She went on to describe an elaborate ruse that involved gangs of men intent on stopping women at the side of the road where they will be, quote – “dragged into the woods, beaten and raped, and usually left for dead”.

According to her, the ploy being used to trap the innocent victim is an abandoned car seat by the road…with a fake baby in it. The idea being that an unsuspecting passer by will stop and check on the abandoned baby making themselves an easy target for the ‘gang’ behind the scheme.

Fake Warning

Turns out the ‘warning’ she received was an email that had been passed on by one of her friends. It starts out with the introduction “This is currently in circulation by the Gardai….” and goes on to describe a first person account of the tactic.

False Warning

Written in way that’s designed to convince and terrify at the same time, I could see why my friend (who has a two year old herself) was worried and had in fact forwarded it to all her friends also.

To find out more about the so called ‘warning’ I called the Garda Press Office who confirmed that the email had nothing to do with An Garda Siochana. In fact, this wasn’t the first time they had heard about it and assured me that they had no reports of any such incidents ocurring in Ireland.

If you have received the email (copy included below) and were worrying about its contents. Don’t be. It’s a fake.

Email Received

The following text (everything after the dotted line) is lifted directly from the email being sent around Ireland at present.

——————————————————————-

This is currently in circulation by the Gardai….

BEWARE – Garda warning when driving.!!

“While driving on a rural end of the roadway on Thursday morning, I saw an infant car seat on the side of the road with a blanket draped over it. For whatever reason, I did not stop, even though I had all kinds of thoughts running through my head. But when I got to my destination, I called the gardai and they were going to check it out. But, this is what the gardai advised even before they went out there to check…. “

“There are several things to be aware of … gangs and thieves are now plotting different ways to get a person (mostly women)to stop their vehicle and get out of the car.

“There is a gang initiation reported by the local gardai where gangs are placing a car seat by the road…with a fake baby in it…waiting for a woman, of course, to stop and check on the abandoned baby.

“Note that the location of this car seat is usually beside a wooded or grassy (field) area and the person — woman — will be dragged into the woods, beaten and raped, and usually left for dead. If it’s a man, they’re usually beaten and robbed and maybe left for dead, too.

DO NOT STOP FOR ANY REASON!!! DIAL 999 AND REPORT WHAT YOU SAW, BUT DON’T EVEN SLOW DOWN.

“IF YOU ARE DRIVING AT NIGHT AND EGGS ARE THROWN AT YOUR WINDSCREEN, DO NOT STOP TO CHECK THE CAR, DO NOT OPERATE THE WIPER AND DO NOT SPRAY ANY WATER BECAUSE EGGS MIXED WITH WATER BECOME MILKY AND BLOCK YOUR VISION UP TO 92.5%, AND YOU ARE THEN FORCED TO STOP BESIDE THE ROAD AND BECOME A VICTIM OF THESE CRIMINALS.

THIS IS A NEW TECHNIQUE USED BY GANGS, SO PLEASE INFORM YOUR FRIENDS AND RELATIVES.

THESE ARE DESPERATE TIMES AND THESE ARE UNSAVOURY INDIVIDUALS WHO WILL TAKE DESPERATE MEASURES TO GET WHAT THEY WANT.”

Please talk to your loved ones about this. This is a new tactic used. Please be safe.

Get started NOW — SEND THIS MESSAGE TO ALL YOUR FRIENDS AND LOVED ONES TO BE CAREFUL AND AWARE OF EVERYTHING AROUND THEM SO AS NOT TO BECOME A VICTIM.

——————————————————————-

Related posts:

1. The Real Risks of Buying A Stolen Car
2. Stolen Irish Cars disguised as UK Cars
3. Want to Impress Your Neighbours?

Many consumers recognise the value in purchasing used cars, in particular 2 to 3 year old cars that have depreciated on average by 25-35%. The 2 to 3 year old used car has been a popular purchase with consumers over the past 10 years and has offered great value and there has been significant choice.

However, with a 3 year old car market that is expected to drop by 58%, the consumer will have much less choice and prices may rise. Consumers will no longer have their pick of vehicles that are 2 to 3 years old, in terms of volume and in terms of type and specification.

With a strong move towards lower emission vehicles in new car sales, in 2012 the customer will have less choice of specialist vehicles such as 4×4’s, estates, petrol cars etc.

Higher Prices

As we all know, supply and demand greatly effect the price, so if the used car market available is 58% lower, inevitably this will lead to higher prices for certain vehicles. Traditionally the used car consumers traditionally has a large choice of used cars of the same age and spec.

Lower volumes will reduce their choice significantly along with their ability to bargain, as there will be higher demand for the cars available.

The anticipated Aftersales market changes will also affect consumers. If consumers continue the trend of having the older cars, over 3 years old, serviced outside of the franchised main dealers they may run into some of the following problems:

• Lower number and less choice of authorised franchised workshops
• They will miss out on specialist knowledge only available in these workshops
• A saving of €10 or €15 euro on a service bill with a “Fred in the Shed” workshop may prove to be penny wise and Euro foolish! As only the approved workshops have the expertise and specialist training to maintain modern vehicles
• Greater use of Safety technology in modern cars requires greater investment in workshop equipment to ensure these safety items continue to operate.
• Only franchised workshops are audited and guaranteed to operate to high standards with the correct equipment.
• Using non-authorised repairers will lead to lower resale values

Given the current property and banking crisis, we all know, making the right decisions greatly affects our future.

Choices & Decisions

The Motor Industry needs to make the right choices now to ensure they change the business model for their aftersales business to ensure they attract in the older vehicles. Choices need to be made in terms of the price and service offering to consumers. Many Industry leaders have already begun to address this issue and are beginning to see the benefits.

The Government need to make the right decisions now to ensure they maintain and improve their fiscal position and deliver a fair and equitable trading environment for the consumer and the Motor Industry.

The 3 simple steps mentioned previously can be implemented in the 2010 budget, these decisions are fair and they should not be political. If they are serious about the economy, the consumer, jobs and the environment these are 3 simple steps to help achieve their goals.

Related posts:

1. Industry Crisis – What Can Government Do To Help?
2. 2012 – A Disaster Pending for the Industry?
3. Car Clocking Costs Irish Consumers Up To €40 Million

From their renewal date in 2011, all taxi and hackney licences (irrespective of when they were first issued) may be granted only to vehicles that are less than nine years old.

This means that a significant number of taxis currently operating on Irish roads will no longer be able to do so when the new regulations come into force in January 2011. We’re still awaiting confirmation from the regulator on the number of vehicles that this new rule will effect but data to hand shows that up to 10,000 cars could be forced to retire from active duty.

Destined for the private market?

It is expected that many of these cars will be disposed of in the private market meaning buyers should be extra vigilant when appraising cars with a 2001 registration or older.

Thankfully, Motorcheck can tell you if a registration number was EVER used as a Taxi, Hackney or Limousine. If you have the registration number you’d like to check just enter in in the box below.

Disabled expected to travel in older vehicles

They point out that “The disabled are expected to travel in vehicles over nine years old which, if they were other than wheelchair accessible would automatically be deemed unfit for use due to age while existing operators of standard taxis over nine years old regardless of condition must replace their vehicles.

Wheelchair Accessible Taxis Exempt from 9 Year Rule

Wheelchair accessible taxis also operate as multi passenger vehicles (up to eight passengers) when not transporting a wheelchair user, a standard taxi service for more than four passengers so, why the disparity?”

The current Wheelchair Accessible fleet will have to meet standards set out for passenger car M1 certification from 2012 but will remain exempt from the nine-year rule. Once M1 certified these vehicles must simply continue to undergo and pass the National Car Test (NCT) and Société Générale de Surveillance Ireland Ltd (SGS) visual assessment on a yearly basis to remain in service.

Standard taxis of comparable age and condition must be taken out of service as taxis but these vehicles may be resold as family cars.

Related posts:

1. SIMI Addresses Market Failings? New Used Car Website – beepbeep.ie
2. BOSI Motor Finance to Withdraw from Irish Market
3. The dangers of a flood damaged car

The Motor Industry is a major tax collector / generator on behalf of the Government with VRT, VAT, PAYE, PRSI and Corporation tax. The upcoming changes we spoke about last week to the marketplace in 2012 as a result of a drop in sales volumes by 71% in as little as 24 months will have serious implications for the Government and presents a variety of challenges.

Falling Tax Revenue

The industry is a major generator of VAT receipts for Government in both new & used car sales and the Aftersales business. We don’t expect the annual new car sales market to return to the 200,000 + in the short to medium term. The reduction in VRT & VAT receipts has already been anticipated and budgeted for. However, the Government does face a number of other losses in terms of revenue due to the following:

• Lower VAT receipts from the Aftersales business due to lower labour sales & parts sales
• Increased Black Market activity with non compliant “fred in the shed” repairers will reduce VAT, PAYE, PRSI income
• Lower Road tax as a result of the move towards Lower Road Tax vehicles
• Lower Road tax as a result of lower overall sales volumes
• Job losses in the Industry will increase pressure on Social Welfare Payments
• Lower Corporation tax from lower profits in the Industry

So how can Government take action now to improve their fiscal position in 2012?

Possible Solutions

3 simple steps should be introduced in the forthcoming budget that will ensure a better environment for the Industry, the Government and most importantly the Consumer!

1. Introduce a license system for all Motor Technicians / Mechanics

This will ensure that only a licensed approved Technician is allowed to perform any safety related maintenance on any vehicle. It will ensure technicans are fully up to date on the latest technology used in vehicles and they must sign up to a charter of standards and conduct.

The franchised motor industry only uses approved fully trained technicians and spend thousands of euro each year updating their skills. The government must ensure a level playing pitch by ensuring that all mechanics are licensed to work on a vehicle.

2. Introduce Legal National Standards for any Motor Workshop

Franchised motor dealers must adhere to strict manufacturers standards in their workshops in terms of staff, training, tools, equipment etc. However, there are hundreds of workshops that are not audited and do not have to implement any standards. This leads to customers not receiving quality work on their vehicles and creates many safety concerns for thousands of vehicles on our roads today.

3. Abolish Road Tax and Transfer it to the Cost of Fuel

It really is quite incredible that government have not done this before now. The current system will not generate the tax receipts the government requires in the coming years. Many drivers are simply not taxing their cars as the recession bites, however there is a much bigger problem building.

With the introduction of the new emissions based road tax, new car buyers are moving towards the lower emission vehicles, particularly group A & B, where they pay as little as €104 per annum. The government must act on this and they must act in the 2010 budget for some simple reasons:

• The emissions based system is unfair and inequitable. A driver can pay E104 road tax and drive 30,000 miles per year polluting the environment to a greater extent than the driver in a high emission vehicle doing only 10,000 miles per year
• Placing the tax on fuel means everyone pays! It cant be avoided, it cant be abused.
• Consumers will continue to choose the lower emission vehicles as these are also the most fuel efficient
• The government could make massive savings on Administration costs by closing all the Road tax offices around the country
• Local Councils will continue to benefit as the tax generated in the fuel stations in their counties will go to the local authority.
• Monetary and time savings in the Gardai & Courts will be made with no need for any future road tax checks or administration or court appearances

If the Government is serious about the economy, the environment and road safety these are simple decisions that will benefit all the stakeholders and the consumer.

There is no monetary cost or political cost to these decisions. This should not be a political issue it’s a simple economic decision that offers real savings and will generate higher taxes that are fair and equitable.

Related posts:

1. The Consumers Challenge
2. 2012 – A Disaster Pending for the Industry?
3. Fears grow for 10,000 jobs in motor industry

An early commitment made by the ESB to provide the necessary infrastructure followed by the official signing of an historic electric car agreement meant that a specially formed Renault – Nissan strategic alliance could count on Ireland as a real champion for their electric technology.

Four months on and I was lucky enough to be invited along to the Radisson hotel in Stillorgan to test drive the first all-electric Nissan LEAF which comes to Ireland in limited supply early next year. It’s not often that a car makes such an impact that I decide to order one there and then!

On sale in Ireland in February 2011

The expected allocation for Ireland is a limited 1,000 units and over 100 are already spoken for. The LEAF will be sold in Ireland as a complete unit including the battery, meaning there will be no separate monthly battery leasing charges.

The retail price is €29,995 (€34,995 Less Government grant of €5,000) including the battery but excludes metallic paint and dealer related delivery charges. I’m told delivery charges could be a hefty 1,000 Euro but that’s to be confirmed.

Running Costs

This is where the numbers get really exciting. Average annual running costs for LEAF are expected to be approximately €232* (that’s less than €20 per month). This represents a saving of over 80% on running costs compared to traditional vehicles *calculated on an average 19,000km per annum.

ESB have committed to install home charging points free of charge to the first 2,000 Electric Vehicle customers. Currently LEAF falls into the lowest bracket for road tax at €104 and a potential for €0 road tax is also being examined as a further Government incentive.

Critical Acclaim

With so much attention on this car there are hundreds of reviews already available but two Irish journalists who drive it recently were seriously impressed.

