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Why is my Dacia beeping?

There's a beeping sound while driving my Dacia that sounds randomly for a few seconds. What can it be?

Martin Radford (Westbourne, Emsworth.)

Jul 2018 Filed under: fault

Expert answer

Hi Martin,

I'm afraid that's a tricky one to assess from afar. Usually, any beeping is accompanied by a warning light of some description, so keep an eye out for that. If you can't work out what it is then I suggest you bring the car to a Dacia dealer to look at.


Best version of Skoda Octavia for €9,000?

What is the best used year and model of Skoda Octavia to buy? Is it better to buy from North for value or are northern roads worse and more salt used? Budget is €9,000.

Thank you

Shane C (Clon)

Jul 2018 Filed under: choosing used car

Expert answer

Hi Shane,

A budget of €9,000 gets you into a 2013 Octavia and, happily, that’s a pretty good year to be buying. It’s the facelifted second-generation model, so you get slightly nicer exterior styling and, better still, a bit of an upgrade for the cabin. Go for either the 1.6 TDI diesel (if you drive lots of long haul) or the excellent 1.2 TSI petrol (if you don’t). Buying in the North can nab you some better value, right enough, and I wouldn’t worry about salt (we salt our roads too, nowadays) and the roads are more or less the same, to be honest. Have a shop around Irish dealers first, though, as many have trimmed their second hand prices to compete with imports.


Which family car for €25-30k? An A6 Avant?

My budget is €25-30k for a family car (we have three kids). Considering a 2014-15 Audi A6 Avant. I keep cars for a long time, planning at least 5-8 years. Current mileage is very low (10,000km a year). What other cars would you consider - based on my desire for an A6? Is paying over the odds for a diesel sheer lunacy based on my mileage, and considering that diesels MAY be worthless by the time I go to trade in?

Andy FitzPat (Clon)

Jul 2018 Filed under: family car

Expert answer

Hi Andy,

While I don’t think a diesel car is going to be worthless by the time you trade it in, it might well be worth less, if you see the distinction. That said, with your mileage, I’d say you should be looking at petrol or hybrid all the way. A 2.0 TFSI A6 Avant sounds ideal if you can find one and assuming that you’re already happy that all three kids can fit safely and comfortably in the back. A BMW 520i Touring would be the most obvious alternative (and a darned fine one at that) and a Mercedes-Benz E-Class Estate even better again (assuming you can find one with a petrol engine) and you can find them with seven seats. Volvo’s old-shape V70 is also worth a look, not least from the safety point of view. That said, make absolutely sure you check out a current-shape Skoda Superb Combi estate too — they’re actually roomier inside than any of the premium-badge stuff, and very comfortable too.


What to do with my converted UK campervan?

Hello,

I have a 2005 Citroen Relay 2.2-litre van I converted to a campervan in the UK. I am looking into registering it here, as I have moved back permanently. I went through the UK DVLA and converted it officially, but they did not change the vehicle category. It is N1. I checked this with them when I got the log book back and they said it remains as is, a commerical vehicle.

Here I understand I need to go through the whole palaver again and get an engineer to sign off the conversion, so it is MI, passenger vehicle. If I am looking at this thing correctly, I would be paying €900+ tax? Onto insurance, any idea what I would be paying on this size vehicle? I have two years' no claims driving it in the UK. Do they accept UK no claims here? It's hard to find the information online as you need to enter your reg and as it doesn't have an Irish reg yet, I have met some dead ends. The van is not worth much and it looks like it will cost me a whole lot more to run it here than in the UK. I am trying to get an idea before I start spending money, if it's a good idea to keep it, leave it on the drive or see if I can take it back or sell it to a UK driver. Any insight would be greatly appreciated.

E O'Mahony O'Mahony (Cork City)

Jul 2018 Filed under: commercial vehicle

Expert answer

Hi there,

OK, as a camper van or a van, you’re going to be paying the same Vehicle Registration Tax (VRT) when you bring it into the country, which will be 13.3 per cent of the Irish market selling price, as decided upon by the Revenue Commissioners. Now, whether they will accept the vehicle as being a camper van or a plain van is a bit of a finger-in-the-air exercise, but the most likely outcome is that they’ll take whatever the DVLA tells them, and it’ll remain as an N1 vehicle. That’s bad news from a motor tax point of view, but it’s equally not the worst news ever — it means you’ll pay €333 a year to tax it, rather than the camper van rate of €102. As for insurance, sadly no-claims bonuses are very rarely, if ever, transferable between jurisdictions so you’ll most likely be starting from scratch. I’d try and find a good broker to see if they can track you down a deal. 


Should I worry about a 171 diesel BMW?

