Michael McAleer answers your queries...
From D K Henderson, Clontarf, Dublin 3:
I was interested to read John Cassidy's report on safety on Autobahns, despite there being no speed limit on most of them. Why is this so? Could it have anything to do with driver training?
As the uncle of two young frauleins, I can assure you that the Germans take their roadcraft very seriously indeed.
On wishing to take up driving, one must first enrol with a registered driving school, and undertake training to a strict syllabus, including night and motorway driving. During training, the student is only allowed to drive accompanied by a qualified instructor - not with parents, nor friends with full licences.
When the student is deemed ready, the test is undertaken, and generally passed first time, due to the excellent training given. However, if a failure results, things get serious.
More training is given, concentrating on the weak points as itemised on the tester's report. A second test is undergone. This one had better be passed, because a failure here means disqualification!
The only method of applying for a third test is to undergo a psychiatric examination to find out why you "cannot obey orders".
If a cause is found, and obliterated, the licence is then reinstated for a third, and final, attempt. Failure here means you hang up your car keys for good - "three strikes and you're out".
In Germany, a licence to drive is seen as a privilege, not a right, and I needn't start comparing the German approach to our own lackadaisical method here, where a driving school can be started up by anyone, good or bad, the only provision being that they hold a full licence; where a provisional driver can drive unaccompanied, even to the extent of returning home solo after having failed a test; and where one can notch up as many failures as one's pocket can stand.
Thank you for those most interesting insights into driver training in Germany.
One concern, expressed to us by a senior member of Government recently was that if they did manage to overcome the current waiting list for tests, our roads would be teeming with newly licenced drivers with little or no road sense.
While his comments will not find favour with those impatiently awaiting the test, they are nonetheless understandable and highlight the weaknesses in the driving test at present. The key, it would seem, is in changing or moulding driver attitude.
Comments last week by our colleague Kilian Doyle about sitting on the outside lane of the motorway were a tongue-in-cheek account of what many motorists consider acceptable practice.
Sadly it would seem that for many motorists on our roads today, they are past the point where an attitude change is likely, so a punitive approach needs to be taken in the form of penalty points.
However, young drivers who are not being taught or tested to the level of our European counterparts have little chance to be moulded into the right frame of mind for driving here. As a result our system must try to compensate in the only way it can - by depending on punishment and/or short-term scare tactics to do the job of education. Often it's too little too late. It's a short term fix. But to make the headlines that's what those in power need.
From Arron Coyle:
I recently had some work done on my 1989 Honda Civic (Japanese import) where one-third of costs were for parts and two-thirds were for labour.
Bearing this in mind I'd like to ask if it's better to get some more work done (eg new and tracked headlights, new distributor cap, oil seal etc), in order to pass the NCT and then sell the car, or sell the car first and let the dealership do any work at their cost to get the car ready for the NCT, even if this means I sell it for less?
Without more specific information on price it's hard to make a real judgement call on your predicament.
However, while your car may be in pristine condition and a top-of-the-range model, the difference in price between NCT and non-NCT in a Honda Civic import of that age is only about €300-€400.
Given that you need several new parts according to your email, I would suggest you might as well sell it as is.
Even a 1989 car with a full NCT and all the extras will only get about €600 to €900 on the private market and dealers are not likely to give you much higher in terms of trade-in unless you are buying new, in which case they'll simply take the extra trade-in value off the discount they would have offered.
If you are changing your car then sell the Civic and move on. It's only worth investing in it if you plan to get more mileage from it.
From Peter Coughlan:
What's the best way to get my interior plastics clean? There seems to be loads of products on the market.
There are several silicon-based cleaners for car interiors available at most motor factor stores. However be warned; unless you wipe it evenly on all surfaces it can come out quite patchy. Also, once you start, there's no going back and every area must be done to avoid a rather hideous two-tone effect. Personally, I've gone off the shiny plastic look on car dashes and many modern dash designs are far nicer in their original more matt-finish. Therefore, perhaps your best bet is a non-silicon cream or simply wiping the dash down regularly with a damp cloth (though be careful of the electrics).
Send your queries to: Motors Help Desk, The Irish Times, Fleet Street, Dublin 2 - or e-mail them to motorshelp@irish-times.ie