Basic Maintenance 101... The Car Manual

Becoming a car owner is a laudable feat and as drivers, we know it’s important to maintain our vehicles. Maintaining a car can be a daunting task especially when we have to deal with our work, the kids, and the dozens of other things we’d rather be doing but still we have to take care of them to ensure its reliability and prevent breakdowns. Used cars especially need extra attention as they are more difficult the reason been that we do not have the car history, what has been changed, what's needed to be done, sometimes the sellers of these used cars conceal informations about the status of the car just so they can sell. some go as far as removing parts of these cars, selling these parts in the Tokunbo market to make more money. These factors make used cars more difficult to maintain than a new car.

It's a Brand New Car....the Nigerian Setback!!

A brand new day... with a brand new car.  It feels so good to be in one. Air conditioner working perfectly that you can catch a cold even under the scorching sun. Fuel economy is maximum. one can go long hours before you have to refuel. Driving through our roads seem so smooth.  Suspensions and tires are doing a perfect job. The moment you kick start a new car.. depreciation sets in. Some parts last longer than others. Some, for example one strut (shock absorber) goes bad before the others and so on. To keep you car in top shape, giving maximum performance is the sole reason this blog exists. Also how to know, where and when to get genuine parts, diagnosis and repairs

Why use OE, Aftermarket or Tokunbo parts?

Happy Sunday all...

To the question. Why should I use an OE part, Aftermarket or get a Second-hand (Tokunbo) part?

OE car parts are manufactured by world-class, quality-certified factories, and engineered to the most current original equipment specifications. Products that fit right out of the box each and every time. So, when you specify OEM performance parts, you'll always have complete confidence that your customer is getting premium quality products. OE parts come with the manufacturer's warranty  and last longer than Tokunbo car parts but OE parts tend to be more expensive.

We have OEM, Aftermarket.. then Tokunbo parts

Aftermarket

OEM

OEM - Original Equipment Manufacturer is a term used when one company makes a part or subsystem that is used in another company's end product. OEM refers to the company that originally built a given product, which was then sold to other companies to re-brand and resell. Looking at the picture on the left, the spark plug is the Original part from Toyota Corps but looking closer, you will see that this part is manufactured by Denso for Toyota. In this case, Denso is actually the OEM and this part is made to a standard specification for Toyota. Then it is re-branded and resold by Toyota to its customers.

Cars... Vehicles... Automobiles...

Vehicle from Latin: vehiculum is a mobile machine that transports people or cargo. By the basic definition of Machine,  we mean a device that helps us to do work easily, efficiently and faster. Cars, Vehicles, Automobiles are complex machines with different parts. They have the engines (could be the Internal combustion engine, Electric motor, or a combination of both which is the Hybrid), rotating parts, Vibrating parts etc. For this car (complex machine) to carry out work efficiently, these parts have to be maintained.

Have we ever wondered why the tokunbo cars we import, even though have a very high mileage still runs very smoothly? Even better than a lot of new cars bought here and haven't attained half the mileage on these tokunbo cars? In advanced countries, car owners have imbibed the maintenance culture and it has been integrated into their daily lives. In order for us to minimize break downs of our cars, we too must take the maintenance of our vehicles seriously and should be timely too.

The First of its kind...

Hi all...

I've been thinking about this a long time. It took me so long before i decided to start this. A place where we can talk about how best to maintain the machines, cars, vehicles, automobiles that help us get around through the day. Its effects on us, our pockets, time. How and where to get genuine and original replacement parts. If its advisable and when to go for "tokunbo parts. How to avoid been ripped off by your mechanics. Discuss and interact about certain problems that occur on automobiles. Getting your vehicle documents right...

Basically on this blog, we would be discussing your cars. Easy ways to maintain you cars. How a simple maintenance can save you a costly break down when you least expect it. Why sometimes its okay to get tokunbo parts, aftermarket parts or Genuine OEM parts (all theses i'll define in the coming posts). All these and a whole lot more.