MICHAEL McALEER answers your questions
From James Moran, Co Wexford:
I was interested to read the piece on the Rules of the Road booklet (Motors January 25th).
Leaving aside speeding and drink driving, the sheer ignorance of so many drivers with regard to the basic rules of the road is frightening.
I would suggest that this booklet should be a compulsory purchase for every driver. It should be made a legal requirement to purchase an up-to-date copy each time the vehicle is taxed.
It would seem like a perfectly sensible proposal. The problem, of course, is that it's not enough to simply force them to get the book: they have to read it as well. While it would certainly remove any excuse of ignorance from drivers stopped for making stupid mistakes, just consider the effort those people at Gideons make to ensure bibles in every hotel room.
They may be there, but how many people actually pick them up? Would this turn into a Gideon's approach to road safety?
It may be political suicide, but perhaps one day a Government will have to consider more regular retests for drivers than simply one test per lifetime.
Admittedly with an astonishing 400,000 provisional drivers currently on our roads, even getting one test per driver seems like a mountain to climb for the current system.
From Vincent Butler:
I've recently purchased a replacement door handle for my car - a Saab 9-3 - for €74.63. Initially I was quoted €61.68, but was not advised that this did not include the VAT. Once I had recovered from the shock of this pricing, I checked the price of this part in Belfast.
Interestingly, this is £28.00 + VAT (at 17.5 per cent), coming to a total of £32.90, which equated to €48.60.
I would be obliged if you could explain to me why a part is 53 per cent higher in price in Dublin than Belfast. Vat differences account for €1.44, or 3 per cent of the difference.
We contacted Saab and they accepted that there is a significant price difference with this specific part.
They said their pricing policy was to to be competitive on a number of levels, from specification through to servicing.
Unfortunately at some stages, certain parts may not be as competitive as others, particularly when the parts in question are not regular replacements. The cost savings they make on more regular replacements are often displaced on other parts that are irregularly used.
It really depends on the parts in question. A spokesperson explained that price surveys are regularly carried out and that these are done on a basket of parts rather than individual items.
Door handles, not regularly replaced, may bear a heavier cost than more regularly used items.
"What is important to car buyers is not the cost of an individual part but the total cost of ownership over the period of ownership," according to the spokesperson.
"We believe that Saab has always represented 'value for money' in terms of cost of ownership. This includes the price of the car, specification, and parts.
"The price of one part is not a yardstick for cost of ownership. Baskets of parts prices are compared; particularly fast moving service items which owners would need on a regular basis.
"We also compare very favourably against Britain for a basket of parts.
"We ask that your reader judge us on the total cost of ownership and we are confident that he will not be disappointed at the end of the day."
From S O'Driscoll:
I'm a farmer and unlike many of the new 4x4 owners in Ireland, I actually use my vehicle for work. I've had several Toyota Landcruisers in the past, but I am considering looking for something different. Any suggestions?
I've answered this question on several occasions, both in the column and by e-mail, but I think it's worth returning to the issue, if only because I came upon this quote recently.
In his book, Shooting History, Channel 4 news presenter Jon Snow refers to an encounter in 2000 with a sheikh from the Tuareg nomadic tribe.
Asked by Snow what was the world's greatest invention, he responded immediately: "The Toyota Landcruiser. It's worth at least 20 camels."
While I'm not very knowledgeable on the value of camels, when it comes to rugged off-roading, where reliability can really be a life-or-death requirement, you can't really go wrong with the Toyota.
Other SUVs may cope admirably with the school run, but when the going gets tough, I'd have to agree with the sheikh: it would be the Landcruiser for me.
Send your queries to Motors Help Desk, The Irish Times, D'Olier Street, Dublin 2 - or e-mail motorshelp@irish-times.ie