Paddy Comyn of completecar.ie drove the LEAF in Japan back in June. His thoughts? “We were seriously impressed by our first proper drive in the LEAF. For anyone who lives in an area where the car’s range limits are adequate they will be not only getting an amazing piece of 21st Century technology, but a really nice car too. This car is the real deal – more“.

Eddie Cunningham, Motoring Correspondant with the Irish Independent was one of the first Irish journalists to drive the LEAF on Irish roads and he found it drove just like any other family car. “The first thing to note is it is normal. It is an electric family car that is different only because it doesn’t have a petrol or diesel engine.“ You can read his review here.

Related posts:

1. Electric Vehicle Incentives Raise a Few Questions
2. The Future of Electric Motoring in Ireland…
3. Historic Electric Car Agreement Signed Today

With the recent dramatic changes in New Car Sales volumes, we need to identify what impact this will have on the industry in the future. When sales volumes drop by 71% in as little as 24 months this will have serious short term impact. Whilst we have all seen the short term impact on the Motor Industry in terms of business closures, job losses and cost cutting, I believe we have as hard a storm to weather in 2012.

This pending storm will have consequences for the Industry, Government and the consumer. In this post I’d like to look at the consequences for the Irish Motor Industry in particular.

The Industry Challenge

To explain this scenario, let me give you some information on how the motor trade has performed traditionally. On average, 75% of the vehicles maintained in franchised main dealers are approx 3 years old or less. So obviously the newer vehicles up to 3 years old is a crucial market for aftersales in franchised main dealers. Effectively this is the pond the industry fishes in every year for aftersales business for service, maintenance and parts.

Up to now this has been a great model, as new car sales reached new records each year, the 3 year old pond just seemed to get bigger and bigger.
Just look at the size of the 3 year old vehicle market during 2009. This includes all sales from 2008, 2007 & 2006, a total of 567,291 units.

Broken Model

However, this model is broken and it’s not going to work in the future. If we skip forward to 2012 and see how this market looks, we will see the pond the industry fishes in will have reduced by 58%. The new car sales volumes expected for 2009, 2010 and 2011 is approximately 240,000 units. If we keep the same model, how can we expect to feed the same overheads on a market that is 327,000 units less than we expect?

Quite simply, the Industry will not survive unless the business model changes and this means attracting larger numbers of vehicles older than 3 years old into the workshops. This is no easy achievement as a number of factors including price conscious customers, price perceptions and poor service are going against the Industry.

Rewards

However, the potential reward for the Industry is significant. If the model can change and the fishing pond is expanded to capture vehicles up to 6 years old, the potential market size will rise from 240,000 units to 807,000 units.

Given the unlikely return of the sales volumes from the Celtic Tiger, this is a challenge the industry must meet and address and it will be crucial to the survival of many businesses and thousands of jobs.

Increased Service Levels

Change will be difficult and it will mean ensuring consumers are offered superb service at a reasonable price with exceptional convenience. Some market leaders have already begun to address this issue with lower labour rates, reduced parts prices and special campaigns for older vehicles.

For the dealers and distributors that address this issue immediately they are creating a much improved trading environment for 2012 and beyond.

Related posts:

1. Industry Crisis – What Can Government Do To Help?
2. The Consumers Challenge
3. Two More Main Dealers Forced to Close

Others however need nothing more than a bottle of Tipp-Ex to execute a con and you’d be surprised how many of us fall for the latter.

The following is a dramatisation of a true story that I read about on boards.ie recently. Certainly makes you think twice about trusting the Tipp-Ex!

Picture the scene – You’re inspecting a used car at the sellers house. Everything looks okay with the bodywork and you decide to ask a couple of questions about its service history. Does it have a full service history? Where was the work carried out? Can I see the stamps in the service book? etc. Everything seems to check out and you’re close to making an offer….just one last thing. “Has the timing belt been done?” you enquire.

“Absolutely” replies the seller confidently. “It was done at 137,000 miles”. A quick look at the service book shows no evidence of it but wait – the seller has additional proof. “Take a look in there” he says as he lifts the bonnet. “You can see for yourself”.

Sure enough when you look in the car you see a carefully crafted record in Tipp-Ex proudly boasting that the car has had its timing belt done at 137,000 miles.

Just One Problem

The car you’re inspecting is a Ford Fiesta that contains a 1.3 Pushrod engine. This engine doesn’t have a timing belt! How can you trust anything else the seller has to say?

Moral of the story – ignore the Tipp-Ex and qualify any service history by phoning the garage directly. It’s too easy to forge service books, stamps and receipts these days…and of course – don’t regret it, Motorcheck it!

Great Stuff - Tipp-Ex confirms the timing belt's been done!

Related posts:

1. Tightening Your (Timing) Belt?
2. Buying a Used Car – An Expert’s Guide
3. Do Service Departments Take Advantage of Woman Drivers?

Offer Extended

I’m also delighted to say that the offer has been extended for the period June – August 2010.

This means that anyone using their Motorcheck fuel card to purchase a minimum of 500 litres in the three month period (that’s roughly 35 litres a week) will qualify for an exclusive Free Topaz Gift Card credited to the value of €20!

As before, the gift card will be posted to you automatically and can be used to purchase any non-fuel items (Coffee, Sandwiches, Drinks, Chocolate, Bread, Milk e.t.c.) at participating outlets.

What is the Motorcheck Fuelcard?

Click the image to apply for your fuelcard

Motorcheck and Topaz formed a partnership three years ago to bring the benefits of a ‘fixed price’ fuelcard to private car owners in the Republic of Ireland (you can read more about the service on our main site here but main benefits include – a free card, 1 month’s interest free credit and a guaranteed fixed price at Topaz stations natiowide).

There are over 15,000 fuel card holders using the card at present and the latest statistics for all transactions show that over 90% of purchases are at or below the pump price.

Of course the final saving will depend on local competition but as an average it’s a great result!

Apply Online For Your Free Card

Please allow 4 weeks to process the application and complete delivery of the card.

Card Pricing

The fixed price on the card changes every week at midnight Friday. Please remember – the card is a fixed price and if you use it at a station where the pump price is lower, you will be charged the higher card price.

Free SMS Updates

Each card holders receives a free SMS every Friday afternoon indicating what the price will be for the following week. This way you will always know when to buy and avoid any crazy price hikes! If you’d like to view the price for this week online click on the following link  http://www.motorcheck.ie/fuelcard/pricing.

If you have any questions you can visit the FAQ page or leave a comment below.

Related posts:

1. Free €20 Topaz Gift Card For Motorcheck.ie Customers
2. Free, Independent Advice From the Experts
3. Motorcheck Mechanics – Free Expert Advice From Ireland’s Leading Motor Mechanics

The point was raised on Today FM’s ‘The Last Word‘ last week when we looked at the performance of the Irish scrappage scheme. Alan Nolan of SIMI agreed with me that the current trading conditions are ‘fragile’ at best (you can click on the link below to listen to the piece) so I’ve taken the total number of new cars sold and averaged it across the number of dealers each brand has (or had for the period).

Fig 1. below shows a selection of brands operating in the Republic and the total number of sales (descending) on a ‘per dealer’ basis.

It’s pretty obvious from the table that Renault dealers are flying at the moment. The brand has a 19% share of scrappage sales (1,669) putting it in first position above Ford with (1,218) units.

Fig 1. New Car Sales Per Dealer (Jan/10 – July/10)

To learn more about Renault’s sales this year you can view the complete breakdown here.

Related posts:

1. New Car Sales Disappoint With Small Rise (4.6%) On Last Year
2. Two More Main Dealers Forced to Close
3. Scrappage Scheme Costing Dealers Millions

We left Skerries at 2:00 on Friday and by late afternoon were making our way from Letterkenny back along the R245 to Downings. We spent the following day heading west through Creeslough and around into Gortahork before navigating back through various back roads.

Try as I might though, I couldn’t shake a sense of unease on the road. It wasn’t the riding conditions (which were perfect) or the bike I was on. It was something altogether more innocuous that had me worried and that was the frightening number of black circles that I came across burned into the tar-macadam of the road.

I counted 47 examples within an hour before giving up and it prompted me to wonder if this is something peculiar to Donegal or is it a nationwide problem?

Lack of Recreational Activities?

One contributor who answered a post I put on boards.ie had this to say;

“It’s a nationwide problem, especially in rural Areas. I think part of the problem is that for young men there is Sweet F.A to do out there in terms of recreation (Unless you like GAA).

So at night time and on the weekends where as most of the people that live in built up areas would go to town/do something adventurous/partake in some recreation activity, the people that live in the middle of nowhere have nothing to do so they (especially young men) will go out in the car for a drive. And being young men they like sports cars (I know, I am a young man and I LOVE sports cars) and the messing starts…”

National Problem?

Rather than just huff and puff about it, I thought I’d keep a record of any examples found by Motorcheck.ie visitors on the road. Perhaps if we were able to identify a concentration of activity we could address the recreational problem before we start to find something altogether more tragic on the road than tyre marks?

Have You Seen Any Examples Locally?

If you know of any ‘hot-spots’ locally let us know about them below and we’ll add them to our map above. Pictures / Video of the markings would be useful too as they tend to bring home the gravity of the problem.

View Black Circles in a larger map

Related posts:

1. ‘Black Boxes’ for cars?
2. Is Your Car Increasing in Value?
3. Industry Crisis – What Can Government Do To Help?

Unexpected Repairs can be an additional source of anxiety but most of us are resigned to the fact that keeping a car in good condition means servicing it in line with the manufacturers recommendations by a reputable mechanic that we trust to give us decent value for money.

But what happens if for one reason or another you lose that trust and suspect that you’re being taken advantage of? A lady who described herself as a ‘Concerned Female Motorist’ writes to us with just this problem.

Hi Motorcheck,

My friend had her fan belt changed on a Ford Fiesta 1998, 1.2 LX, Aircon model two weeks ago by a registered Ford Ireland garage. She was originally quoted €80 for the job and when collecting the car was told the final bill was €160. She did argue with them and explained that they should have contacted her before finishing the job or as soon as they realised she was quoted incorrectly.

They brought the price down to €125 (still rather high for a fan belt change). While I understand that generally speaking, men think women are stupid in relation to cars, I consider myself to be reasonably adept at basic repairs as I can change oil, tyres and sparks myself.

However at the moment I need to get a service done on my own car – a 01 Ford Focus 1.4 LX with 105k miles on the clock. The problem is it’s with the same garage as my friend and this is the first time I have ever needed to have a car serviced.

I am totally stressed now as I want to bring the car myself to the garage. I don’t feel that in order to ensure I’m not screwed financially I should need a man to bring it for me.
I have been quoted (including two new tyres fitted and balanced) €115 + €109 for service. I am happy to pay this as it’s below the average I have been quoted in Dublin where I live.

Is there any advice you can give me in relation to making sure that the price I have been quoted is the price I will pay?
I only drive Ford cars as they have never let me down but it’s a pity the service offered by the garage for women is not as good as the service you get when actually buying them.

Best regards
A Concerned Female Motorist

Hi,

Thanks for writing to us and outlining your dilemma. There’s a huge amount of trust required to make the relationship between you and your local mechanic work and I understand your concerns.

Knowing the difference between a relatively minor issue that’s quick and inexpensive to put right from a more serious problem is a significant responsibility and one we need to feel assured our trusted mechanic won’t abuse.

The Importance of a Written Quotation

The first thing I would advise is that you ask for a detailed quotation for the work you require. Most dealers will separate their prices into charges for Parts and Labour making it easy to see exactly what you can expect to be done for the price quoted.

Be very precise about what you want included in the quote but remember that some things like ‘fix squeaky sound in boot’ will be difficult for the dealer to price without inspecting the problem in detail.

No Additional Work Without Authorisation

Make it clear that you are not prepared to pay for any additional work without prior authorisation. This is common practice amongst fleet management companies and your garage should be well used to it. Leave a mobile phone number that you can be reached on and respond quickly if you miss a call. After-all, time is money for the garage and the quicker you get back to them, the less chargeable time your car will be on the lift.

Making A Complaint

The following is taken from the National Consumer Agency website which outlines how best to make a complaint. I’ve also forwarded your email to Ford Ireland and asked if they might have any advice for you specifically for dealing with Ford. Once I hear back I’ll update this post.

If you encounter a problem with a routine service or repairs being carried out on your car, in the first instance you should complain to the person or garage which carried out the work. Ask what they will do about putting things right – if the work was done by a garage, you should complain to the manager.

If you are not satisfied with the response you get, and the person or garage is a member of a trade association – for example the Society of the Irish Motor Industry (SIMI) – you could consider taking the matter up with that association.

If there has been a breach of consumer law you should complain to the NCA.

If you are not getting anywhere with either the person, the garage or the trade association, you might consider taking the matter to the Small Claims Court. This Court deals with disputes up to a value of €2000 for a fee of €15 and there is no need to hire a solicitor.

Among the problems you may wish to complain about to the person or garage which did the work are:

• Replacement parts failing a short time after the service or repair
• Generic (sometimes called “spurious” parts in the trade) being used if you specified you wanted genuine manufacturer parts
• Second-hand parts being used instead of new parts
• Additional work being done without prior approval from the car owner
• The final bill varying considerably from the quotation
• Misinformation about the need to change a vital part – such as a timing belt – after a certain number of miles
• The service is not complete at the time specified and there is no communication about the delay
• If the car fails the NCT for an issue which should have been picked up in a pre-NCT test
• If there is damage to your car which wasn’t there before the work – always check around the car before you drive off and raise any issues immediately

Best regards,

Shane

Ask the experts

Need some expert advice?

