AAA CAR DOCTOR JOHN PAUL 3/30/2001

March Chat Spring Car Care

John Paul
The Car Doctor is In

me
hi doc....tell me how to change my oil on my own.

John Paul
me, if you are going to change the oil in your car, start with a repair manual. Here you will find the locations of the oil drain plug, oil filter location and how much oil you will need. An oil change is simple but if done wrong can be very expensive

Lisa
do I still have to 'warm-up' my car b4 I drive it?

John Paul
lisa, unless the weather is very cold, it really isn't necessary. The best thing you can do is drive reasonably until the car warms up.

Pico_72
Hey doc, what are the basics one should do when it comes to sping maintenance?

John Paul
Pico_72,v In general change the fluids, oil filter, coolant. Check the belts hoses, and under the car for winter damage. This is also a good time to really clean up your car touch up the paint and put on a coat of wax

Rodeo
Can you please tell me what a 30,000 mile tune up consist of? What are some troubles if I have not gotten a tune up for the last 60,000 miles. Thanks

John Paul
Rodeo, a 30K service is usually, plugs, filters, coolant flush and perhaps transmission service. the cars owners manual should help point you in the right direction. If you did wait 60K it isn't to bad unless the spark plugs have siezed into the engine(this is very bad). But for the most part you will just do the 30K and 60K togeather.

Lisa
Hi, my question is: is recycled oil bad for your car? and how can i ensure that the dealer is putting the correct oil in my car when i get the oil changed?

John Paul
Lisa, I don't think anyone recycles oil to be used in a car. oil is recycled for other purposes, but i haven't seen recycled oil in 30 years. When you go in for an oil change ask to have the oil specified by the vehicle manufacturer

Scratched
My windshield apears to be scratched from all of the ice scraping I did. Can I fix this?

John Paul
Scratched, A glass shop may be able to buff of some scratches, but if they are deep the windshield will have to be replaced. Check with your insurance company it may be cover

Shaky steering
My 1999 Honda has been running great. Recently, the steering wheel has been shaking and it drifts slightly to the right. Do I need an alignment?

John Paul
Shaky, You have two issues. The shaking may be a tire out of balance or a damaged wheel or tire. The pulling could be an alignment problem. Bring your car into a good repair shop(maybe a tire shop) and have all the tires checked and if necessary rotated and balanced. Then have the wheels aligned

bostonia
what is the best gas additive?

John Paul
bostonia, I am not a big beliver in additives. For general engine cleaning i have been a fan of a product made by Chevron — Techron

Ralphie
Can I get my 1988 Camry AC recharged?

John Paul
Ralphie, there is no reason why you can't get your AC recharged. If possible stay with the original freon R12 if you need major repairs then consider a change to the more envoiro friendly R134

jakester
When I turn on my heater in the car the windows fog up and like a smoke rolls through car. It's got a funny smeel and you can almost taste it. I'm thinking it's the heater core motor. My car is a 85VW. Is it expensive to fix, Worth it to fix and can I do it myself.

John Paul
jakester, This is a classic bad heater core problem. You are looking at about 3.5 hours labor plus the part --maybe $100.00. The job is fairly envolved but with a shop manual you might be able to do it. It will only get worse and start leaking hot antifreeze into the car. It is probably to late but this was a recall back several years ago

Otto The Auto
Do you really need mud flaps in a car? And if so what are the benefits?

John Paul
Otto, mud flaps can help prevent paint damage especially if you drive off road. If you are going to install mud flaps use the factory style they fit much better

Waterboy
John, I have a leak in my rear slider of my '97 F-150. Any suggestions on how to stop this problem without replacing the slider.

John Paul
Waterboy, Start with finding the leak, it may be a worn gasket. This can be easily replaced although the window will have to come out. Some sliders have a drain hole(s)if it is clogged it could be the problem

TireRotate
How often should I rotate my tires? I drive about 2k per month

John Paul
TireRotate, rotate your tires every 8-10,000 miles. This is also a good excuse to check the brake condition.

arielle
i am looking to buy an 85 tercel. I had a mechanic look at it yesterday, and said the carburator was a bit worn but otherwise was running fine. But on the wya home, it died/stalled. Would this be a symptom of a failing carburator or engine? thanks very much.

John Paul
arielle, Almost every older Tercel had carb problems. I would go back to the same shop, they may have left a vacuum hose off causing the new stalling problem.

jimi
hi, I have a '94 Chevy Corsica, the other day I looked at the oil and there was a white gunk buildup around the cap, this used to happen to my Jeep every winter as well, do you know what causes that?

John Paul
jimi, the white stuff is from conndensation. Change to oil and check the PCV valve. This will happen if your driving is local and the engine doesn't fully warm up. Thats the good news, if you are loosing antifreese you may have a headgasket problem.

dizzyd
My '94 Saturn SL seems to have too much "play" in the steering... possible cause/problem?

John Paul
dizzyd, If the steering is getting loose, you may have a worn tie rod or balljoint. Have it check out by a good garage it could become very dangerous if the part breaks.

Heavy Idling
Once in a while (usually after lots of stop-and-go city driving), my engine really revs up loud as if i'm holding down the accelerator when i'm not. What could be causing this?

John Paul
Heavy Idle, depending on your car it could be a idle air control motor or as simple as a sticking throttle cable

John Paul
To all the chatters, you can email me anytime at jpaul@aaasne.com

Teresa In Sacramento
Hi, I would like to know what tire psi i should use, the average 32 or 40 psi that is indicated on my tires? Thank you

John Paul
Teresa, what is on the tire is the max air, somewhere on the car is the reccomended air pressure. this is usually on one of the door jambs.

mona
Hi! here's my question: is it necessary to wash the undercarrige of my car when going through the car wash? it this harmful in any way and/or is it a waste of money? Thanks!

John Paul
Mona, washing the underside of your car is a great idea, but at some car washes they recycle the water and that could mean salty water sprayed in places that could rust. I know the car wash people will hate me but i would pass on the undercar wash

YETI
CAR IS IDLING ROUGH AT LITES,SOMETIMES SURGES.WOULD THIS BE IDLE CONTROL SWITCH OR EGR VALVE

John Paul
YETI, bring you car in the have it diagnosed it could be anything from a EGR to a bad plug wire. The $50-$75 you spend for an engine analysis could save you money in the long run

Winchester
Doctor, I have a 95 Rodeo and when it sits idle I constatly hear a ticking noise. When I accelerate the ticking noise becomes faster. After an oil change the noise goes away for the first 1500 miles and then comes back. I've looked for a leak but could not locate any oil drips. Any suggestion on what it is???

John Paul
Winchester, When it ticks is it low on oil? If so, the engine is burning oil. If the oil is full it could be a faulty or dirty valve lifter. An old trick before the next oil change add a quart of "Marvel Mystery Oil" drive about a 1000 miles and change the oil, this may flush out the engine.

bumper
My 97 camry has some scratches on front and rear bumpers. Where can I repaint this with economical cost? or What are the other options?

John Paul
bumper, There is touch up paint for bumpers, that may be an option. You need a paint that is more flexible than what is on the steel panels. Stratches need to be repaired before they are painted. A body shop may give you some advice.

MG
Why is it that the oil manufacturers and the small Jiffy Lube type of businesses want me to change my oil every 3k miles and BMW recommends and insists I have it done, through them in order to keep my 100k warranty, every 10k miles? Who's right?

John Paul
MG, As long as the oil gets changed your car will stay under warranty--you could do it yourself if so inclined. For most people 4-5000 miles is a realistic number. 10K miles would be under ideal conditions, whenever in doubt go with the severe or alternative maintenence schedule