A radical way of achieving reduced road tax

HELPDESK:Answering all your motoring queries

From Ali A: As the owner of a new Mercedes E250 CDI, I have to tell you that some of the diesel engines in the BlueEfficiency range of C-Class and E-Class are suffering from faulty fuel injectors. Now, even under warranty, Mercedes is unable to give any fixed date when these cars will be fixed. It is taking at least four weeks whereas by trading standards, if it cannot be fixed in three weeks, one has the right to demand a replacement.

Mercedes admits to problems with some of the fuel injectors on models with the 220CDI and 250CDI BlueEfficiency diesel engines. They say that the problem with the injectors has now been rectified and the new parts are being fitted to all cars in production. A spokesman said earlier versions will be replaced as problems arise and covered on a goodwill basis should they fail later in the car’s life, even when the car runs out of warranty.

There does seem to be a delay in getting parts for replacement. The spokesman said this was due to initial demand by the factory for new model production. While it would seem a recall might be warranted, Mercedes says it is not contemplating such an action as the number of models sold with the potential fault is small. In Ireland, Mercedes says these larger diesel engines have not been big sellers, so the problem should not affect many. It doesn’t affect the more popular 200CDI diesel versions, for example.

From AT: After the birth of our first child, it was clear that my existing car was too small. I decided to buy a used Land Rover Disovery 3 as the asking price was good value. However, road tax is very high.

If I removed the rear seats, could I re-register the car as commercial and benefit from the reduced road tax?

It is possible, under certain circumstances, but there are no guarantees it will work and it’s not as simple as removing the seats. In order to comply with new VRT categorisation, the conversion would have to be carried out in line with a number of regulations, would be radical and would have to be permanent.

We have been told that it’s not a case of simply removing seats. Seatbelts need to be removed, a flat floor fitted and rear windows blanked. The conversion would have to be inspected and approved by Revenue. It is strongly recommended that you discuss the changes with them beforehand. There is also no guarantee that it would qualify for the lower motor tax.

One of the industry people we contacted about the matter suggested that the simplest solution may be to trade in the passenger version for a commercial model at little cost.

They also mentioned another potential problem that you might need to discuss with your insurer: carrying a small child in a commercial vehicle.

Send your queries to Motors Helpdesk, The Irish Times, Tara Street, Dublin 2 or e-mail motorshelp@irishtimes.com