Is the Nissan Micra good value with the scrappage allowance?
Is the Nissan Micra good value now that there is a €4,000 allowance for scrappage?
John Mugan (Sligo)Mar 2015 Filed under: choosing new car
Expert answer
Hi John,
To be honest - no. The current Micra is a long way from Nissan's best effort so I think the €4k trade in bonus could be put to much better use elsewhere. Perhaps consider trading up to a Pulsar? Or better yet, wait a year. Nissan has an all-new Micra coming out next year and judging from the Sway concept car it showed last week at the Geneva Motor Show, it could well be a cracker.
Will a diesel Nissan Qashqai be suitable for low mileage?
I want to buy a 2011 Nissan Qashqai 1.5 diesel, but I only do short journrys. Can these newer diesels handle the short journeys?
Aisling Finnegan (Kildare)Feb 2015 Filed under: petrol vs. diesel
Expert answer
Hi Aisling,
Yes they can, but they may not be the most cost-effective. If you're worrying about the diesel particulate filter in the exhaust getting clogged with soot and causing an expensive failure (and that can happen) then don't worry - a quick spin up and back the nearest motorway in a low-ish gear will heat the system up enough to let it burn off the soot and all will be well. Do it once a week for 30 minutes or so and you'll be fine.
The other issue is simple one of cost though. You will spend more money to buy a diesel car than you will a petrol and when you're only doing low mileage it's hard to generate the savings from fuel burn to make up the extra you've spent up front. That's why petrol makes so much sense for lower mileage drivers.
The thing is that the Qashqai can be had with a petrol engine, but it suffers much harsher depreciation when you buy it - so you're in a bit of a catch 22. Petrol is better for your driving profile, but worse for retaining value in this particular model. You may need to expand your search out to some other cars to make your sums add up.
When did Renault begin charging extra for white?
When did Renault begin charging extra for white?
Late in September I ordered a new Renault Clio for delivery at the beginning of this month. In early October I changed the colour to white, which was not a problem to the dealer. I was informed last week that it would not be available until the end of this month. Since then I've seen on the Renault website that they are now charging €540 extra for a white Clio, whereas when I placed my order the extra charge did not apply to white. However, as my original order was for a colour that carried the extra charge I would not be surprised if the dealer tried to hit me for this extra and consequently am wondering when precisely Renault introduced it.
Thanks, E K Dublin
Ed Kearney (Wexford)Jan 2015 Filed under: choosing new car
Expert answer
Hi Ed,
OK, we've been on to Renault about this and they say that the charge for Glacier White on the website was an error and has since been corrected, so you shouldn't be charged for it. If an extra charge does show up on the bill, give your dealer hell as it shouldn't be there. If he/she doesn't give you any joy, get on to Renault's head office about it.
Do I need to replace old tyres that appear fine still?
Hi, just wondering what the story is with tyres that are six or more years old. Mine passed in August with pass advisory and my NCT is up in a couple of weeks, but the tread on the tyres isas good as new as it has only done 2,000 miles. Will I need new tyres or will they go by condition of the set I have?
Justin Corrigan (Trim)Jan 2015 Filed under: tyres
Expert answer
Hi Justin,
We checked with the experts at Michelin for this one. According to them, tyres don't really have a use-by date as such, but neither should you just be blasé about them because their overall mileage is low. Tyres can be damaged or worn by a number of factors, not just how many miles you've done. After five years, Michelin suggests you should have your tyres thoroughly inspected once a year, and after ten years replace them no matter what the condition or depth of tread.
Toyota Corolla or Ford Focus?
Hi, I am trying to decide between a 2006 Toyota Corolla Hatchback 1.4 diesel or a 2007 Ford Focus 1.6 diesel. I do approx 250 miles per week; would there be much difference in the running costs?
Kieran Madigan (Trim)Jan 2015 Filed under: running costs
Expert answer
Hi Kieran,
Not massive. There's a tiny 1mpg gap between them in terms of fuel economy (the Toyota gets 59mpg, the Ford 60mpg), but in everyday driving , they'll probably work out pretty much the same.
