₦airaland Forum

Any of the two cars is a good option even though slightly have difference in class.

The Corolla is a simple daily driver, excellent fuel economy but compact in size. So if you're someone who prefers practicality over presence, pick the Corolla. The fuel consumption numbers are 29/26/34mpg combined/city/highway. What this means is that you will be burning around 1liter for every 12.3km distance covered on the average.

The camry is a midsized sedan, slightly heavier than the Corolla and has class and presence. More like a mild "I have arrived" kind of car. It's fuel consumption numbers are slightly higher than that of the Corolla.
The fuel consumption numbers are 26/22/32mpg combined/city/highway. What this means is that you will be burning around 1liter for every 11km distance covered. For this particular one, buy 2011 or late 2010 model that comes with 2.5L 2AR engine(aka venza engine)

Your budget is already very very good, you will get something called "Toks Standard" with that amount.
I will only add that if this is your first car, add 2-3m to get a direct Toks. You will have a much more gentle learning with car repairs, hence giving you ample time to catch-up with the crooked behaviors of many mechanics out there.

The ball is in your court..All the best!



#AutoJando

A very progressive governor this man is.


@Gazzuzz
Chief, I reside in Niger State, Suleja to be precise.
If there's any need of you recruiting technical personnel for maintaining these vehicles, your boy mount for here



#AutoJando

Find a Toks grade Toyota Camry around 2001 to 2002 for around 1.5m, keep the 500k for whatever shows up unexpected.

Whatever you do, DO NOT USE 2m budget to buy a 2m car as far Naija used is concerned.



#AutoJando

Dear OP,
Please don't panic.

I've dealt with these kind of problems on Mercedes and Ford brands and in most cases, it ends up being a CAN box. This is a small junction box that tie the car's CAN gateway multiplex connections together. If there's any corrosion due to moisture getting there, problems like these will arise mostly after a long drive. Typically, when you shut off the car and restart, the problem disappears momentarily and returns later after you've forgotten about it. These kind of problems are intermittent and can be very hard to replicate at the point of diagnosis.

It sounds easy, but it needs a lot of patience and hands-on car tech skill and proper tooling to be able to sort this one out.

Another regular culprit of this can be as a result of a weak battery. When the car's battery is on its last lap, it will occasionally freak out some of the modules on the car and then end up causing chaos in the CAN-BUS
network.


I am open to assist you remotely.


#AutoJando

Chief, I'm tempted to buy

Let's do the analysis to know if this good spending


₦6.7B spent on 18,400 orphans, that's ₦364,130 roughly..
Now, let's set a benchmark. The minimum wage for lowest salary earner in Nigeria is ₦30,000.
This implies that the orphans will receive in an amount that is equal to 12months salary of a minimum wage earner.

Deductions:
If a government has bluntly refused to increase minimum wage to ₦100k for workers who spend 24/30 days in a month working, what are the odds that they will willingly spend ₦360k om orphans that are almost non-existent as far as Nigeria's government is concerned?
Long story short, somebody go kolobi billions by the time all is said and done...Q.E.D.

Truth of the matter is that more Nigerian used cars are being recirculated among different users than ever before. The affordability of foreign used cars is at its all time low. From November 2023 till date, the prices of cars(naija & foreign used) have almost doubled.

Case in point: Honda Accord 2008 that I bought in September for just 1.8m, restored it and resolved to an end User for 2.6m in November is now worth at least 3.5m with abeg.

One of the most common reasons why people are buying Naija used cars is that they are extremely enticed by low price. Today, there a lot of distress sale cars out there that have actually distressed the owner from daily use. A good percentage of distress sale cars today are sold right after leaving a workshop or at the workshop itself. Dealers keep numbers of mechanics to be able to buy the so-called distress sale cars that they will manageably "repackage" and sell to you the unsuspecting innocent buyer.

Buying Naija used car is not a sin, but falling for the price/urgency trap is what lands many new car owners in an irredeemable mess.

