Buying Car spare parts in Nigeria
KoliTechHome | Shopping | ( 2 ) | Subscribe Posted by Felix Okoli on Saturday October 25, 2014 at 8:12:52:
21st century cars as we know them are not built as single units but they are made of many smaller units we normally refer to as car parts. Some of these parts which make up a car or automobile includes the following: Shock absorbers, windscreen, side mirrors, compressor, engine, shaft, horn, steering wheel, alloy wheel, brake pads, gear box, fuel tank, alternator, spark plugs, battery, oil filter,, fuel filter and so on. Most of these parts are essential to a car such that they are normally needed for the car to be able to do its job. They all have a lifespan and when their life elapses, they would normally be a need to buy parts to replace them.
If you own or operate an automobile such as a car in Nigeria, one of the things you would eventually have to make the decision of buying replacement car parts for your vehicle. This is because car parts have a lifespan and they tend to get spoilt and need to be replaced after a period of time or usage.
Buying car replacement parts in Nigeria requires the person going to shop for it himself or sending his mechanic to do it on his behalf and all that requires going to markets specialized for it. In cities like Lagos for instance, car spare parts are normally sold in specific markets located in places like Idumota, Ladipo at Mushin, ASPAMDA at trade fair, Ebute metta, Clegg at Ojuelegba and so on. Those are markets where automobile spare parts are normally sold to end users and the market hosts a large number of sellers who normally receive goods from major importers and distributors before selling to end users from their stores.
What a buyer needs to do before going to buy car parts in Nigeria is to first of all identify the specific part that needs a replacement, keeping in mind the correct size and model before going to the market. Since Car parts tend t ovary from car to car, it’s necessary that the buyer only buys the recommended replacement part that fits his car model. A Toyota car horn for instance might not be suitable for that of a Mercedes and vice versa.
Car and other automobile spare parts that are sold in Nigeria come in 2 main categories which are used parts and new parts. New car parts are those ones that have never been used and received straight from the manufacturer to be distributed to the end users. Used parts on the other hand are the ones that have already been used before but still have some useful lifespan on them. I normally don’t advise people going for used car parts if they can get the brand new ones because the used parts don’t last as long as the used ones.
Most Nigerians tend to buy used car parts when they need to replace a specific part of their vehicles and they tend to do this either because it saves them money or because brand new or original ones are not readily available. The used or Tokunbo car spare part market is huge in Nigeria and people tend to buy more of that than new ones. Buying new and original car parts are however much better and tend to last longer since they’ve not been used before.
When it comes to buying car spare parts in Nigeria, most Nigerians also tend to allow their mechanics or technicians to do the buying for them and this is not normally ideal since the actual job of your mechanic is for repairing and/or maintaining your car and not for buying parts for it. However, in most cases, the mechanics do both the buying and the repairs and this ends up increasing car maintenance costs for the user because most mechanics tend to quote car parts prices much higher than they actually bought it.
Knowing the actual market prices for car spare parts in Nigeria is a major problem for car users and this at times makes replacement and car repairs a more painful experience for the user. It can be hard going to the market to buy those parts or even knowing the right price to buy it since prices are not normally regulated in Nigeria and is mostly limited to the power of bargaining. A car part which is priced reasonably at N1500 might be quoted as high as N3000 by the seller and the buyer might have to do some bargaining first before they both reach a consensus price. There are hardly no available large auto parts shopping mall or stores in Nigeria where prices for parts are listed or tagged but prices are mostly quoted on request for the buyer.
One good thing about the internet nowadays is that people in Nigeria can use it to search for prices and availability of their require car parts and this would at least help provide a benchmark for knowing the right price to buy them from the market. Also, some of these car parts can also be bought directly online by Nigerians as local banks have now allowed people to have access online shopping websites that sell car replacement parts.
Let’s say for instance a car user needs to replace the side mirror for his Toyota corolla, he could first of all try to visit online shopping sites like Amazon or Aliexpress and search for the item. He would be able to see the exact model that it suitable for his Toyota and then also have an idea of what the listed prices are. This would help give him an idea of the right price he might be able to get it from a local dealer’s shop in Nigeria if he chooses to buy it locally. He might also decide to buy it directly from that site and have it shipped and delivered to Nigeria. Some Nigerians already buy car parts online and some do this on foreign websites while there is also a growing number of local websites that sells parts too.
Shopping for car parts on sites like Amazon for instance is cool as they do have one of the largest inventories of replacement parts I’ve seen online and they also allow buyers to search for parts based on their model. Amazon has a fantastic website that allows you to first choose your car and then search for car parts that would fit that car model. The only glitch with Amazon for now for Nigerian shoppers is that they don’t offer direct shipping to Nigeria yet but Nigerians can still make use of a mail forwarding service to help ship their purchases.
Aliexpress is another cool site where Nigerians can shop for car parts on the internet and it’s basically a website that offers most buyers throughout the world an opportunity to buy from Chinese manufacturers and dealers. One good thing about Aliexpress is that they most offer worldwide shipping which in some cases are free. Yes, they offer direct shipping to Nigeria and this is mostly for retail items and they are sent by postal mail through NIPOST. Shopping for car parts on Aliexpress is mostly recommended for light and small items that can easily be transported as parcels.
There are also some local shopping websites in Nigeria that list and sell a lot of car spare parts. They allow buyers to register free membership accounts, shop for items and have it delivered to their addresses and have the option of paying in advance or on delivery.
To buy the right replacement parts for your car in Nigeria, you need to ensure that you know the right specification and where to buy it from. You can save money in the long run if you buy original and brand new parts rather than used ones although you can save money in the short term if you buy used parts.
Allowing your mechanic to buy car parts for you can cost you more but it may be unavoidable for someone who doesn’t know the right parts to buy for his car.
One tip for a car owner is to have a personal warehouse or stock of car parts for easy replacement. If you know the car part which your mechanic constantly replaces or your car mostly needs, it might save you money and time if you just have it already in your stock of materials.
It is not normally ideal to try buying car replacement parts when you don’t know the right market to look for it in or the right specification designed for your car model. It’s also good to at least know the estimated price range so that you don’t end up over paying for it. Buying car parts is not normally something people do every day since at times, it might involve a considerable amount of money and so it’s always wise to ensure you have the right information before making a buy decision.
Some car parts or accessories are universal meaning that they can work for most or any car brand or model while other car parts are brand specific meaning that it might work for a Mercedes benz car for instance and not work for a Toyota Corolla or Kia Picanto.
Comments:
Re: Buying Car spare parts in Nigeria Reply by Maxwell on Thursday August 20, 2015 at 10:20:16: MicoStar Mall is another trusted online mall that help customers buy and deliver Auto and auto parts to Nigeria.
I have tried them and am very impressed with there services.
You can try them too.
www.micostarmall.com