Drive It Forever
Q: We recently bought a new motor home. It is a small Sprinter chassis-based unit and looks wonderful!
The dealer is trying to persuade us to buy a paint shield -- an acrylic ceramic-type polymer coating. Are any of the claims about this stuff true? We do live on the coast, which is a harsh environment.
Since the vehicle is new and we want it to look good, should we buy the protectant? The RV will be stored outdoors since it won't fit in our garage. Thank you in advance.
A: Most new car dealers have stopped heavy-duty marketing of those polymer coatings by now. I'm guessing he wants a couple of hundred bucks for this application. Just keep the vehicle waxed instead.
Q: I have attached an e-mail I received that has a video claiming that a company in Clearwater, Fla., is ready to manufacture a device that uses water and converts it to hydrogen that can propel an automobile. I thought I would get your opinion. Thanks for your time and any assistance you can provide.
A: First, all readers can stop forwarding that video to me, please. I've gotten it hundreds of times. Yes, you can make hydrogen from water. But it requires a lot of electricity, expensive electricity, more expensive than burning gasoline, so what's the point?
Q: My 1998 Chevrolet Corvette was recalled because of the steering column lock. I had the recall work completed by my local Chevrolet dealer. Since then, the car stalls (fuel shuts off) intermittently after start-up when it's put in forward or reverse; the message reads "pull key and wait 10 seconds." After I pull the key and wait 10 seconds, it is fine. The stall doesn't happen every time, and I haven't been able to make it happen while at the dealership. I never had this problem occur prior to the recall.
The dealership recommended I purchase a new battery, which I did, but the stalling continues. Can you help me? The car is now back at the dealership for the fourth time. I'm getting very frustrated at their inability to remedy this problem.
A: According to the Lemon Law in almost every state, the dealership has three tries to fix a problem before they have to buy the car back from you. Start reminding them of this -- it may motivate them to try harder. They may need to keep the car for a few days to get it to reproduce the problem, though.
Q: I'm shopping for a used car. I want one with "ABS" -- are anti lock brakes the same as ABS? How can I tell if a particular car is so equipped? Is it possible to lift the hood and find the special valving used for ABS?
A: ABS is the acronym for antilock braking system. Most cars have the antilock braking system controller mounted under the hood, although a very few put it elsewhere.
Mike Allen is a senior editor for Popular Mechanics magazine. Questions should be sent via e-mail to driveit@nytimes.com. 