At Motorcheck we endeavor to source the best independent advice on any technical questions you may have about your current or prospective car.

If you have a question that you’d like to put to our expert panel simply click on this link and leave a comment at the bottom of the page.

One of our expert panel will respond as soon as possible.

Related posts:

1. Do We Put Too Much Faith in Tipp-Ex?
2. Motorcheck’s Ford Mechanic – John Sexton
3. Motorcheck Mechanics – Free Expert Advice From Ireland’s Leading Motor Mechanics

McKeown Motors – main dealers for BMW, MINI, Opel, Mitsubishi, Kia and Peugeot for 30 years in Co. Meath closed their doors yesterday and Cashel Motor Works main dealers for Volvo, Peugeot and Citroen in Co. Tipperary are due to close on the 29th of this month.

Both were well established dealerships with excellent reputations nationwide  - so why would they be going out of business if as SIMI suggest “with this upturn in business, garages can start to re-employ staff they had to let go last year”.

It prompted me to take a look at the registration statistics for the year to date and ask if maybe there’s a bit too much spin being put on the numbers?

New car registrations - 2009 V 2010

On the face of it, a 44% increase with 68,782 units registered (Jan – June) is good news. However, like all statistics, given a differnt context the reality can be quite different.

Before drawing any conclusions on the present state of the motor industry we should bear in mind that this year’s figures reflect the fact that dealers have started registering demonstrator models again. There has been a year on year increase in the number of cars being registered for daily rental purposes and the Government sponsored Scrappage Scheme has artificially inflated sales. Maybe things aren’t as good as they’re being suggested?

Reality Check Required?

My ‘back of the envelope’ figures would estimate;

• 10 demo cars per dealer for approximately 400 dealers = 4,000 Units
• 10% of total sales registered for daily rental use = 6,000 Units
• Scrappage Scheme = 8,000 Units

Legitimate Sales

This would leave us with 50,782 legitimate sales – not very far away from the critical levels of 47,590 – the number we were at for the the same period last year when the industry was in crisis with large numbers of dealers closing their doors.

‘Reality Check’ required?

Whilst I understand that it’s important to be positive about our industry and encourage consumer confidence we should be careful that we don’t misrepresent the reality of current trading conditions as anything other than extremely difficult.

There are plenty of economic commentators warning about jumping to conclusions when it comes to calling an end to the current recession. Maybe the motor industry needs to take a similar  approach?

Related posts:

1. 2012 – A Disaster Pending for the Industry?
2. New Car Registrations Rise 90%
3. Scrappage Scheme Costing Dealers Millions

The graph below makes grim viewing for anyone involved in the sale of new cars as it reminds us of the dramatic fall that occurred in 2009 where the previous years total of 148,669 new cars registered fell to a new low of 55,578.

This created an unprecedented drop of 63% and led to thousands of jobs being lost in a sector that has been slow to recover.

New car sales in Ireland

However the motor industry relies on more than new car sales to survive. Servicing the national fleet of 1.9 million cars with Used Car Sales, Repair & Maintenance Services and Parts Retailing are all important areas of a successful dealership and are directly linked to new car sales as the embryo for our national fleet.

What does this mean for our used car market?

The 63% fall in car sales in 2009  is only now beginning to show its effects in the used car market. Small numbers of new cars being registered means small numbers of used cars entering the market as part exchanges which in turn contributes to a knock-on effect for the supply of used cars for years afterwards.

Our UK neighbours are experiencing similar problems and a recovery in sterling against the euro has hampered our ability to jump across the water and simply import the required quota.

All this points to an increased demand for quality used cars.

Benefits for Buyers and Sellers

This means that Irish sellers can expect to see;

• an increase in the amounts being offered as ‘Part Exchange’ against a new car purchase
• more and more activity amongst used car dealers offering ‘Cash for Cars’ (try this google search)
• a premium being offered for band A or B cars in the dealer and private market.

Unfortunately for buyers this will mean;

• greater difficulty in hunting down a bargain
• a rise in the number of used car scams as criminals attempt to cash in on buyers desperate to find the right car

Your Experiences

If you’re currently selling a used car privately or considering a part exchange against a new car we’d be delighted to hear about your experiences.

If you’ve been approached by a dealer offering you close to your asking price or you sold your car quicker than you expected feel free to tell us about it by leaving a comment below.

Related posts:

1. Budget 2010 – Scrappage Scheme, Should YOU buy?
2. 2012 – A Disaster Pending for the Industry?
3. New Car Registrations Rise 90%

I promised Ian and the guys at Prodrift that I’d try and put my experiences at Round 3 of the Prodrift Irish Series at Citywest into words for the Motorcheck blog. It’s not as easy as you might imagine and I wasn’t surprised when I found out later that Sunday morning was considered one of the best drift events ever witnessed in Ireland.

I suppose I could try and describe the adrenaline rush that comes from the sounds of the high powered engines, screeching tyres and the highly enthusiastic crowd. The thick smell of burning rubber needs to be mentioned for sure but how do I even begin to describe the skill of the drivers who manage to score points by literally licking the barriers and markers that have been laid out on a very tight track.

Thank God for Video! The short clip below demonstrates some of the action that I witnessed up close and personal on the day. I’d highly recommend the Prodrift event as a great day out for petrol-heads and racing enthusiasts alike. Just be sure not to get behind the wheel of the family saloon for at least an hour afterwards!

A highly technical custom-built track, tested driver skill and ability to the max, with a few casualties claimed by the safety barriers over the course of the weekend. The Citywest venue saw the return of a number of big names to the Irish drift scene, crowd favourite Dennis Healy returned to competitive action in his SR20 Corolla, and was seriously impressive with his

Top 16 - Click to enlarge

massive entries and speed, current Prodrift champion Dean “Karnage” Kearney (www.deankearney.com) made a welcome return to Irish drifting, taking time out from his ventures in the USA competing in Formula Drift and currently aiming for “Rookie of the year” to drive the www.motorcheck.ie Toyota Soarer while Eric O Sullivan’s (www.ericosullivan.com) highly anticipated return in his Toyota Corolla was marred by car issues, thus retiring from competition.

The addition of Team Japspeed drivers, Boyzone’s Shane Lynch, Danny Eyles, Steve “Baggsy” Biagioni, and Anthony Cahill, alongside Falken Tyres Paul Chesire from the UK, upped the standard for what promised to be an epic weekend for Irish drifting.

Sunday morning qualifying set the standard on what was to be one of the best drift events ever witnessed in Ireland. Team Japspeed’s Danny Eyles topped the Top 16 pre-qualifying with a near flawless score of 97.67 while Dean “Karnage” Kearney answered his critics by placing the Motorcheck.ie Soarer firmly in 2nd position with a substantially faster speed than any of the Top 16 qualifiers. Championship leader Wexford man Nigel Colfer qualified in 4th, followed by James Deane in his Nexen srx7 in 5th. Shock exits from the competition at this stage included Dennis Healy, Alan Lenihan and Shane Lynch, as the track proved to be a real challenge for several big name drivers. Pro-Am runner up on Saturday, Chris Brady, upped his challenge for the honours and was the only one of the 4 Saturday competitors to advance to the Top 16 Superlap.

The Superlap round, which determines the order of the Top 16 battles along with scoring championship points, really put drivers to the test.

Superlap - Click to Enlarge

Danny Eyles topped the leader board for the majority of the Superlap, but eventually finished in 3rd behind Shane O’Sullivan in 2nd, a driver who has massively upped his game this year, and the ever impressive James Deane who took the top spoils with the highest score of the day. The battles were set and the crowd was primed for some amazing twin battle pairings and they were not to be disappointed.

Top 16:

First up was James Deane versus Donal Garry aka “Banzai Corolla Guy”, another huge crowd favourite, in one of the battles of the day. The underpowered Corolla gave the young Nexen driver a real run for his money, but Deane advanced to the Great 8. Championship leader Nigel Colfer was up next against the UK’s Paul Chesire, another driver who was to impress with massive entries over the weekend. But it was Colfer’s consistency that saw him advance to join Deane in the first of the Great 8 battles. Team Hankook’s Alan Sinnott did enough to overcome the challenge of the always entertaining Dan Moorehead, and set up a Great 8 battle with Nexen’s Christy Carpenter who had came through his Top16 battle with last years Pro-Am champion Mike Fitzgerald in his Bridgestone Silvia.

Danny Eyles was again impressive, easily disposing of Dean “Karnage” Kearney who could not seem to maintain the standards of his qualifying runs in a heavily underpowered machine. This set up the 3rd of the Great 8 pairings as 2009 Champion Mike Deane advanced from his battle with Micheal Swan. The final battles of the Top 16 saw Pro-Am driver Chris Brady, one to watch in the remaining rounds, advance over Steven Bolger and in doing so set up the final Great 8 pairing with Gavin Lenihan who knocked Shane O Sullivan out in an impressive display of aggressive driving.

Top 8:

James Deane and Nigel Colfer, having met in the final of Round 1 and the semi-final of Round 2, were first up in the Great 8 battles. Colfer, on this occasion, had no answer to the young Nexen driver, who was the first to advance to the semi-finals with an awesome display. Sinnott versus Deane’s Nexen team mate Christy Carpenter in his immaculate BN Sports kitted S15 followed, and the crowd saw Sinnott advance in a display of extreme tyre smoke and driver skill. Mike Deane advanced over Japspeed’s Danny Eyles, whose weekend was cut short after losing 3rd gear mid first battle; he put in a brave performance to come back out for the second battle but did not do enough to challenge the elder statesmen of Irish drifting in his Lakeland Tyres Nissan. The final Great 8 battle saw Chris Brady take on Gavin Lenihan, and the crowd showed their delight in the young Monaghan driver taking the battle, thus moving onto the semi finals with some of the biggest names in Irish drifting.

Top 4:

The first of the semi-finals was one of the battles of the round, as Deane took on Sinnott, another driver who has been a huge favourite amongst crowds this year in his cult Hankook Corolla. First corner contact proved the deciding factor and Deane took the victory. The second semi-final saw the elder of the Deane brothers, Mike, take on one of the most consistent drivers of the round, Chris Brady who seemed to be on track for the majority of the weekend! It took a one more time for Mike to take the win and set up an all Deane final, one which had yet to be seen this year.

The eagerly anticipated 3rd/4th place battle, saw Sinnott take his 3rd podium finish of the year, as Brady, had to settle for 4th place in only his 2nd ever Prodrift competition, and hopefully not his last.

Final:

The final was a tight affair as the Deane brothers battled it out to take the Round win. However James Deane was not to be stopped, as he took the victory with relative ease, putting in a huge display of on-door driving with his older brother. The win saw James take his second victory of the series, and puts him in 9 points clear of Nigel Colfer going into the final 2 rounds of this year.

Japfest at Mondello will host Round 4 of this year’s Series, and it’s still all to play for with a number of drivers still in contention for the honours. Deane leads the pack yet again but with Colfer and Sinnott biting at his heels, its going to be a blistering finish to this year’s championship.

Related posts:

1. Do Service Departments Take Advantage of Woman Drivers?
2. Reckless Driving With Fatal Consequences
3. Motorcheck.ie Introduces New VRT Calculator

Bring your VISA card and you might even bag an Audi R8 at a bargain basement price! Sold new with a price tag in excess of 200,000 Euro, the people in the know at Merlin expect the car to fetch between 90 and 100,000 – a steal!

Even in the heady days of the Celtic Tiger the R8 remained an aspirational car. There were 18 registered in 2008, 0 in 2009 and 1 in 2010 (a demo car that I had the privilege of driving earlier this year) and with none registered as UK imports in the last three years it looks like the R8 was destined to be a UK footballer / popstar’s badge of honour (Cheryl Cole sold hers recently).

Merlin have run 5 ‘Prestige’ car auctions so far this year. Some of the more flamboyant cars to be sold included 2 Aston Martin DB9’s, a Bentley Continental, a Ferrari S430, numerous Range Rover’s and a plethora of Porsche 911’s.

Who’s Selling?

Most of the high-end cars are sold on behalf of finance houses (the cars are either returned voluntarily to the bank for disposal by the owner or in the case of a loan that’s gone into

David Byrne

default they may be repossessed) but a small number of car traders will also submit a car or two when there’s a high profile auction like the one coming up this week.

Either way any finance outstanding on the car will be removed once it’s sold at auction leaving the successful bidder with a bargain and the previous owner with a bill for the difference.

Who’s Buying?

According to David Byrne, MD at Merlin Car Auctions, the type of individual buying the prestige car is someone with a passion for the exotic and a bargain in equal measure.

However the Audi R8 is a special car and he hinted that there may be more than one famous face in the crowd on Wednesday night.

The complete range to be auctioned is available to see at http://www.merlincarauctions.ie/prestige but if you’re thinking of making a bid be sure to bring a 500 Euro bidding deposit (yes – it’s refundable) with you.

