Ford Fiesta's alloy wheel weakness My wife drives a 2009 Ford Fiesta 1.6 Titanium and covers about 5,000 miles per annum. She drives in a very steady manner, but following a recent service we were advised to replace all four wheels due to buckling from potholes and sleeping policemen. The replacement quote was £212 per wheel (plus normal fitting cost of £27). I inspected the car on the hoist. The tyres were not damaged and there was no marking, just a general distortion of the rims. I was shown a skip full of Ford wheels and told this not unusual. I pointed out that we could replace the wheel yet be in the same situation again within a couple of weeks... and the garage said it could happen within a couple of miles. I phoned a second garage and was told a similar tale. I asked Ford Customer Services whether they'd had problems with such wheels, but was told the damage was due to the poor quality of road surfaces. Ford said it was not liable for replacement of the wheels, but might be able to assist with a discount. I then rang Staffordshire County Council, who informed me that I could make a claim if I knew which previously reported pothole had caused the damage (together with the date and the time of the event). We were not aware of a specific event, so no claim. On the internet I found that Ford Direct offered the same wheels at £140 each. I rang two wheel specialists and both guessed the type of car! They told me the wheels are made from soft alloy, but that they could be straightened and balanced for about £55 per rim. How big is this problem and are some manufacturers' wheels better than others? GT, Burton-on-Trent Switch to 14-inch steel or alloy wheels fitted with 175/65 R14 tyres and you will have no further problems. Email your queries to letters@honestjohn.co.uk (please include your full name, postal address and phone number). More Honest John articles.