HELPDESK: MICHAEL McALEERanswers all your motoring queries
From MF: I’m currently considering getting either a hybrid model like the Toyota Prius or a diesel Avensis. I’ve got about €15,000 to spend and would prefer to stick with Toyota. However, I have been told that diesels are just as economical, so I’m not sure about the Prius. I commute about 40km to Limerick every day for work, mostly on decent roads. During the weekend, the car hardly moves.
Hybrids such as the Prius really come into their own in urban and suburban traffic, where the electric motor does most of the work in slow crawling traffic. They lose some of their benefits on the open road, where the petrol engines take over. In the new Prius, there’s a 1.8-litre engine, but in the older version, which you are likely to buy for your budget, it’s a 1.5-litre unit.
You could pick up a good 2006 version of either car for €15,000 at the moment. Both are being replaced this year, so be sure to bargain for a discount on the fact that they are now the older models.
You can expect to get mid-40mpgs from the Avensis diesel, while the Prius should tip your average into the mid-50mpgs, though you would be doing remarkably well to reach the official figure of 65mpg for the hybrid.
It’s also worth remembering that away from the fuel figures, the Avensis is a bigger family car than the Prius, which is really a large hatchback. If you are commuting on your own, then you have to question if you need for the Avensis. Instead, you could stick with Toyota and opt for a Corolla saloon for about €1,000 less that should give you high 40mpgs in either of its diesel variants if driven gingerly.
From JD: I have driven an automatic car for some time now and was under the impression that when at a standstill at traffic lights, I should put car into neutral in order to save the transmission. Recently, a friend told me I should put car into park and apply hand brake. What is your opinion?
Actually, changing to neutral at every stop is likely to cause more wear to the transmission than leaving it in drive. Every change creates wear and tear in the cogs. Modern automatic gearboxes are designed to allow the car to stay in drive for the short time you might be stopped at lights or stopped in traffic.
The main reason I remember being told to put automatics in neutral is that, in the event of a rear shunt, your foot might slip off the brake and the car would drive forward, pushing you faster into the car in front, or even worse, into oncoming traffic. Many modern premium automatics feature hill-hold systems, which lightly brake the car until the accelerator is pressed.
From SP: There is speculation that the EU Commission proposes to scrap the existing Block Exemption protocol that governs relations between vehicle manufacturers and independent garages, when the current Regulation expires next year.
The implication for the motoring public would be a significant increase in the cost of servicing and repair, as this work could then only be carried out by franchised dealers.
It is too early to say what reforms may be introduced when new rules apply. When the latest rules were introduced in 2002, there were high hopes that it would free up the retail market, with suggestions that even large supermarkets could end up selling cars. That never came to pass, as car firms were allowed to introduce high standards for franchised dealers.
In terms of repairs, it also forced car firms to release the computer codes for the various engine systems to independent repair operations, allowing them to do repairs. These were frequently carried out more cheaply than at official franchised garages.
There are suggestions that the EU may rescind this order, meaning that repairs on many new cars might only be possible through the brand’s dealer network. Such a move will restrict competition and is being fought by many of the larger independent repair firms.
We must wait and see what changes come about in the negotiations. Changes in the Commission may influence matters, but an upheaval of the same scale and impact as in 2002 are perhaps less likely, due to the pressure on the motor industry not just in Ireland but across Europe at present.