radautoworks:


Both. It's essentially price gouging and is illegal AND immoral

valarinz:


Volvo users are not normal human beings...theyre superhuman

weyreypey:

I agree. It takes a superhuman effort to surmount those geely I mean Volvo challenges

radautoworks:


Both. It's essentially price gouging and is illegal AND immoral

erico2k2:

quick one for you please, do you have alternator for a Jeep Liberty 2003 and if yes cost?

radautoworks:


4 or 6 cylinder?

4cyl http://weblink.carquest.com/acl/?mfgName=ERE&partNumber=13960A 1 year warranty N78,840 6-10 day delivery

erico2k2:

My bad 6 cylinder

radautoworks:
So I log on today and there a LOT of mud-slinging about pricing!! My question is a simple one.:

1) what percentage profit do you think it is fair for a mechanic/parts seller to make on parts?

2) how much do you think it is fair for a mechanic to make on labor?

I'll go one step further. Assume the part cost the seller and/or mechanic N1,000.

HeavenlyBang:

That's where mechanics make a significant portion of the money. It's less a case of them charging people higher, and more of them buying lower than market prices. They can give you the money to buy it yourself and you definitely will not be able to buy that same part at the prices they quote.

It is what it is.

This is a country where people will always try to short-change those in the service industry. It's why I will never, ever take on Nigerian clients.

When the culture lends itself to downplaying labor costs, the service men have to make their money from another channel. It's a morally grey area but it's one I can come to terms with.

erico2k2:

My recent Ebcounter to what I cal a SCAM
y Mrs called me and here is the convo
Mrs, Honi, Im fed up with this car, when I brake i pulls to one side and I can hear some grinding noise like kraaa kraaaa
Me: That would be the Bushing cos when we replaced the rear axle it came complete I should have gotten suspension arms with new bushing
Mrs.: Honi all this car part you are talking about I have no clue if we was talking bout punny braids now yes smiles
Me;Ok wahts the wasy 4ward, take it to a mechanic since Im not there and Ike our mechanic has gone to the village
Mrs OK honi I will give you feed back
Note car is jeep Liberty 2003. COmplete rear axle bought from US and changed in PHC.
Next Day
Mrs:Honi the mechanic has fixed the car all working fine, he said he bought two Hubs for N40k and labour N5k, Im happy, abeg update my account (Women)arghhhh
Me: Honi do you have the parts he claimed he replaced
Mrs:Yes nah, you know you have warned me to always keep replaced parts at the storage so I did
Me:Please snap and send me a photo of it, Im a bit confused about the part.
Mrs here it is, two things he said Hub.
Me;Honi that hub is not from the jeep, in fact the only hub the car has is in the front and it has no ABS,the rear axle has no hub its one unit with spyder bearing this was the reasons I bought a complete axle from the USA to replace it.
Mrs:Wow honi so you mean the mechanic scammed me
Me:yes I am afraid love , waht is going to happen now is go to Uniport,Dept Engineering, Proff is there today I spoke to him already ask him to accompany you to that mechanic, ask him to losen the part he changed then we wil get to the buttom of this
Mrs; oright honi, Im going now.
Prff: Oga Malic, U say U change this hub from back tyre abi
Mechanic: yes sir, E hard nor be small
Prof:Oyah losen tyre show me the hub, I go pay you labour money N5k nothing do me
Mechanic:Oga Inor get tools oh,my boy go outside work,
Prof;The owner of this car nah my friend E get full tools in teh boot to losen the car even Hydrolic jack so no shaking, start work
Mechanic:Started crying,Oga nah devil work, I nor know wetin enter my head, true true I nor change hub nah bushing we change,I carry am go waterlines go press
proff:Howmuch to do am
mechanic:nah N5k for both
Mrs:Oyah as I dey see you so return my N40k if not nah SARS straight
Mechanic:Ahh Madam abeg i get N30k, i go bring the balance come shop 4 evening
Mrs:takes the money and slammed it into her bag,was veri angry
Both Proff and Mrs left amd prof called me, I spoke to both and was laughing.
I was talking about the whole drama with the Mrs for up to 30 mins on phone,when she said Please honi got to go, i got customers,I now said Ok but do not forget to return the retrieved money,
Mrs says I hear
Up till now, no Alert from Mrs (WOmen)
So you see the scam there,I dont mind being billed cos thats your labour but the real cost for parts should be billed to the cliant.

