Answers to your car questions
READER’S COMMENT
Mr. O’Sullivan, I look forward to your Q&A column every Friday and find it very informative. I know that you can help me. I own a 2001 Altima with 68,000 Klms on it (senior citizen with not much driving and the car is in excellent shape). I am having a problem with the driver’s door. It first started with squeaking and then making a noise but then went away. The car is in the garage when not in use. My problem now is that I cannot open the door fully so what is wrong? What is the solution and how do I get it fixed, as I live in the country and need a car? Can you please help me?
Thank you Bev (country girl)
ANSWER
Your car problem can very easily be fixed by lubricating your car’s door hinges. I want you to take your car into the nearest body shop and ask them to lubricate your car’s door hinges. I do not think that you have worn out the hinges but they have started to seize as a result of the little usage of the doors. Ask the body shop to lubricate all your car’s door hinges and I would be very surprised if any body shop charged you for that customer service.
QUESTION
Hi Sir, I have a question regarding a lease with GM. A friend of mine passed away a month ago due to complications from cancer. I’m friends with his wife and I mentioned to her that I would write to you for your advice. Ryan had a GM pick up truck on a lease set to expire July of 2019. Katie contacted GM a few times and had a family member call as well but GM would not budge on the lease and directed her to the lease agreement that stated that upon death, the lease is transferred to the estate. This seems ridiculous to me as I have had leases with Honda and I was always told that upon my death, the car could be taken right back to the dealer. Does she have any options? Cheers Adam from ?
ANSWER
Unfortunately Adam, death does not nullify the lease agreement and your friend will still be responsible for the lease term. One would think that upon death, the surviving spouse would be able to just take the car back to the dealer and that would be all there was to it. If the next of kin tries to break the lease, by following the process set out in the lease agreement, that method could end up costing thousands of dollars in early termination fees. My first suggestion would be to see if anyone in the family or any friend wants to take over the lease, which can be very favourable to anyone who does take over because of the up front costs having been paid. That process might cost a few dollars to transfer the lease but it will be less expensive to do that than to just give the car back to the dealer who could very well just sell the vehicle wholesale and sue for the remaining costs. The next step would be to contact Lease Busters at info@leasebusters.com or 1-888-357-2678 and see if they could be of any help to you. Being that a used GM pick up truck is a very desirable vehicle, it might also be wise to contact the dealer and see if they could sell the vehicle for you, bearing in mind that while the vehicle was up for sale, you would still need to make the lease payments until it was sold. The retail price of that vehicle might be more than the remainder of the lease and your friend just might come out ahead after all the cancellation fees are paid.
QUESTION
I took my 2007 Dodge van into the garage for an overheating problem. The garage told me that the radiator was plugged and that a new one would be needed. I told them to go ahead and replace the radiator thinking that that would fix the problem and also to flush out the coolant suytem. Two days later, I was travelling to Toronto and the van overheated again. I was towed into a garage in Oakville that checked over the van and they told me that the water pump was leaking and that was the problem and not the radiator. They told me that the radiator was most likely not needed and that all I needed was to replace the water pump and that I should demand my money back for the replacement of the radiator. I went back to my garage in Hamilton and they told me that the water pump was not leaking when they replaced the radiator and that they would not pay for any expense in the replacement of the water pump. What recourse do I now have in getting my money back for the radiator that did not need to be replaced?
ANSWER
I spoke to the garage that changed your van’s radiator and they told me that they had done a flow check on the radiator and found that it was plugged and that is why they replaced it. They also told me that they offered to have the radiator sent to a rad shop to have it cleaned out but recommended that a new one be replaced because of the flow restriction in the radiator and its exterior rough shape. They also told me that they still have the old radiator and are keeping it for you to come and get it if you want to have it checked out. I tend to believe that with 390,000 thousand kilometres on your van, the radiator was definitely in need of cleaning or replacing and the garage that told you, without seeing the old radiator that it was not in need of replacement, was out of line and not very professional. Many radiator garage specialists will tell their customers that sometimes, with such high mileage on a vehicle, that the flushing of the system and replacement of new antifreeze will sometimes remove a build up of debris on the internal coolant components. This may cause other components such as the water pump to loose its sealant capabilities. If you still have your doubts, pick up the old radiator and have it checked out.
PS: To my readers: If possible, it would be appreciated if your emails would indicate the town, city or village that you live in. Please be advised that not all emails can be answered. Send your questions (be sure to include your address) by email to:: dennis.osullivan@cogeco.ca or mail: Box 10019, Winona, ON L8E 5R1