Bear in mind the road tax on the R8 is over 2,000 Euro per annum but if you’re going to drive an R8 I think it’s fair to say that this would be the least of your concerns.

Auction Catalogue

Results

Listed below are some of the results of this evenings auction.

07 E200 – 17.2K
06 CLS 250 – 22K
06 350 – 23.5K
08 CL500 – 71K
08 S500 – 47K
07 S320 – 37.5K
05 A4 CABRIO – 13.1K
08 A6 2.0TDI – 23.5K
08 R8 – 76K
04 520I – 7.3K
07 520d – 17.1K
04 X5 – 11k
90 911 – 10.4
03 CAYENNE – 7.4K
06 TOUAREG COMM – 9.4K
07 GTI DSG – 14.4K

Related posts:

1. Does Cheryl’s Audi R8 have the X-Factor?
2. Is Your Car Increasing in Value?
3. Are Dealers Still A Credible Source For Car Finance?

Andrew Barry had a very lucky escape. Having decided to sell his Skoda Octavia (‘brilliant car’), he decided that he’d quite fancy the Audi A3 Sportback. So after a couple of hours browsing the online classifieds, he thought he’d found the perfect car and called the (reputable?) dealership to arrange a test drive.

The first thing Andrew found out was that the car was a second-hand import from the UK, but that didn’t worry him too much as the price was good and it looked like the car had a great specification.

He asked the dealer about the Vehicle Registration Tax (VRT) on the car and was told that this had been fully paid but when he asked about the V5 certifiicate (UK version of the logbook) for the car, he was told it had been sent off with the payment for the VRT and wasn’t available but that the car had a full, up-to-date service history.

Undaunted, Andrew took the car for a test drive. He was so impressed that he agreed to buy it and placed a €150 deposit on the car to secure it.

Motorcheck Report Reveals True Identity

Just before completing his purchase, Andrew used Motorcheck.ie to check out the car and the results were startling. The UK registration that was on the car when he drove it and still visible on the online ad didn’t match the A3 that he had put a deposit on. It had a completely different specification, a power output of 138hp that was very different to the 105hp car he had viewed.

Knowing that there’s no such thing as a silly question, Andrew went back to the dealer and asked about the logbook and service history records. He was told that they were in a separate lock-up for safe keeping and weren’t immediately available for his examination.

Sensibly, Andrew took a note of the chassis number on the windscreen on the car and noted the cars’ UK registration, which turned out to be different to the chassis number confirmed by Motorcheck.ie.

Another check revealed that the UK registration corresponded to a completely different Audi A3 and the chassis number on the car he was looking at was one that has never been officially imported. Something was definitely amiss!

Needless to say Andrew cancelled the sale and saved himself not only losing the car he was due to trade-in, but the car he was set to buy too. This truly shows that doing your homework and research could save you thousands of Euro and acres of trouble.

Luckily Andrew has since bought himself an Audi from Audi North Dublin and is more than happy with it.

Best of luck with the new car Andrew!

Related posts:

1. Troublesome Oil Leak Failed the NCT Test
2. Beware of Cloned Cars From the UK
3. Buying a Used Car – An Expert’s Guide

Originally designed as a replacement for Irish excise duty charges that were no longer possible under the EU single market, VRT is now part and parcel of every car purchase in the Republic of Ireland.

VRT has a direct effect on the ‘List Price’ of a new vehicle as well as any car (New or Used) being imported from abroad. It’s effects don’t stop there – as the recent calamity in the used car market demonstrates, VRT has a substantial influence on the residual value of a used car (some 1.9 million of them currently on Irish roads).

Recent Controversy

A recent crackdown by Customs and Revenue officers in the northern counties where a stand-off developed between Customs officials and a Donegal Woman prompted one Irish man to set up a group on Facebook aptly named “Ban VRT Now“. At the time of writing the group has 11,247 members as well as local political support.

Facebook Group calling for a ban on VRT

The man behind the movement, Ryan Stewart is campaigning hard to have VRT abolished in favour of a user-based system of taxation. Speaking to Motorcheck.ie, Ryan said that “Our government needs to accept that VRT is never again going to reach the 1.4 billion that it did in 2007. If they accept the detailed proposals that we have presented them with we could stabilise the tax base across all cars to a fairer ‘usage based’ policy as opposed to new car sales which we can see today are highly volatile“.

Ryan’s battle is being fought on three fronts. Politically, Ryan is campaigning at at local level to have VRT abolished and has delivered 29 out of 29 Donegal County Councillors supporting a motion to get rid of VRT. Assisting the campaign at EU level is MEP Marian Harkin who has taken his proposals to Brian Lenihan for consideration. Practically, Ryan has taken his case to Dublin castle and met with Revenue officials in an effort to ensure that that due process will be afforded to everyone suspected of evading the tax.

In a recent update to his facebook discussion Ryan writes ”We have seen some extremely heavy handed tactics applied, particularly in Donegal…in regard to officials overstepping the mark more often than not and not applying their own rules properly, or consistently. They are criminalising ordinary people, who are trying to make the best of a bad situation in the midst of a recession. They have discretion at their disposal and have leaned toward turning the screw on people, rather than using this discretion to allow people the opportunity to comply, or appeal genuine failures of this procedure.“

The Legality of VRT

While Ryan argues that VRT is an illegal tax, a report prepared by Denis Murphy for the Commission on Taxation states, ‘The EU has commented that although VRT is legal it is totally contrary to the spirit of the single market and has recommended that it be phased out over a 5 to 10 year period‘.

Whilst it may be ‘unpopular’ this doesn’t mean that it’s illegal. A Revenue spokesperson pointed out to Motorcheck.ie that Ireland is only one of sixteen european members that impose VRT. i.e. Denmark, Spain, Greece, Italy, Ireland, Netherlands, Austria, Portugal, Finland, Hungary, Latvia, Malta, Slovenia, Cyprus and Poland.

European Commission Website

The official legal position in Europe can be found on the Commission’s website here where it states “At present there is little Community legislation, or harmonisation of national fiscal provisions, applied by the Member States in the area of passenger car taxation. Therefore, it is for each Member State to lay down national provisions for the taxation of these cars. The few pieces of legislation currently in force mainly cover the cross-border aspects of car taxation”.

As VRT is applied to the 50,000+ used cars purchased in the North of Ireland and the UK annually, many arguments against the tax focus on the cross border aspects but Revenue point out that in Ireland as elsewhere there is NO tax on crossing of a border. The tax is on the registration of the vehicle.

So is it legal? Yes. Is it liked? No.

European Commission Proposal

In 2005, the European Commission made a proposal to for the abolition of car registration taxes over a transitional period of five to ten years.

At the launch of the proposal the Commission said “The Member States’ revenues would not be affected if the gradual abolition of registration taxes is accompanied by a parallel increase of annual circulation taxes and, if necessary, other taxes. A gradual change would protect car owners from dramatic devaluations of their cars. The transitional period would also allow those Member States applying high registration taxes to make the necessary structural changes to their car tax systems.”

Other proposals included a tax refund for cars that were exported and the introduction of a CO2 element into the tax base of both annual circulation taxes and registration taxes.

The recommendation was made in July 2005. 5 years on and we see that Ireland has introduced a CO2 element into the tax base but what of the abolition of VRT? Is this being ignored?

Support for the abolition of VRT

In section 9 of its final report, the commission for taxation supported the Commission’s proposal by recommending the abolition of VRT over a longer period.

The VRT system should be replaced by a system based on car usage, in the longer term. Such a system should be introduced over a 10-year period in order to minimise adverse impacts (in relation, for example, to the existing fleet of tax-paid vehicles.

Notice the support for a focussed scrappage scheme that has since been implemented.

What would it mean for our motor industry?

Any changes which could result in the fall of a used cars’ residual value would be strongly resisted by the motor industry. Many practitioners still blame the introduction of CO2 based taxation for its collapse in recent years and would be slow to support the introduction of significant changes without careful consideration.

However, there are those that believe the abolition of VRT would mean greater sales of newer, environmentally cleaner cars thus benefitting the industry. Ryan Stewart believes that the Government could reform the tax base and offer support to motor dealers experiencing a fall in residual values without losing revenue in the medium term.

It’s difficult to predict how and when VRT will be abolished (or replaced?) but with growing resentment it’s likely that it will continue to be a hotly debated topic for quite a while.

Related posts:

1. Motorcheck.ie Introduces New VRT Calculator
2. The Future of Electric Motoring in Ireland…
3. The Real Risks of Buying A Stolen Car

A joint operation between the Garda stolen vehicle unit and the UK’s Serious Organised Crime Agency (Soca), efforts are ongoing to uncover stolen vehicles which have been originally stolen in Ireland, had UK identities put on them and are then resold to Irish customers as UK imports.

It’s a relatively simple but effective scam that has cost unsuspecting Irish buyers thousands.

How is it done?

The gang perpetrating the fraud steal a car in Ireland. Then, posing as a motor dealer, they obtain the VIN number and other identify details of a similar car registered in the UK from a UK history provider.

With this information they print a counterfeit V5 (vehicle logbook) and disguise the stolen Irish car with the identity of the legitimate UK car.

Car Thief

Finally they sell the car in Ireland. It can be a private buyer or a motor dealer but the outcome is the same. Once the certificate is sent back to the DVLA it’s discovered to be a fake and the car is returned to its rightful owner leaving the unsuspecting buyer in the lurch.

What should you do to avoid being duped?

If you’re purchasing a UK car follow these tips and reduce the risk of being caught out.

1. Run a Motorcheck report on the UK registration – our database of stolen and suspected stolen vehicles is the most up-to-date in Ireland and the UK.
2. Look out for stolen V5Cs. The serial number is in a white circle in the top right hand corner on the front of the V5C. If you find a V5C with a serial number in the following ranges – BG8229501 to BG9999030 or BI2305501 to BI2800000, don’t go ahead with the sale!
3. Follow the simple guidelines set out by an Garda Siochana and the DVLA.

Have you been offered a stolen car?

If you think you may have been offered a stolen car, please contact an Garda Siochana in confidence at 01 800 666 111

Related posts:

1. The Real Risks of Buying A Stolen Car
2. Beware of Cloned Cars From the UK
3. Do Irish Taxes Compromise the Safety of Our Cars?

A previous article we wrote about an expert’s guide to buying a used car showed how you can never ask too many questions when buying a car. It’s amazing how asking a seemingly innocent question about a car’s ownership history can unearth problems you might never have known about.

If you’re thinking about buying a used car privately be prepared to ask a lot of questions. If this makes you uncomfortable why not bring someone along to do the asking for you? Remember it was PJ’s number one tip? -”Bring someone with experience. If you are not technically proficient, get someone who is to help you, preferably someone with mechanical or bodywork experience”.

Dear Sir / Madam,

I recently had completed full motor checks on two cars. The first one was a BMW 316, Auto. The check came out fine apart from the fact that there was still a HP agreement still on this car and still outstanding. For that reason alone, I decided not to purchase the car.

The second car you checked out for me was a Toyota Corolla 1.4 D4D, Registration number:- 05XXXXXX. The check on this car came out reasonably well. There had been some recalls on safety issues. However, when I was investigating this car there was approx 56,900 Km’s, i.e. 35,563 miles.

When I was inserting the mileage I inserted a rounded figure of 35,000 miles ( 56,000 Km’s).  I note from the report that the previous reading on the 23 rd March 2010 was 35,211 miles ( 56,667 km’s ). I presume since I rounded the mileage figure off to 35,000 miles, when the previous readings read 35,211 miles, this would have shown up as a odometer discrepancy. I am just curious and was wondering can your system show a true mileage figure from day one?

The last NCT on this car would be in or around June 2009. Can a mileage check be done on the day that that NCT was completed? I am sure that the NCT would have the stated figure to hand.

Apart from anything else that car is running fine, with an average miles per gallon running a 63. Quite impressive! Just one little concern is the internal lights that light up the four speed fan and the warm and cold air fan appear to be blown with the exception on one light. In past experience such bulbs would normally tend to blow on high mileage.

The last issue is the hand brake light. When I left the garage I did not notice that it was not working. My son did. However, only yesterday the hand brake light appears to be now working fine. I informed the garage in question of the blown bulbs and the intermittent problem with the hand brake.

Your report also showed up that there were FOUR previous owners. The seller was quick off the mark to state that there was a change over from father to son. The seller offered me phone numbers to check this out had I any concerns. On completion of the deal, I managed to have the warranty of the car extended from three months to six months.

The only concern is that the master key was not provided and the one key has an alarm system built in. He gave me a standard spare key with no alarm system build in. I indicated this to him as I could be really in trouble if I lost the original key with the alarm. He indicated that he would look into the possibility of a ‘fob’ key, with which I would have no problem. In a situation like that would I be help liable for the FOB key? I presume I would. The key issue was only a problem when I paid him in full for the car, €9,000. It left me with no bargaring position at that stage to have a spare ‘fob’ supplied.

