Michael McAleer answers your queries...
From Robert Bell, Co Wicklow:
I was interested in buying a new BMW 520 and recently visited two Dublin southside dealerships where I road-tested the car.
My present car, a Volvo S80 was road-tested in one garage and carefully examined in the other with regard to a trade-in. Both salespeople said they would get back to me within a few days with prices.
Alas, several weeks later I had heard nothing. I decided to phone BMW Ireland, spoke to the sales director and relayed my story to him.
He assured me that he would look into this matter and get back to me but, alas, I have heard nothing.
I have now ordered my fourth Volvo and my Volvo dealer acted in a very professional manner unlike the two Dublin southside BMW dealerships I visited.
This is an example of the remnants of an attitude that ran through the industry during the heady days of 2000 when sales staff became nothing more than order takers. Customers were privileged if they even deigned to take our money.
And the problems were not reserved to any one firm. At every level of the industry customers got a raw deal.
Motors heard of one instance with another car brand where an excited customer signed off on a €100,000 car.
He was eagerly awaiting a full demonstration of his new car when he called to collect it. Instead he was greeted by a disinterested salesman who simply gave him the keys and pointed him to the car park "as if I was asking for directions to the toilet".
Thankfully those heady days are over and the industry is at pains to make this clear to sales staff. Yet there remains some degree of complacency among a minority element on the shopfloor.
Importers stress that they will not put up with such practices and there's a lot of work underway within the industry to train staff properly and remove any elements that are not up to scratch.
BMW Ireland and all the dealers involved have since contacted Mr Bell to apologise. BMW's sales director Mr Michael Nugent has expressed his extreme annoyance at the way the situation was handled.
"We are acutely conscious of the need to treat customers with courtesy, and there is no room for complacency. "
He says that after Mr Bell's initial call he contacted both dealerships and made clear to them that such practices were unacceptable. He understood that both dealers would be in contact to apologise to you at the time.
BMW says it is preparing a mandatory training programme for all sales staff that will focus strongly on following through on all queries; be they from e-mail, phone or personal contact.
But it's really a cultural change throughout the industry that's needed and while BMW is busy implementing its new training programme to prevent these sort of complaints, other firms still have a very long way to go.
From Eoin O'Kelly:
I currently have a Hyundai Trajet company car which is due to be changed shortly. I had a seven-seater Laguna Grand Tourer before the Hyundai, but I'm not a fan of the rear facing third row of seats. My limit is €35,000 and seven seats is my only real requirement.
Are there any other seven-seaters out there that I should consider?
The Trajet is the best-selling seven-seater on the Irish market, and serves its purpose well for the price. It might not be the most invigorating drive but then again it's designed for functionality rather than sportiness or driver enjoyment.
Alternatively, you could look to the Ford Galaxy 1.9 TDi LX for €35,760. It's the entry level model but you may get a bargain on the market now that sales are starting to slow down.
Don't rule out the used car market, where you could pick up a higher-spec Galaxy 1.9 TDi well within your price bracket. We recently spent two weeks behind the wheel of the Ghia version of this car and found it spacious and powerful enough for our needs.
You could also try the Toyota Avensis Verso or VW Touran, both of which offer versions within your price bracket.
From C. White:
I recently bought a Ford Fiesta 1.3L car/van and I was wondering if, because it's a commercial vehicle and I am privately insuring it, do I have to have a DOE or an NCT certificate for it? I was informed by a friend that it does not require either because there is some sort of loophole regarding this. Is this true?
We've checked it out with several interested parties and can find no evidence of such a loophole in the law.
According to a Ford spokesperson: "If such a loophole exists we'd be delighted to hear about it. It would be a great selling point."
It seems that in legal terms, if it meets the criteria for a van, then it needs a DOE certificate. If it does not meet the commercial vehicle criteria then it's a car and you need an NCT certificate. There doesn't seem to be any middle ground between the two. I hope your friend didn't sell you the Fiesta on the basis of such a claim.
Send your queries to
Motors Help Desk, The Irish Times, Fleet Street, Dublin 2 - or e-mail them to motorshelp@irish-times.ie