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When to change my Peugeot 5008's belt?

When should I change my Peugeot 5008 timing belt? It's a 2012, 1.6-litre diesel engine with 130,000km on the clock.

Sinead Byrne (Donegal)

Nov 2019 Filed under: servicing

Expert answer

Hi Sinead,

Bit of an odd one for that model, but for cars built up to July 2012 and registered up to that date, the interval is every 240,000km or 10 years, whichever comes first. For cars registered after that date, but with the same build period, the interval is 180,000km or 10 years. Either way you still have some time to go before your car needs a change.


Which fuel to get for lots of commuting?

Hello,

I have a 1.4-litre 171 hatchback Volkswagen Polo with manual transmission and a diesel engine. I drive approx 100km a day five days a week for work, and the car currently has a mileage of approx 116,000km on the clock. Given that diesel and petrol cars are currently being phased out of the market, what's the best car for me to invest in, going forward given that I drive long distance and also do a lot of driving in cities? Is hybrid or electric the best option for long distance commuting and city driving?

Thanks

Anne O'Sullivan (Cork)

Oct 2019 Filed under: choosing new car

Expert answer

Hi Anne,

Is that a 100km round trip every day? Or 100km each way? Either way, you could potentially get away with a fully-electric car, assuming that you can charge at home and charge again at work. Either way, though, you’ll have to spend big and go for one of the latest electric cars with a  50kWh or 62kWh  battery, such as the Hyundai Kona Electric or the new Renault Zoe. What could well be an easier (and much cheaper) option would be to go for a hybrid. There’s only one hybrid-engined car in the Polo-size class at the moment, and that’s the Toyota Yaris. The current version is pretty good, but there is an  all-new one coming next year, so you might be best off waiting for that to appear. By then, the new Honda Jazz, also a hybrid, should be available. Or, you could keep it a lot simpler and go for a new Polo with the excellent 1.0-litre turbo petrol engine. It'll be tough to beat your diesel Polo for outright economy, though.


What will we replace our Passat with?

Hi there I have a query please.

I have a 181 Passat Comfortline with 78,000km on the clock. We are looking to change as we do every two years. We have got varying prices of €15,000 for the Passat and €16,000 for a Tiguan. We are thinking of the SUV route and have also priced the Skoda Karoq, where we were quoted €11,000. We don't think we are willing to pay as dear to stay Volkswagen, but the garage has a 192 demo Tiguan for €11,000 and wondering if that is worth it. Because of high mileage, resale value is a consideration.

Any advice appreciated.

Eleanor McGrath (Co.Clare)

Oct 2019 Filed under: choosing new car

Expert answer

Hi Eleanor,

I think, in general, you’re being given a decent trade-in against your Passat, assuming that the cars you’re looking at have a new price tag of around €35,000. I think of the cars you’ve mentioned, the Skoda looks like the best deal (surprise, surprise) as it’s basically identical to the Tiguan underneath, and just as good to drive. Just as well-made, too. Obviously, going for a demo Tiguan makes a lot of sense too, but just remember that it’ll technically be a two-owner car once it comes to resale time. One final wrinkle is that the new Passat (not entirely new but with some significant updates) is just arriving in dealerships now, so would be worth checking out to see if you prefer that to an SUV.


Is the new NOX tax in place now?

Has the extra cost of VRT on a diesel car, for example a 2014 Ford Focus 1.6 diesel, been effective since the latest budget?

Shane Mcloughlin (Ballina Co Mayo)

Oct 2019 Filed under: VRT

Expert answer

Hi Shane,

No, not just yet. The new NOx tax (which could add a significant amount of extra cost to importing a car, especially an older one like that 2014 Focus) won’t take effect until the New Year. It will be applied to all new cars and imports from Jan 1st. 


Lot of electric car questions for you...

Is there a map of the electric charging points available to the public in Ireland? Is there an app for this? Which brands sell electric cars that can be charged at home at night-rate electricity charges? Is the battery capacity of electric cars much improved and what range can you expect now as 2019 ends?

Sharon Jackson (Kiltegan)

Oct 2019 Filed under: electric cars

Expert answer

Hi Sharon,

OK, let’s deal with these questions one-by-one. There are a number of apps available that can give you the locations, availability and in-or-out-of-service condition of charging points. The ESB provides that through its e-Cars app, and there’s a very good independent one called Zapp Map, which also covers the whole of the UK if you’re planning any longer journeys.

All current electric cars (pretty much all brands will have at least one on sale by the end of next year, but for the moment the big players are Audi, BMW, Hyundai, Jaguar, Kia, Mercedes, Nissan, Renault, Tesla and Volkswagen) can be charged at home overnight on cheap rate electricity. The crucial question there is not the car, but your electricity provider and the tariff plan that you’re on.

Finally, battery capacity has been hugely improved in the past few years and, although that does come with a cost penalty, the average useable range of an electric car has gone up dramatically. Generally speaking you should expect to get at least 250-300km from most mainstream models now, with as much as 450km available from some of the more expensive cars.