Is there any other way that I can actually check the owners of this car? If there are four previous owners, why are there only three dates of sale? I appreciate that I should have read your detailed document more carefully and pushed the dealer more on certain issues. I thank you for your service and I think EVERYONE should use this service. I am an accountant by profession and next year there is a nine year rule being implemented for all taxi drivers. In other words, cars exceeding nine years are not eligible to be a taxi. The average length of a taxi in Dublin is four years approx.

Realistically, taxi drivers will have to purchase cars no less than 2006 (depending on mileage and condition) to sustain a reasonable living. I would urge all taxi drivers to use your service in full as it is tax deductible and that a complete ‘dud’ of a car could put them out of business, as the banks at present are tight enough in that sector.

My apologies for the rather exhaustive email, but I would be  grateful if you could advise me on some of the issued that I mentioned above. The speed to his answer on the four owners made me that bit uncomfortable. I thank you for your service and I await your response.

With kind regards,

Martin.

Hi Martin,

Thanks for your email and your kind words about Motorcheck. It’s always great to hear how our customers use the service.

I’ve been through the points in your email and written a response below. Hopefully you’ll find everything you need here but if not, don’t hesitate to leave a comment below and I’ll pick it up directly.

Outstanding Finance

I notice that you decided not to purchase the first car because it had outstanding finance on it. Whilst we always advise against concluding a sale where finance is an issue, it’s usually something that can be resolved with the seller before you commit to buying the car. Outstanding finance agreements are very common.

Outstanding Finance

Of the last 10,000 Irish registered cars that Motorcheck investigated almost 1 in 3 of of all 2007/8 cars were registered as being the subject of a finance agreement. It’s certainly something you should be aware of in a negotiation but not necessarily a deal breaker.

Odometer Contradiction

You’re correct in assuming that your entry caused the contradiction above. Motorcheck sources all its mileage information from the Irish National Mileage Register (INMR). This is a central database that was built specifically for the collection and audit of odometer readings. It’s the longest serving database in Ireland and currently has just over 2.5 million readings. Unfortunately it can’t guarantee to have a reading for every car on the road and confirming any reading as absolutely ‘true’ is not possible.

When looking at the odometer history of a car you should take into account the pattern of mileage that the readings suggest. Are they fairly consistent with the stated use of the vehicle? Do they match those recorded in the service book? Unfortunately NCT records are not currently available to Motorcheck. We are lobbying Government for access and the Road Safety Authority is supportive of our case but the red tape presenting itself is considerable.

High Number of Owners

I’m glad that you were able to point out the high number of owners as a possible reason for devaluing the car. It sounds like the explanation given was a good one but if I were you I’d contact the previous owner just to be sure. Well done on getting an extension to the warranty. That could prove to be very valuable.

The three dates of sale on the ownership history would be correct as the first owner would be the person it’s registered to from new. Only subsequent owners would create a date of sale on the Motorcheck history.

Spare Key

I’d advise contacting a main toyota dealer for your spare key. They should be able to code one for you so that it works with the immobiliser and the alarm on the car (provided it’s a factory fit one). You can find the nearest one to you by clicking here.

10% Discount

Thank you for offering to tell your taxi colleagues about Motorcheck. Positive word of mouth continues to be a major contributor to our growth and we welcome all our referrals.

I’ve dropped you a note by email with a special discount code that I would encourage you to share with your contact list. It will provide the user with a 10% discount on any check performed on the system.

In the current climate it’s something small that I hope your industry will be pleased to benefit from.

Best regards,

Shane

Ask the experts

Need some expert advice?

At Motorcheck we endeavor to source the best independent advice on any technical questions you may have about your current or prospective car.

If you have a question that you’d like to put to our expert panel simply click on this link and leave a comment at the bottom of the page.

One of our expert panel will respond as soon as possible.

Related posts:

1. Thousands of Ex-Taxis to Flood Used Car Market
2. Do We Put Too Much Faith in Tipp-Ex?
3. Audi R8 to Go Under the Hammer

Recently we’ve heard of people being advised to powerhouse the underside of the car before the test but we were concerned that this wasn’t a long-term solution and could lead to bigger trouble further down the line.

Nell has exactly this problem with her Audi A6 that’s caused it to fail the NCT on two separate occasions. Maybe a better mechanic is needed? We asked our resident expert Shane O’Donoghue for some advice…

Hi Motorcheck!

I drive a ‘99 audi A6 2.5tdi that failed the nct twice. The only major issue..leaking oil.

I put it through without doing anything the first time, it failed. My mechanic said without taking the engine apart and incurring major costs it could not be fixed simply.

It drips a couple of drops a day. I do a lot of mileage so need to put oil in every 6 weeks or so. So before the re-test my mechanic cleaned the whole engine down and completed a temp seal job where he could..it looked like new! But he said it spluttered a little oil underneath after he tested it on road. I powerwashed underbody 30min before nct and it failed! Too late for another re-test to add insult to injury!

I know these cars are renound for oil leaks.. could I get some advice from someone who’s been through this.

Thanks for your help!

PS. Also, driver door handle (outside) giving me trouble since today, door will only open after about 30 tries.

Hi Nell,

This car’s engine is quite prone to leaks so it really could be coming from any number of places. However, I’m a little surprised by your mechanic’s attitude to it. If it’s quick enough to be detected in an NCT then it really should be possible to at least trace where it’s coming from. It may still be a big job to fix it of course. I’d take it to another mechanic.

If you don’t mind getting your hands a little dirty and you’re any way mechanically minded it shouldn’t be too difficult to take off the inner door card and see if you can see what’s wrong with the door handle for yourself. It may require a replacement part though.

Failing that, ask the mechanic to look at it for you, but beware that it could take a couple hours of his time that you will have to pay for.

Hope that helps.

Shane O’Donoghue – Completecar.ie

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At Motorcheck we endeavor to source the best independent advice on any technical questions you may have about your current or prospective car.

If you have a question that you’d like to put to our expert panel simply click on this link and leave a comment at the bottom of the page.

On of our expert panel will respond as soon as possible.

Related posts:

1. Motorcheck Mechanics – Free Expert Advice From Ireland’s Leading Motor Mechanics
2. Free, Independent Advice From the Experts
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If you have a question that you’d like to put to our expert panel simply click on this link and leave a comment at the bottom of the page. A member of our expert panel will respond with some free independent advice that could get you out of a tight spot.

That’s exactly what Amanda did when she wrote to us about the trouble she’s having with a timing belt kit on her Opel Astra.

Hi Guys,

I drive a 03 Opel Astra. Bought the car a few years ago, never an ounce of trouble. I dropped it into my mechanic over 2 weeks ago to get a routine service and a timing belt kit fitted.

Damaged Crankshaft

He took nearly a week to do the work.

Said that the threads on the crankshaft were damaged from before and that he had an awful job getting the bolt out of the bottom pulley that the fan belt sits on but got a tool to get it out.

He fitted a timing belt kit and put a stud lock on a ‘new bolt’ and said the job was 100%. I paid him well for that job plus I bought the kit myself. I asked would it be alright and he said it would be grand.

Next day after I got home from college an awful banging was coming from that same area so I left the car off and he towed it down to the garage. He said that the stud lock didn’t work and the bolt had come loose which wore the metal washer away causing the pulley to bang. He said he’d fix it. Got the car back yesterday afternoon plus another bill!! He said he put another stud lock on plus spot-welded the bolt. He also replaced the pulley with a 2nd hand one. I didn’t hand over the money at the time. I noticed that there was a clicking noise and the pulley was slightly swaying when I got home from him (Only 10mins from his house).

Fan Belt Sitting on the Floor

Went to a soccer match yesterday evening and on the way home an awful noise came out of the car like something was dragging on the road. The whole car switched off, the battery light in the dash came on and I pulled in straight away. Looked under the bonnet, the pulley was no longer there and the fan belt was sitting on the floor of the car.

I got in contact with the mechanic and told him I wanted to leave the car there until today but he was extremely anxious to get it towed to his garage. I called out to the house today to pick up a spare car. I told him I wasn’t paying him again for a job I had already paid him for in the first place. He said it wasn’t his fault.. He wanted to sell me the spare car, which isn’t too decent for 200 and he’d fix my car for free. I declined. So the car is in his garage at the mo.

Previously Healthy Car

Can you tell me how a previously healthy car that never had any problems at all has tuned into this? The pulley, belt, everything is mangled.. Surely he is in the wrong as I paid him initially to fit a timing belt kit plus service and now this has hapened, twice.. What do you think of the situation or what could I do or who could I talk to? Sorry for the long message but I’m trying to gain as much advice as possible.

Thanks a mill for taking the time to read this – Amanda

Hi Amanda,

What a horrible story. I discussed this one with an experienced mechanic and he has seen this happen before on this car. It’s highly unlikely that your mechanic caused the problem in the first place, as it would have been done on refitting on a previous occasion.

However, it’s a pity he didn’t communicate the issue with you earlier and warn you of the consequences of him trying to fix it. It would be a very difficult job and in hindsight should have been done by an experienced machinist.

There are not many options now unfortunately. It might be possible to drill and tap the crankshaft nose further, though I suspect not. Assuming so this could mean fitting a new or second-hand crankshaft. Realistically, it’s probably as economical to change the engine and then you need to weigh up the cost versus changing the car.

Before you decide all that, give your local Opel dealer a call and try to get to talk to the service manager. Explain your situation and you never know, they may have a better solution.

I’m really sorry to be the bearer of such bad news.

Shane O’Donoghue – Completecar.ie

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I’m delighted to welcome Ireland’s new free and independent advice service Completecar.ie as a new contributor to our blog here at Motorcheck.ie.

Both Paddy and Shane have an impressive track record in motoring journalism and have graciously agreed to answer any technical questions our Motorcheck visitors may have on a new or used car.

If you have a question, just leave a comment below where Paddy or Shane will pick it up.

How To Ask for Free Expert Advice

1. Ask your question using the comment form below.
2. Make sure that the option “Let me know when someone replies to my comment” is checked so that the expert response is emailed to you;
3. Enjoy your free expert advice!

About the Panel:

Shane O’Donoghue Shane O'Donoghue Shane has a PhD. in automotive engineering and began his motoring life working as an engineer in the UK. He soon realised that he preferred driving and writing about cars to developing them in the first place and hence started the Car Enthusiast Editorial Agency in 1999. Shane moved home to Ireland in 2006 and continues to manage the company while writing for The Irish Times and other global publications.

Paddy Comyn Paddy Comyn Paddy has been writing about cars at the top level in Ireland for over 10 years and in that time has been editor of New Car Magazine, has written columns for the Sunday Tribune and more recently has been a regular contributor to The Irish Times where he has written extensively on all motoring matters. Highly respected within the motor industry in Ireland, he is frequently asked to comment on motoring matters for radio and television stations such as RTE Radio One, Today FM and TV3.

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Figures from the Road Safety Authority show that the number of Irish road deaths fell to 239 in 2009, the lowest level on record, down 40 from 2008.

The 239 who died consisted of 40 pedestrians, 7 cyclists, 128 drivers, 38 passengers and 27 bikers.

Provisional Fatal Collision Statistics 2010

While it’s encouraging that the number of deaths is dropping, I’m sure you’ll agree that even one life lost on the road is one too many. Reckless behavior behind the wheel continues to put other drivers and road users at serious risk.

Thankfully I have yet to witness the aftermath of a serious accident but I thought the real-life pictures below serve as a useful reminder of the terrible consequences that speeding or driving without due care can have.

Thanks to Gregg at Wrecked Exotics for putting this collection of images together and allowing Motorcheck the opportunity to republish them here.

The driver of this Ferrari was the famous founder of TapouT clothing, "Mask". He was apparently racing a Porsche when he lost control and slammed into a concrete pole. His girlfriend was thrown from the car but survived. Unfortunately, Mask was killed. The driver of the Porsche may be charged in his death. Location: Newport Beach, CA (Jamboree Rd.)

3 teenagers taking a joyride, crashed at high speed. All 3 were killed. Location: Bygdoy, Oslo

This Ferrari F430 crashed into a Porsche Cayenne Turbo on the A-7 highway in Almeria, Spain. Both drivers were on their way to a birthday party and were racing each other. The driver of the Ferrari was not wearing a seatbelt and was killed. Location: Almeria, Spain

41 year old driver was killed after losing control of his Enzo at 150 MPH. The impact was so great that it tore the car into several pieces. Locals reported having seen and heard an Enzo being driven very hard the day before. Most likely it was the same car. Accident happened on October 30th, 2005. It sometimes takes a tragedy like this to realize how dangerous reckless driving is. This driver, who was able to afford a 1 million dollar car, lost his life to a careless decision. Location: Milan, Italy

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Identifying a ‘lemon’ from a genuinely reliable car is something even the professionals can make mistakes with and they appraise trade-ins every day of the week.

When you consider that buying a used car is something the average person does once every three years, it’s not surprising that thousands of us make costly mistakes every year when choosing a ‘newsed’ set of wheels.

One person who knows more than most about spotting a lemon is PJ McKenna. PJ is one of Ireland’s largest wholesaler and underwriter of used cars,4×4’s and LCV’s and has handled 10’s of thousands of vechicles in his 36 years of buying and selling all sorts.