Here are a few tips to keep in mind before buying a Naija used car;

1.Set a realistic budget.
What do I mean?
Okay, check it. Let's take a Lexus RX330 2006 as a sample space. Now, a Direct toks of this vehicle will be retailing for around ₦9-₦13m as at the time of typing this. If you are looking to buy a Naija used one, set your budget around 60-70% of the price for a Toks. If you do the math, that's roughly between ₦6-8m.
Around this price range, you will get a car with good history that the owner probably swapped with a dealer for a higher car like RX350 2010. The dealer might have valued the car at ₦4m and then the deficit was paid by the buyer. So if he sells between 6-8m, he will be very happy with his trade and be willing to go the extra mile to fix minor issues that the car came with. He might spend some money on it to restore the minor problems that will make the early days/weeks/months for the new owner to be problem free.

2. Read/research about the common problems.

Every car you see on the road has common problems. These are problems that the car came with from the factory that you will definitely experience at one point of the car's lifetime. Some of those common problems were so severe or posted safety concerns that the Automakers actually issue a recall on the affected cars. For some, the problems were fixed during the recall process, for others, the cars have been shipped outside the recall coverge area/warranty period.
For example, 2008-2009 Toyota Camry Muscle/Spider/Voltron with 2AZ engine is known to have a factory detect of oil burning. I don't care which grade of oil you use, I don't care whether you bought it Toks, more than 70% of the Camry Muscle you see on Nigerian roads today with that 2AZ engine will have this problem. This problem is due a poor design in the engine oil control groove oil drain holes in the piston. The holes were so tiny that instead of oil that has been scraped by the oil rings to flow into the groove and squirt down the holes to return into the crank case, the oil actually makes its way upwards into the cumbustion chamber and gets burned. This problem is so serious that Toyota replaced the engine with 2AR engjne(aka "venza" engine) in 2010 model starting from late 2009.

So if you read/researched about the car you are buying, you will find that you would already know what to look out for even before engaging a dealer to get you a car.

3. Find a trusted and educated mechanic.
To be frank, trusted mechanics are very difficult to find, so also are the educated ones. Many mechanics go rogue after spending some time in the auto repair industry due to low compensation for jobs. There are others that were trained to be crooks by their bosses. In fact, your so-called trusted mechanic can be compromised upon arrival at the point of inspection. The dealer will give him a covert casual signal and they will both connive to mislead you just because of extra 20k that he will be getting from the dealer. He will now later use your car to be solving his family problems little by little. An educated mechanic will probably know the root cause of most problems he fixes on cars, so if he's giving you green light to buy a car with a particular problem, he will tell you exactly how he will arrest the problem with the potential cost to be incurred.

So the thing is, before you set out, ask your trusted friends to connect you with a mechanic with the above qualities. You might be lucky to find one or two in your area.

4. Cut your coat smaller than your size.

This sounds counter intuitive but lemme explain real quick.
For perspective, I am fairly a well-to-do guy, I won't say I am currently wealthy but I solve all my financial problems myself and also render assistance to people in need when I can. I have a good business that generates sustainable income that can afford me to live a flamboyant lifestyle to drive a "BENZ" or a "BMW". When I decided that I needed a daily car, i bought a Direct Toks 2006 Toyota Corolla S. As at that time, i could afford to buy a fairly 2010 Mercedes-Benz E-350 or a Lexus ES350 2010, but no, i chose a direct Toks corolla which i bought for just 4.2m. This was Feb 2023. If had added just ₦1-2 to that amount, I could buy the Benz or the Lexus. I didn’t do that becasue I wanted a car that will serve me, not the one I will be serving. Lolz! I would have paid more money to inherit someone else's problem.

Till I sold the car this year Feb, I dont think I spent upto 200k in repairs money and the fuel economy also saved me a lot of unnecessary expenses when subsidy vamoosed. The biggest thing I replaced were full set of tyres (which i bought immediately after buying the car), front shocks, starter brush, fuel pump, brake pads..dazzool I can remember.

So the deal is, the car was like a toy that i can play with without fearing what next would break because no matter what, it will never take away 100k from my pocket for just 1 spare part. So that's that.


5. Prepare your mind for repairs/restoration.

Many are mad, few are roaming!
Many of the Nigerian used cars you see on the road have at least one type of sko-sko that is waiting to blow alarm. The best ones are the ones with minor cosmetic issues that you as an end user won't find appealing. Dents, scratches, unlapped bumper lines and so on might be hiding a car with pristine mechanical/electrical background. You won't know! Becasue it looks haggered and tattered, you will tell your dealer to just pass.
The rule of thumb here is, lets say your whole budget is ₦10m for a naija used 2014 toyota Rav4. Look for a car around ₦9m-9.5m max. So that after you purchase and settle everyone involved, you will have money to buy tyres if they are worn out. You can change the oil to the recommended manufacturer spec which would prolong the engine life and give you a trouble-free experience from a mechanical standpoint. You might need to to drain all other fluids and use the OEM recommended ones just to fulfil all righteousness.

