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Cars > Past Chats
AAA CAR DOCTOR
JOHN PAUL
07/29/2004 |
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September Chat
Problems under
the hood?
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On September 24, 2004 at 1 p.m. . . .
JohnPaul (Moderator)
12:54PM With the Fall season here its time to get your car ready for the upcoming cold weather
JohnPaul (Moderator)
01:08PM 98 volvo, When ever Volvo sends me a car to test drive in the winter it always has 4 snow tires on it. But it is really up your on confidence level
98volvo
01:08PM snow tires for my 98 volvo S70 or all season tires ok?
steve1
01:08PM I am trying to start a part-time wax, wash, detailing service for cheap money, any tips?
JohnPaul (Moderator)
01:10PM Stevel, Use good products is the best tip I can give you. I'm a fan of Mequires and Zymol for high end products.
krb
01:11PM When I hear of a "roll over" on the traffic report...is it a suv that rolled over? Want an all wheel drive car...are there any that don't roll over easily?...safty is an issue. Thanks.
JohnPaul (Moderator)
01:12PM KRB, look athe Subaru for utility and a reasonable price. The safercars.0rg website lists rollover ratings
steve
01:12PM JP — My son is off to college so I've taken his car off the road and plan to keep it stored outside until next May. It's a '94 Ford CV in very nice shape (it was his grandmother's car). What do you recommend I do to minimize any damage/wear? I live in the sticks so I'm concerned about rodent damage as well. Thanks
JohnPaul (Moderator)
01:14PM Steve, The best thing you can do it use the car once a week, if that isn't possible change the oil, top off all the fluids and seal up any openings to keep the critters out. This includes air intake and tail pipe. Add a good coat of wax to protect the body and consider a car cover
boston
01:14PM i hear a screeching sound when i pull my car out of my parking space. I was told (by a friend) that is could be a loose fan belt. Do you think this is the case? How easy is it to fix something like this? how much does it normally cost?
JohnPaul (Moderator)
01:15PM boston, could be a loose belt. If it has been running loose for a while you are better off just replacing it. A belt depending on the car could be a .5 to one hours labor and the belt could be $15-$35.00
Edrie
01:15PM Is there special care that I should take for my 2001 VW golf Turbo as it hit's the 100K mile mark soon?
JohnPaul (Moderator)
01:17PM Edrie, follow the regular maintence. VW has been having some oil sludge problems lately. You may want to consider changing to synthetic oil. Pay close attention to the engie coolant and flush out the brake fluid every 30K
airfilter
01:17PM do those $30+ airfilters from k&N and even fram... are they worth it? do they work? if so what is it about them that creates bettter gas mileage
JohnPaul (Moderator)
01:18PM airfilter. those filter K&N and Air Hog, allow a bit more flow, perhaps a bit more power and last forever-with cleaning.
CatV8
01:18PM How often should I change my car battery and secondly, my car is approaching 100k (it's 94 cougar). The manual says i need my rear differential fluid changed. Can I do that myself like an oil change (i'm a pretty handy girl)
JohnPaul (Moderator)
01:21PM CatV8, Batteries last 3-5 years. My general rule is if a battery is 5 years old just change it. The rear diff doesn't have a drain plug so you need to pump out the fluid.
jeep
01:21PM I had my 2004 Jeep Liberty in to the dealer for the second time regarding the transmission, at least I think it's the transmission. When backing up, first accelerating or come to a stop, there is a "clunking" sound. I was told by someone (not a dealer) that it sounds like the transmission is slipping. The dealer can't duplicate this and tell me that there is nothing wrong. Have you heard of Liberty having any kind of transmission problems?
JohnPaul (Moderator)
01:24PM jeep, according to alldata.com there are several technical bullitens for transmission noises, but none that match yours. I would just keep reporting the problem to the dealer. Make sure you get documentation
Frank
01:24PM I've been in the market lately for a mid-80s VW Vanagon. Any problems that I should keep an eye out for? I'm hoping to find a "synchro", which is the all-wheel-drive version.
JohnPaul (Moderator)
01:26PM Frank, these car are almost cult like. they are reasonable sound but anything that relates to AWD can be very expensive. I would try to contact a VW club to see if you can find one. Call the Larz Anderson Auto Museum they have a VW transporter day and you may gain little more insight.
Hank
01:26PM Hi JP. I replaced my exhaust system (mid pipe & muffler) at Meineke about three years ago, and now it needs to be replaced again (according to my local honda dealer). Can you tell me if three years is the average life of mid pipe and muffler or are the discount muffler shop parts sub-standard?
JohnPaul (Moderator)
01:29PM Hank, this is pretty standard for many replacement mufflers and pipes. i would call it sub standard, but every 3-4 years can be average.
Ball Joint
01:29PM Hi. I recently had the upper and lower ball joints, both sides, replaced on my Blazer. It set me back just over $800. Does that seem resonable? The truck has 75k miles on it. Thanks.