When it comes to spotting a bargain he’s the best in the business, so if you’re thinking of braving the classified listings in search of a bargain at home or abroad, here are some tips from PJ’s Golden Rules.  Advice he gives car salespersons under the mantra ”Better appraisals = Better profit”.

Take Your Time

Schedule your appointment with enough time to cater for the car you’re inspecting.

Remember that a VW Golf 1.4 is a lot easier to appraise than a Subaru Impreza 2.0 STI, so if you’re talking to the seller prior to setting up an appointment, ask them to allow enough time for you to go through the vehicle properly.

It never pays to rush an inspection and could cost you dearly further down the line.

While we’re on the subject of ‘time keeping’ it can be useful to avoid needing a second viewing of the car. If it’s a genuine bargain it will probably be snapped up so ask the seller in advance to bring all the relevant documentation, VLC, VRC, service history, handbooks etc. so you have everything you need on site later.

PJ’s Tips

Bring someone with experience

If you are not technically proficient, get someone who is to help you, preferably someone with mechanical or bodywork experience.

See Everything (before you part with your hard earned money)

Never examine a car if it is dirty, while it is raining, still wet, or in bad light.

Take Notes

Try to use a professional appraisal form. It’s a useful record of any damage when your totting up sums later.

Test Drive the Car

It may sound obvious but be sure to test-drive the vehicle. Check the vehicle on full lock for velocity joint and steering/suspension problems. Take the seller with you. They will be impressed if you adopt a thorough method of appraisal and treat any subsequent offer you make seriously.

If for whatever reason you cannot test drive the vehicle, start the car, leave it running, after a few minutes “rev” the engine to 3000-3500 rpm check for excess smoke from exhaust or abnormal sounds from the engine. If in doubt revert to Golden Rule 1.

Double Check Documentation

Establish the exact model e.g. is it an L, a Freedom, an LX or a Ghia? Do not take the sellers word – check the documentation and compare it against a Motorcheck report. Establish how many owners the vehicle has had (again double-check the documentation)

Check the Bodywork

Slowly walk around the car, several times if necessary, taking note of paintwork abnormalities, panel alignment and gaps. Look down both sides of the vehicle, on your hunkers, to get a better view of shopping trolley type marks/dents “dings” as we call them in the trade.

These types of marks are very difficult to repair and if there are several can result in the car not being “sharp” and difficult to sell on.

Under the Bonnet

Open the bonnet! You don’t need to be an expert to visually check for oil leaks, service stickers, timing-belt replacement markings. Cross check anything you find with the service book.

Inspect bonnet-mounting bolts and wing mounting bolts to see if have they been tampered with. Check side valances, headlamp mountings etc. for any abnormality. If in doubt, revert back to Golden Rule 1.

Check the Roof

Check the roof of the vehicle. If someone has walked across the roof, for example, it is almost impossible to repair properly, bar putting on a new roof-skin, which is hugely expensive or filling with ‘Isopon’. Both options depreciate the vehicle and most likely excluding it from retail sale. Maybe this is why it’s being sold privately????

Inside the Car

Sit inside car, check steering wheel for wear (shininess), drivers floor mat and pedal rubbers for excess wear, always a good indicator of a “high miler”.

Check cigarette lighter, has it been used?? If the car has never been smoked in, that’s a bonus. Check the roof cloth, interior trims for wear and tear, cigarette burns etc. Open the boot, lift boot mat and check for any abnormalities.

Is it an Irish Car?

If the car is an import, be extra vigilant. Double-check all of the above. Check the chassis no. (VIN) if it begins with SABTVRO it means the vehicle was previously registered in Great Britain on a “Q” plate, which means the authorities cannot verify its origin.

Spare key?? Make sure they have it or deduct accordingly. Replacing a key can cost anything up to €250.

Pay Attention to Detail

Always pay attention to number plate surrounds, rear window stickers, tax holder stickers, key rings, if they all match and are from a reputable dealer, good. “She came from a good stable”

Ask Questions

Always ask the seller if the car has had any bodywork or paintwork? There is a big difference. Ask what was the cost of any repair? Ask to see receipts.

Don’t be embarrassed to ask! Be warned if the vehicle was damaged, you are entering a minefield. Has it had light damage and was badly repaired?

Worse still, has it had major body damage and been expertly repaired.? Vehicles having had repair suffer from depreciation to some extent.

Check it’s history

Last but not least – don’t regret it, Motorcheck it! You never know what secrets the car may be hiding and getting a Motorcheck report is a great way of verifying its previous history.

Related posts:

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2. Do We Put Too Much Faith in Tipp-Ex?
3. Essential Guide To Car Scrappage Scheme: Is your car fit for ‘Scrap’?

Which?Car performed the moose test or elk test (a test that determines how a vehicle acts when the driver evades a suddenly appearing obstacle) on the new Citroen Nemo with devastating results, whereas the virtually identical Fiat Qubo MPV fitted with stability control passed through the manoeuvre at a higher speed (56mph) without incident.

The fact that Electronic Stability Control or ‘ESC’ as it’s known is not available as an option on the Nemo is something the manufacturer may reconsider following the results of this test. However, we believe Government has a part to play in looking at tax incentives that will make critical safety features such as ‘ESC’ standard on all new cars.

It’s also worth noting that the Nemo did receive a three star NCAP rating in one of the agencies new tougher 2010 tests which doesn’t include an ‘ELK’ test.

The ‘ELK’ test was responsible in 1997 for introducing changes to the manufacture of Mercedes Benz’s A Class when journalist Robert Collin from the motor magazine Teknikens Värld toppled the car during a test.

Jeremy Clarkson takes the improved car through its paces in this clip from 1998.

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1. Do Irish Taxes Compromise the Safety of Our Cars?
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3. Are the Upcoming Changes to the NCT Really Necessary?

The company has brought cult brands like Harley-Davidson and MINI on board for a cooperation called sponsored motifs. There are loads of real-life examples on the company website.

Worringly, the company also offers a ‘personal motif’ service. If you send them a picture of your family or a holiday snapshot they’ll turn it into a customised photo tarpaulin for your garage door.

No doubt the media moguls amongst you will be thinking up all kinds of uses but here are a couple of our favourites from the site.

Harley Davidson Road King

Speed Boat

Pit Stop

Mini John Cooper Works

Dumper Truck

To view all the vehicles click here. Have you got an interesting idea for a garage door? Let us know below.

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On the surface, the announcement of such an incentive is designed to offer an antidote to what will initially be the high purchase price set to be asked for, for what will be very early electric car technology.

We have seen the silent roll out of prototype models of the Nissan Leaf and Renault Fluence EV electric vehicles, which prelude the arrival of real production versions of these cars starting as early as next year in Ireland. US prices have been announced for the Leaf, which have been set at $25,000 and this seems very reasonable for what is ground-breaking technology.

Range Anxiety Could Be A Problem

Earlier this month, as part of an Irish Times article I drove Mitsubishi’s iMiev, which is the first production electric vehicle to arrive on Ireland’s shores. The results of our 24 hours in the car were mixed. For a start, we didn’t achieve anything like the 130km which we had hoped to get from a full charge, mainly because we drove this car on a variety of roads, namely city centre, dual carriageway and perhaps more nervously, motorway.

'Range Anxiety' a Factor

Motorway driving sapped the car’s battery faster than you can say “range anxiety” and this was as real-world a test as you are likely to find. Obviously, not everyone lives 50+km away from their house, as I do, but many users need to be on the M50 or need to travel on a dual carriageway with speeds of at least 100km/h and this in the case of the iMiev had a very definite effect on the car’s range and performance.

Better things are promised from Nissan’s LEAF and Renault’s Fluence EV, with a claimed 160km of range, but if you push the engineer’s and marketeers on what conditions are needed to get such lofty figures then the answers aren’t always forthcoming. We will reserve judgement until we get our hands on the production versions of both the LEAF and the Fluence EV, but they will have to perform close to the claimed distances for Irish buyers to take them seriously.

Purchase Price Critical To Success

There is no doubt about the potential benefits of electric vehicles to owners in terms of running costs long term, but purchase price is going to be key for their success.

Purchase Price Critical to Success

Nissan, at the unveiling of their LEAF electric vehicle spoke about how they were set to do things a little differently compared to their alliance partner Renault and won’t go down the route of leasing the battery, but will instead offer the LEAF at a competitive price, assisted by the government grant of €5,000.

Allowing no VRT on a new car is generous to a degree, but since VRT is now based on emissions, then it would be just 14% of the Open Market Selling Price, so not a huge amount in the first place. Allowing a €5,000 grant off these new cars for a short period, from 1st January 2011 to 31st December 2012 is welcome, but it may only serve to benefit so-called early-adopters of the electric car. With petrol and diesel cars now cheaper than ever, it might be a hard sell to get an Irish buyer to spend €25,000 on an electric car when they can spend €15,000 on a half decent petrol or diesel car.

Bizarre Road Tax For Zero Emmision Cars

Another anomaly was highlighted this week and that is the confusion over whether there needs to be an amendment to road tax. One bizarre feature of the current emissions-based road tax system is that Band A is from 0-120g/km of CO2 inclusively so as it stands, if you do buy an electric car you will pay €104 per year annual road tax.

Is €104 Road Tax Good Enough?

Our neighbours in the UK don’t pay any road tax if the car has emissions of less than 100g/km. So while offering a grant off the purchase price is welcome, perhaps the government should be seen to go one step further and offer up the annual road tax too? Classifying an electric car, with zero emissions in the same way as a diesel car that has emissions of 119g/km seems already quite antiquated.

There has been a seismic move towards Band A and B cars. Figures from Motorcheck show that 74% of all new cars sold this year come from Band A and B. In 2006 this figure was just 14%. We have been conditioned to buy diesel cars and now the public is going to be asked to embrace a new technology is large numbers.

If the government is really serious about getting us into electric vehicles they are going to have to put more distance between cars with tailpipe emissions from those with none.

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2. First Electric Car From Mitsubishi Arrives In Ireland
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Government Support

The definitive agreement signed today confirms the Governments ongoing support of Electric Vehicles with a VRT Tax Amnesty as well as a 5,000 Euro grant towards the vehicles most expensive part – the battery.

The ESB has pledged to continue its development of a nationwide electric car charging infrastructure with plans to install 3,500 charging points nationwide by 2011.

2,000 domestic chargers will be installed in the homes of electric car owners and a further 1,500 in prominent on-street locations. Also planned are 30 fast charging points along our national inter-urban routes.

Nissan LEAF

Renault – Nissan Alliance

Nissan will supply its all-electric, five-seater LEAF hatchback to Ireland in early 2011. Gerard O’Toole, Chairman of Nissan Ireland is clearly excited by the new developments. Speaking at the signing today he said ‘Nissan Ireland is delighted to be part of such an historic occasion for the motor industry in Ireland and Europe’.

Unfortunately pricing for the LEAF wasn’t finalised in time for todays announcement but it’s expected that the car will be comparable to other petrol models in the same class. With a total range of 160 km’s it is expected that the cost of getting from A to B in an electric car will be 80% cheaper than a normal combustion engine.

The first ‘EV’ to hit the road with the Renault badge will be its light commercial Kangoo Z.E. later this year.

Renault Fluence

100 pre-production Renault Fluence Z.E.s will be introduced in 2011 for an Irish Pilot project with the production car available for private buyers in 2012. Both models are fitted with the latest generation of lithium-ion batteries which have proven to be 1.5 times more efficient than previous technology.

Philipe Klein, Executive Vice President of Planning and Control at Renault SAS, said: ‘Thanks to Ireland’s determination to be a leader in electric mobility transport, the necessary conditions – including incentives and infrastructure – are being put in place in this country to allow for the successful adoption of electric vehicles in the near future”.

‘Boy Racer Stuff’

It’s clear from the Minister’s first drive of the Fluence that the car has a certain fun factor. As you’ll see from the clip below, the huge torque provided by a silent electric engine can take some getting used to!

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One of 18 participants confirmed at this point, Gary joined the KCMG squad  as the youngest entrant on the grid and the first Irish person to take part in the series.

April 17th marks the season opener at Suzuka and Gary’s already showing impressive form in extended tests at the Motegi and Fuji international tracks. The 16-race series concludes at Autopolis on October 17^th.

Gary wins the Rookie Cup in the Formula BMW Pacific series

Speaking after a practice lap Gary said “The weather was a bit more unpredictable in Fuji so it was tough to get representative lap times but I’ll have to get used to that because wet weather racing is far from unusual in Japan. Overall I’m satisfied with how the programme is going so far and I’m confident we can be competitive with the leading runners when the racing gets under way.”

For those of you interested in becoming the next Michael Schumacher, Gary’s career highlights show just how competitive the sport is and what it takes to make it to the top. You can follow Gary’s progress throughout the series at Garythompsonracing.com or keep an eye on the comments below where we’ll be keeping an eye on his success.

If you’d like to lend Gary your support feel free to leave a comment below. We’ll be passing all your best wishes to Dad Noel who’s doing a great job of keeping Motorcheck informed.

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The official figures for March show an increase of 90% for passenger vehicles registered in Ireland as against the same month in 2009 (7,291 registered in March 2009 as against 13,861 for March 2010).