radautoworks:


So you don't know what's yours is hers and what's hers is hers?

erico2k2:

I have been waiting, I know you will support madam ahahah , hows is the bobino?

dapotemi:
Scam is highly relative; what u see as scam might just be *choice* to someone else.
But the truth is, whether you're a mech or biz man u want to make profit from your skills or your product or BOTH at the same TIME. That is not a scam, how much u make depend on so many factors.
I once had a biz (pls dont ask me which biz), and i charge you base on APPEARANCE; If u appear rich i charge u exorbitantly and most times client will pay with few or no complains, but some times i just charge little if u appear like the troublesome/broke ones, but not at a LOSS, i still MUST make my profit tho; so most times i use profit from client A to cover up deficit from client B.
For me, 99% of Nigerians (People i meet everyday) wants to charge or make 100% profit in whatever they are selling; even if its SKILLS.
Look at a scenerio, a mech was in his workshop from 8am till 5pm without no single customer, he's thinking about rent for the day, phcn/diesel, staff salary, hes not happy as expected; you showed up at 5:30pm and he wants to take everything he felt he has lost since morning from your pocket, immediately he jacked up his prices because he has bills to pay and you're the ONLY one for the day. Most Kazeems even do daily contribution(Akawo), so he wants to make his daily contribution from you alone. Is that a SCAM, I THINK ITS NOT; because you have a CHOICE! WALK AWAY! That is only if the car can still move tho. Lol
What we charge is strongly influenced by the nig system. It is easy to go out of biz.

Xneg:


COMPLETE SCAM

radautoworks:
To better understand Rad Auto Works and I, I'm posting this article that was written some time ago. Happy reading!


https://www.franchisetimes.com/June-July-2019/Mr-Transmission-zee-aims-to-change-Africas-auto-aftermarket/

“This is going to sound corny,” warns Temi Adelu-Davis as she explains the impetus behind searching for an auto-related franchise to bring to Nigeria, “but what really tipped it over is love.” What started with a marriage proposal from then-boyfriend Glen Davis before Adelu-Davis moved home to her native Nigeria began a nearly five-year saga filled with delays, logistics challenges, bribery—or rather lack thereof—and ultimately perseverance to open a Mr. Transmission/Milex co-branded location in Africa’s most populous country.

“When I was going to say good-bye he said he was coming along and he proposed,” remembers Adelu-Davis of relocating from Houston, Texas, to Lagos, the largest city in Nigeria. “But what was he going to do in Nigeria?”

Her husband, a master technician, owned an auto repair shop in Houston, and after Adelu-Davis took a trip to visit her parents and survey the business landscape in Lagos she immediately saw opportunity in the auto aftermarket. “My mom’s 2012 Murano was just sitting there, she was having trouble getting it fixed,” says Adelu-Davis, noting her mom’s frustration first with an incident of faulty parts and then with a mechanic. “And if a mechanic didn’t do a good job, there’s no recourse. This seemed to be the story for everyone. …

Finding genuine parts is a problem and finding a skilled technician was a problem,” she says.

The auto aftermarket industry in Nigeria is also highly fragmented, meaning people have to take their vehicles to one shop for an A/C repair, another for the transmission, and yet another for an oil change. “There’s not a place to get everything done at once,” says Adelu-Davis.

Temi Adelu-Davis

Temi Adelu-Davis, along with husband Glen, opened a Mr. Transmission/Milex repair shop in Lagos, Nigeria (main photo), where she aims to improve the overall quality of the auto aftermarket industry and open nine more shops.

‘Third-world problems’

Adelu-Davis, who has an executive MBA to go along with degrees in math, applied mathematics, quantitative methods and biostatistics—“My family is all engineers, I was the first one who wasn’t but I decided I was going to have more degrees than anyone,” she says—and Davis got to work evaluating franchises before meeting with Pete Baldine, president of Mr. Transmission/Milex franchisor Moran Family of Brands. Moran, Adelu-Davis says, had the right blueprint and “we knew they would give us the support we knew we’d need.”

After signing an area development agreement to open 10 locations, the Davises broke ground in March 2016 and earlier this year celebrated the grand opening of their store in the Lekki Peninsula area of Lagos. The time span in between brought what Adelu-Davis calls “third-world problems,” but notes she was prepared for many of the obstacles, such as delays in approval of the site plan.

