Michael McAleeranswers your questions
From CM: Please advise on the best course of action when disputing the cost of repair work. The mechanic claims that I gave him permission to do all the work that was needed but I most certainly did not approve this level of work. I am now facing a bill of over €5,500. The car is hardly worth that. I feel like I am being harassed into paying and he says he will not return the car until payment is made or the new parts removed from the car.
You should contact the National Consumer Agency (Lo-call 1890 432 432), as the actions of the mechanic could be regarded as aggressive commercial practice and thereby fall under the remit of last year's Consumer Protection Act. You should also contact the Society for the Irish Motor Industry (SIMI), which has an arbitration section, if the mechanic is a member of SIMI.
From BMC:As last week's article on the new Fiat 500 stated, the cost of the new 500 (recommended retail price) was €13,995. When I contacted my local Fiat dealer I was informed that this is not so, that the price (without any extras) is €14,995, and that two other dealerships in the region were charging the same. When I contacted the marketing manager for Fiat Ireland he could not explain it. I received a copy of their price list which confirmed the dealer's quoted price. Can they do this and if so, why?
The price advertised by Fiat is the recommended retail price ex-works. The difference between this and the price on the forecourt is what is commonly referred to as "delivery costs". According to a Fiat spokeswoman, the distributor recommends a delivery charge of €500 to the dealers. However, a few of them charge more, which is likely to be the case in this instance. The issue of pricing can be difficult to police as car firms cannot be seen to fix the price across the State, for fear of falling foul of anti-competitive legislation.
The delivery charge fee is nothing more than a stealth charge on consumers and doesn't hold up to much scrutiny. It certainly cannot be justified when you consider that a dealer in Dublin can often charge the same fee as a dealer in Donegal.
In their defence, dealers do have to factor in the costs of the pre-delivery inspection that runs from removing the protection wax coating that's often applied to new cars, through to completing pre-delivery tests.
That said, a €1,000 charge seems a little excessive for a car that supposedly costs just €13,995 - ex-works.
From L Devine: There doesn't seem to be many Citroën C6s on the road. I love the look but I cannot afford a new one, and was hoping that I could pick up a good used one for perhaps €40,000 or less. Is the car still sold in Ireland or was it just a marketing ploy?
No, the car went on sale here back in August 2006 and Citroën dealers would still be more than happy to sell you one. You can now get a new 2.2-litre HDI version from €58,500.
The problem is that the launch car was a 2.7-litre diesel that started at €65,500 - too rich for most C6 fans. Like you, most people - including myself - considered it to be a good used buy. The problem with that strategy is that it requires someone else to take the depreciation hit. Few did and that's why only a handful of used models are on sale now.
Give it another year if you are really determined, or perhaps you should look to the new C5 in the interim. Several styling cues of the C6 have been carried over on to that car.
From T Walsh: Are LED lights just for decoration or are they really any better than regular bulbs?
LEDs (light emitting diodes) are longer-lasting, quicker to react, more resistant to vibrations, operate at lower temperatures and consume less power than normal bulbs. In other words, they are much better. They may cost a little extra but LEDs can last up to 100,000 hours while a regular bulb can burn out after 2,000 hours. They also look great.
The actions of the mechanic could be seen as aggressive commercial practice and thereby fall under the remit of last year's Consumer Protection Act