6. Pray to your Creator to guide you.

See ehh, even though this is the last tip, it is much more important than I can explain. Prayer will make the money you transferred for a potentially problematic car reverse even if you kept trying over and over. Prayer will make the dealer tell you that, my chairman, I no go lie, you no go enjoy this, increase your budget small make I give you that one. That prayer is what will touch the hearts of fellow human beings that you are relating with to AT LEAST treat you fairly. Make dem no go dey see you as one mugu.


So there you go, everywhere hot now, before you spend shingbai on top car mathias, you gas to use 99% intelligency...you hear me oo??


@Autojando

MASTERCHIEF0847:
Mumu, so because it's produced in Nigeria that has epileptic power supply and because the raw materials are locally sourced then it means the cost of production will not increase?
Limestone is mined from the quarry using heavy equipment that runs on diesel that is selling for over a thousand naira per liter. Others like gypsum are mostly imported and paid for in dollars which the naira cannot keep up with, coupled with the cost of diesel needed to run the cement factory and cost of transportation.... but a slow being like you believes the cement manufacturers just want to punish the masses.
Educate yourself you illiterate...or better still establish your cement factory so you can produce and sell for 1000 naira per 50kg bag. Banza kawaii.

You sound like someone I know
Nazir is that you

[quote author=Alertman24 post=126977899][/quote]Check around the catcher that holds down the bonnet, if you find an unplugged connector there, please reconnect it. If you don't, then you might need someone to physically carry out parasitic draw test.


AutoJando

Alertman24:
Please l drive Acura MDX, my battery always run down in the morning, and when parked for a prolonged time even when everything is off, Rewire could not detect what's running the battery down, please what should I do?

When did this start?
I fixed a similar problem on 2008 Acura MDX. You might have the same problem.


AutoJando

kabukabu50:
The best two cars ever made by Toyota and Honda are these, Toyota Supra and Honda NXS-R.Period.
Accords and Camrys are for the elderly,mothers with babies and Chinese people.

Some people with funny comments sha...someone is asking advice for a daily driver that suits the Nigerian situation, you are bullying them with your fantasies. The two cars you mentioned can't be driven freely with rest of mind on more than 70% of Nigerian roads.
I am not even trying to offend you, but your goofy tone of bullying the OP is just appalling.


AutoJando

ecosystm:
Last two weeks ago, my mechanic worked on my crankshaft..and since then I have been experiencing occasional misfires and loss of power and poor mileage on my car..Toyota corolla 2009, I called his attention to these issues but he insisted I should continue driving and after sometimes everything will normalised..

Checked engine light and maint light kept popping on my dashboard..

Error codes are: P0015 and p0012

Pls auto gurus in house pls i need assistance on what to do..

Thanks

Are you sure he worked on the crankshaft or camshaft?

For reference, a crankshaft job is done on the bottom of the engine. The oil sump(aka bottom plate) will have to be removed for this job to be done. If it is the camshaft, most of the job done will be on top of the engine. For reference, the valve cover will be removed.

If it is the first case(as far as the top cylinder of the engine was not removed), then the problem is still fixable.
On the contrary, if it is the second case, he probably welded cam phasors permanently on the camshaft. The remedy to this will be replaced the camshaft phasor assembly for intake and exhaust side. I recommend you use the same mechanic but make sure you monitor and tell him EXACTLY what he should do, don't let him tell you that he has been doing this job since the days of Gowon. If he won't agree, change him.


