HONEST JOHN EXPERT ADVICE

The dealer you can trust is on hand to answer your questions on car problems and consumer issues

REASON TO BE FEARFUL?

I have a 2008 Land Rover Freelander TD4. It has developed a rumble from the back and my regular garage cannot make a firm diagnosis. Any ideas? DH

It’s possibly the rear differential; that is quite common on Freelander IIs.

TO ST HELIER & BACK

I live on Jersey. Last year I bought the highly recommended Honda Jazz, new, top of the range with all the bells and whistles. I would like to change this for a smaller, simpler car, however. I need a reversing camera, but don’t want touchscreen controls for heating or radio. I also require an electric sunroof. Can you recommend anything? NJ

A Kia Picanto GT Line S has what you need and comes with a seven-year warranty. The equivalent Hyundai i10 can have it all as well. Or you can get a Fiat 500 with either an opening glass sunroof or a 500C with a full-length canvas roof.

SING LOW, SWEET CHARIOT

Do you have any recommendations for running in our brand new Volvo XC40 T3’s petrol engine? PP

I’d just keep it below 4,000rpm for the first 1,000 miles, but after that don’t worry – modern engines don’t require an intricate running-in schedule. However, they don’t like hundreds of miles at constant revs. If planning any motorway trips during the first 5,000 miles, make sure you vary the revs so it’s not constantly running at something like 2,000 or 2,500rpm.

PET SUBJECT

I thought readers who have to transport small domestic pets might like to know the result of enquiries I made upon receiving my RAC renewal notice. Only the RAC and AXA (tied to Fish Insurance, which only takes on the disabled) will recover a cat to its home address. The AA, Green

Use Karshine Rain Off or a similar spray.

60 LIMIT

My 19-year-old grandson bought his first car, nine years old with a curent MoT and full service history, and was given a 60-day warranty. On the day it expired the car broke down and he was

SILENT RUNNING

PM I have a one-mile commute to work and, with incidental trips, my car does no more than six miles each day. I currently have a 14-year-old, 168,000mile BMW 320d and need to change. Would an electric car would be a good choice? If so, what should I choose? MJ

For this type of use, yes, as long as you can fit a charging point to your house. You can pick up a used Renault Zoë for about £7,000 plus a monthly battery lease of about £50 from a Renault dealer. told that the guarantee was no longer valid. He had it repaired at a local garage for £250. His insurance telematics recorder proves he had driven the car safely up to the time of the breakdown, so is it worth contacting the seller for a contribution towards the cost of the repair? PT

Strictly speaking, the car sales outfit can be held legally liable, but if they don’t cough up readily it’s simply not worth pursuing through Small Claims for £250.

DAZZLE SHIPS

You advocate selecting neutral in a dual-clutch automatic when stationary to reduce clutch wear. Does a stop/start system alter your advice? Is there any downside to having a stop/start system, such as greater wear of some parts? DM

Almost every auto with stop/start keeps the engine running when in neutral and only switches it off if you sit on the brakes in Drive. It’s a strange decision for manufacturers to have made because it encourages drivers to sit on the brakes, treating whoever is behind to a continuous dazzling by brake lights.

NOT TAKING NOTES

I am looking to replace my 2011 Nissan Note 1.4 Acenta with a later Note 1.2.DIG-S, manual or automatic. Any pitfalls? ST

Don’t do it. The Note was an unsuccessful model with a failureprone CVT transmission that was withdrawn from the UK market. If you want this kind of car, get a Honda Jazz CVT-7, preferably the new 1.5i VTEC Sport.

ANY OLD ION

My wife and I need a local runabout, and a private advertisement for an “all-electric 2012 Peugeot Ion, 27,500 miles, £3,500” caught our eye. Our normal maximum distance for a

COMPLETELY NUTS

My ageing Volvo XC70 passed its MoT test after replacement of a left-front wishbone joint. One day later, after a 30-mile motorway journey, the wheel came off while I was exiting a junction. It became clear that the wheel had not been replaced correctly after the work: three wheel bolts were recovered at the site of the incident. My insurance company wrote off the car as an uneconomic repair; the garage has accepted liability and is repairing the car, however. Is there any downside to this course of action? JD

If the garage has now repaired the car, all should be well. But you might have a problem with your insurer from having made a claim even though you did not carry it through. Is the insurer still covering the car that it wrote off, or has the insurance been cancelled?

journey is 30 miles each way. Is there any reason why this battery-powered Peugeot wouldn’t be a good buy? JH

Don’t go near it. It’s compact and fun to drive, and can be charged at home, but the cost of a replacement battery is truly eye-watering.

GOOD HOUSEKEEPING

I have a motorhome that I will lay up for the winter, but I won’t be able to chock it up to keep the tyres off the surface of the drive. Does that matter? JB

Yes. They will flat-spot slightly where they touch the ground. In the case of a regular car, overpressuring would help, but your tyres are probably already at very high pressures. If you can move it backwards and forwards every week without starting the engine, that would help avoid flat-spotting issues.

TALL TRAILS

I have just written off my BMW 118i Sport so I need a replacement. It must be slightly higher, with a petrol engine and automatic gearbox, and cost up to £20,000. What should I look at? PM

See if you can find a BMW 218i Active Tourer automatic within budget.

MISCALCULATION

I have owned a 1.4-litre Honda Jazz for 11 years. I believe the new Jazz 1.3 turbo petrol engine has three cylinders and is higher-revving, so subject to more wear and stresses. Is this correct? WS

There is no reason why a threecylinder engine should wear faster than any other configuration. The new 1.3 turbo petrol also has four cylinders. It is very economical,but I prefer the non-turbo 1.5i VTEC unit.