Year-to-date statistics for the industry show passenger sales have increased 38% from 31,064 to 42,795 on an overall basis.

Trend Reversed?

The figures show that sales fell between February and March by 605 units in 2009. However statistics for 2010 demonstrate a clear u-turn with registrations actually increasing by 1,544.

A buoyant used car market encouraged car rental companies to sell their older cars and refresh their fleets with newly registered cars (hire drives) in the first quarter this year. It appears that a significant number of these cars were registered in late March which would have supported the overall increase seen so far this year.

‘Hire Drives’

‘Hire drives’ are vehicles that are registered specifically for car rental companies and normally return to the used car market after six or nine months on rental duty.

'Hire Drives' drive sales figures

Although accounting for a significant portion of new cars sold so far this year, the car rental industry is still experiencing a shortage of cars.

Operators in the sector blame the lack of available finance as a serious problem for car dealers that would normally supply much greater numbers of new cars to the rental industry.

Banks that previously would have supported car dealers with short term finance arrangements for hire drives are now running scared. One rental company informed Motorcheck that they registered at least 50% less cars this year than last and could now be forced to rent older cars.

League Table

Top of the table for ‘Manufacturer’ in March is Ford with 1,976 (14% of the total market) registrations. This represents an increase of 125% for the manufacturer when compared with March of last year.

The Nissan Qashqai is the number one selling model for March with 773 units (an increase of 221% on last year) followed by the Ford Focus at 718 (an increase of 135% on last year).

Diesel continues to outsell Petrol with 63% (8,790) of new vehicles registered.

Over 76% of all vehicles registered fall into the lower CO2 categories. Band A represents 4,550 vehicles with Band B totaling 6,120.

Silver and Black continue to be the most popular colours (25% and 24% respectively) and 58% of all passenger vehicles registered falling into the body type category of hatch / lift back.

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It was widely believed that the scheme could stimulate the industry as a whole and introduce an additional 10,000 units to the annual figures for new car registrations.

Such was the enthusiasm for the scheme that most manufacturers introduced scrappage incentives of their own that when coupled with the Government sponsored scheme make for some fantastic value in the current market.

Serious Financial Pressure

What wasn’t expected however was the serious financial pressure that the scheme is now causing.

Current industrial action by staff at the Revenue Commissioners has meant that a backlog of 1,800 claims has developed with approximately 2.5 Million Euro in rebates owing.

To understand just how this is effecting the trade I spoke with one dealer principal who was previously buoyed by an increase in sales this year on the back of scrappage discounts. He told me that all of his scrappage claims since January are still outstanding and it’s now having a serious impact on cashflow at the dealership.

“It’s gotten to the point where we’re almost avoiding scrappage deals” he said. “Poor cashflow as a result of the public go-slow means that accepting trade-ins has also become difficult.

‘Subsidising Revenue’

We’re effectively subsidising the Revenue Commissioners at the moment which is pretty ironic considering we also act as tax collectors for them by paying VRT and VAT every time a new car is registered“.

Most dealers use ’stocking loans’ as a means of purchasing new cars for display purposes at their premises. Interest on the 2.5 Million Euro owed to Irish dealers could be costing anything up to €6,500 per day every day the payout of Scrappage Rebates is delayed.

Scrappage Scheme Under Threat?

If a dealer can’t afford to wait until the go-slow is reversed he will not be in a position to supplement the 1,500 Euro Government rebate.

This means that buyers who proceed with a purchase will have to go direct to Revenue with their rebate claim. Delays in payment to private individuals would undoubtably make the scrappage scheme less attractive for buyers and could undermine the success of the scheme.

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Unfortunately, supply is limited and it will be June before we see another 14 coming into the Irish market. This particular car will be used for testing purposes in advance of a Government target that 10% of all vehicles on Irish roads will be fully electric by 2020.

Electric Car registered as a Diesel?

A quick look at the official record on the Motorcheck database however makes us wonder if the registration authorities were expecting EV’s to arrive as soon as the i-MiEV did! Our free vehicle identity check shows that the registration number on show hasn’t been assigned the correct fuel type. The official database shows the all electric i-MiEV (Mitsubishi Innovative Electric Vehicle) as a Mitsubishi Grandis 2.0 Di-d Intense 5d/r DIESEL MPV.

Gavin Flood at Mitsubishi was happy to explain. Turns out the registration number used in the picture was a temporary one used for the purposes of the picture. The i-MiEV has yet to receive it’s official number plate but whatever it is – we’re looking forward to seeing it on Irish roads.

An impressive indication of what’s to come. The i-MiEV boasts a top speed of 130 kph with a range of 160km. It can be fully charged in 6 hours and costs less than €2 to charge from a standard plug.

Related posts:

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3. Mitsubishi Pajero defending our shores!

The study was launched in May 2009 following a record number of consumer complaints regarding the second hand car market. Covering the whole of the UK the study focussed on sales by registered dealers rather than private sales, but the OFT hopes that its findings will provide clarity across the wider second-hand car market.

The OFT estimate the potential loss to UK consumers from the purchase of vehicles with false mileage to be up to £580 million a year. That’s against a national fleet of 32million cars. Applying the same  ratio to the Irish fleet means the cost here could be up to €40 million.

Outlaw ‘Mileage Correction’ Services

One significant area the report focussed on was ‘Car Clocking’. Describing the practice as a “persistent and damaging consumer crime” the OFT identified over 50 businesesses in the UK openly offering “mileage correction services” despite the very small number of occasions where there may be a legitimate reason to correct a car’s odometer reading.

Office of Fair Trading

The report states “We have a strong suspicion that many of these companies adjust mileages for illegitimate reasons” and goes on to call for the introduction of legislation to outlaw mileage correction/alteration services and their advertising.

The Importance Of Data Sharing

The OFT strongly recommends that mileage readings be shared with vehicle check companies. It calls for the sharing of mileage data recorded at the point of an MOT Test and recommends mandatory mileage readings be supplied by vehicle owners to the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Authority (DVLA) each time a vehicle’s particulars are amended.

Serious Irish Problem

Car Clocking continues to be a serious problem in Ireland and it appears that UK vehicles are responsible for more than their fair share. A quick look at our March statistics shows that 39% of cars where a mileage discrepancy exists are currently, or have previously, been registered in the UK.

Motorcheck’s national mileage register has in excess of 1.4 million odometer readings we believe there are a number of ways the detection rate could be substantially increased.

1. NCT Readings – The Department of Transport could share the 8million+ mileage readings recorded on the NCT database.
2. Change of Ownership Readings – Most dealers use the Revenue’s Online Service (ROS) to transfer ownership of a car. This form allows for an odometer reading to be entered along with the new owner’s details. Hundreds of thousands of used cars pass through Irish dealers forecourts every year and these mileage readings would assist in combatting clocking.
3. MotorTax Online – The current system as operated by the Department of Transport at Motortax.ie asks users to input their insurance certificate number when renewing road tax. A similar input for the cars odometer reading could be introduced and provide another valuable record for the cars odometer history.
4. VRT Readings – Revenue also record the odometer reading every time an imported second-hand vehicle is registered for the first time in Ireland. If these readings were available our mileage register could compare the records against the 100+ million readings available in our UK database and identify potentially clocked cars before they’re sold on to an unsuspecting buyer.

Help Motorcheck combat clocking

If you’d like to assist Motorcheck with our battle against the car clockers, you can do so by entering the odometer reading for your car by clicking on this link or the button below. It’s free and could help prevent someone from clocking your car in future.

For further advice on how to avoid buying a clocked car you can visit a previous post here.

Related posts:

1. Car clocking up 400% in downturn
2. The Consumers Challenge
3. There’s No Such Thing as a Silly Question

Are they reasonable changes that will help the ultimate goal of road safety or merely another way to generate revenue from the already heavily taxed motorist?

When the changes were first announced Minister Noel Dempsey said, “The new test items will improve the safety of vehicles on our roads, both for the vehicle owners and for other road users.  This is another incremental step in our road safety agenda, to make our roads safer and to save lives and prevent injuries.”

But with close on half of all vehicles being tested returning a ‘Fail Refusal’ are we prepared for the new categories?

Windows must transmit light above 65% to pass test

Changes with effect from April 2010:

Clarity of windscreen and front side windows

Excessively tinted windscreens or front side windows present a significant safety hazard for drivers and their occupants. The glass in the windscreen and front side windows will be required to have a light transmission level of not less than 65% in order to pass the test.

Rear fog lamp

Rear fog lamps enhance the visibility of a car in foggy conditions by indicating the vehicle’s position and direction of travel to other road users. The rear fog lamp, where fitted, will be checked to ensure that when in use it provides a red light which is clearly visible.

Reverse lamp

The reverse lamp of a vehicle provides illumination to the rear when backing up, and warns nearby drivers and pedestrians of a vehicle’s backward motion. The reverse lamp, where fitted, will be checked to ensure that when in use it provides a white light which is clearly visible.

Tyres must have a valid 'E' Mar

Tyres

Car tyres are the only point of contact between a vehicle and the road. The standards to which tyres are designed and built, is critical to ensuring adequate grip is maintained with the road surface.

An “E” or “e” mark indicates that the tyre is certified to comply with international regulations. A vehicle will fail if an “E” or “e” mark is not visible.

Rear registration plate lamp

Rear registration plate lamps provide essential illumination to the registration plate of a vehicle once parking lights are activated. The reverse lamp, where fitted, will be checked to ensure that when in use it provides a white light which is clearly visible. If it is not in proper working order a “Fail Advisory” will result i.e. it is strongly recommended that the fault be repaired but a failed test will not result because of this fault alone.

Airbags, ESC, EBS, ABS Systems lights will be checked

Malfunction indicators for Airbags, Electronic Stability Control and Electronic Braking / Anti-Lock Brake system.

Today’s cars are fitted with a number of warning lamps on a dashboard that let the driver know if certain critical safety, performance and environmental features are not working properly. They are important safety features and it is in the interest of the driver and road safety that all safety systems in the vehicle are in full working order.

Vehicles will be checked to ensure that, where fitted, the malfunction indicators for Airbags, Electronic Stability Control (ESC) systems and Electronic Braking Systems (EBS) / Anti-Lock Brake system (ABS) are in correct working order. The vehicle will fail if a malfunction indicator is not working or indicates a defect in the system.

Vehicle exhaust noise

The nuisance caused by excessive noise from vehicle exhausts is regularly the subject of comments and complaints. Examination of a cars exhaust silencer, and its effectiveness at reducing noise is part of the current NCT. It is proposed to implement a noise check of vehicles that the vehicle inspector deems to be excessively noisy. The vehicle will be required to have a level of noise no greater than 99db in order to pass the test.

Changes with effect from June 2011:

Annual testing of vehicles over 10 years old

At present two thirds of cars aged 10 years and older presented for a test do not pass first time. These older vehicles are more likely to be involved in a collision. Almost half (47%) of collisions that occurred in 2007 involved vehicles that were 9 years old or more.  From 1 June 2011 annual testing of cars over 10 years old will commence.  Cars over 10 years old will be issued an annual certificate after this date.

Further Changes?

One suggestion I heard recently seemed to make a lot of sense as an additional item that the NCT could examine.

Outstanding Recalls

Where a recall campaign was initiated on a given vehicle, the NCT could determine that the repair work was duly carried out on the vehicle being tested. Motorcheck has already called for the establishment of a national recall database that could record such eventualities and we believe that the NCT would be a perfect place to monitor the effectiveness of the original campaign.

Related posts:

1. Do Irish Taxes Compromise the Safety of Our Cars?
2. Motorcheck’s Ford Mechanic – John Sexton
3. Citroen Nemo Fails Which?Car ‘ELK’ Test

The ECC has said that the threat of cloned cars being sold in Ireland was significantly increased following the theft in 2006 of blank registration documents from the UK Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency (DVLA) in Swansea. A recent investigation by the BBC showed that vehicles worth £13m have been stolen as a result of the loss of thousands of blank DVLA log books.

Just how many cloned cars have made it onto Irish roads is unclear but possession of blank registration documents has allowed fraudsters to copy the genuine vehicles log book which makes the cloning much more difficult to detect.

Buyer Beware!

A recent TV programme looks at the problem of cloned vehicles on Irish roads.

ECC Ireland

According to Caroline Curneen, PR and Marketing Manager of ECC Ireland,

“This is a scam which may affect Irish consumers as they increasingly are choosing to shop cross border for larger items such as cars with many consumers discovering that it is often cheaper to buy a car in the UK and register it in Ireland.

A consumer may only discover that they have purchased a cloned car when they are issued a parking fine or speeding ticket. If you buy a stolen car, you risk losing the vehicle and your money even though you bought the car in good faith so it is imperative that consumers carry out comprehensive checks on any vehicle before purchase”.

You can perform an instant check on any vehicle registered on Irish, Northern Irish or UK roads by entering its registration number in the box now:

Motorcheck automatically includes the UK history with every imported vehicle so you don’t have to be concerned with finding its previous registration numbers.

Top Tips for Identifying a Cloned Car

The following tips have been complied by the ECC and will assist you in determining whether or not the car you’re looking at could be a clone.