AutoJando

Incognito21:
My car is barely a year, I celebrated this car with my nairaland family last year. My mechanic wants to damage my car out of careless, my radiator had a leak so I went to fix it, , the mechanic that lose the radiator in order for the radiator man to fix and wash the radiator, in the process the radiator man used a tube conver to block the gearbox host that’s in the radiator so after putting the radiator my mechanic forgot to remove the tube and went and put the host to gearbox, so yesterday I drove the car for quite a distance I noticed smoke coming from my exhaust and bonnet, I stopped to check it couldn’t find the issue I called mechanic and he said oil. Is leaking from gearbox from the host that he has corrected it, I went on my Way, after some distance my car was in Drive but making noise and not moving, I parked it, calling my mechanic I discovered the tube conver was blocking the host, I went and bought atf sea horse dextron III 6liters on his advice for me to add to the gear box, after this my gear was selecting fine, but while I driving it makes loud noise but accelerate slowly even on 40 50, please gurus what should I do. Gearbox man I met said, the fiber have burnt that I have to buy fiber and also gearbox oil, but my car selects well, reverse well only drive is slow and makes loud acceleration noise but moves slowly even on 50, please I need help and answers, I’m feeling well now

What was the reason for "washing" the radiator?

The chances of fixing a leaking radiator permanently are very minimal. You should have simply changed the radiator altogether.

My recommendations;
Replace radiator
Replace the 2 transmission coolant hoses
Replace the transmission (gearbox)

Any other alternative will only end costing more money eventually + frustration.

Oh, and lastly..sack your mecho!


AutoJando

kingreign:
Stop misleading people

His confidence in his response is what scared me..like kilode!!

GAZZUZZ:
08033910382.

I no longer give prices online.

Okay chief, will surely do. Thanks

Chief Gazzuzz, I hail you thoroughly.

Please how much is genuine toyota type WS atf sir?

kingreign:
I doubt any electrician will give him an ecu with part payment. It's not their property, it's a part seller's property unless the part seller and electrician reaches an agreement

See eehn chief, in addition to this point, an ECU seller will ask you that what if there's wiring problem with the car and it fries the the new ecu too or cause it to have the same problem that the damaged one has.

I once gave someone this kind of advice remotely for this same type of problem, the part seller gave me this excuse. I just told the car owner to hold on until I returned. I did an adaptation reset and it fixed the problem las las.

Cation25:
Here is my earlier tread regarding the fault my Camry 012 developed, https://www.nairaland.com/7691025/camry-012-jerk-when-changing

Some car gurus, like xperiencelove, Jimts, etc. gave me their professional suggestions on the possible cause of the issue and solution.

So, I took my car out for diagnosis and repair. The first "gear specialist" told me the gear has developed faults and needed to be replaced. He totalled everything, including his workmanship to be 450k.

I left there unconvinced, went to the second person, and he diagnosed the car and told me the gear sensor is faulty and some other things. He told me he will rectify the issue at the sum of 150k.

I was still unconvinced, so I went to another rewirer, he diagnose the car and told me the machine was pointing out the gear sensor, and that I should take the car to my mechanic to replace the sensor(he failed to mention which particular gear sensor). So I took the car to my mechanic, and after allowing the car to cool, he cleaned all the sensors, still the issue persist.

So, I called another gear specialist at Ladipo. He told me it is the valve body, and I need to change it. So we booked an appointment. Prior to that, I met someone in the church who referred a gear specialist/rewirer to me at Ladipo. So, I booked an appointment with that guy too. And, following my spirit leads, I asked the other specialist who suggested the valve body has developed faults to wait until the following day. I did that to meet with the other guy first to hear his own suggestions or findings.

When I finally meet this new guy(one young guy), he drove the car around and told me he will fix it but it will cost me 60k. So, we bargained and finally settled at 30k. He initially told me he will need to allow the car to cool for a minimum of 6 hours b4 he will open the gearbox, and that the car will be ready the next day. So I said okay. Later, he told me to enter the car and let's drive it again. We drove it a few distances then he parked and fixed his machine in the car. He carried out a TRANSMISSION ADAPTATION RESET and that solve the whole issue. This same thing was suggested to me by Jimts AutoJando here, but since I don't have the device to do it, I had to allow those guys to have their way.

I wanted to still bargain the initially agreed price(30k) but he declined that we already had an agreement. I was like something you did that did not take you 5 mins, he said "na my work." lol.

Guys, this issue affected my car fuel consumption seriously. Besides, the car doesn't move smoothly or speed as it use to. But since the rewirer guy reset the transmission adaption, the car is back to normal.

