"Should he have to pay for the recovery of someone who also choose to ignore the sign? And someone else with an even more unwieldy vehicle who ignored the sign? And so adinfinitum?"

No. That's exactly the point I'm making. If you choose to act stupidly, why should someone else pay for your recovery? (And all the people who use Renault Assist have now paid towards this idiot's recovery). In no way at all was what happened to him anyone's fault but his. He should pay for the consequences. As should anyone else who acts just as idiotically. The sequence of events was kicked off by him; no-one else. Please answer me this: Who should pay for the recovery? Would you pay for his recovery? If you wouldn't, why should the "pool" of Renault owners (or whoever subsequently foots the bill for Renault Assist)?

At the risk of sounding like a grumpy old man, no-one seems to want to take responsibility for the consequences of their actions these days. It's always someone else's problem.

V

If anyone is interested I booked it in to Main Dealer at an all in cost of £185 s&fitted.

Thanks very much. We will give that a go. Regards.

Did you also change the tensioners and water pump when you had the belts done?

How did they do the pump timing? Do you know which injection system you have? MSA version?

How is the fuel economy?

Have you checked the bits of metal around the exhaust?

What about the intercooler pipes?

>Why does a booster seat ensure that a belt can't be incorrect?

Why? To protect the child from internal injury caused by the belt transferring energy to the soft parts of the abdomen in an accident.

How? If you look at a booster, you'll see it's thicker at the front than at the back, so raising the child's knees a little and naturally tilting the child back into the seat. The horns at the side then guide the lower belt over the pelvic bones and prevent it from sliding up over the abdomen. The booster also positions the child better relative to the diagonal belt - and allows a better view out - but the correct positioning of the lower belt is its primary function.

Without a correctly shaped, hard booster, a child in a seat shaped for an adult will naturally slide down and forward, tilting the pelvis upward and under the lower seat belt. This is why a booster is required and a rolled-up blanket will not do.

The legal requirements, with some reasoning (although a deplorably inaccurate use of the word 'stomach'!) are all here: www.thinkroadsafety.gov.uk/campaigns/childcarseats...m

There is no mention of Sim-O's clippy thing. It may be a bit better than a seat belt alone in the case where 'two occupied child seats in the rear prevent the fitment of a third', but it should be strictly for occasional use. My boys would have liked to take a friend along on a day out last week. Our car won't take a third seat in the back - and there's no override for the front airbag - so I said no.

Sorry if this sounds patronizing or sanctimonious, but I've gone for spelling it out as plainly as I can because it really matters, and there's some truly appalling ignorance and recklessness out there. No-one who even aspires to being a responsible parent should need the law to tell them to do this stuff - and to read enough to understand why it's important.