Overall, the Toyota will probably be slightly more reliable, and the Ford slightly cheaper to service and repair if anything does go wrong. The Toyota will probably be a little cheaper to insure too, and its road tax will be slightly lower.
On balance then, the Toyota is likely to be fractionally cheaper to run, but there's precious little in it.
It's going to cost a fortune to repair my car - what to do?
How's this for an early Xmas present? I've just picked up my 2008 Ford Mondeo 1.8 TDCi from my dealer where it was in for its annual service. As usual they were giving me a report on how the service went and unfortunately they had to advise me that I'm going to need a lot of work done to my car, which I wasn't expecting.
Because of rust, repairs have to be made to the fuel tank, exhaust system (including a new catalytic convertor), the timing belt and a few other bits and pieces. All in all it's going to cost me over €3k. I've been with this dealer for a while and any work on the car was always done through them, so I trust them when they say the work is urgent. As the car has 193,000km on the clock I was expecting the timing belt to need replacing in the near future, but the other repairs have floored me. The car has always been dealer serviced. I had been planning on changing the car later this year, but now I'm not sure what to do. I could repair the car, but that will push back my plans to change the car and I'm taking the risk that nothing else would go wrong, while my car would continue to lose value.
Alternatively I could bring forward my plans to change, and hope the €3k in repairs that would have to be discounted against the trade in value by the dealer would still leave me in a position to do a deal. Any advice you could give would be appreciated.
Just to give you a good laugh, the weekend before I got the car serviced, my wife had ordered a new MINI Countryman to replace her Ford C-Max. We can't back out of that deal now. Had I gotten the service a week earlier, we could at least have postponed changing her car to replace mine! Timing is everything, I suppose...
Martin Moroney (Dublin)Dec 2014 Filed under: choosing used car
Expert answer
Hi Martin,
There's little else worse than getting unexpectedly bad car repair news, and we all know how it feels. Now, as you point out, you have, essentially, two options here. One is to trade in the car without the work done and get something new. Now, that's a very tempting option and one that would at least put you back under a warranty and give you reasonably predictable monthly repayments etc, all of which is good news.
The thing is though that your Mondeo is only six years old and to my mind there should be an awful lot more left in it. I would be tempted, especially as you've also just upgraded your wife's car, to take the €3k on the chin and keep yours going for a while yet. You're at a point in its life where the value isn't going to sink all that much more anyway, so keeping it an extra year or 18 months isn't going to have an enormous impact - with the age and mileage already on it, it's going to be at the lower end of the value scale anyway.
One thing worth considering: rust doesn't happen overnight. If, as you say, this car has always been serviced to schedule with the same dealer, ask them why the problem wasn't flagged up sooner. You may be able to use that as a bit of a stick to beat the price down a touch.
Let us know how you get on
Fuel-stretching killed my BMW - what will I do?
Hi, we have a 2005 BMW 116i that ground to halt last week and turns out to be its dodgy petrol that caused the problem (i.e. petrol stretching ). We have been quoted anywhere from €1,500 to €4,000 to fit a new engine. At this stage would we be better to try and sell it as is or try and get it fixed as it has been a very problematic car.
Also thinking of buying a2006 Hyundai Coupé: what do you think?
Ruairi Mc Carthy (Mullagh Co Cavan)Dec 2014 Filed under: choosing used car
Expert answer
Hi Ruairi,
I hate to say it, but selling it as it is might not garner you very much. The second hand market is about reliability, reliability, reliability so any car that's already got a troubled history is going to be hard to shift.
You might actually make more money breaking the car for parts, given the high cost of new parts to BMWs.
As for the Hyundai, it's a fine car but you might find it a bit impractical after the BMW. Would you consider a nicely-specified Golf instead?
My Toyota Avensis won't start. What to do?
My 2008 Toyota Avensis diesel has just 75,000 miles on the clock, is fully serviced and running well until a week ago. It now will not start and my mechanic cannot get into the diagnostics to find fault.