I took out time to narrate my experiences so other car owners can learn from them. Those mechanics and rewire guys are ready to milk you dry if you don't shine your eyes. Again, don't totally trust your mechanic, irrespective of your relationship with them. Try to verify things from 2 or 3 others before agreeing to most of their suggestions.

Thank you, xperiencelove, Jimts AutoJando, etc., for your suggestions and advice.

Mod please move this to the front page to reach a wider audience. Thanks.

Congrats Bro, I appreciate it when people bring feedbacks in a group like this. Others will definitely benefit from it.

Continue monitoring the shift quality and see if anything abnormal happens, I am hopeful that this is a permanent fix sha



AutoJando

buygala:
Please drive for at least a 100km journey before you do thanksgiving.. At least 100km at a stretch.

Some of these "resets" sweep faults under the carpet and resurface under stressful driving conditions.

Common logic should make you ask what unset the "transmission adaptation"in the first place to require its resetting... Something stored that error that needed resetting..perfectly working transmissions don't just get bored and develop errors...And until that something is fixed, that young guyman has possibly given your transmission mere first aid for 30k.. E go still land for hospital las las..

To be honest, you have a point.

However, it is necessary to understand the original reason why the transmission behaved the way it did.

In most cases, it is as a result of clogged oil filter which OP has changed. The clogged oil filter will cause dirt/ingress to wedge between sliding valves with valve bodies or between solenoids valves and their bores and so one. Once the ECT memory records that some solenoids are drawing more current than usual due to stickiness of some sort, it CAN DEACTIVATE that solenoid completely and change the shift points of the transmission. It will use alternate solenoids to try and achieve the same purpose but at the expense of shift quality. It is more like a failsafe mechanism to protect the transmission from damage. Now, if this is caught early enough(which i hope is the case for OP), a simple oil change with oil filter replacement will solve the problem "MECHANICALLY" but nothing changes in the ECT memory until an adaptation reset is done. In many cases, this often times solves the problem completely. In my experience, I've seen cases where the problem returns but won't be as severe as it was before. We continue to reset the transmission memory until this doesn't happen again. This will give ample time for all the ingress in the bores to come out. In our own case, we would not charge the customer the second or third time for the reset.



AutoJando

[quote author=Cation25 post=123184719][/quote]Just saw this response now, try an adaptation memory reset before doing anything physical. I have had experiences where this was the only solution to a problem like this. Resetting the memory should be done using Techstream TIS or an equivalent scan tool with that capability. Only if the problem persist should you go ahead with the solenoid replacement.

Thanks,

AutoJando

Burchester:
Honda Accord 2008

If it is the 4plugs engine and it happens only on first start up in the morning, the culprit is the VTC actuator and the ultimate cause of its failure is the use of wrong grade oil and/or prolonged oil change intervals.

If you feed me with a scan data I can give you a potential solution to this problem.

Thanks,
AutoJando

[quote author=Cation25 post=123236714][/quote]I would say you should let him give it a trial.

Though there are many sensors on an automatic transmission. Speed sensors, temperature sensors and pressure sensors, but these rarely fail.
I am guessing that he's implying that it is the solenoids that needs replacing, not sensors. Mechanics mix the two. Sensor is an input device while solenoid is an output device.

You will do this thread a lot of great service if you snap the pictures of the parts that were replaced and the eventual outcome of the repairs/procedures.

Thanks,

AutoJando

Burchester:
Both ?

You didn't mention the car?

Coolgent:
No, I am currently in Kaduna.

Sure it's the culprit, CODE: P0036

So I got the sensor, they asking for 55k for brand new one and 18k for fairly used one.
I am not the part seller but I am negotiating with him to send you at least 3 pcs so you can pick a working one and return the rest. He's my parts supplier so I trust him. You will pay for waybill yourself to and fro

Thanks

Burchester:
Camshaft noise issues.

Okay, which car is this?

And when does the noise occur, only on first cold start or while running too?







AutoJando

Burchester:
What's your friend workshop address ?

Depends on what you want to do. One is more of into mech repairs while the other is a diagnostics person.

So if we have a problem description here, I can know which direction to point you.
Thanks





AutoJando

Adaba0803:
Good morning my people, abeg help my life I don put 5 direct tokunbo (engine lose) alternator inside my Honda Civic 06 and everything dey do overcharging ( if it's working without loading it the battery light on dashboard will show,but if I load it with headlight,ac, harzad light and radio after 20 to25 mins the light go off) and my present one is going under charging in sense that it works normal during the day even with AC but once I on headlight plus the AC at night it stops charging . Pls what could be the problem and is the a rewire that can help me around Abule Egba axis. Pls help a brother.