Hi,

I need some help with a decision please. I’m thinking of buying a 2.0-litre sDrive BMW X5. Probably a 171 model. I know there’s a new model coming very soon, but I don’t mind about that. I’m a little worried about the N47 engine that I think this car has. Should I be worried and is there anything else I should worry about?

Thanks.

Joan O Connor (Cork)

Jul 2018 Filed under: reliability

Expert answer

Hi Joan,

The N47 engine, BMW’s mainstay 2.0-litre turbodiesel, did indeed give terrible trouble early in its life, mostly with the timing chain that was supposedly maintenance-free, but turned out to be nothing of the sort. Now, theoretically, the issue has been long since dealt with (any N47 from 2007 onwards should, emphasis on the should, not suffer from this issue), but it’s wise to be at least a little cautious. I’d recommend buying from a main BMW dealer, as the car will then come with the full two-year warranty, which will cover any potential issues. Make sure you keep it serviced with a main BMW dealer in future too, as if there are any problems, you will have some chance of getting them to stand over the engine.


Why do delivery charges vary so much?

Hi,

I am interested in buying a new Ford Fiesta; the model I am interested in is priced online at €20,150. One dealer in the Cork area quoted me €22,000 for the exact same thing, another quoted €21,395, making delivery charges €1,850 and €1,245 respectively. Audi quotes €650 delivery for the A1. Would you ask Ford Ireland for a comment and if it intends to do anything about it?

Thanks

Pat

Pat Mc Sweeney (Cork)

Jun 2018 Filed under: miscellaneous

Expert answer

Hi Pat,

The problem is that Ford Ireland, legally, cannot impose delivery charges on its dealers. It can suggest recommended delivery charges, but according to Irish law (and companies have, in the past, had their offices raided for this sort of thing), dealers are allowed to charge what they want for delivery and related. A spokesperson for the Competition and Consumer Protection Commission told us that: "Consumer law requires traders to provide the total cost, including extras, of a product to a consumer before they buy. In the specific instance of when a manufacturer is advertising a car for sale, the manufacturer can only advertise the recommended retail price and state that delivery and related charges will be extra. If a consumer then decides to buy that car, they should be provided with the total price by the dealer before they buy. Auxiliary costs such as motor insurance, tax etc. are not dealt with specifically under consumer protection law. However, through our information campaigns, we would encourage consumers to do their homework about such costs before making a purchase."

We did contact Ford about the issue too, and it said: "It is an anomaly of the Irish market that has come down to us from our forebears. It is just the way the market is set up and all brands operate the system. Pretty much since the first Model Ts were hitting dealerships across the country, car brands always quoted an 'ex-works price' [in other words, the price of the car as it leaves the factory gates, not when it rolls off the dealer forecourt] for a car on top of which an extra charge was added. What is covered by that cost will vary from dealer to dealer, but for all of them, it covers the cost of delivery of the vehicle to their dealership. Many dealers will also include such items as the cost of the pre-delivery inspection (PDI), new plates for the car, perhaps a full tank of fuel. Each dealer will have their own range of items that are covered. So, ‘headquarters’ does not get involved in the setting of that cost or what is covered, it is all at the discretion of the dealer. In today's very competitive new car market, everything is up for negotiation and I am sure that many customers push the dealer on all aspects of the 'deal' including the delivery and related costs. Customers are savvy enough to do their homework, shop around and compare what is on offer across dealerships and indeed, across brands. More than ever, real value is what will win out in the marketplace.”


Best way to deal with a car I own in Spain?

This is probably a difficult question and if you don't have a clear answer, that's fine.

Upon retiring, I bought an apartment in Spain four years ago and for the past four years I've come and gone. Because I spent extended periods there it wasn't realistic to hire a car, so I bought a new car but then I made the mistake of replacing it in 2017. I was never tax resident in Spain and now intend selling up and coming back to Ireland permanently. Do you know what is the tax position of bringing the car back the Ireland? It might be better to sell it in Spain, but I'm unlikely to get a reasonable price, but equally if the VRT is very significant I should accept the loss.

Thanks

Philip

Philip Donegan (Ballina)

Jun 2018 Filed under: importing

Expert answer

Hi Philip,

It’s a tricky one. Technically, you’ve owned and used the car in Spain (and presumably taxed and insured it), which could, theoretically, mean that you can bring it in VRT-free, but the problem is your residency issue. As this was a holiday home, more than your full-time residence, it might not count. Usually, Revenue wants to see proof of change of address (rather than the end of use of an address) to give you the waiver on VRT. I think a chat to your accountant might be a good idea...


Why do Irish car buyers not get discounts?

Hi,

I wonder if you could explain something I don't really understand about the Irish car buying market, even though I have a big interest in cars and the industry. Why is it that Irish car buyers hardly ever seem to get the sort of discounts that buyers in Britain do? I'm not just referring to the fact that overall new and used prices are cheaper there.

