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Hi Jason,

Sadly, it matters not what you paid for it, but what the car would be worth here in Ireland. A 2009 Micra is going to be worth around €3,500 on the Irish market (assuming it's in excellent condition with a full service history) and that model has CO₂ emissions of 139g/km. That puts it in VRT Band B3, which means you have to pay 19 per cent of the Irish market value, which would work out at roughly €665.

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Hi Gerry,

Unless you’re a key worker, I would think that this is not, strictly speaking, essential travel. That said, car dealers and garages are opening again for business from today (18th of May) onwards, and if you need your car for work, and it needs the service, then you should be fine. I’d do two things first — ring the dealer and ask if delaying the service will affect the warranty (it shouldn’t, but it’s worth checking) and then ring the local Garda and ask their opinion. To be fair, the Gardai’s opinion probably means rather more than ours...

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Hi Mary,

Yes, it will. Since 2005 all new Mercedes cars have had a two-year, pan-European warranty, so any warranty work should be honoured here in Ireland. There may be issues if the car was previously serviced by a non-Mercedes approved garage, but other than that you should be fine.

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Hi Lynn,

There are actually a huge number of tax breaks for disabled drivers in Ireland, including exemption from paying Vehicle Registration Tax and VAT on new cars or imports, plus a repayment of any VAT spent on converting or adapting a vehicle to your needs. You’ll need to be able to provide a Primary Medical Certificate, which you may need to wait until you’ve moved here to get, as it’ll have to come from your local Health Service Executive (HSE) office - although it’s possible that a UK cert would also be acceptable.

You can claim back the VRT and VAT on a new vehicle of up to 6,000cc engine capacity, and there’s also a fuel grant of 60c per litre for petrol, and 49c per litre for diesel, which can be reclaimed at the end of each year (up to a maximum of 2,370 litres). You’ll also be exempt from annual road tax, and you can find out more on all of this by getting in touch with your local Motor Tax office.

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Hi Ciaran,

Well, we’d obviously advise you to buy from a reputable source in the UK, as the Ranger is a hard-working pickup, usually provided rather than owned, and therefore will probably have had a tough life. Make sure you check any potential purchases over very, very carefully indeed, and don’t buy anything without a full service history. The VRT for commercial imports is 13 per cent of the Irish open market selling value, and so we’d expect you’d have to pay around €2,500 to €3,000 in VRT.

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Hi Colm,

It depends — for the most part, all vans are charged VRT at a rate of 13.3 per cent of the Irish market selling price, but some N1 vans qualify for a basic charge of €200 if, according to Revenue, they have always had fewer than four seats, and at any time a laden mass greater than 130 per cent of the mass in service. Better check with the local motor tax office to find out which category your Transporter fits into...

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Hi Ann,

Well, in general, it’s usually better to go for the younger, lower-mileage car — but, it’s far more important to buy on the basis of condition and history. Does one have a full, complete and bulging service history file? Go for that one. Is one in obviously better shape? Is one being bought from a franchised dealer who’s offering a good warranty? All of these things need to be factored in; it’s not just age and mileage.

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Hi Keith,

You've not told us the model year, but if it's a 2010 car or older and it has never had its timing belt changed then it's likely to be a reminder to have it done. The belt in, for example, a 2010 Kuga 2.0 TDCi diesel, must be changed at least every 200,000 kilometres or 10 years, whichever comes first, so, even though yours has only done 106,000km, if it's 10 years or more old, the belt must be changed.

If you'v already had the belt changed, you'll need to bring the car to a garage with a good diagnostic computer so they can reset the computer for you.

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Hi Gino,

That Ford 1.6 TDCi diesel engine is one of the most common engines around, as it has also been used by Mazda, Volvo, Peugeot, Citroen and MINI. It has one major vulnerable spot and that is that sooty, gummy deposits can build up in areas that are supposed to be kept cool and lubricated by oil. If the deposits build up enough, they can block the oil passage and cause component failure — most commonly of the turbocharger. The best way to prevent that happening is with regular servicing (at least once a year depending on mileage) and making sure that you always use a high-quality grade of synthetic oil for the engine.

The 1.6 petrol engine, the 100hp version, is a much simpler unit and it’s pretty reliable, mostly because it’s a much older design. It won’t be as economical nor as punchy in its performance as the diesel, but if it’s reliability you’re looking for, it might be the better option. 

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Hi Stephen,

Taking the 1.7 CRDi diesel as an example, Hyundai recommends a 30,000km or 12 months interval for oil and oil filter changes. Along with all the usual checks on lights, levels, brakes, etc, Hyundai also recommends changing the brake fluid, clutch fluid and cabin filter at that time. 

Every 60,000km or two years, the air filter must also be changed, while the coolant should be replaced every 210,000km or 10 years.