Expert answer

Hi Jerry,

Do you mean you'd like to fit smaller wheels to your car or fit smaller tyres to your existing wheels? The 'R17' part of your tyre size name means they fit 17-inch diameter wheels. You cannot fit R16 tyres to larger wheels.

If that doesn't answer your question please leave a comment in the box below and we'll come back to you again.

Thank you

Expert answer

Hi Madeline,

It would be great to get a little more information from you on this if possible (you can post it in the comment section below). Are you considering buying a car that was imported and registered a while back and is now being sold on without an NCT or is this a car that has just been imported?

In either case, it's always a good idea to have an independent expert check over the car for you before you commit to buying. The AA provides this service - as do other companies - but even a mechanic you trust would be a good start.

With regards to cars imported from Japan: in my experience, when they arrive in Ireland first, they are generally in very good condition.

As with any used car purchase though, if something doesn't feel right, just walk away from the deal.

Expert answer

Camshaft sensors in most cars are really easy to change, though as with all things under the bonnet we'd always recommend that you bring your car to an expert unless you know what you are doing.

In most cases this work would take 10-15 minutes.

Without the car in front of me, or a workshop manual, I would hesitate to give you more precise instructions, but usually the sensor is held on by just one or two bolts and an electrical connector.

Assuming that is the case, remove the bolts and connector and reverse the procedure for the replacement sensor. Be careful that you do not damage the new sensor.

You should be aware that some cars may need their on-board computer (the Engine Control Unit - or ECU) reset following this operation. Ideally this would be done by a main dealer or garage with the correct equipment.

What has lead you to diagnose a problem with the sensor? (You can reply in the comment box below)

Expert answer

Hi Patricia,

The correct tyre pressures for the Citroen Xsara from 1997-2000 are 31 psi front and rear, but you might want to adjust this upwards slightly if you carry a fully laden car.

Remember to check your tyre pressures every 2 weeks to ensure you have the correct pressure as under-inflation can cause uneven tyre wear and decrease fuel economy. You can buy small devices to check your tyre pressure at places like Halfords or other car parts outlets.

As regards the Xsara owner's handbook, you could go down the route of getting them from a dealer, but we reckon eBay is your best (and cheapest) bet. We found one for around a tenner here

Hope this helps!

Expert answer

Hi Ciaran.

Funnily enough, I was just last week at a tyre event and we got a full briefing on tyre wear, which I knew would come in useful somehow.

Firstly, no this isn't normal wear at all unless you were on a track racing. I take it that you aren't and from what you are saying the wear is even. Usually shoulder wear is a sign of under-inflation. Under-inflation can also lead to tyre blow-outs.

Drivers should check their tyre pressure every two weeks according to the manufacturers. One-sided wear is usually an alignment issue and that doesn't seem to be the case here.

Anyway, we contacted Bridgestone / Firestone on your behalf and they are happy to send out an engineer to inspect your tyres. I have sent you their details. They want to check out if there is a fault and we can take it from there.

What we will say about tyres is that it does not make economical sense to buy cheap ones. They tend to be of lower quality and there is no wisdom in having poor tyres on your car. See how you get on with the engineer and let us know by posting a comment back on this page.

Hope that helps. 

Expert answer

Well you haven’t said what your budget is but there are plenty of interesting cars that are available under the scrappage scheme.

Alfa Romeo’s Mito is a small premium hatchback, and its clean 1.3-litre diesel engine puts it in Band A; the 1.4-litre petrol and 1.6-litre diesel models fall into Band B. Prices start at €18,995 before you take away the government discount.

The Audi A3 with the 1.2-litre TFSI petrol, the 1.6-litre diesel and 2.0-litre diesel all qualify for scrappage, as does the Cabriolet version. The A3 3-door starts from €25,195 before scrappage discount, it’s €26,195 as a 5-door Sportback model, and €32,785 for the Cabriolet version before the €1,500 discount.

The A4 with a 2.0-litre diesel engine in either 120bhp, 136bhp and 170bhp all fall under Band B in either saloon or Avant form. Prices start from €34,060 (€32,560 with scrappage) for the diesel saloon and €36,460 (€34,960 with scrappage) for the Avant. The stunning A5, with a 170bhp 2.0-litre diesel engine, falls into Band B. Prices start at €44,265 (€42,765 with scrappage). You can also have the Audi A6 2.0-litre TDi with 136bhp, which is in Band B. This huge car starts from €39,735 (€38,235 with scrappage). The Audi TT diesel is a really superb car to drive. At €44,175 for the Coupé (€42,675 with scrappage), this is a brilliant buy and that fact that it costs €156 per year to tax makes it all the sweeter.

BMW also has a huge number of models that qualify for the scrappage scheme. Its 2.0-litre diesel is used in various power outputs across the 1-Series, 3-Series and 5-Series and these all have emissions of less than 140g/km, even when fitted with an automatic transmission.

The 1-Series is available with clean diesel engines ranging in power from 115bhp to 177bhp. Prices start at €24,900 for the 3-door 116d, €23,400 with the scrappage discount.

