Help Desk

Michael McAleer  answers your questions

Michael McAleer answers your questions

From A Gill:

In response to the comments from David Gordon in last week's Motors helpdesk, I would take issue with one point he made in particular.

He refers to the need to make small changes, such as introducing an amber sequence to traffic lights before green as well as the current system before red. That's a fine idea but he then goes on to discuss how "for some reason, Irish drivers have a capacity for leaving large gaps between cars when stationary in heavy traffic, which means drivers behind are often unable to clear a junction and are held up at another change of lights".

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I would politely suggest to Mr Gordon that this is not the case and if it were we would not have as many rear-end shunts in traffic as we do at present. Keeping your distance in traffic not only gives you a protective area in the case of a rear-end shunt by an inattentive driver, but it also allows you room to manoeuvre if the car in front stalls or breaks down. Furthermore, on most advanced tests they advise that you keep enough distance between you and the car in front so that you can see the car's tyres.

As for his comment on 24-hour bus lanes, while it makes sense to open them up at night when there are no buses, is there any real need to do this, considering the roads are not exactly teeming with traffic at 3am in the first place? Why would we need to bother?

I have to concur with your views on these matters, though in reality you may find that leaving an adequate gap between your car and the one in front seems to merely be an invitation to taxi drivers and others to pull in front of you. Some motorists stick tight to the rear bumper of the car in front simply out of pigheadedness.

There's something in the Irish motoring psyche that just can't seem to cope with the concept of merging. Drive in Britain and the Continent and you can witness seamless merging, as cars take it in turns to filter through. Here, you only have to witness the antics at the end of the Port Tunnel to see motorists who would seemingly rather spoil their day with insurance paperwork than let another car slip ahead of them.

As for the 24-hour bus lanes, it's the least of the problems in this city. I'd be more concerned with the number of routes that are closed to traffic all day but that don't have any buses on them in the first place.

From T Roche:

You answered a query recently about when to change a timing belt and in it you referred to the fact that the mileage set for such a change is rather arbitrary. It got me thinking about my current car - an Audi A4.

I do very little mileage on it - perhaps 5,000 km a year - but all of that is spent sitting in traffic. Does this mean that I should disregard the service advice of the manufacturer?

While you shouldn't disregard the manufacturer's advice, if you have used the same mechanic to service the car before, then he or she should have a better understanding of the wear and tear of the engine. Again, as we mentioned in the response to the Alfa driver, 5,000km of heavy traffic is just as severe as 10,000km on the open road. In both instances the engine is probably running for the same length of time.

Some cars - particularly the premium brands - come with service indicator lights on the dash. These systems use electronic sensors in the engine management system to assess how a car is being driven and alter service intervals. They are far more in tune with the engine needs than some arbitrary figure printed in a car manual.

From PP:

I'm a UK passport holder and have a British driving licence but I'm working over here for most of the year. Recently I was stopped by the Garda in my area during a random breath test (which I passed) and during a conversation with a garda I mentioned that I was working over here. He told me that I needed to have an Irish driving licence. Is this true?

No, but if you plan to stay here most of the year then you should get an Irish licence.

Technically you can drive on a British licence in Ireland. No doubt you return home more than once a year and on each occasion the clock is reset as regards your term of stay here.

The problem for the Garda is that while they can impose fines on offending foreign motorists, penalty points cannot be applied. However, Garda claim a record is kept of points incurred and they will be added to any Irish driving licence you apply for.

From M Buckley:

I currently drive a VW Golf. It's a company car but I'm buying my own car now. We need more space with two children and their apparel. I'm thinking either a second-hand Land Rover Freelander or a Renault Scenic. I've a budget of €16,000. Any advice?

I personally wouldn't be rushing out to buy either. Ask yourself one question: do you really need an SUV or people carrier for a family of four?

If it is extra seating you need then neither of these vehicles will suffice (though both the Grand Scenic and new Freelander have a third row. However, both are well outside the budget). It seems to me that what you need is extra boot space and neither of these two vehicles - indeed none of the mid-range SUVs - can compete with a good estate car in terms of load lugging ability.

Estates are consistently ignored in Ireland for some reason, but they're the best cargo holders around. You could, for example, pick up a 2004 Peugeot 307 SW estate that can also come with seven seats if needed.

Send your queries to Motors Helpdesk, The Irish Times, Tara Street, Dublin 2 or e-mail: motorshelp@irish-times.ie