A case of crossed wires in south Dublin

HELPDESK: Answering all your motoring queries

From C Reid: Relating to the query last week, some time ago I contacted Dún Laoghaire-Rathdown County Council (DLRCC) about disposing of a 15-year-old Citroën with current NCT and road tax. The woman I spoke to told me that I had to pay €100 and they would send a contractor to collect the car.

I explained that the car was drivable, and asked could I deliver it to the designated scrapyard myself. No, was the reply, as they (DLRCC) would still have to pay the scrapyard for disposal. I asked about the ELV scheme and was told that that act/law was not in force.

I said I had contacted the Department of the Environment about vehicle disposal and they had advised me to contact DLRCC for a list of approved recyclers and that the car would be disposed of for free. Her reply was that the Department were "wrong" and the only way to dispose of the car was to pay them.

It would seem to have been a mistake by the person you spoke to in the DLRCC.

The EU directive on End of Life Vehicles (ELVs) has been enacted into Irish law, so there should be no charge for disposing of a vehicle that is delivered to an authorised ELV recycler. It should be noted that the onus is on the motor industry to provide these centres, and not the local authority.

A spokesman for DLRCC said: "It appears that the person who dealt with the reader's query confused the End-of-Life Vehicles Regulations with the council's own scheme for the removal of abandoned cars, which does incur a fee."

However, there is no authorised recycler for this in the DLRCC area. "While an extensive network was established, the two required for Dún Laoghaire-Rathdown were not put in place. This failure is due to the scarcity and affordability of suitable land," the spokesman said.

A spokesman for the Department said there are six centres in the south Dublin area. If readers take their old cars to any of these staff will dispose of them free and issue a certificate of destruction.

From S Thornton, Surrey: I've been told that there was a settlement reached on car rentals to drivers aged 70 or over. Does this mean that there are no limits on car rentals in Ireland? We had problems renting last year, and ended up renting in the my wife's name, who is 64.

I take it that you faced a surcharge rather than an outright refusal to rent a car to you. Last week's case involved an Australian visitor, Anthony White, who was told he would have to pay an age surcharge to Irish Car Rentals. The firm has removed the surcharge after discussions with the Equality Authority. However, limitations still exist with some firms.

The case raises the wider issue of licensing rules. Clearly some rental firms don't have faith in the system of one licence for a lifetime. Perhaps the solution is that motorists should regularly re-sit the test to prove they retain their competence, and have not developed any bad habits over the years.

From Georgina Brennan: I enjoy the new gadget column in the Motors supplement. Perhaps you could let me know the best way to use an Apple iPod in a car that doesn't have a connector. Can you get one installed after production (I have a 2004 Saab 9-3)? I believe there are some devices available that allow you to tune your car radio to your iPod. However, I've read conflicting reports about these on the internet, with some suggestions that they are illegal.

Paddy Comyn responds: "There are devices which transmit your iPod music to your radio using the FM band and until relatively recently these were illegal as it was deemed that you needed a radio licence to broadcast. These laws have since been relaxed and there are several devices available. The Apple Store sells the Kensington Liquid FM Deluxe for €69.95 and this quickly finds a suitable blank spot on your radio's dial and transmits your music to that.

"The drawbacks are that the sound can sometimes be a little disappointing and they are liable to some interference, but apart from changing your whole audio system or getting an auxiliary port fitted to your car, these devices are probably the best solution." These are, incidentally, less expensive than some car firms charge for adding the additional USB/iPod connector to new cars.