HELPDESK:Motoring Editor MICHAEL McALEERanswers your motoring queries...
From T Dowd: How can the Government increase the biofuel usage in cars without damaging engines? I was told that you need a biofuel car to run it on biofuel.
Minister for energy Eamon Ryan announced earlier this week that he was introducing legislation requiring fuel suppliers to include an average of 4 per cent biofuels in their annual sales from July 2010.
In his announcement he stated that "consumers will not be obliged to modify their vehicles in any way".
That is the case for modern cars. Most car firms allow a maximum of 5 per cent biofuel to be used in their models without affecting warranty on fuel system components.
In general, ethanol - which makes up the E in E85 fuels for flexifuel vehicles - is more corrosive than petrol, and thus engine parts need to be strengthened to run on this scale of mixture.
However, for regular cars, manufacturers advise that a 5 per cent mix is about the limit of what they will stand over.
Mixing ethanol into the main fuel mix is nothing new. In the 1980s France mixed its entire petrol supply with between 5 and 7 per cent ethanol to reduce the proportion of oil in its energy supply. There was no indication on the pumps so most motorists never even knew. Other countries followed suit.
From RA: In light of the Government's scrappage scheme I was considering a Renault but should I wait until after the Budget or could it be less than what's on offer right now?
Renault has stated that it will retain its scheme until January 31st, so if there is a scrappage scheme introduced it will apply on top of the deal currently offered by the French brand. With that in place I think you should definitely wait until after December 9th before agreeing any deal.
Besides, our current registration scheme means that you will want to get a 2010 registration in order not to lose out on resale value. That means there is no rush to do a deal until after the Budget.
From I O'C: You probably get asked something like this a thousand times but we are looking for something just a little different - good but different - in the family car market. We are looking to break away from the regular Mondeos and Passats. Any tips?
What about a Subaru Legacy? It's a smart looking car that isn't a common sight on our roads and you should pick one up for less than €27,000 with its two-litre diesel engine that puts out 148g/km and thereby carries a decent annual motor tax bill of €302.
From D Murran: I go to Florida on holidays every January as do some of my friends at different times. We were wondering if you know of any GPS system that can be purchased in Ireland with Florida software.
The vast majority of sat-nav devices offer maps for the US that can be downloaded onto your sat-nav from their websites. While they come with European maps installed, simply go to the website for the manufacturer of your device and you will find links for downloading alternative maps, such as the US or Australia.
In most cases they will be sold on a continental basis, so you can pick up a North America map.
There are some systems that allow you download maps for American states on a temporary basis at less cost, but you seem to be planning to reuse the sat-nav regularly in Florida so buying the US maps outright probably makes most sense.
"In the 1980s France mixed its entire petrol supply with ethanol to reduce the proportion of oil in its energy supply