AAA CAR DOCTOR JOHN PAUL 11/08/2005

Auto show chat New models and more

meggyinbos Hi John - my car makes these funny noises when turning the wheel to the left? What could this be and how do I fix it? I also have a problem with my SRS light being on. I think this is a fuse, but am not sure

John_Paul Have the suspension checked, it could be a loose tie rod end or ball joint. As for the air bag light have a diagnostic check done on the airbag system

Aja1 Hi John. Given what you see at the car show if someone handed you $30 grand to spend on a car what would you get? (No SUV's and you have sto spend it all)

John_Paul Tough question depends on what you need. I might but a mustang convertible, maybe a Mini Cooper, Honda Accord Hybrid.

Aja1 true, let's say a sedan...non-hybrid for the sake of this argument. I like the Accord hybrid too though

John_Paul How about a Chrysler 300C, you might get that for a bit over 30K, Less fun you can't go wrong with a Camry. I think the 300 has alot more style than the Ford Fivehundred. The Acura TSX over fun to drive and Acura quality

Aja1 Do you have any knowledge of how reliable the hybrid's are? Are repairs more expensive or frequent?

John_Paul The Hydrids have been fine. Toyota did have a Prius recall but it was just a reprogram of the computer. The older Insights and Prius models have been fine.

joe_m What do you think would be the best of the "Cheapest" premium brands out there. For example: Lexus, Mercedes, Acura, Audi, etc. I want the least expensive of the best brands.

John_Paul Acura gives you great quality, but no V-8 with less trips to the dealer. Lexus next, maybe a little boring but a great car. MB, Audi are fine but you will spend more time at the dealer.

Aja1 Maybe the accord hybrid is the way to go...does it have any direct competition? (prius = smaller)

John_Paul Go with the Accord The most powerful and fuel efficiant Accord yet

Aja1 yes those 300C's are pretty neat, would be fun to drive one.

Aja1 hey Joe M if you're here, I have had a Lexus IS 300 for 2 years and it has been a dependable fun car, but I miss my old Subaru GT wagon.

joe_m Thanks, so that would mean the tsx/rsx (I have a tsx), an es300, a C-class, A4. Did I miss any obvious ones?

John_Paul The ES330 is a great car but just a bit boring the C Class is okay and the A4 fun to drive great interior. Look at the G35x all wheel drive hot engine and Infiniti dealers

turbo hello there. can you recommend a good economical station wagon. Do you know if Honda will bring the accord wagon back

John_Paul No Honda wagon, Look at the Matrix by Toyota, the Ford Focus wagon. Maybe even the Mazda3 five door

turbo what did you like about the Subaru GT ?

John_Paul Subaru will give you great winter performance and the GT give it the power it was missing

Trouble Dear John, Whenever I turn my car on lately it makes the most annoying, loud, screaching noise. It does this for a good 15 seconds...the time it takes me to drive out of my townhome neighborhood! Talk about being embarassed. In any case, we just had a bunch of belts replaced. Do you have any idea what this could be? It is worse in cold weather. Thansk!

John_Paul The alternator belt needs to be replaced. The noise stops as the battery charges up.

turbo John Paul - will Honda be bringing back the Accord Wagon ?

John_Paul Sorry no Accord wagon

turbo what do you think about the Saab wagon in terms of reliablity and durability. has GM diluted the saab quality

John_Paul The Saab wagon (sport combi) is new and a little hard to tell. Saabs have always been a friend of the service department.

Aja1 Unstoppable in the snow, lots of room, cheap repairs, and I like the way they look....especially the 05's.

Aja1 That sport combi sure looks great, but as John said, I'd be worried about reliability...
turbo John Paul, what about John Paul - what abou the subaru outback wagon versus the V70 awd. I'm looking for reliablity and dependabilty above all else

John_Paul The Subaru will give you better milage the Volvo maybe a little more room but much more prestige-if thats important. The Volvo has the edge in safety

turbo i own two hondas - both 5 years old and both rust like there's no tomorrow. John Paul, what's the best way to rid or prevent this from happending. Is this usual on japanese cars in general ?

John_Paul Old hondas yes but a 2000 with rust is very unusual. As Honda and Toyota started to sell a lot of cars in the US, their quality had to improve and rusting is pretty much a thing of the past. Unless you live on the ocean I'm not sure what happened

turbo John Paul, i have a front wheel bearing starting to growl, particularly at highway speeds. 95 Accord. Is this a safety issue ? I can deal with the noise for the time being

John_Paul As the bearing wears it will become loose and it will be a safety issue. There is a possibility it could sieze and that would be really bad--I would fix it

turbo what are your thoughts on the Audi A6 wagon. I have an oppty to pull the trigger on my sisters 2001 A6. Are these cars prone to frequent servicing are are they quite reilable in your opinion

John_Paul If you can buy it right why not. The A6 is a pretty good car as far as handling and ride. Frequent servicing --yes you need to stay on top of service or they will get expensive

turbo one other question regarding a wagon. how would you compare the passat wagon with Outback in terms of reliabilty and minimal maintenance. Is VW worth the money or do you feel they are streching the brand to go more luxury

John_Paul Even though I own a VW I would say the Subaru will give you better overall performance. That said the Passat gives you a bit more room. VW is certainly trying to more upscale with the new Passat

turbo my honda mechanic says to only use honda brand ATF fluid as it states in the manual. the stuff is 4X the cost of regular stuff. Is this accurate? How often should ATF fluid be changed - Acura integra nd Honda Accord are the cars in question

John_Paul Although there is a Dextron equiv. I would only use Honda Fluid if not I have found the shift point change

joe_m John Paul, I won't make the show this year, so a question about the overall mood. Are you seeing more or less suv's on the stands as copmpared to past years? Also, what dispaly is causing the biggest buzz?

John_Paul Maybe not quite as many SUVs but still very popular. I have seen 100's of people going in and out of every SUV here.

bmw_dude I have a 2003 BMW 330xi. The manual says 91 octane gasoline or better is required... is that really true? Will it get mad at me if I use the cheap stuff?

John_Paul You don't need 91 but if you use 87 your milage will go done and you will lose a little power. All cars made since 1996 can use 87 octane without damage, but overall there is no benifit

mikeysmom01 Hello, I have a 2005 nissan maxima that has 4,000 miles on it. I brought it back to the dealer 3 weeks after I had it because it was shaky. They re-aligned the car and it is shaky again. It shakes more at high speeds. I don't think it is the alignment. Do you have any idea what might be the problem? I am taking it in again next week. Thanks!

John_Paul Have the tires balanced, See if the dealer uses a Hunter Road Force Balancer, about the best on the market.

John_Paul My hour is up, Thanks to Boston.com and AAA for hosting my chat. Join me on Saturday moring from 9-11 on WJDA am1300 and WESX am 1230 and look for my column in the Sunday Globe's new souped up automotive section