Michael McAleer answers your queries
From E O'Reilly:
I have been advised by a mechanic not to bother with an NCT test, due May 2004, as it will certainly fail due to tighter enforcement of criteria.
However, the car is taxed to October this year. My mechanic indicated that I can simply not put it forward for testing and legally continue to drive the car until that time. Is this the case?
From Paul Waldron:
I have a Rover 45, 2002 model, and I have experienced problems when stopping the car at slower speeds on poor road surfaces (roadworks, potholes, cracked tarmac - not off-road stuff).
If I have to apply the brakes suddenly or sharply, the brake pedal oscillates violently, resisting my efforts to press it, and pumping my foot back up.
It is also noticeable when applying the brake gently as I drive over a speed bump. It happened once on a slightly frosty road when I was applying the gentlest possible pressure to the brakes, having used the gears to slow the car down to about 10 mph or less.
I've asked the dealer twice to check it out, but they assure me that this is just how ABS works. I requested a letter from Rover Ireland stating that the car is safe to drive, which they provided, but I am very concerned about this. Are you aware of this problem? Is there anywhere I could get the ABS tested independently?
The second question is: how does one change the headlamp bulb on a Rover 45? It appears you must bring it to the garage, it is inaccessible to the average motorist.
The oscillation is normal when ABS is in operation. What is occuring is that the brakes are not locking the wheels so as to give you some control over the wheels. The first time you use ABS is can seem a little disconcerting but the system is proven to be superior to older non-ABS systems that locked the wheels tight.
As for the lights,
Send your queries to
Motors Help Desk, The Irish Times, Fleet Street, Dublin 2 - or e-mail them to motorshelp@irish-times.ie