JohnPaul (Moderator)
01:32PM Using alldata it is about 400.00 worth of parts and nearly 5 hours labor it makes $800.00 sound reasonable
Phil Rupp
01:32PM strike that
Phil Rupp
01:33PM Hi JP, What parts, if any, are covered under an extended warranty for safety, etc? For instance...2001 Ford Taurus is out of warranty, but had problems with air bag related sensor. Any thoughts? Thanks.
JohnPaul (Moderator)
01:36PM Phil Rupp, depends on the warranty company. The ones I have seen will cover many sensors and controls for air bags and abs brakes.
Hedley
01:36PM I'm transporting 5 high school boys to school everyday for the next two years and want to prevent, as best I can, any wear and tear to my 9-year old mini-van (122k miles), so I can keep it for a few years after. Any suggestions on avoiding catastrophic wear on suspension, engine, etc.
JohnPaul (Moderator)
01:39PM Hedley, The best thing you can do is just keep up on preventitive maintence. Oil changes, coolant changes and periodic check ups to fix things before they break. The other thing is always drive the car like it is brand new. Just take it easy, slow starts and stops, generally the easier you are the longer it will last
Ball Joint
01:40PM Hi JOhn, same blazer. The 4x4 also acted up on that same service call, they replaced a computer, some vaccum hose and an actautor. Is there anyway to know that the problem was $10 in rubber vaccum hose and not the $400 computer that needs replacing? I paid top dollar for dealer service rates and would hope they would diagnose correctly and not troubleshoot until the problem got resolved. Help!
JohnPaul (Moderator)
01:41PM ball joint, This is where you need to trust your repair shop. The actuator is a fairly common failed part.
Phil Rupp
01:41PM Followup re: Taurus. Would Ford stand behind sensors related to air bags beyond the 3 year 36,000 mile warranty? If the sensor failed from an impact obviously it would not be covered I trust. Thanks.
JohnPaul (Moderator)
01:43PM phil rupp, once you get past the warranty it is very unlikely that ford or most any other car company will completely cover the repair no matter how criticle it is to the operation of the car. In all of these cases the dealer has the option to contact the manufacturer and look for some "good will" assistance.
Ball Joint
01:44PM Thanks. what if the problem as reappeared a week later?? As is the case with me ;-(
JohnPaul (Moderator)
01:45PM Ball Joint, This is where you need to contact the servic manager or the owner of the dealership and 1, find the problem and 2 perhaps talk about a refund
Hedley
01:46PM Thanks for your advice on preserving my minivan. Another question; is it true that inspection stations will not pass your car if your 'service now' light is on? Ever since a comprehensive inspection a few years ago, my service light goes on and off, and my owners manual says that's normal. I'm concerned that I won't pass next March when I'm due.
JohnPaul (Moderator)
01:47PM Hedley, depends on the light and year of the vehicle. If it is the maintnence required light, this is just a reminder to you. If it is the power loss light or check engine light then it may have to be repaired if it is on.
BigDaddy
01:49PM What are your thoughts on oil changes? Dealers and mechanics say every 3,000 miles. I think it's a big conspiracy, with the goal getting more money from consumers — particularly since owners manuals say to change every 7500 miles (as does AAA).
JohnPaul (Moderator)
01:52PM Big Daddy, personally I'm somewhere in between. With my own cars the oil get changed about every 4-5 months. Recently I have changed both cars over to Royal Purple synthectic oil. You do really need to look at the owners manuals, some do in fact reccomend every 3000 miles or 3 months some will be much longer
Phil Rupp
01:52PM Thanks JP. First time here. I appreciate it very much. Last question. Your thoughts on transmission fluid/filter changes. Is it better to go to a Jiffy Lube and get 90 percent of the fluid changed (and no filter replacement) or drop the pan and remove the filter and about half the fluid?
JohnPaul (Moderator)
01:54PM Phil rupp, I'm a fan of the fluid flush providing there isn't any wear. If the trans has started to wear I beleve it is necessary to change the filter. In some cases I have done both. If you are doing this just for preventitve reasons I would go with the fluid exchange
JohnPaul (Moderator)
01:56PM My hour is almost up, You can always email your questions to me---jpaul@aaasne.com or join me on my radio program Saturday mornings from 9-11 on WJDA 1300 and WESX 1230
jay
01:56PM I own a 94 Toyota 4Runner with 160,000. I get a strong vibration once I get to 50 mph. I've had the front end alignment checked and the tires rebalnced to no avail. The steering wheel does not shake or vibrate at this speed, just the vibration. Any ideas what to have checked?
JohnPaul (Moderator)
01:59PM jay , sounds like a drive shaft issue. Look carefully at the driveshaft for both damage and wear.
Phil Rupp
01:59PM You read my mind. Totally agree. Take care I must run. Thanks.
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