Michael McAleeranswers your motoring questions
From F Dwyer: Do you have any tips for driving through water? I've heard there are various risks involved, aside from drowning. Someone told me to put the car in a low gear and accelerate hard. Someone else told me to cruise through, using the engine only if really necessary.
The first tip is don't drive through water. Not only is it dangerous, but you risk causing permanent and costly damage to your car.
Even if you know the road well, you can never be certain as to the actual depth of the water along the flooded part. For all the time saved by carrying on, you need to remember that you are entering the unknown in a large, complex, metal contraption that is perhaps the second most expensive purchase you have ever made, after your house.
As for the advice you have been given, cruising through a flood is certainly not in the best interests of the engine.
The Irish Institute of Advanced Motorists warns that if you have to drive through deep water, drive on the highest section of the road and not if a vehicle is travelling in the opposite direction, so you don't swamp someone else. Drive slowly and keep going once you have started. Make sure you have a clear run, keep the revs high by "slipping the clutch" (which means the clutch is not fully engaged) all the time you are in the water. Under no circumstances take your foot off the accelerator, as this could allow water to travel up the exhaust pipe.
Once you're out of the water, dry the brakes by lightly applying the brake as you drive along for a few seconds. This is particularly important if your car has drum brakes.
Again we would reiterate our earlier advice: if you can avoid the water do so.
From S O'Neill: I am about to purchase a used car for my daughter who is due to start university at the end of next month. However, reports suggest that prices are falling. Is this a bad time to buy? Also I want to get her something old so that she need not be too worried about putting the odd dent in it but it also needs to be reliable.
It's a great time to buy - with the effect of the economic downturn mixed with the adjustment in the market for the changes in our Vehicle Registration Tax (VRT) structures.
I suspect that you are not trading anything in, so you are in the ideal opportunity to get a bargain. I suggest that instead of saving money on the deal you spend the same amount as planned but get a better specification on the car, particularly in terms of safety.
In a later email you specified a price range of €4,000 and for that price you could certainly pick up a decent 2000 version of the Toyota Yaris, Renault Clio or Fiat Punto.
However, I have spotted a few Mazda 323s for that price. With a 1.3-litre engine and the brand's noted reliability, it would seem like a good buy. You should be able to get one for a cash deal with the highest specification.
From J Scally, Dublin: If the car market is in as much trouble as you report, will we see local car dealers go the way of local petrol stations? I live in an area once served by three filling stations but all are now closed. Will it mean having to drive 40 or 50 miles to the nearest car dealer? What will that mean for servicing and repairs?
There is undoubtedly a threat to the future of the local dealership. The car market is not exactly in trouble, but is going through a change cycle. The profit margins on car sales are relatively low and often the money is made on servicing, repair and - as with filling stations - ancillary services.
Sadly, it might be the case that dealers in rural areas will stop selling franchised cars due to the large investment required.
What you may see is more dealers selling cars without a particular franchise, while holding on to a service contract for a brand. This is already the case on the continent.