The BMW 3-Series starts from €33,310 for the 316d. All its models get €1,500 off from the government through scrappage. Largest of all is the 520d. Although there is a new model coming later in the year, the run-out models of the 520d are expected to sell well, especially with a price tag of €40,220.

Mercedes-Benz has a number of models that qualify under the scrappage scheme. The standout model is the C-Class Blue Efficiency 200 (136bhp), 220 (170bhp) and 250 (240bhp) manual versions, the E-Class 200, 220 and 250 manual version and the E-Class Coupé 220 and 250 models with manual transmission. Prices start at €36,500 (€35,000 with scrappage) for the C200 CDi, €41,200 (€39,700) for the E200 CDi and €47,700 (€46,200) for the E-Class Coupé E250 CDi.

Finally, what about the Volkswagen Scirocco? You can have the 1.4-litre TSi petrol or 2.0-litre TDi Sport model under the scrappage scheme. Prices start at €25,190 for the Scirocco (€23,690 with scrappage),

To answer your question though, which is fastest? We think it is the BMW 123d Coupe. It has emissions of 138g/km yet has a top speed of 238km/h and 0-100km/h time of 6.9 seconds. This is faster than the Audi TT TDi, which has a top speed of 226km/h and 0-100km/h time of 7.5 seconds.

Expert answer

Having been the owner of a few old BMWs in my time I feel your pain. I know that going to a main dealer can give the best work without a doubt but it can also be horrifically expensive too. If you have paid a few grand for your car, you probably don't want to be faced will bills of €1000+ from a main dealer, which can happen if there is a major repair. What we would say that if its a service then there are some very good offers from main dealers at the moment on this and it might be worth checking with them first. 

However if you want to try independent, we contacted the guys over at E30owners.com and they told us of their list of favoured independents and they are as follows:

Chelmsford Motors Ranelagh Dublin 2

Courtney BMW North Circular Road Dublin 3

Bavarian Autotech Abbeyfeal Limerick

We have also heard very good things about AC Car Sales on South Circular Road in Dublin 

www.accarsales.ie/

Expert answer

It is very true that obtaining finance is a major problem at the moment. A survey by the Peugeot dealer network in late 2009 showed that 71 percent of car finance proposals were being rejected compared to 30 percent in September 2008. In the last 12 months GE Money, Friends First and Lombard Ireland all left the market, which is now dominated by the likes of Permanent TSB, Bank of Scotland Ireland and the two main banks, AIB and Bank of Ireland. Evidence also suggests that the credit union has become a prominent lender for private individuals in the car market. It isn't a free for-all from the credit unions, but if you do have a decent savings record with a credit union they are a very good option.

In most dealerships, if you go through the likes of Permanent TSB, then you will usually need a pretty hefty deposit. Volkswagen Group now have their own bank and are said to be getting very high pass rates. As with most cases, it does depend on the state of your own finances and your ability to pay back the loan.

What seems to be clear is that motor finance is available, but like so many of the radio advertisements will say, ‘terms and conditions apply’. Large deposits and tough credit checks have replaced the sort of one-click, one-signature availability of the recent past

Expert answer

Hi Julia. Well firstly, congratulations on your new arrivals. With two new babies in your family your car needs will have definitely changed. A friend of mine recently was in the same situation as you and asked me the very same question. They couldn't really cope with a standard five-seater car anymore but by the same token, dreaded the thoughts of getting into an MPV. They felt that by buying one that they had given up on driving something 'exciting and cool' and you can understand that. Even the most modern MPVs can be a little van-like. So, we would steer you in the direction of the Nissan Qashqai+2, which is the 7-seater version of the Qashqai. A 1.5-litre diesel version with 2-wheel drive will cost you €30,450, or if you prefer you could get into a good used version for about €25,000 (2009).

This car will be cheap to run, with low road tax of €156 per year and evidence suggests they are reliable and holding their value too. Please come back to us if you need any more help, but we think this is the right choice for your needs.

Expert answer

There has been a lot of debate about the benefits of hybrid cars, but few would disagree that they are a step in the right direction. The principle of the current crop of hybrids, for those that don't know, is that a standard petrol engine is combined with an electric motor, with the result being better fuel consumption and lower emissions. The original Toyota Prius was the first mass-produced hybrid on sale and Toyota has just released the third generation of the model and it promises to be more refined and cleaner than ever.

There are other alternatives such as the Honda Civic Hybrid, which isn't bad either, or the Honda Insight, while at the top end of the scale Lexus does three hybrids, the GS 450h, the LS 600h and the RX 450h. In the case of the Lexus hybrid technology it's as much about giving the cars higher performance as it is increasing efficiency.

A hybrid is cleaner in so far as official emissions figures are very low. The Prius emits less then 90g/km, which will make it the cleanest petrol car on sale in Ireland. In some cases you could get better fuel economy from a diesel engine though.

With a budget of €40,000 you could easily get into the new Prius when it arrives in October, as the car is expected to cost about €28,000 and this will be a very cheap car to run, so it seems the natural choice. Bear in mind that even cleaner technologies will arrive soon, including those in the Opel Ampera and even a new plug-in version of the Prius.