“We did everything by the book so it took longer,” she explains, noting the prevalence of corruption and less-than-transparent government decision-making. “We anticipated them and we prepared for them; we could have done it easier if we bribed everyone, but that’s not what we were going to do.” Recalling another incident, this time with customs, Adelu-Davis says a pre-owned forklift bought for $4,500 was later valued by the government at $26,000, “so they taxed us for that amount. You can’t avoid it,” she says. “We took what the project would have cost and estimated two-and-a-half times that for unforeseen issues.”

In its Country Commercial Guide, the U.S. Commercial Service notes, “While Nigeria offers U.S. firms export opportunities in many sectors, it can pose some daunting challenges including the high cost of doing business in Nigeria, the need to duplicate essential infrastructure, the threat of crime and associated need for security countermeasures, corruption,” and also “the lack of effective judicial due process.”

Baldine and Midlothian, Illinois-based Moran felt prepared to navigate the regulatory environment in Nigeria, especially after addressing supply chain and intellectual property concerns early on. Picking through “a junkyard—a flea market for parts” is how Adelu-Davis describes the process for procuring auto parts in Lagos and other major Nigerian cities, so Baldine connected with suppliers Advance Auto Parts and Carquest to work through the logistics.

“We talked to them before we executed the deal with Temi to figure out how to make that happen,” says Baldine. Carquest undertook much of the legwork to research tax issues, permits and the process for transporting containers, and the Mr. Transmission/Milex store in Lagos doubles as a distribution center that will also supply future shops as the Davises sign sub-franchisees.

“We’ve established the parts supply in that market, so we’ll require franchisees to purchase through the master franchisee warehouse,” he says, adding the company will duplicate this framework as it looks to open locations in Liberia, where it has a 10-store agreement, and elsewhere outside the U.S. Moran Family of Brands also secured IP and trademark protections early on, and Baldine says despite the roadblocks his company was “willing to step up to the plate” and is now looking to enter other regions without an established auto aftermarket.

Mr. Transmission/Milex shop

The Mr. Transmission/Milex shop in Lagos doubles as a distribution center for future locations.

The United Arab Emirates, Oman, Bahrain and India are all potential markets where “there are high-end dealerships and backyard mechanics, but really nothing in between,” says Baldine. International development will come through master agreements, and Baldine notes he’ll look for franchisees like Adelu-Davis with local ties and familiarity with the business environment. Richard Adelu, her father, spent decades working in Nigeria’s oil sector and later started an event rental company. Her father’s success is yet another motivating factor for Adelu-Davis.

“My father’s name is synonymous with petroleum in my country,” she says. “Everyone in the industry knows him. So I wanted to have my legacy. I’m an only child, so to be an only child and then I’m a girl … I wanted to build my own success.”

Fulfilling a need

A soft opening in late 2018 proved the demand is there for a Mr. Transmission/Milex shop that guarantees an oil change within 30 minutes and provides a range of services and repairs for everything from transmissions and brakes to air conditioners and radiators. They’re servicing 30 to 40 cars per day, and Adelu-Davis notes she’s done “zero advertising.”

“All I’ve done is maintain a social media presence,” she says. “It’s all word of mouth and by trust, that’s primarily how business is done here.” Labor is “still a huge challenge,” and her husband is “overworked,” but they’ve hired five technicians and as a master technician Davis is able to handle much of the training.

A second location is set to open in June after they signed a franchisee to convert an existing repair shop in Lagos to Mr. Transmission/Milex and Adelu-Davis expects more to follow soon.

Nigeria’s upper middle class is growing, with many people like Adelu-Davis “trying to go back home, but all the amenities they’re used to aren’t there.”

“This is the perfect time for any company to come to Nigeria,” she continues. Indeed the country has the highest GDP in Africa, $376.4 billion in 2017, and while still heavily dependent on oil it is in the midst of implementing the government’s Economic Recovery and Growth Plan, which focuses on diversifying the economy.

From her vantage point, Adelu-Davis wants the Mr. Transmission/Milex model to also bring transparency to the repair process by educating customers and helping them make smart decisions. “That’s unheard of here,” she says, acknowledging there’s been some pushback to the hourly billing structure instead of flat rates. But customers soon realize this prevents the upcharging practice that Adelu-Davis says is common elsewhere.