• There are three main ways to spot a clone – check the log book, inspect the car and identify the VIN (vehicle identity number).

• Check the vehicle registration document (V5C). Buyers should not proceed with the sale until this document has been produced and they have examined it carefully. Look out for any obvious spelling mistakes. The registration document should have a watermark, the number plate should be clearly listed, the VIN and engine numbers matching those of the car should be listed as should the name and address of the seller. There should be no spelling mistakes or alterations. You can check the validity of the logbook by calling the DVLA.

• Check the VIN (Vehicle Identification Number) plates for signs of tampering. A VIN is a car’s unique identity number. They are usually located in several places, under the bonnet, under the driver’s seat and on the chassis.
  

  Car Thief

  Some cars have the VIN etched into the glass on a window or sunroof so check to see if there are signs that the VIN number has been scratched off or that stickers are not concealing a VIN number. Make sure that all plates have the same number and look for signs that it may have been removed. When you decide what make and model you are interested in, find out where the vehicle identification number (VIN) is on that vehicle. You will then know where to look and check it’s correct.

• Check that numbers listed on the registration document match the car’s number plate, engine number and VIN. Be certain that the V5 certificate is genuine and hasn’t been changed in any way.

• Be on the lookout for stolen registration certificates. The DVLA has provided a range of serial numbers of known stolen registration certificates on their website. If you find one that is in the range of BG8229501 to BG9999030 or BI2305501 to BI2800000 do not proceed with the sale and contact the police.

• Carry out a vehicle check with a vehicle data-check company. This won’t be able to identify a cloned car, but it will tell you if a vehicle has been recorded stolen, written off, scrapped or has outstanding finance.

Related posts:

1. Stolen Irish Cars disguised as UK Cars
2. The Real Risks of Buying A Stolen Car
3. First Electric Car From Mitsubishi Arrives In Ireland

However, recent studies show that quality and safety are fast becoming more important than price. Most of us don’t realise that a poorly fitted windscreen can be a very dangerous thing to have on your car.

An ill fitting windscreen can be difficult to identify but the experts tell us that at least one in a hundred of us are driving with exactly that.

Safety Concerns

Apart from providing protection from the elements, a cars windscreen will determine the effectiveness of the passenger airbag.

Your windscreen is responsible for 30% of structural integrity

When this airbag deploys it needs the support of the windscreen behind it to provide the protection necessary for the occupant.

If the windscreen has been poorly fitted it could be pushed out by the airbag leaving the passenger completely exposed.

Believe it or not, if you were unlucky enough to experience a roll-over in your car your windscreen would be responsible for 30% of the structural integrity. If it’s not fitted properly your car could crumple in a way that the manufacturer didn’t intend leading to serious injury or worse…

Autoglass Competition

One provider who takes this responsibility very seriously is Autoglass an Irish company that’s part of the International Belron group. When it comes to fitting windscreens these guys should know their stuff as Belron replace a piece of glass somewhere in the world every 5 seconds.

The winner of today’s national finals held at the Europa Academy will have been judged against a number of headings including technical, quality, safety and customer interaction. Autoglass is the only company to run this type of competition which is highly regarded in an industry where anyone can claim to be a ‘windscreen fitter’ without any formal qualification or industry standard.

Winning the overall competition means claiming the title ‘Best of Belron’ and being able to put ‘best fitter in the world’ on your CV. The finals will be held in Paris in June where one Irish finalist will be competing for glory.

Related posts:

1. Do Irish Taxes Compromise the Safety of Our Cars?
2. Are the Upcoming Changes to the NCT Really Necessary?
3. Car Clocking Costs Irish Consumers Up To €40 Million

We’re relatively new to blogging here at Motorcheck but we must be doing something right as we’ve been made the shortlist under the category ‘Best Blog of a Business’.

Blogging – dead? I don’t think so……

A quick glance at the breadth of talent on the short lists makes it clear that the blogosphere is thriving and growing in multiple directions.

It’s a privilege to be mentioned in the same category as such hugely committed bloggers and we’re looking forward to a great night in Galway.

Related posts:

1. Budget 2010 – Scrappage Scheme, Should YOU buy?
2. Motorcheck.ie Introduces New VRT Calculator
3. Prodrift Drivers ‘Shock and Awe’ Motorcheck at Citywest

When the scrappage scheme was first introduced one of the conditions was that the vehicle must have been insured for 12 of the previous 18 months. However many potential buyers complained that the rule was being interpreted differently meaning that the vehicle must have been insured in the name of the registered owner for 12 of the previous 18 months.

Disappointed Buyers

This prompted a large number of comments to our original blog post from buyers disappointed that although their car satisfied all the other relevant conditions, it didn’t qualify under the revised insurance rule.

This was because a large number of registered owners were insured as named drivers and consequently not specified on the actual insurance policy.

Good News for Spouses

Good News for Spouses

The good news for buyers is that the legislation has been amended to take account of this common situation and now reads as follows;

“(5) For the purposes of subsection (2)(c) and (h), any reference to ‘person’ may, in the application of those provisions, be construed by the Commissioners as a reference to the person concerned or to that person’s spouse.”.

This means the vehicle to be scrapped may now have the policy of insurance or the registration of the new vehicle in the name of the spouse – however the Minister for Finance underlined in debating this amendment that this does not include other family members.

But what exactly is a ‘Spouse’?

In their advisory comments Revenue indicated that it is up to the dealer to satisfy themselves what exactly a spouse is and who the qualifying spouse is in the application for scrappage.

“While this opens up the scheme somewhat, it does pose some challenges to the dealers who will have to determine exactly what a spouse is and who is a spouse. It may prove quite challenging to determine whether two people sharing a name with the same address are brother and sister, father and daughter or spouses and whether two people with different names sharing an address are a married couple who have retained their own names, living together without any State recognition or simply housemates or flat mates who see an opportunity.”

The Oxford dictionary presently defines spouse as a noun meaning ‘Husband or Wife’ so it may be worth bringing a copy of your marriage certificate to your local dealer if you’re thinking of available of the scrappage scheme!

Related posts:

1. Essential Guide To Car Scrappage Scheme: Is your car fit for ‘Scrap’?
2. Budget 2010 – Scrappage Scheme, Should YOU buy?
3. Scrappage Scheme Costing Dealers Millions

With the rise of the touch screen smart phone and other gadgets that we can’t seem to put down, it appears that drivers are being driven to distraction behind the wheel. Some commentators have gone as far as to say that 90% of accidents in a car occur as a result of driver distraction.

If pressed, most of us will admit to having used a mobile phone, sat-nav or even sipped a cup of coffee when driving. These are everyday examples of how easy it is to become distracted when driving and common as they are it begs the question – is anything being done to pro-actively improve safety around driver distractions or is it up to us to improve (and an Garda Siochana to police) our driving habits?

Can Technology Help?

Euro NCAP

Obviously motor manufacturers take the business of safety very seriously. The European New Car Assessment Programme (NCAP) test (established in 1997) considers itself an important incentive for manufacturers to improve the safety of their cars. Competition for the ‘5 Star rating’ is fierce with each participant hoping to make the agency’s ‘Top 5 Achievers’.

But improving safety is more than passing a test. As one manufacturer put it to me recently “Designing a car to pass a test is one thing. Designing a car to save lives is an altogether different challenge”.

New Developments in Safety Features

Most of us expect our cars today to come standard with All-Round Airbags, Seat Belts Pre-Tensioners, ABS, Traction Control, Brake Assist Systems, Stability Control – etc. The list is almost endless but thankfully it’s growing!

There are some very exciting new developments on the way. I had an opportunity to test drive Volvo’s new S60 this week and was blown away by some of the safety features Volvo have developed. Their new “Pedestrian Detection System” is a serious piece of kit and could make accidents involving pedestrians a thing of the past.

A combination of onboard radar and specially designed camera’s detect pedestrians and other moving objects in your way or about to step in front of you and will stop the car automatically if you don’t. Unfortunately cameras weren’t permitted in the testing area (all very hush hush at the time) but this short promotional movie will give you an idea of how it works.

So Why Are These Great Safety Features ‘Optional Extras’?

90% of Accidents Caused By Driver Distractions

I was so excited by this technology I couldn’t wait to hear how it will come standard on the entire Volvo range. I had visions of the technology being licensed to all manufacturers and overnight – accidents involving pedestrians would be reconciled to history! Turns out it’s not that simple. In a highly competitive market safety features are a great way of developing unique selling points. The reason they don’t come automatically as standard comes down to cost. Most of this exciting technology costs millions to develop and invariably begins life as an ‘Optional Equipment’ in a bid to pay for themselves.

Just yesterday, new statistics from the Road Safety Authority showed that up to one third of all road collisions involve drivers who are using their vehicle for work. Company car drivers pay another form of tax for the private use of their company vehicles. It’s called Benefit-In-Kind (BIK) and it’s calculated against the Original Market Value (OMV) of the car. This means that adding safety features which will increase the OMV which in turn raises BIK and the employers lease costs haven’t got a snowballs chance in hell!

The problem with optional safety equipment means that we are relying on the private every-day driver (the one that uses his iPhone and drinks coffee in the car) to recognise that he could do with some assistance in identifying pedestrians and be prepared to shell out a couple of grand for it. Not likely!

Economies of Scale

It all comes down to economies of scale. When a safety feature is first launched it carries the responsibility of a significant financial investment on the part of the manufacturer. Whilst it would be great if it could be included as ‘Standard Specification’ the reality is these features need to pay for themselves first. Introducing them as ‘Optional Equipment’ means the car can continue with a competitive purchase price with the ‘option’ of the safety feature for those interested.

New Volvo S60

In time, the cost of manufacture associated with the safety feature will drop as economies of scale kick in and eventually the feature pops up as standard on future models. But rather than relying on the responsible, safety-conscious driver who choses to add this option and make the afore mentioned scale a reality so that it becomes a ‘Standard Feature’ which will benefit the rest of us, isn’t there anything the Government could be doing to speed up the process?

How many accidents could be prevented and lives saved if we changed the way we taxed safety features on cars? Take one safety feature offered by Volvo today as an example. “Adaptive Cruise Control with Collision Warning and Auto-Brake” is available as an option on the Volvo S80. This technology which is a pre-cursor to the pedestrian safety you saw above costs €1,600. It’s a system that will automatically gauge the speed of the car in front of you in order to speed up or slow down your car while operating cruise control. Should the car in front jam on the brakes, the system intercedes and brakes on your behalf. A welcome intervention if you ever have cause to use it!

Government Action Required

If the Government decided to waive VRT and VRT the cost of this system would be reduced to €1,000. Its appeal as an option would increase and more sales would follow allowing Volvo to reduce the price even further. This would mean that the time it takes from introduction to promotion as ‘Standard Feature’ would be greatly reduced and our safety on the road promoted above Revenue concerns.

It’s not as if the Government aren’t getting their cut anyway. Remember for most of us, having €1,000 to spend means we had to earn closer to €2,000 before income tax and there’s the healthy VRT and VAT take that’s applied on the price of the car before extras.

Volvo are not alone in the pursuit of excellence in safety. Other manufacturers have some excellent features in development but as long as our Government continues to tax these innovations our ability to enjoy them as standard on the road will surely be compromised.

Related posts:

1. ‘Black Boxes’ for cars?
2. Autoglass Irish Finals Take Place Today
3. Reckless Driving With Fatal Consequences

New Offer

From March 1’st I’m delighted to announce that anyone using their Motorcheck fuel card to purchase a minimum of 500 litres in a three month period (that’s roughly 35 litres a week) will qualify for an exclusive Free Topaz Gift Card credited to the value of €20!

The gift card will be posted to you automatically and can be used to purchase any non-fuel items (Coffee, Sandwiches, Drinks, Chocolate, Bread, Milk e.t.c.) at participating outlets.

What is the Motorcheck Fuelcard?

Click the image to apply for your fuelcard

Motorcheck and Topaz formed a partnership three years ago to bring the benefits of a ‘fixed price’ fuelcard to private car owners in the Republic of Ireland (you can read more about the service on our main site here but main benefits include – a free card, 1 month’s interest free credit and a guaranteed fixed price at Topaz stations natiowide).

There are over 15,000 fuel card holders using the card at present and the latest statistics for all transactions show that over 90% of purchases are at or below the pump price.

Of course the final saving will depend on local competition but as an average it’s a great result!

Apply Online For Your Free Card

Please allow 4 weeks to process the application and complete delivery of the card.

Card Pricing

The fixed price on the card changes every week at midnight Friday. Please remember – the card is a fixed price and if you use it at a station where the pump price is lower, you will be charged the higher card price.

Free SMS Updates

Each card holders receives a free SMS every Friday afternoon indicating what the price will be for the following week. This way you will always know when to buy and avoid any crazy price hikes! If you’d like to view the price for this week online click on the following link  http://www.motorcheck.ie/fuelcard/pricing.

If you have any questions you can visit the FAQ page or leave a comment below.

Related posts:

1. First Free Topaz Gift Cards Sent
2. Motorcheck Voucher – Discount for Cartell.ie Customers
3. Motorcheck Mechanics – Free Expert Advice From Ireland’s Leading Motor Mechanics