Motorcheck Blog - Official Used Car Check, Vehicle History Check Ireland

Do Service Departments Take Advantage of Woman Drivers?

Posted by Shane Teskey on 27 July 2010 in Ask the Experts | 4 comments

Unexpected repairs can be an unwelcome source of anxiety but most of us are resigned to the fact that keeping a car in good condition means having it serviced 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.

Two More Main Dealers Forced to Close

Posted by Shane Teskey on 22 July 2010 in New Car Registration Stats | 6 comments

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”.

Is Your Car Increasing in Value?

Posted by Shane Teskey on 21 July 2010 in New Car Registration Stats, Used Cars | 2 comments

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 and we all know what effect supply outweighing demand can have.

Prodrift Drivers ‘Shock and Awe’ Motorcheck at Citywest

Posted by Shane Teskey on 20 July 2010 in Motorsport | 6 comments

A sun-drenched weekend set the scene for Prodrift’s first time in the capital city at the Citywest Exhibition Centre for Round 3 of the Irish series. Expectations were high for this event, as fans and drivers alike were eagerly anticipating what was on offer, and for all involved it did not disappoint.

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.

Audi R8 to Go Under the Hammer

Posted by Shane Teskey on 12 July 2010 in Used Car Buying Tips, Used Cars | 1 comment

Expect some famous faces at Merlin Car Auctions this week as an Audi R8, one of only 18 sold in Ireland in 2008, goes under the hammer.

Originally costing more than 200,000 Euro the guide price at Merlin is expected to be a fraction of that at…..

Lucky Escape from Car with Hidden Identity

Posted by Shane Teskey on 5 July 2010 in How we've helped | No comments

Andrew Barry tells us about a car he had paid a deposit on and was about to buy until he ran a Motorcheck car history check on it.

It never ceases to amaze us what unscrupulous sellers will do to move a car with a troubled history.

Is VRT a legal tax?

Posted by Shane Teskey on 28 June 2010 in Featured, New Car Registration Stats | 12 comments

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”.

Originally designed as a replacement for Irish excise 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. Motorcheck.ie takes a look at the legality of Ireland’s Vehicle Registration Tax (VRT) and reports on growing support for its abolishment.

Stolen Irish Cars disguised as UK Cars

Posted by Shane Teskey on 11 June 2010 in Used Car Buying Tips | No comments

Efforts are ongoing to identify 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.

Motorcheck looks at how this latest scam is being conducted and what you can do to avoid being duped.

There’s No Such Thing as a Silly Question

Posted by Shane Teskey on 24 May 2010 in Ask the Experts, Used Car Buying Tips | 2 comments

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?

The following email arrived into the Motorcheck help-desk last week. It’s a great example of how someone buying a used car should question all the information available.

Troublesome Oil Leak Failed the NCT Test

Posted by Shane Teskey on 13 May 2010 in Ask the Experts | 2 comments

A persistent problem that causes your car to fail the NCT not once but twice can be very annoying and troublesome oil leaks are a common cause of failing the NCT.

Nell wrote to us about her Audi A6 that has failed the NCT on two separate occasions because of this problem. We asked our resident expert Shane O’Donoghue for some advice…