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Hi Peter,

I think you may have a few issues there, unless you find it's easy to swap the manual adjustment mechanism from your old seats to the new ones. I suspect that won't be a simple task, unfortunately. And you'd need a lot more wiring, etc. to get the electric seats to work.

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Hi Allan,

Orthopaedic seat covers can help, right enough, but it can be a bit of a process of trial and error, and I’d say the best bet in that instance is to get some advice from your doctor, or your back specialist if you have one. As for cars with the best ride quality, the Yaris is pretty good in that respect (although the heavier hybrid version is perhaps less good), but the best bet is, whatever car you’re going to buy, make sure you go for the smallest possible wheel option, with the largest possible tyre sidewall profile. It’s the secret to a comfy ride. 

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Hi Enoch,

No, customs duty, along with VAT, is another charge on top of VRT. Well, actually, VRT is a charge on top of customs duty and VAT. You have to pay the customs and VAT when the car enters the country, and then go and get it assessed for VRT. You can find more details on this from the Revenue website or by reading our How Much VRT is Paid in Ireland? guide.

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Hi Philip,

Potentially, yes, as sometimes disconnecting the battery can cause a modern car to go into a total re-set, wiping any stored information. I think you have two options: one, buy a trickle-charger (available from any good motor factors) that will keep the battery topped up without disconnecting it, and two, have a word with the local Mercedes garage in Spain, who may be able to help you with the issue. Worth doing that second one either way.

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Hi Michael,

I'm afraid Audi is under no obligation to do so, as your car is out of warranty. If you've had your car serviced at an Audi dealer throughout its life then you may be able to negotiate a little to bring the cost down, but don't expect much better than that.

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Hi Tania,

We really like the E-Class diesel hybrid — it’s a surprisingly good mix of technologies, very frugal, hugely comfortable and should be reliable too. The Audi is similarly lovely, hardly any less economical, albeit not quite as nice to drive. Head says the Mercedes, especially with that hybrid system, but heart says the more stylish Audi, especially as it’s the Avant estate, and we do love a good estate around here.

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Hi Jose,

We don't know of any widespread issue with the Q3 that matches your description so it's difficult to assess the issue from afar. It sounds as if the car can't sense you pressing the clutch down to start it if it's a manual or pressing the brake with the gear lever in Park if it's an automatic, but that's just one possible cause.

Best bet is to get a good mechanic to look at it.

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Hi James.

Your best bet here is to look at some high-quality aftermarket suspension parts for your car, such as from Eibach or Bilstein. Fitting Mercedes Comfort suspension to a CLA 45 through the main dealer network is going to be prohibitively expensive, and maybe even impossible.

Our recommendation, which is easy enough to find from online sellers (some might be in the UK, but shipping to Ireland should be no problem), is the Bilstein B16 (PSS10) suspension kit (part number Bilstein 48-230971), a kit that lowers the car by 30mm, but which also has ten-way adjustable dampers, with the softest setting said to provide the maximum ride comfort. Having tried Bilstein’s aftermarket dampers before, we will happily say that the company is an exemplar of its trade and the PSS10 kit should, hopefully, make the ride on your Mercedes-AMG just a little more tolerable.

Budget a few thousand Euro for the kit itself, then the cost of fitting at a decent specialist garage.

Let us know how you get on

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Hi William,

Not quite. Actually VRT is calculated on the OMSP, or Open Market Selling Price, which is that which the Revenue Commissioners calculate the car would be worth if it were an original Irish registered model. So, yes, age and mileage do come into it, but it’s not quite as simple as that.

As for the UK residency thing, again it’s not quite that simple — yes, you can avoid VRT if you bring a car into the country that you can show has been taxed and insured for at least six months, by you, at an address in the UK, BUT you will be asked to provide proof that you’re moving from the UK to Ireland, and proof that you were living and working in the UK for at least 185 days prior to the transfer of residence. 

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Hi Josephine,

I assume you mean either the Jeep Renegade or brand new Compass model. Neither come with seven seats, I'm afraid. In fact, Jeep doesn't have any seven-seat vehicle on sale in Ireland right now.