. Do not eat in the car. Its common courtesy. The drivers' cars are their offices. When you leave crumbs all over their car seats, people give them bad ratings for it. Bad ratings equal fewer fares, which is a direct attack on these workers' incomes.


2.Never leave trash in the car. It is rude to leave trash behind, especially in a car that someone depends on for his or her income.


3. Don’t ask the driver to drive faster or to violate traffic rules. Ride-share drivers are not danfo drivers. Besides, there are speed limits they are expected to abide by. If getting to your destination is very important to you, perhaps, you should start your journey much earlier.


4. Wear your seat belt. Buckle up. Apart from the safety implications of not wearing your seat belt, it could get the driver into an infraction with the law.


5. Leave the music system alone. Ensure to keep your hands to yourself. Refrain from operating the audio system in the car.


6. Don't ask for anything but the ride. The job of the ride-share driver is to take you from point A to point B. Avoid engaging the driver in errands or asking for favours outside of his ride-share responsibility.


7. Do not smoke or indulge in alcohol during the trip. It is rude to do these. Such indulgence can leave some offensive smells in the car. The smell can inspire the next passenger to give a bad review of the driver.


8. Be respectful and polite to the drivers. Do not take out your personal frustrations out on them. Do not bark at them. Do not hurl invective at them. Be civil with them. They are respectable individuals.


9. Be kind to assist the drivers with directions. Indeed, those navigational devices sometimes fail or can confuse directions. Besides, no driver knows all the routes.


10. Abstain from touching the driver. What more can one say? Touching the driver could be a distraction. If you need his or her attention, simply call for it.


11. Be sure of your destination address. Know the exact address of your destination before you request for a ride. If you are not sure of the address, do a bit of research online, call someone, etc. You will save yourself and your driver a lot of hassle by just knowing where you're going.


12. Do not “overload the car. Respect and abide by the seating limit. Do not try to force in five or more people at a time for a trip. If possible, call for an extra car to convey the rest.


13. Do not give bad reviews or rating for nothing. Except the performance of the driver was quite unimpressive, avoid rating the driver low. Your ratings can determine his earnings.


14. Inform the driver of your method of payment ahead of the journey. Due to the peculiarity of our system, people tend to have some preferred methods of payment. If you are doing an online transfer, make it known to the driver before the commencement of the trip.


15. Avoid canceling rides. Don't order a ride until you're sure you need it. Although, the ride-share platform charges you a nominal fee for a canceled ride, but it's still irritating to drive a good distance to meet a rider who eventually would not need the ride.


16. Be ready to get in the car as soon as it comes. It is rude to be unprepared when the car comes. Don't order the ride until you're ready to go. The drivers do not earn fix salaries. Their income is tied to the amount of hours spent working. Waiting for you to get ready deprives them of their earnings. Do not order a car until you're absolutely ready to go.


https://autojosh.com/16-essential-tips-uber-taxify-passengers/


Lalasticlala
Mynd44
Ishilove
Marpol
Semid4lyfe
Obinoscopy
Seun

omonla10:
AutoJoshNG can u supply me these things at once and I pay.. Numbers 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 and 11. Or anyone that can supply me at once. I'll pay cash on delivery

You can actually order them online through the link at the end of the post.

iphenon:
AutoJoshNG: The logo at the top and bottom of your website shouldn't have that white background, makes it look unfit and ugly. The logo color at the top should be red for 'auto' and white for 'josh'. While at the footer the logo should be in dark grey to blend with the black background.

Thanks for the feedback. We will take a look at it.

More

The S1 is attracting attention at the ongoing Geneva Motor Show for its unusual look.

Designed and manufactured by Sin, the S1 is described by its manufacturer as an “affordably priced modular car”.

Sin might need to explain what they mean by “affordable” because this modular car is being offered at a starting price of N17, 964, 000 ($49, 900).

Simply, the S1 a basic chassis that can wear different bodies, different interior layouts, and different drive train options.

Sin says S1 owners can start with one configuration, and then change to another later. The components are interchangeable, or at least, as interchangeable as swapping entire engines and body panels can be.

Information on how easy it is to swap the bodies, interiors, and drive line components of the S1 is yet to be released by Sin.


The Sin S1 on display at the 2018 Geneva Motor Show

The S1 is attracting attention at the ongoing Geneva Motor Show for its unusual look.

Designed and manufactured by Sin, the S1 is described by its manufacturer as an “affordably priced modular car”.

Sin might need to explain what they mean by “affordable” because this modular car is being offered at a starting price of N17, 964, 000 ($49, 900).

Simply, the S1 a basic chassis that can wear different bodies, different interior layouts, and different drive train options.

Sin says S1 owners can start with one configuration, and then change to another later. The components are interchangeable, or at least, as interchangeable as swapping entire engines and body panels can be.

Information on how easy it is to swap the bodies, interiors, and drive line components of the S1 is yet to be released by Sin.


Indeed, good look is subjective. However, if you’re the type of person who loves extremely fast cars or spending time on the track, then it’s possible you won’t focus so much on the S1 appearance as most people would.

The plug in model of the Sin S1 features a 24 kWh battery, working together with a 120 HP electric motor and a 255 HP 2.0-liter turbocharged engine, offering a range of 200 km (124 miles). The best part, the whole thing weighs just 220 kg (485 lbs).

The production of the Sin S1 is scheduled to commence in 2019.


https://autojosh.com/sin-s1-behold-another-contender-ugliest-car-geneva-motor-show/

More

The Sbarro 4×4+2 concept is perhaps the ugliest car currently on exhibition at the ongoing Geneva Motor Show.


In a car show full of gorgeous, futuristic, ultra-connected, autonomous and electrified vehicles, the Sbarro 4×4+2 concept does not appeal much in the looks department.


This bizarrely shaped concept car is a six wheeler built for off-road racing.

On the Sbarro 4×4+2, there are cutouts in the metal in the shape of those massive wheels, no windows except for the windshield, a ginormous bonnet and taillights that look like they belong on some classic from the mid-50s.


Inside, there are racing seats, a racing steering wheel and third seat propped up in the back.


The car is powered by a 5.0-liter engine, putting down 550 PS with the help of a 6-speed automatic. In case they’re off about that displacement figure, this could very well be the 4.8-liter V8 unit in the first-gen Cayenne Turbo S, which indeed had 550 PS as well as a 6-speed auto.


Let’s all wave hello to another contender for “Ugliest Car in Geneva”.

https://autojosh.com/see-ugliest-car-geneva-motor-show/