Your problem description matches that of poor/corroded connection terminals either between the B post of your alternator to the battery or between the B post cable to the fusebox. It is a charge voltage regulation problem.
There's a thick gauge single wire connected to your alternator, trace it to the point where it enters the fuse box. Ensure it is not touching any metallic part of the car's body. Also, at the point where it is bolted to the fusebox, loosen the nut and check for corrosion between the terminals. After this, there are two fuses that are linked to your alternator charing circuit, one is a maxi/high amperage fuse. Should be 80A if I remember correctly located in the fusebox in the engine bay. Remove it and check for corrosion or poor connection. The second one is a 10A fuse no4 (voltage sensing circuit) on your dashboard just above the driver's side footwell, check if the fuse is blown or terminals are corroded.

Do these checks yourself if you have the time before you do anything further. Wrong diagnosis cost money and frustration.



AutoJando

Coolgent:
No, I am currently in Kaduna.

Sure it's the culprit, CODE: P0036

Okay sharp!

I will give you feedback later this evening





AutoJando

Cation25:
Good morning car gurus in the house. My Camry 012 usually jerks noticeably when changing gears in motion, particularly when speeding. It sometimes does as if it wants to stop suddenly when it wants to change gear. My mechanic has serviced the gear and changed the filter but the issue persists.

What could be the cause, please?

Your mechanic has done the right things so far.
What needs to be tried next is to carry out a transmission adaptation reset. If you have someone with a Professional Scan tool around(not just an error codes guy) approach him and tell him to help you reset the ECT memory. Often times, this works.
If it doesn't, observe this and bring feedback;
Start driving from a full stop. The moment you take off, you are in gear one. Pay attention to how gear 2 enters as you're speeding up. If it is smooth, pay attention to gear 3. What we want to know here is, which gear gives the shift flare. Most common cases is 2-3 shift flares or 3-2binds.
Check these and revert




AutoJando

holysaint1:
the corolla is 05, the color of the transmission oil is light/black mixture and it does not have a smoky smell.

after reading, it showed "solar noise". was quite surprised it wasn't a code.

also another twist now is that coupled with the previous issue, currently, it doesn't change gear.

it just remains at gear 1.

wetin dey cause this one again

This initially sounded like an external problem related to poor articulation between your shift lever and the cable that transmits the motion to the shift linkage on the tranny.
Check if there's any play in your shift lever. When you shift into reverse, try jerking the lever back and forth and wait to feel the car engage reverse.
For the second problem, observe now if the tranny oil colour/smell has darkened/worsened from the last time you checked.




AutoJando

Coolgent:
Anyone

Will give you feedback today.
If you're in Abj, you might have to go to my friend's workshop to get it installed and confirm that it is working before you pay.

Do you currently have any codes showing that the sensor is a culprit?





AutoJando

henrymor:
Good Morning Gurus in the house.

The brake of my 2005 Toyota Highlander keeps bouncing back when I press it. The brake also gets hard towards when going down making it had for the vehicle to stop at the right time.

I spoke to a brake man and he said the ABS has a problem and needs to be bypassed manually for me to enjoy the brake.

Please is this true?

Before spending 1kobo or doing a bypass as suggested by you mecho, try these inspections;

Remove all 4 tyres and check the condition of the rotors discs. Are they having scarred surface, uneven wear or thinned out. If you notice anyone with any of the above, change that particular one first. Also ensure that the discs have approximately the same thickness. The proper way to measure this is using a vernier caliper, but a diy friendly way is to use measuring tape or ruler.

After all that is taken care of, inspect the condition of all 8 brake pads, if anyone is unevenly worn out, replace it. If it is still full, find a 500grit sand paper, lay it down on a flat surface and file it down until it is evenly flat. You can repeat this step for all the pads until they are all flat and have approximately equal thickness.

Complete all these steps before you try undertaking a parts cannon adventure. Braking system repairs can become expensive pretty fast and pretty quickly, and the outcome may still remain unsatisfactory.


AutoJando