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Previously answered questions
Help me find something interesting for €5,000.
Oh noble and all knowing oracles, whose driving gloves I am not fit to clean, I beseech thee. How best can I spend my €5k credit union loan to replace the daily hack, given I have many motorway miles to go each morning, and miles to go before I sleep? How much hybrid can I get; are they all knackered by now? Or am I consigned to TDI/HDi/diesel ownership, with the vagaries of DMF grenades and DPF clogginess to contend with? Is there a smart petrol alternative I've missed? It doesn't need to be big, just clever... and frugal, and reliable, and appealing to the lady-folk, and not a complete joyless, soul-sucking experience to drive. I'm not asking for much, am I?
Cian, Ha! (35 1/2)
Cian Hanrahan (Ennis)
Jun 2014 Filed under: choosing used car
Should this dealer replace my engine for me?
I bought a Hyundai i30 off a dealer last July; I paid €6,500 with my own car, which I got €1,600 for. I had six months warranty and in March I discovered an oil leak and brought it to my own garage just up the road. He put in a seal and it cost €100. Then in May the starter went in the car so I had to pay €400 for a new starter.
Then last week I was driving down the road and without warning the car just started to seize. I pulled in and turned off the engine. It was leaking a lot of oil and my local garage collected it. I decided to ring the person I bought it from when I discovered that the engine was gone in my car. I was shocked and expressed my concern to the dealer I bought it from. He told me my warranty was out and that he was not liable, though he said if I paid for an engine that he would fit it free of charge. This will cost me €800 to €1,000 on top of what I paid for the car. My local dealer told me that the engine had been opened before and he found this strange. My question is, is the dealer who sold me the car liable considering it was the engine?
Martina Murphy (Kerry)
Jun 2014 Filed under: warranty
I have a few questions about hybrid batteries in cars!
With regard to hybrid cars, are there any health risks from batteries? Are batteries expensive? How long do they last? If cars do 10,000km per year town driving will they last?
Ernest Webb (Dublin)
Jun 2014 Filed under: hybrid
How much VRT do you think I'll pay on this BMW?
I am thinking of importing a new BMW 320d M Sport with about £2,000 of optional extras. I can't find the exact car on the ROS website; can you tell me please how much you reckon the VRT would be on this type of car?
Many thanks lads: great website!
Ian Brodigan (Dundalk)
May 2014 Filed under: VRT
Will I get €8,500 for my petrol BMW 5 Series?
How much could I expect to get for a 2006 BMW 523i M Sport as trade in? I was hoping for €8,500; am I dreaming?
Jim Murphy (Dublin)
May 2014 Filed under: used car values
Can you help us choose a new car for the family?
Hi, we're looking at buying a newer car. Our budget is around €6,000. We've got a baby and toddler so interested in estates or people carriers. Are there any in particular you would recommend or advise to avoid? We want one as low maintenance as possible. We've also got a 2000 Ford Focus Estate with 114,000 miles on the clock. How much could we expect as a trade in?
Thanks!
Sharon Roberts
May 2014 Filed under: choosing used car
How much do you think an Opel dealer will give me for my Astra?
What value would you put on my 2011 Opel Astra SE (it has Bluetooth and electric mirrors) with 24,000 kilometres on the clock in mint condition as against possibly a new basic Opel Astra?
F D (Dublin)
Jun 2014 Filed under: used car values
Is EGR valve failure an inherent defect?
The EGR valve on my Volkswagen Golf Plus (purchased new Oct 2010) has failed due, I am told, to low use (17,000 miles on the clock). The repair cost was €674 and Volkswagen is not interested because the repair was carried out by an independent garage. I have been told that this problem is known to Volkswagen and other makers. Is this correct and is it the result of an inherent defect?
Keith Manners (Alsager)
Jun 2014 Filed under: diesel
Ford S-Max TDCi: timing chaing or belt?
Does the 2006 Ford S-Max Zetec TDCi have a timing belt or chain?
Patricia Forsythe (CARRICKFERGUS)
Jun 2014 Filed under: servicing
Timing belt or chain on my Audi A4?
2010 Audi A4 2.0 TDIe SE: timing belt or timing chain? How to find out ?
Sean Murphy
Jun 2014 Filed under: servicing
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