Inside the industry with Michael McAleer.
A NEW WAY TO SELL YOUR CAR:
As garages across the State turn away trade-ins, those buying new cars and wishing to get rid of their old motor have the chance to get some professional help in selling it on. Motorcare on the Dundrum Road in Dublin is offering a new way for the public to sell their second-hand cars. Caraway, its latest service, offers customers the chance to get Motorcare to sell their car for them for a flat fee of €495.
The benefits of this service, according to Bobby Jolly of Motorcare, are that his team can: offer its expertise on preparing the car for sale, with full servicing facilities; place the car in its showroom and advertise it with its other cars; offer potential buyers comprehensive test drive facilities and financing schemes not available to private sellers.Motorcare is run by two experienced motor traders, Bobby Jolly and Dave Golding, both with 18 years experience. For further details visit www.motorcare.ie
BENTLEY MOTORS A NAME OUT ON ITS OWN, AGAIN:
The company which builds Bentleys will this week revert to its original name, Bentley Motors Ltd. This was the title bestowed by the firm's late founder Walter Owen Bentley in 1919. It was scrapped in 1931 when the company went into liquidation and was bought by Rolls-Royce. In 1998, the German giant BMW bought Rolls-Royce, meaning that the name Rolls-Royce and Bentley Motor Cars had to be replaced. The renaming coincides with the 114th birthday of the company's founder, who was known as WO and died in 1971. It also takes place 10 days before Bentley's new GT Coupé is unveiled at the Paris Motor Show.
WICKLOW LIONS ON TOUR:
Three Irish classic car clubs are coming together on Sunday for a drive through the Wicklow countryside. The charity run, with proceeds going to the Wicklow District Lions Club, will be in two parts and less than 100 miles in total. The Irish Veterans and Vintage Car Club, the Austin Healy Club and the MG enthusiasts Club are lending their support to the event. Entries are invited from those with pre-1971 cars. The run starts at 10am from Windsor Motors in Bray.
PEUGEOT RECALL 406s OVER BOOT LOCKS:
About 3,000 Peugeot 406 cars will have to be recalled after claims that faulty boot locks make it easy for thieves to break in. The recall refers to 406 D9 restyled saloons, dating from 1999. The recall will be carried out through the dealer network, with customers getting written notification. The repair work, if required, will take about 30 minutes.
Peugeot advises owners not to leave valuables in the boot. However, prior to the transmission of a report on the problem in last week's BBC consumer programme, Watchdog, Peugeot Ireland said it had no recorded incident of complaints about the boot lock.