Timing belts or chains?!

Hi!

I was a bit concerned to read in an online article that the timing chain on a three-year-old Volvo V60 (just outside warranty) broke and destroyed the engine (and until the newspaper got involved Volvo was going to make the owner pay for the new engine). The article also said that they were noticing an increase in timing chains breaking. Surely the whole point of a chain vs belt was that it would last. Better off with a belt and changing it at 150,000km. Costly, but, perhaps unthinkable, more secure??

Having been very taken with your recent review of the V60, I'm reconsidering going back to a Skoda, but unfortunately, the same article said that the Volkswagen Group were suffering particularly from broken chains. Does the Superb diesel have a chain or belt? Do all cars now have timing chains?

Cheers

Philip Donegan (Ballina)

Oct 2019 Filed under: diesel

Expert answer

Hi Philip,

First up, it's worth mentioning that there is not a massive worldwide problem with timing chains. They fail in some cars some of the time, but that does not mean they are inherently less reliable than timing belts. Every car is different in that regard so we'd urge you not to choose a car based on that.

There is no 'norm' - each car maker chooses which to use for a given engine and there doesn't seem to be any trend one way or the other as far as we can seen. 

The 2.0 TDI diesel engine in the pre-facelift Superb definitely used a timing belt, but there's a new engine in the facelifted model ('2.0 TDI evo') and we've not had a lot of information on the timing system. The one photograph of the image I've found shows a plastic cover to the front of the engine, suggesting that it does still have a timing belt.


Why does motor tax vary so much on a car?

Why would two exact same make, model and engined cars be different tax rates? Both 2010 Citroen C4 Grand Picasso, 1.6 diesel HDi?

Brian Ambrose (Castlemahon)

Oct 2019 Filed under: taxation

Expert answer

Hi Brian,

Different versions of the same car can have different equipment levels, which can affect the weight of the vehicle and therefore its emissions. Equally, different model years can have different engine specifications (even if the basic bones of the engine are the same), which can affect the CO2 rating. Or, of course, one could have a manual gearbox and one an automatic, which can have a major effect on the CO2 levels.


Electric or hybrid for me through work?

Hi!

I would like to ask for your help in choosing between a new electric car (price 30,000 Euro) and a hybrid car (price 24,000 Euro), taking into consideration that, due to my workplace, I am exempt from paying the VRT and the VAT. Could you please help me find out the final price I will need to pay for those two types of cars?

Thank you.

Andrew Parnwell (Dublin)

Sep 2019 Filed under: electric cars

Expert answer

Hi Andrew,

That’s a tricky one as you’ve not told us the precise cars in question. The thing is, an electric car with a price of €30,000 has probably already had the VRT rebated on it, so you won’t make as big a saving — you’ll only save the VAT, which will represent a discount of around €5,000, bringing the price down to around €25,000. 

With the hybrid, assuming it has CO2 emissions of under 100g/km, and therefore is in the 15 per cent VRT band, you could make a huge saving. It’s a rough guess, but we reckon you’d save €4,000 worth of VAT and €3,000 worth of VRT, bringing the price down to €17,000. 

Now, these are just rough calculations, and the final, proper figures may differ, but on the face of it the hybrid model offers a better up-front saving, but then you have to work in the potential for much cheaper running costs with an electric car when it comes to fuel and servicing. 


Are all 2008 cars taxed by emissions?

Are all cars from 2008 on the emissons tax?

Aaron Rodgers (Kilkenny)

Sep 2019 Filed under: taxation

Expert answer

Hi Aaron,

Not necessarily. Officially the emissions-based taxation system came into force from the 1st of July 2008. Everything registered after that date is automatically on the CO2-based system. For cars registered between January 1st and June 30th 2008, it’s a little different. Initially, they would have been taxed on the old engine capacity system, but if the tax cost would have been lower under the CO2 system, then the car should have been switched over at first renewal. If it hasn’t been switched by now, it probably means that it’s more affordable to tax on the old capacity system, so has been left on that one.


What's up with my Land Rover's stop-start?

Had my car's stop-start checked by Land Rover when it didn’t operate. They said it was the battery. They fitted a new heavy duty battery and the stop-start worked for about a week... It now only works with fan off. Could this be due the recent heat wave and use of the air conditioning? Very temperamental. Advise if possible.

H Stokes

Harry Stokes (Bedford)

Aug 2019 Filed under: fault

Expert answer

Hi Harry,

The most likely culprit is that there’s some electrical item draining the system as you’re driving. Or, possibly if you’re only driving for short hops, the engine is still in its warm-up phase and can’t be shut down by the stop/start. Or, and this is a wild guess, Land Rovers often have flakey electrics. 

Maybe read our Why won't my car's stop-start system work? feature for further understanding. We get a lot of questions like this.


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