I wanted to buy a new or nearly new Peugeot 508 here recently and thought I would get a reasonable discount, which I pushed for, as that model does not sell as well as many of it's rivals and I thought the Peugeot dealer would be delighted to sell a saloon seeing as the market for them is declining so much and so many people now want SUVs instead. Alas, I could not get any sort of decent discount for a new or nearly new 508. It is well known that in Britain the buyer often gets a sizeable discount for car types or models that lag behind many rivals in sales, or for certain brands such as Vauxhall/Opel and Citroen. From what I observe and hear, you don't get decent discounts either for certain makes and models here in Ireland.

Higher VRT and other taxes here, don't explain these differences alone. I thought with Brexit and the vast increase in used and nearly new imports that Irish dealers would be more price competitive, but I'm surprised also that the prices of good fresh second hand cars here haven't come down more in this backdrop. For some good reasons, I'd prefer to buy here than from abroad, but it just seems that Irish car buyers can't catch the breaks that UK buyers get at all! Do you agree with me or can you kindly explain these differences in both markets?

Thanks, JC

JC Holohan (Waterford)

Jun 2018 Filed under: used car values

Expert answer

Hi JC,

The big issue, really, is the size of the market. In the UK, vast dealer groups, with multiple outlets, are the norm and, obviously, these groups can be more cost-efficient and can potentially offer bigger discounts. Although there are dealer groups in Ireland, the norm is still very much the individual family-run business. That’s equally true on the import side of things — although there are now importers here that are tied directly to the car maker itself, many are still private, individual, locally-owned companies and those struggle to match the sort of discounting that is more common in the UK market. Plus, the fact that we buy in and around 100,000 to 130,000 cars a year here means that there’s less volume to spread discounts across. The UK market shifts two million cars a year — a considerable difference. VRT and VAT costs also play into it, as the wholesale price is often kept artificially lower to try and keep the added tax price down as much as possible.

 

That’s the case for the defence at any rate. The case for the prosecution is much simpler — Ireland has long been a nation that rips off its citizens, and that’s not going to change any time soon.

 


Beeping sound in my Sandero!

My Dacia Sandero Stepway will sometimes make a beeping sound whilst driving but nothing comes up on the dashboard.

Deborah Taylor (Wrexham)

Jun 2018 Filed under: fault

Expert answer

Hi Deborah,

That sounds to us like one of the safety systems, such as lane-keeping assistance, giving a momentary warning. It probably does show something on the dashboard, but only for a very short amount of time. It's very difficult to assess such a thing from afar, so it's probably best to see if you can replicate conditions that make it happen and then report back to us, or get a good mechanic along to have a look.


How to change my Skoda's oil and filter?

How to change the engine oil and filter for a 2015 Skoda Octavia 1.6 TDI? Is there a step-by-step guide or a video?

Arvind Sharma (Maidenhead)

Jun 2018 Filed under: servicing

Expert answer

Hi Arvind,

The work to change the oil and filter in that Skoda is little different to the same job in any other car, but we'd not recommend it is done by someone without experience unless supervised by someone that has. There are lots of things that can go wrong in the process that could lead to engine damage and further costs, which would massively outweigh the savings made by not going to a professional in the first place. 

If you are determined to do it, here is a generic step-by-step set of instructions that could be applied to most cars, and it's written on the assumption that the car is safely raised on a proper vehicle lift:

- With the lift lowered, turn off the ignition, remove the keys and pop the bonnet.

- Remove and clean the dipstick and remove the oil filler cap. Make sure nothing can fall into the hole.

- Raise the lift so you can comfortably walk under the car and reach the underside of the engine.

- With a suitable collecting recepticle to hand, locate the oil sump plug and remove it. The dirty used oil will start to flow before it is fully out so be prepared for that.

- Once the flow has clearly slowed to a tricikle, locate the oil filter. On some cars this will be accessible from above the engine, in others, below. On some cars, it will be a cartridge within a permanent outer casing, on others, an aluminium-skinned component that screws off in its entirety. It's highly likely you'll need a special oil filter removal tool to take it off. Most of the time, a small amount of dirty oil will leak out, so be prepared to collect that under the car.

- Check the new oil filter against the old one. In particular, the sealing rings must be in an identical position.

- Fit new oil filter tightly to recommended tightness.

- It's often a good idea to fit a new oil sump washer at this stage, then tighten up the sump plug to the recommended tightness and give everything a wipe down.

- Lower the car again and fill with new oil to about a litre less than the official full level. Replace the dipstick and oil filler cap.

- Start the engine without revving it, let it idle a minute, then turn it off again.

- Check the oil level with a cleaned dipstick and top up as necessary.


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