Michael McAleer answers your queries
From Sean Fogarty:
Perhaps you could help me on an insurance query. A friend intends going to Spain for the winter months. He presently parks his car on the street.
I've offered to let him park it beside my own car on spare space in my driveway while he's away.
He's pleased, of course, and says that I can use it whenever I want to. It's taxed to the middle of next year so that's no problem, but his insurance will run out shortly.
My own insurance entitles me to drive any car as well as my own specified one, provided I don't own, or hire etc. the other car. Am I insured to use his car occasionally, provided my own insurance on my own car remains in force?
I know I would be covered only third party, but that's all my friend has anyway on his car. His car and my car are roughly comparable in size (including engine), but of different makes.
It will not have an insurance disc, but I could carry my own insurance certificate with me, which specifies entitlement to drive any other car. Hoping you can clarify the question.
Qualified with a proviso that you check the fine print of your own insurance policy and just confirm it with them, the answer is yes, you can drive your friend's car while he is away.
Just make sure it's taxed and that you carry your insurance certificate with you when driving the vehicle.
We contacted the Irish Insurance Federation just to make certain of our facts and Michael Horan reminded us that the cover would be third party only, and would not extend to fire or theft.
Also any liability for an incident involving the car during this time would fall upon your insurance.
Your friend should also be aware that you are planning to drive the car and that, if there is any damage to the car, you come to some agreement about who pays the repair bills.
However, aside from these pretty obvious qualifications, you should be able to drive his car while he's away, though with very limited cover.
From Ronan O Keeffe:
I'm a wheelchair user and am interested in upgrading to the new Audi A3. I have searched the sites and it seems the automatics aren't available in Ireland yet.
I wonder if you know when they would be available here in Ireland - I've searched through the Audi websites in Germany and Britain and they appear to be on sale there.
I also have a question on prices. As a disabled driver I can claim back VAT and VRT here in Ireland up to a maximum of €9,525. However, I've been pricing the 1.6 Auto in Germany and comparing specs in detail with the Irish equivilent. The German car is about €8,000 cheaper and comes with many features listed as options for the Irish car equivalent.
Getting to my question: if I was to buy in Germany would I still be exempt from paying the VAT and VRT?
If I was still exempt would it be a problem getting a right hand-drive car in an EU country or are there EU laws saying I can buy where I choose?
According to Audi, automatic models are nw available and dealers should have information. Audi also gives a two per cent disability discount to registered members of the Irish Wheelchair Association.
As for the VRT and VAT, if you import a new car from abroad, you can claim back both - or rather don't pay either if its is a new car. The only difference applies when the car is used, whereby you can only claim back the VRT.
Finally, there may be some delay in getting a right-hand-drive car from a German dealer, but it's not an insurmountable problem. The delay, along with the inconvenience of paperwork and the fact that most people like to deal with the person they bought the car from when it comes to servicing etc. usually means people prefer to by locally.
From Adrian Moran:
Are the radar speedtrap alerts legal in Ireland?
As we've mentioned here before, pre-programmed units that use GPS to warn of fixed cameras are legal, radar detectors are illegal.
Send your queries to
Motors Help Desk, The Irish Times, Fleet Street, Dublin 2 - or e-mail them to motorshelp@irish-times.ie