HONEST JOHN EXPERT ADVICE

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

SAFETY FIRST

My wife is taking delivery of a new VW Polo SE and has received an email from the dealer, because the rear seatbelt buckle has a potentially dangerous design flaw. Attached to the email is a letter asking her to sign, acknowledge the fault and agree not to use the middle seat until the fault can be rectified via a recall at an undisclosed future date. What is your advice re this matter? Should she sign the document? CG

How dare they dump responsibility for this safety defect on the customer? Refuse to take delivery and demand your deposit must be returned because the car is “not of satisfactory quality as it cannot safely carry five people”. Alternatively, give the dealership the opportunity to supply you with a functioning five-seater car, free of any charge up to the point where it can supply you with a new Polo that works properly.

The reason for this is the ridiculous number of model and trim variations in German model ranges; each version has to be separately certified.

C1, SEE NONE

Michelin does not yet make a 165/60 R15 Cross Climate for my Citroën C1. Can you recommend any other all-weather tyres? What about running it on 155/65 R14 winter Hankooks that I already have on spare wheels? RH

The correct 14-inch size for a C1 is 165/65 R14. Alternative all-season tyres are Goodyear Vector 4 Seasons, Pirelli Scorpion Verde, Nokian Weatherproof and Bridgestone Weather Control.

FALSE FAULTS ALARM

The reason I jumped into a late 2018 Jaguar F-Pace was to avoid the petrol particulate filter that is fitted to 2019 versions. I’m regularly getting 34 to 38mpg out of the 2.5-litre turbo petrol engine – only 6mpg less than the Land Rover Discovery Sport Ingenium diesel 180 I had before. Is that good? SH

That is very good indeed. I got 35mpg out of a Volvo XC40 T5 with about the same power, but I don’t see why you think a particulate filter on a petrol car will be a problem because the soot particles are much smaller than those caused by burning diesel.

SHORT CHANGE

We need to replace our 10-year-old Ford Focus diesel. We are looking for a five-door petrol Focus or, maybe, a Volvo V40 five-door hatchback. I am in my 70s and have only done 24,000 miles in the last 10 years. Which of these two cars would you recommend? RH

The new Ford Focus 1.5 EcoBoost is excellent in every respect, apart

Rear discs rust because all cast iron discs corrode overnight, especially in a salt-laden atmosphere. While this gets cleaned off the front discs, which do most of a car’s braking, it often doesn’t get cleaned off those at the back and starts to eat into the braking surface. Nevertheless, such rust within a year is premature and I would hold the supplying dealer liable to replace the discs as not being of satisfactory quality.

from its relatively mean three-year warranty. For your use a 1.0 EcoBoost makes more sense. A Kia Ceed 1.4T GDI is almost as good and has a seven-year/100,000-mile warranty.

CLEAN PALATE

I have just bought a 2015 Suzuki Vitara and the recommended unleaded petrol is shown as 95Ron. Would there be any benefit from using higher-octane superunleaded petrol? TY

It will run on 95Ron but will perform better on 98Ron super and also benefit from fuel system cleaning additives. If you use the improved torque at low revs to change up earlier, you will also save a bit of fuel.

TWO INTO ONE WILL GO

We have a Mercedes E-class and a Smart and are considering changing to one car between us. The replacement must be automatic and as small as possible, preferably with a petrol engine and capable of holding one set of golf clubs and an electric golf trolley. Our annual mileage will be about 3,000. Would an Audi A3 be appropriate? JB

I’d suggest a Peugeot 2008 1.2 Puretech 110 EAT6 auto, Citroën C3 Aircross 1.2 Puretech 110 EAT6 or Mazda CX3 2.0i Skyactiv G 120 six-speed torque converter auto.

CARRY FISHER

I’m replacing a 1999 VW Golf GTI. I do about 5,000 miles a year; trips are

There is talk of loss-making Ford of Europe dropping the Galaxy and S-Max; maybe the Mondeo, too. I guess the C-Max is at the end of its run and might not be renewed. Ford might concentrate on more basic combi vans such as the Connect and Courier Tourneos instead.

HARD KNOCKS

I bought a Volkswagen Golf GTD in April 2016. It is an import and came on larger 19-inch Santiago alloy wheels. I have driven 40,000 miles and have changed six tyres. Then I found that the sticker displaying the recommended pressures is incorrect and I have been underinflating my tyres. Might this have contributed to wheel damage and poor tyre life? AD

Yes, but that’s not a sensible choice of wheel and tyre for this type of car because there’s not enough protective rubber between the rim and the road for a comfortable ride.

IT TAKES TWO TO TWINGO

Would a Renault Twingo be a good, reliable small car at two or three years old. Is this a sensible idea? AH

They are all right; mechanically similar to the Smart ForFour. There have been one or two timing chain problems with the 900cc 90 TCe turbo engine, however.

BIG CAT

My Jaguar XE has Dunlop 225/40 R19 tyres at the front and 255/35 R19s at the rear. It has only covered 15,000 miles but looks almost ready for new rubber. Are there any alternatives to Dunlop? TS

The size and profile of the rear tyres is why they are wearing quickly. If you want the tyres to last longer, switch to smaller wheels and deeper profile tyres. You will also enjoy a more comfortable ride.