Evening Herald 21/04/2007
Ray Managh

The engine of a hackney driver's "entirely defective" car would not stop during its NCT test and blew up, a court heard.

Hackney driver Ken Harvey bought the Citreon Synergie car from Fowlers Motors Ireland Ltd, of Millennium Business Park, Cappagh Road, Finglas Dublin.

Mr. Harvey, of Trummon East, Laghey, Co. Donegal, planned to start a hackney business with the car, his counsel, James O'Donnell, told Mr. Justice Edmund Smyth at the Circuit Civil Court.

When he had taken it to a test centre for a suitability inspection and NCT certificate it had been revved up for an emission test. The engine just could not be stopped and eventually had blown up.

Mr. Harvey told the court a Mark Knight of Fowlers Motors had promised a replacement engine but had eventually stopped answering his phone.

The Citreon had been in storage for more than a year.

The Judge, awarding Mr. Harvey €16,000 damages, said Fowlers Motors Ireland Ltd, had sold "an entirely defective, unroadworthy and probably dangerous vehicle."

Mr. Justice Smyth warned car buyers not to trust everyone; they meet on garage forecourts - as SSIA savers prepare to splurge on updating their cars.  He gave the warning after dealing with two Dublin sales outlets which he said had taken car buyers for a ride.

In the other case, Boland's Motor City Ltd., Kingswood Cross, Naas Road, Dublin, was hit for €4,560 damages for having sold Finbarr Hennerty an Opel Corsa which led to his almost immediate detention by gardai who told him it was on their stolen cars list. The engine had packed up a day later.