Between Awka And Onitsha Mechanics 

My car developed a gear fault while I was en route to an important journey. Just like some faults give signs before they manifest, this one was absolutely opposite, as no sign was noticeable.

Immediately it happened, I packed by the roadside and contacted the car lord himself, Engr TonyEmpire Nwachukwu JP, a car specialist who resides in Lagos but offers services nationwide. I told him the sign, and he told me that the fault was with the car solenoid. Solenoids are found in the gear chamber of automatic transmission cars. The component that houses the solenoids is called the gear valve, otherwise known as the gear brain box.

Engr. TonyEmpire suggested that I find a car diagnostic specialist to find out, with a computer, the exact issue with the car. I proceeded to a place here in Awka, and I met the absence of the specialist. I called him, and he directed his juniors on what to do. They dismantled the driving shafts and found some damage there. After working on the driving shafts, the problem was not solved as it persisted.

I was directed to another specialist, who discovered the issue to be a malfunctioning solenoid in bank B of the gear valve (note, bank B represents gear 2). The specialist said it was a delicate, rare car problem that is better handled by a seasoned gear expert, or else other gear problems might arise swiftly or with time.

The long story short, I was directed to a workshop at Onitsha for the repair to be done after the first valve failed to work in Awka. I went there yesterday, hoping to see someone as huge as Roman Reigns or Bray Watt; surprisingly, it was a young man in his late 20s that was supposed to work on the gearbox.

In the workshop were about 30 young men, working on different gearboxes of different automatic car brands, models, years, etc. These young men work with precision and the utmost care, paying attention to details. Curious me wouldn’t hesitate to ask them some questions. In one of them, I was told that even a drop of sand in the gear valve can cause the gear not to engage when you select it. So, they don’t joke with attention to detail.

The long story short, my car gearbox was revived to life; it functions perfectly without a noticeable impact of gear changes, and it runs smoothly now.

The distinguishing factor between the Onitsha car owners and the Awka car owners is that, here in Awka, we spend so much to maintain a car. Here in Awka, we buy repaired shock absorbers as “direct Belgium”. Most of the car spare parts that we replace are better than the ones we buy. In Onitsha, you only need to repair or service some spare parts and still use them. Awka has “good” mechanics, but Onitsha has experts, who have the solution to every car problem, even at a cheaper service rate.

On the side of the young gearbox experts in Onitsha, these guys are amazing. You can’t help but see the Igbo spirit of apprenticeship, dedication, quest for genuine earnings, perseverance, and reliability. I doff my cap for them. and I want to sincerely inform us that I now have contacts with automotic gear experts that can bring life back to your gear box within the space of a few hours to two days. It’s not every gearbox problem that requires buying another for a whopping 300,000 to 5 million Naira, depending on the brand of the car, model, year, and pin.