An indigenous tech solution provider, Carviva Technologies Limited, has deployed an automotive solution to help car owners source genuine spare parts directly from dealers and manufacturers across the world.
The new solution which is tagged Carviva Spare Parts Platform is designed to ease the challenges associated with the replacement of vehicle spare parts in Nigeria’s unstructured market by providing easy, cheaper, convenient, and smarter ways for car owners to maintain their vehicles via the digital space.
The high influx of imitations and substandard parts in the after-sales automotive market has been a major challenge to many car owners in Nigeria.
Carviva Chief Operations Officer, Kola Aroyewun, observed that maintaining a vehicle these days was becoming more challenging than ever before due to the high cost of spare parts and the influx of substandard products.
He said, “Brand new and genuine parts are generally expensive, and only a few are able to afford them. This has increased the craving for ‘fairly used’ (tokunbo) parts. The problem is further compounded by the forex constraints which are driving up spare parts prices.
“Today, vehicle owners experience a myriad of challenges while trying to replace faulty parts of their vehicles. Car owners have to patronise places like the popular Ladipo market to buy spare parts.
“Due to the ‘unstructured’ nature of the traditional spare parts market in Nigeria, car owners sometimes are told that ‘Goods bought cannot be returned while some dealers offer a limited warranty period of three to seven days.
“This leaves car owners with limited options as they have to constantly make difficult choices when it comes to sourcing genuine and brand-new spare parts for their vehicles,’’ Aroyewun explained.
The digital solution makes it possible for car owners to access brand new spare parts directly from authorised dealers as opposed to relying on fairly used spare parts popularly known as “tokunbo’’ in Nigeria’s parlance.
Also, the products come at the prevailing market prices as the buyers get near real-time quotes for the products needed at competitive prices.