Motoring Costs, AA survey 2011

The cost of running an average sized car in the "Tax Band C" category, has risen by €646 on 2010 the AA has released today in it annual Cost of Motoring survey.  This means that it will cost on average, nearly €12,000 this year to run your car, up 5.8% on last year.  By comparison, a weekly bus pass on Dublin Bus would cost a mere €1000 for the year.

 Conor Faughan of the AA said "Of course, the single biggest change is the cost of fuel, two thirds of the price of fuel is tax and most of this money is going to the Government.  If it wasn't for tax increases we would now be looking at retail prices of about 132c whereas now we are looking at about 150c"

Bear in mind this survey was based on actually owning your car, so any repayments are on top of this again!  Car Insurance rose slightly, averaging 1.2% higher than last year and the cost of servicing and repair has risen by about 2.7%, mostly in line with inflation. 

This time last year, petrol was about €1.27 a liter, now its at about €1.50, mainly due to Government taxes.  As Public Transport is a joke, and there is no infrastructure in place for any sort of alternative travel, looks like the Irish motorist will be burdened with double and treble taxation once again to tax our way out of the recession. 

The Irish Government is being brought to court next year by the European Union over its double taxation policy including VRT on all new and used vehicles which breaches Article 25 of the Treaty of Rome, which gives free movement of goods within the EU.

Gary



The Allparts Fuel Saving Guide

With the price of Diesel closing in on €1.50 a liter and Petrol on €1.60, the average cost of topping up your beloved motor is costing more and more on each and every visit to the pumps!

So here are a few tips from Allparts.ie that everyone can follow:

• Tire Pressures: Keeping you tires pumped and regularly checking their pressures will ensure you car is not over working every time it has to rotate its wheels.  Tires with incorrect pressures can cost up to €10 in an average tank of fuel.  Most vehicles have a manufactures guideline on tire pressures either on the drivers side door sill, or inside the fuel cap cover on the car itself, or in the owners manual if you can't find it on the car.

• If your car comes with cruise control, ignore it!! This keeps the car at a constant speed, even up and down slopes.  When travelling downhill, ease back on the throttle and work with gravity to keep a constant speed, use the momentum you have built up then to get you up hill.  Don't mash the throttle pedal going up hill, this is just a waste of time.

• Anticipate the road ahead.  This will avoid heavy braking and harsh acceleration. Which Burns Fuel!

• When pulling off, accelerate smartly, not like Lewis Hamilton but not like Granny either!  Get into top gear as quickly as reasonable.

• Don't carry unnecessary weight!  There is no need to be carrying around the golf clubs all week if your only playing on a Saturday afternoon, thrust me, they won't impress the new secretary in the office!

• Regular Servicing keeps a check on tires, refreshes engine lubrication and keeps an eye on brakes and suspension components that keep your vehicle running smoothly!  A restricted air filter can drastically increase fuel consumption, try breathing through your sleeve for a minute and you'll see how difficult it becomes.

• Wash you Car, not only will a bit of TLC bring out the shine in your motor but reduces weight and aerodynamic drag!

• Turn off the Air Conditioning. Consider opening the windows and enjoying the breeze. It may be a tad warmer, but at lower speeds you'll save fuel. That said, at higher speeds the A/C may be more efficient than the wind resistance from open windows and sunroof.

• If stuck in traffic, and you car doesn't come with one of those fancy stop/start didgeridoo's, if you're idling over 45 seconds, knock off your engine providing it is safe to do so!

Some magazines will tell you to buy a hybrid, or down size your car or walk everywhere and car poole, well, we are not going to tell you to do that here at Allparts.ie as these are all down to personal preferance.  The builder with the V10 TDI Tourag could be far more fuel effecient than the 17year old with her Nissan Micra, if you can follow these tips and match your vehicle to its application, then you should reduce your fuel bills.

Gary

PS: Don't Buy a Prius!!!!!