What now?
Joseph Mcgowan (Donegal)Nov 2014 Filed under: fault
Expert answer
Hi Joseph,
It's impossible to diagnose such a thing from afar I'm afraid. Any decent mechanic should be able to try several things without having to resort to diagnostics. I'd suggest you take it to another if your current one is giving up...
What should I do about my faulty Meriva?
I bought a secondhand Opel Meriva (2005, 1.4) last year. Its history shows that, just before I bought it, the steering column had been replaced. There was a power steering "issue" last year (failure making turning impossible, EPS light flashing). Diagnostics were run and seemed to pass all, nothing more was done and the problem only appeared again over the past week with the power steering failing and the EPS light coming on.
When this happens on a motorway it's a very scary thing! The car is under warranty until end January 2015 so obviously I want to get everything done that's possible prior to that expiring (and the NCT will be due then too). Of course the dealer I bought this from is fobbing it off as not a big deal, but I can clearly see from wider reviews that this is a major problem in Merivas dating 2003-2008. In some cases I see that even when the steering column is replaced it doesn't solve the problem, but in any case I think better to do this anyway as a first step.
I will go to my garage about this on Monday but I need this to be taken seriously by them. The two things I have going against me here however is that A) I essentially know nothing about cars so can be easily hoodwinked by jargon and B) I'm a woman - so how could I possibly even understand? ;-)
Please help me out here would you - I've a baby due in about eight weeks and it won't be good if the power steering fails on the dash to the maternity ward!
Miriam Ryan (Dublin)Nov 2014 Filed under: fault
Expert answer
Hi Mirian,
There's just nothing good about any of that. Bad enough that it happens at all, worse still that you're coming to the end of your pregnancy - as you say, you just don't need that kind of hassle.
The problem is a recurrent one on the Meriva, and seems to stem from a good old manufacturing fault. As far as I can tell it dates back to at least 2011, but in spite of repeated calls from owners and even a stinging piece on the BBC consumer show Watchdog, General Motors has failed to issue a recall for the problem.
For the moment, the best thing I can suggest is that you press your Opel dealer to give you a loan car, NOT A MERIVA, for the duration of the rest of your pregnancy, so at least you have peace of mind. Some car dealers like to try and duck the issue, but under the good old Sale Of Goods And Supply Of Services Act (otherwise known as your statutory rights) you're entitled to a repair, replacement or refund. Clearly, if the steering column has already been replaced, repairing it hasn't worked so you're looking for one of the other two.
If you feel up to tackling the dealer, then simply don't let yourself be fobbed off. Stand your ground in the dealership and don't be afraid to kick up a massive fuss. After all, can you imagine worse publicity for any business than to have a heavily pregnant woman, in tears, talking to local and national media about the issue? If they try spinning your head with tech-talk, just put your hand up and say "I don't care about the technicalities, I paid for a car that would work and I want this one to work, or a suitable replacement." Keep using that phrase and don't back down whatever you do.
In fact, let us know when you're planning to go in and perhaps one of the CompleteCar.ie team could come with you as backup. In a consumer-centric world, where recalls are in the news every day, this kind of behaviour is utterly unacceptable so don't you go accepting it.
Please do let us know how you get on.
What's wrong with my Volvo's engine?
Last year my engine blew in my 2002 Volvo S40. I had the engine replaced but since then the car will not start without giving it some throttle, it cuts out at junctions etc. and is not idling correctly. I have twice replaced the camshaft sensor, but again the camshaft fault will appear after another number of weeks. Having the faults removed will ensure smooth running for a number of weeks before reverting to the same issues. What do you think the issue could be?
Derry Mc Carthy (Killarney)Nov 2014 Filed under: fault
Expert answer
Hi Derry,
We’ve been on to Volvo to ask for expert help, but they sadly can’t diagnose a problem in a car they’ve never set eyes on. Best advice is get it to your nearest Volvo dealer for an inspection, but it sounds as if the engine replacement hasn’t been carried out correctly if it’s running that badly.