Scrappage may extend to 2011

HELPDESK:Answering all your motoring queries

From BD: When does the scrappage scheme come to an end? Some car advertisements claim the deal ends in May. Is that right? As I read it I won’t qualify for the scheme until mid-October, as I believe you have to own the car for 18 months before it qualifies.

Yes, you need to have owned the car for 18 months and no, the scrappage scheme is not ending in May. Alongside the Government’s scrappage scheme, car firms have been running additional discount offers. These may be for a limited time period but are separate to the VRT deduction on offer by the Government upon scrapping a privately owned road-going car of 10 years or over. That ends December 31st and the industry may seek to have it extended.

As to the offers, Renault, for example, has extended its offer several times; it currently runs until June 30th. I suspect, given the impact it has had on sales, they will be loathe to call quits on it anytime soon. These schemes often have looser criteria than the Government’s and Renault’s applies to cars eight years or older.

From AO’C: Several weeks after purchasing my car I have been told a new “facelifted” model is due in 2011. I never thought to ask when buying the car and I’m now left with the older version. Do I have any comeback?

I wouldn’t be unduly concerned about mid-life model changes.

In terms of the dealer, the responsibility lies with the buyer to find out that information. If you ask the dealer, in most instances they will tell you. If such things are important, you should always do a little research before buying the car. In all likelihood the price you have paid, and in particular its specification, will reflect the stage of the model’s lifecycle.

There is a case to be made that the prices of new cars fall when new models are introduced but ultimately it’s down to the buyer to do the research. If you like the car, a new arrival shouldn’t detract from your enjoyment too much. New models are a fact of life in the car market and in the vast majority of cases the facelifts require close inspection to spot.

From RS: In last week’s Motors, it stated that a new version of the Toyota Prius would be available in 2012 with “a battery that is rechargeable from a wall socket”. I am informed by a Toyota main dealer that recharging will require a three-phase supply. Perhaps you can tell me which of the above statements is correct?

As we reported, the Prius plug-in hybrid is charged from the electric mains and will take 90 minutes for a full charge from a domestic plug socket. In fact, it’s not designed to be recharged from any fast-charging points or three-phase supplies. Toyota says because of the petrol engine supporting power supply, it will not be necessary to opt for such a supply.

Send your queries to Motors Helpdesk, The Irish Times, Tara St, Dublin 2 or email motorshelp@irishtimes.com