HELPDESK: Michael McAleeranswers all your motoring queries
From JB, Dublin: The upgrade of the M50 section between the N4 and N7 junctions has been completed and is one of the best stretches of motorway in the country, with three-plus-one lanes. However, I am surprised that the speed limit has been set at 100km/h – can you provide some insight on this?
Also, about a year ago there was discussion about increasing the limit on motorway-quality dual carriages to 120km/h. How can a 100km/h limit on sections of the M50 make sense in light of this?
It makes no sense, given the quality of the road and similar roads in other states. It highlights the random nature of limits on our roads when this major motorway can have the same limit as a poorly-surfaced rural road, albeit carrying the title of national routes. It also damages public support for the introduction of more speed cameras.
According to the NRA: “There are no plans to increase the speed limit beyond 100km/h on the completed sections of the M50. The M50 is a unique stretch of motorway with three-four lanes of motorway traffic along a corridor where interchanges are too close together to safely allow a 120km/h speed limit.”
Tim O’Brien adds that moves to raise the speed limit to 120km/h on some dual carriageways outside of the M50 are going ahead.
Changes in speed limits are a matter for each individual local authority affected, and their progress on this varies.
From J Nulty: Has anyone complained about the almost impossible task of changing bulbs in Citroën C3 cars?
I had to give in this week and take mine to a local garage, which duly obliged, but the car before mine took the mechanic 45 minutes to replace a bulb as the front bumper had to be removed.
Do designers not know that one of the most essential parts of a car for winter driving in the early and late hours are the lights?
I also know that, on the continent, a driver is obliged to carry a full set of bulbs – therefore I assume it should be relatively easy to access the sockets when, in an emergency situation, the bulbs need replacing in order to get to one’s destination without breaking the law. In the case of the C3, I am informed I would need a mirror to find the clips to remove the used bulb and replace it.
How many people carry mirrors with them for such a task, or have hands small enough to reach inside the housing to find the bulbs in the dark?
Your point is well made and it is a real problem with many modern cars. In some instances, the entire headlamp has to be removed and, in extreme circumstances, that will mean removing the front bumper – not the sort of job you can carry out on the side of the road.
According to a technical manager at Citroën, there should be no major problem with changing bulbs on a C3.
However, he admits that there are issues with other models where the work required may mean the car has to be taken to a dealer.
It’s always best to consult the handbook on these matters. It is possible to change the bulbs, but the handbook often tells the customer which bulbs you can change yourself and which you will need to go to a dealer in order to replace.
In particular, a bi-xenon bulb usually requires a technician to change it, as it operates at a higher voltage.
As you state, it becomes even more relevant when driving abroad. While most countries simply recommend that you carry a spare set of bulbs, in Spain it is a legal requirement.
Realistically, however, in many modern cars that means that your car will be off the road if the bulb goes.
Designers are forced to make sacrifices for cost-saving measures and engineering reasons, but it seems that practical issues such as the changing of light bulbs don’t often feature in their creative minds.
Ask any modern mechanic – their hands skinned due to the tiny gaps left for them to work underneath the average bonnet – and you will see that they share your annoyance.
Car designers need a dose of reality every now and again, something that many of them seem to be sorely lacking.