Michael McAleeranswers your questions
From M Walker:
Since I bought my VW Golf, I've been unable to repeat the sort of mileage I got from the first set of tyres. Is this down to the car, or the tyres, or the way I'm driving? I'm getting significantly fewer miles out of the tyres that are supposedly the same as the ones fitted on the car when new.
The most obvious reason you get better performance from your tyres on a new car is that, when it leaves the manufacturer, the car is set up perfectly, with alignment and balancing all at their peak. Over time on Irish roads, potholes take their toll.
Another significant reason is that when a car is developed, the tyre company that wins the order from the carmaker creates tyres to suit that particular model. These are part of what is called original equipment (OE).
In the replacement market, however, the tyres are likely to be more general in nature, covering several makes and models, and often lack the particular specific adjustments that feature on the OE tyres.
This can contribute to the difference in wear. It's a pity tyre retailers don't stock OE tyres for each model or that tyre firms don't offer these tyres for general sale. You'll rarely, if ever, be able to repeat the performance of the original tyres.
From P Connors:
I hate the way SUVs are taking over our city streets and I wonder if people are actually licensed to drive these vehicles. There are, after all, weight limits on the vehicles you can drive using normal licences. Do many SUVs actually require their owners to resit the test?
No. The limit for a B category driving licence - the normal car category that most drivers have - is 3,500kg. The Hummer H3 weighs 2,300kg, while a big-engined Toyota Land Cruiser comes in at 2,495kg. You may not agree with someone chugging through city traffic in 21/2 tonnes of metal with only a five year-old in the back seat, but they're still legal.
From EM:
I bought my first car last year and I'm hoping to sell it on soon. I'm not clear on the legal requirements of doing so and would appreciate it if you would outline my obligations, particularly with paperwork. I used to have a log book for the car - a 1991 Mazda 323 - but it's lost and I've been told that they are no longer used. Is this true?
You can apply for a replacement logbook by going to a Garda station and applying for a replacement registration document. It costs about €12. It has to be witnessed by a garda and then sent to your motor tax office.
I take it you are selling your car privately, in which case you need to contact your local motor taxation office and complete a change of ownership form with the person to whom you are selling the car. Once the deal is done, bring this form and the log book/registration form to the motor tax office, where the change of ownership will be registered. If you trade it in, then give the logbook to the dealer and fill in the change of ownership form. They should do the rest.
Cars registered after January 1st, 1993, come with a licensing cert, rather than a log book, and there is a part of the document that allows you to fill in the new owners' details and send it to the Vehicle Registration Unit at the Department of the Environment.
From E O'C:
I'm 6ft 5ins and I can't find a comfortable car. I have an old BMW 5-Series but it's still rather cramped and no one can sit behind me. I've looked at SUVs on sale but even they are too low in headroom. Any ideas?
I think you should consider one of the people carriers. In your case, the extra headroom actually makes sense.
You could look at the likes of the five-seater version of the Ford S-Max, Honda FR-V, or the VW Golf Plus if you wanted something smaller.
From S Hughes:
I came across a system of number-plate reading cameras in Sweden recently.
They monitor traffic and match-up stolen cars. Why don't we have a system like this in Ireland?
This technology is certainly not new to European roads and not even to Ireland. Dublin City Council has been operating number plate recognition technology for several years. Initially a pilot scheme on the Malahide road, it is now used on the M1 motorway. It is apparently far more accurate than speed cameras. It is also claimed that these cameras can read the registration numbers of more than 98 per cent of passing vehicles even in poor visibility.
Gardai are apparently testing the equipment and it's likely to be introduced in the near future.
Send your queries to Motors Helpdesk, The Irish Times, Tara St, Dublin 2, or e-mail motorshelp@irish-times.ie