Answering all your motoring queries, is MICHAEL McALEER
From C Murphy:
We’ve a 2001 VW Golf and we’re ready to change to a new car for 2011. I’ve been looking at the new Golf, but also reading up about the new Audi A1. I don’t qualify for scrappage at the moment but I’ve been told that it might be extended into next year. Should I wait?
While the motor trade is pushing for an extension into the first six months of next year, there are still no indications as to how the Government may act on these requests.
Either way, you are probably better to wait and get a 2011-registered car as there is no clear benefit for you to buy new at this time of the year unless the cars are already registered and you are buying a demonstration model at a good discount. In terms of potential tax changes – and any decision on a scrappage extension – all will become clear on Budget day on December 7th. The announcement on the day – in terms of scrappage and motor tax – is likely to influence whether there is a last-minute rush to showrooms or a steady trickle into the first months of 2011.
In terms of potential purchases, the A1 is notably smaller than the Golf so that needs to be a primary consideration, but the Audi is a more attention-grabbing proposition and the more exciting of the two. If you don’t need the extra space then it’s certainly worth strong consideration, but you are talking about moving from a Golf to a car equivalent in size to the VW Polo.
From L O’C:
You have probably received dozens of complaints about this in the past, but the foamy spray they give you instead of a spare wheel is a joke. I had a tyre blow-out last week and I would have needed a patch the size of my elbow along with the foam spray to fix it.
Instead of a quick change and a visit to a tyre centre, I was stranded on the side of the road until a tow truck picked me up. It’s a personal security issue as much as an annoyance.
That certainly is the downside of the spray cans and a complaint I’ve received from many readers. It’s ultimately a trade-off: you save on weight – and thereby fuel consumption – on every trip, but risk being stuck on the side of the road on the odd occasion when you get a major blowout. While it’s little comfort to you, left waiting on the repair truck, the argument for such repair kits is that the tyre should be regarded as any other component in the car and a major blowout is as common as a major breakdown.
One admittedly rather flippant German tyre executive once told us: “you don’t carry spare parts for the engine in case of a breakdown, so why should you carry around a 10kg or 15kg spare wheel?” The spray foams are getting better in terms of covering many puncture repairs but it might help if people had some idea how to use them before they had the puncture.
The other alternative is to opt for a car with runflats that still allow you to drive – at a limited speed – even after a puncture.
Send your queries to Motors Helpdesk, The Irish Times, Tara St, Dublin 2 or email motorshelpdesk@irishtimes.com