Car service in another county, can I travel (level 5)?

kermitpwee wrote: »

Looking for something more concrete, thanks though

My car is booked in for a service (also a check engine light on) in a couple of weeks and the service dealer is in Dublin and I live in Kildare.

Yesterday I spoke to the service representative and she assured me that it was OK to travel for car repair work. She claims that they asked SIMI who told them that the advice from government is that it is allowed under the lockdown rules.

To me, this is still a bit vague. I spoke to someone, who spoke to someone, who spoke to someone else, etc..

Like you, I would like something more concrete direct from government.

Keano wrote: »

Getting car repaired doesn't class as essential reasons to break the 5km limit going by Gov.ie

https://www.gov.ie/en/publication/2dc71-level-5/#domestic-travel-restrictions

Yes I think it needs an update. NCT centres are all open as essential service so if they are restricted to those living within 5km it's going to be very quiet for them.

kermitpwee wrote: »

Looking for something more concrete, thanks though

You're not going to get an explicit list of every possible circumstance, so you have to make you own mind up about whether it's OK to travel.

Across the country for an oil change is pushing it. I think you'd be fine going 6km for it though.

Going 15km for a bulb change? 30km for an airbag light? Impossible to define what's "essential" as it changes on personal circumstances.

Isn't a car essential for almost everyone ?

Not really much use if its not road legal or broken.

How are you going to get to hospital if you need to ?

Wait for an Ambulance ?
Take a bus ?

Walk ?

ELM327 wrote: »

It's an essential service so you'll be fine, under 3D.
https://www.gov.ie/en/publication/c9158-essential-services/

How does that fair with the travel restrictions though?

Domestic travel restrictions
Stay at home.

Exercise within 5 kilometres of home.

There will be a penalty for movement outside 5 kilometres of home, with the following exceptions:

travel to and from work, where work involves providing an essential service

to attend medical appointments and collect medicines and other health products

travel to attend disability day services

for food shopping

to take school aged children to permitted training as provided for in the Exercise and Sporting section above

for vital family reasons, such as providing care to children, elderly or vulnerable people, and in particular for those who live alone but excluding social family visits

for farming purposes, that is food production or care of animals

to attend a wedding or funeral

to visit a grave

Maybe I'm being naïve, but it's contradictory. Workshops are allowed to open as an "essential service" but you aren't allowed outside your 5k radius for the purposes or repair and upkeep of your car or whatever way you want to phrase it.

I can see how a nurse with a puncture or a garda with a check engine light would be a good reason to travel but not an accountant working from home who just needs an oil change, say.

I think it's like this, left intentionally grey to appease the business owners to say to them they can stay open, but we are asking people to stay put at home unless absolutely necessary.

Allinall wrote: »

How do the many thousands of people who don't have cars get to the hospital if they need to?

So it's preferable to call an ambulance rather than travel 6km to have your tyre fixed?

Are the actual regulations published yet on Irishstatutebook etc. The last time there was a list of specific journeys that were deemed essential but also a general clause that you could travel if you had a "reasonable excuse".

Information on other gov.ie websites is often inconsistent or things are omitted or the plain English in the actual regs is misinterpreted.

Also, it's very likely that the Gardai won't be well up on the regs. If you are stopped at a checkpoint, whether you are fined/turned around or not may depend on your demeanour or on "who you get" :rolleyes:

Rather than get into a argument on the side of the road about whether getting my car serviced is an essential journey or not, I'd wear a shirt, show my work ID badge and say I'm an essential worker going to work which would almost certainly work in my case but mightn't for many people.

Anyhow, it's an utter joke if a supplier of good/services is deemed essential but travelling to that supplier to purchase goods/services is deemed a non essential journey.

Personally I wouldn't travel if there any obvious defects with car garda could fine you . As with checkpoint I see if you don't have a good excuse there pulling you to side checking tyres looking to fine you

I’l be travelling from Dublin to County Down to get my car serviced by Volkswagen in the next few weeks as the service light has just come on. My service plan is with VW UK so dealers in southern Ireland won’t service it for free under the service plan so I have to go up North. I’m an essential worker who drives to work

kermitpwee wrote: »

Thanks, with respect I don't feel I am over thinking it, we're you over thinking it when you contacted your local garda station?

Overthinking it is coming onto an internet forum and everyone throwing out hearsay and their own opinion. This just creates an echo chamber. No new information is gathered. It just leads to what if's and more thinking.

Logical thinking is reading the guidelines and asking a local authority for their stance and interpretation of said guidelines in the case of ambiguity. We took this step as:

a) We actually wanted to get a firm, somewhat legally backed, answer

b) Our livelihood and customer relations depended on it.

The answer to the question of this thread is in my comment. Any further discussion is meaningless.