Undeterred, I took the car to the ever-helpful Central Tyres of Wellingborough to be fixed. The Volvo is fitted with Pirelli P Zero Rosso tyres, which cost ΂£204 each. So you can imagine the shock when I was told that I might have to replace all four tyres which would mean a bill of over ΂£800!

The tyre dealer reckoned that because the V70 R has a clever four-wheel-drive system, all four tyres must have equal tread depths. If the remaining, otherwise healthy tyres were worn down by more 2mm, I'd have to replace the lot.

I called our local Volvo dealership (Bells of Northampton) for more info, and was told that this only applied to older V70 AWD models where uneven wear causes big gearbox problems. So my V70 R was thankfully in the clear. Well worth knowing, especially if your local tyre dealer doesn't.