“I’m trying to change the entire market,” she says. “I’m not trying to just open one shop.”

radautoworks:
To better understand Rad Auto Works and I, I'm posting this article that was written some time ago. Happy reading!


https://www.franchisetimes.com/June-July-2019/Mr-Transmission-zee-aims-to-change-Africas-auto-aftermarket/


“I’m trying to change the entire market,” she says. “I’m not trying to just open one shop.”

HeavenlyBang:


Interesting read.

afoife:


I woke up some 45 minutes ago for security reasons, couldn't go back to sleep decided to read this again. Aunty Radu, the bolded makes me tremble as the task you have chosen to undertake is indeed for the strong and brave. I pray God grant you grace.

Thank you for bearing the task

radautoworks:


In a good or bad way,?

HeavenlyBang:


Good, of course.

radautoworks:
Some might not but we consider most ac repair here a scam.

People have been conditioned to replace AC compressor and condenser. Most of the time that's not the issue! The truth is that the AC system is a vacuum and a lot of cooling issues are a result of LEAKS. Since most techs either cannot or will not locate the leak, they simply recommend replacing the whole system because that will eliminate the leak right?

Stop using lazy ac repair shops


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uNOl2qkQ7gg


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ionDor_iEM8

And how much was it to find the problem? N17k for the freon with UV dye and labor. The evaporator core labor is only two hours (N10k) once he can get the part. Prado isn't made in US so we don't carry the parts unless they match another model.

Eddee:


Nice, great to see you are a prequalified vendor, (which means if you were in Calabar, Uyo or even Makurdi the likes of UNHCR and UNFPA will likely piggyback on your Framework Agreement to repair this Diesel bad boys

erico2k2:

My recent Encounter to what I call a SCAM
My Mrs called me and here is the convo
Mrs, Honi, I'm fed up with this car, when I brake I pull to one side and I can hear some grinding noise like kraaa kraaaa
Me: That would be the Bushing cos when we replaced the rear axle it came complete I should have gotten suspension arms with new bushing
Mrs.: Honi all this car part you are talking about I have no clue if we were talking bout punny braids now yes smiles
Me; Ok whats the way 4ward, take it to a mechanic since I'm not there and Ike our mechanic has gone to the village
Mrs OK honi I will give you feedback
Note car is jeep Liberty 2003. Complete rear axle bought from the US and changed in PHC.
Next Day
Mrs:Honi the mechanic has fixed the car all working fine, he said he bought two Hubs for N40k and labour N5k, I'm happy, abeg update my account (Women)arghhhh
Me: Honi do you have the parts he claimed he replaced
Mrs: Yes nah, you know you have warned me to always keep replaced parts at the storage so I did
Me: Please snap and send me a photo of it, I'm a bit confused about the part.
Mrs here it is, two things he said Hub.
Me;Honi that hub is not from the jeep, in fact, the only hub the car has is in the front and it has no ABS, the rear axle has no hub its one unit with spyder bearing this was the reasons I bought a complete axle from the USA to replace it.
Mrs:Wow honi so you mean the mechanic scammed me
Me: yes I am afraid love , what is going to happen now is go to Uniport,Dept Engineering, Proff is there today I spoke to him already ask him to accompany you to that mechanic, ask him to loosen the part he changed then we will get to the bottom of this
Mrs; oright honi, I'm going now.
Prff: Oga Malic, U say U change this hub from back tyre abi
Mechanic: yes sir, E hard nor be small
Prof: Oyah losen tyre show me the hub, I go pay you labour money N5k nothing do me
Mechanic: Oga Inor get tools oh,my boy go outside work,
Prof;The owner of this car nah my friend E get full tools in the boot to loosen the car even Hydraulic jack so no shaking, start work
Mechanic: Started crying,Oga nah devil work, I nor know wetin enter my head, true I nor change hub nah bushing we change,I carry am go waterlines go press
proff: Howmuch to do am
mechanic:nah N5k for both
Mrs:Oyah as I dey see you so return my N40k if not nah SARS straight
Mechanic:Ahh Madam abeg i get N30k, I go bring the balance come shop 4 evening
Mrs: takes the money and slammed it into her bag, was very angry
Both Proff and Mrs left and prof called me, I spoke to both and was laughing.
I was talking about the whole drama with the Mrs for up to 30 mins on phone, when she said Please honi got to go, I got customers, I now said Ok but do not forget to return the retrieved money,
Mrs says I hear
Up till now, no Alert from Mrs (WOmen)
So you see the scam there,I dont mind being billed cos that's your labour but the real cost for parts should be billed to the cliant.