MICHAEL McALEERanswers all your motoring queries
From D O'S:There is a Mercedes E-Class in my local dealer's that I have been looking at. It seems good value, but you mentioned in your review of the new version last week that the previous E-Class had some problems. This is a 2007 E220 CDi. Is it best avoided?
No. Problems were with electrical issues on early versions that went on sale here from 2002 to 2006. A lot of these problems were rectified in numerous warranty repairs but the regular garage visits really annoyed owners at the time.
By now most issues will have been sorted but if you are on the market for an E-Class from this period, be sure to check all the electrics are in order.
In your case, the situation is arguably the exact opposite. Mercedes for years prided itself on being at the forefront of new technology. The fact some of the new features introduced in the 2002 model didn’t come up to standard caused uproar among senior management at the time. Heads rolled and the brand’s image was tarnished.
In turn, the car you’re looking at comes from the mid-life facelifted version of the car, introduced in late 2006, which has earned a reputation as one of the most reliable E-Classes to date. The consequences of the 2002 errors were that everything was tested and re-tested on the facelifted versions. I would have no concerns in this regard with a 2007 E220 CDi, provided you’re sure it’s one of the facelifted versions.
From P Kiernan: When is the new Prius due in Ireland? You reported on its launch at the Geneva Motor Show, but there has been no further news. Some UK websites are reporting that it will arrive there this summer, but someone was telling me that it will not be here before the winter. Is that true?
Yes, a new Prius is on the way but the Irish arrival date has not been confirmed. However, it’s unlikely to be here before the latter part of the year so with new car buyers already very cautious about purchasing decisions, it’s likely most will wait for a 2010 registration. In turn, while Toyota has not confirmed an arrival date, it’s likely they will concentrate their efforts with the new Prius on next year’s market.
From LM:I've been offered a good deal from a local mechanic who says he will fit DVD screens on the headrests of my BMW. I've been looking at something like this for keeping the children quiet on long drives. Are there any issues with these? Someone told me that a BMW dealer won't touch the car again if I get someone else to fit the screens.
If the car is still under warranty, you may jeopardise it. I don’t know the circumstances but in most cases this involves tapping into the car’s electrics, and tampering with these can cause problems if not done properly.
While I don’t see any BMW repair shop refusing to service or repair a car in the current climate, I would err on the side of caution. I don’t see why you should go to the bother when there are plenty of portable DVD screens available that plug into the car’s 12-volt socket, offer all the distraction with no complex mechanics.
From J Carey:With all the discussions on the future of the car, why are we concentrating on electric cars when the real long-term future is with hydrogen?
The simple answer is that there is no silver bullet when it comes to future fuel. Electric cars lower emissions levels but push some of the problem up to the power suppliers. For now, such cars are also limited by the distance you can travel on a single charge and the time taken to recharge. They are a potential solution for short-distance commutes and no doubt these will improve in time but for now they aren’t that practical for high-mileage motoring.
Hydrogen would seem a more viable, long-term solution but even its most ardent advocates believe mass-production hydrogen vehicles are at least 10-15 years away.
For now, it seems the best bet is to concentrate on dramatically improving the current crop of petrol and diesel engines, adding more electric models as range and batteries improve, and working towards a long-term goal of using hydrogen to power fuel cells in the 2020s.