Automotive Diagnostic Services

20/11/2023

09/02/2013

07/12/2012

TOWARDS REDUCING ROAD ACCIDENTS (2)

End of the year usually produces greatest traffics all over the world. A million passengers will travel on our roads daily this season. More than 20percent of the over 40million vehicles in the country will experience delays either by the police collecting their usual revenues or by the vehicles itself.
It is sad to say that Nigeria cannot boast of proper vehicle inspection centers all over the country. Vehicle inspection officers (V.I.O.) rather checked papers instead of vehicles. Their concern is revenue and not the safety of passengers
Their offices lack technical inspection equipment’s, it is not susprising that insurance companies are not functioning properly. Who will insure a vehicle that has not been properly inspected, should they depend on importers technical information’s which are not reliable. It is common knowledge that majority of vehicles shipped into Nigeria are already off road.
It is common to see passenger vehicles and even trailers parked at the roadside with stranded passengers hours and sometimes days and even with children. Because our vehicles inspectors are not doing their jobs properly.
RECOMMENDATIONS:
• All vehicles imported into Nigeria must be properly inspected and issue with new technical certificates.
• Proper and adequate technical inspections centers established all over the country
• Yearly inspections of passenger cars year and those of trucks and high volume buses six months.
• Proof of insurance must be made available to road inspectors.

06/12/2012

PROFESSIONALISING THE MECHANICS

In my last article I recommended that mechanics must show accredited certificates to perform the service of a mechanic, just like Doctors/Nurses in the hospitals, Lawyers in the courts, etc.
Nigerian Doctors perform their jobs in the hospitals, Lawyers in the courts, elected Legislators in their various houses of assemblies. Nigerian mechanics are the only professional body that perform their services under any shades, trees, abandon houses, under bridges, mechanic villages built like village markets.
Universities produces mechanical engineers in five years, Polytechnics in four years, vocational training centers in two years. Only to end up in one of those sheds like the ones built by the Lagos state government as mechanic villages. Hospitals are built with specifications, mechanic villages look more like scrapyards than workshops.
Nigerians spent lots of money in importing new and used vehicles into the country only to be abandoned after weeks because of limited numbers of adequately trained mechanics to solve these problems.
Overseas, you cannot repair any vehicles without basic academic accreditations and in a workshop. The mechanic profession has lost its professionalism; so much even the police can walk into the workshops and seized workshop materials. I have never seen where they enter into hospitals and seized syringes or stethoscopes. We must respect this great profession and send all unskilled back to school. No child of below age of ten years should be seen in workshops as learners. It results to child abuse. Today children of below six years who are supposed to be in schools are everywhere in mechanic shops.
RECOMMENDATIONS:
• Re-registrations of all existing mechanic workshops with adequate facilities.
• Only mechanics with minimum academic accreditations should be given operational certificates
• Mechanics must obtained special licenses to operate toxic gases in vehicles air conditioning systems.
• Mechanic professional body to evaluate public complaints and subsequent withdrawal of operating licenses.

05/12/2012

Auto Mechanic and Training Programs
An auto mechanic is a craftsman who specializes in the maintenance and repair of motor vehicles. The role of the auto mechanic has evolved to include high technology, in addition to basic mechanical systems. Auto mechanics, or automotive service technicians, are skilled in diagnosing problems, estimating repairs, completing repairs and maintaining vehicles. They must know how to use diagnostic and power tools, as well as be experienced in customer service and computer technology.
Formal Education
Most auto mechanics begin their education with some sort of vocational training in high school. Many auto mechanics choose to continue their education by enrolling in certificate or associate degree programs in auto repair at a community college or vocational school. Some automobile makers or dealers also offer training programs through local colleges that include specific training for working on their makes and models of vehicles.
Workshops and Seminars
There are many workshops available to professional auto mechanics. Because the technology associated with the field is constantly improving, many workshops are designed to address these advances. Workshops and training may be offered at local colleges or auto repair garages.
The type of work they do has changed over the years. It used to be simple mechanical repair. Today it is a high technology job. Cars and trucks today are run by electronic systems and computers. The computers tell the automotive service technicians and mechanics how well the car or truck is performing. To do their job, technicians must know a lot about how complex parts of the car and truck work together. They must be able to work with electronic equipment that tells them what is wrong. They must be able to read and understand manuals and machines that are computer-based. At the same time they must be able to use the power and hand tools they have used in the past. They usually follow a checklist to make sure that they check every critical part, including belts, hoses, plugs, and brake and fuel systems. In fact, there are so many parts to an automobile that some mechanics specialize in fixing only one certain part of it. For example, some technicians will only fix brakes while others will only work on problems with the air-conditioning system.

04/12/2012

REDUCING ACCIDENT RATES IN NIGERIA
I am not too surprise to see the statistics of accident and death rates on Nigerian roads released yesterday from the FRSC. Death rates keep increasing whereas, other parts of the world are experiencing decrease.
I will discuss few of these reasons why there are increased death rates on our roads. Popular slangs in Nigeria are “Our roads are bad, no maintenance culture, no roads, e.t.c”.
I want to begin by saying we have bad driving habits, to the extent we extend the same habits to the vehicles we are driving until the vehicles say no more and park off. They no longer respond to our intentions and sometimes even refuse to start. This occur when they can no longer endure our constant changing of manufacturers factory configurations.
Bad roads means slow speed driving, it means higher consciousness because we have lived this ways for years. Accident happens when we are caught unaware say by pot holes. Nigerians already know they are there.
Road accidents in Nigeria are “mainly” caused by our commercial drivers and mechanics. Here in Europe commercial drivers have special category of license that involves going through basic mechanic courses, though at a lower level. Nigerian mechanics only learn on the job like Joshua in the Bible. Till now no Nigerian mechanic has ever been charged for break failures or airbag desactivation, etc even though these vehicles passed through their garages.
RECOMMEDATIONS
1. The government must introduce educational standards to obtain commercial drivers license
2. Mechanic workshop owners must have minimum technical diploma to obtain Workshop licenses just like hospitals(doctors), pharmacy(pharmacists),etc
3. Vehicles without OBD diagnostics should not be permited as commercial vehicles.
4. Road inspectors (FRSC) must be adequately trained to carry out onboard diagnosis at regular intervals.
Finally I say again automobile manufacturers spends huge budgets in research towards safety and conforts . Accident rates are reducing even to minimal, Nigeria must witness this decrease.