Answers to your car questions
QUESTION
Enjoy your column, as it is both educational and entertaining! Just observing and wondering why some newspaper columnists insist on writing articles about cars that very few can afford unless you’re Jay Leno or the Donald, as well dumb entries like top ten cars that can go 0 to 100 in under 5 seconds. Who really cares about those topics unless you are super rich, an engineer or are interested in organ donation opportunities? Another peeve! How do car companies justify several thousand dollar discounts as incentives and still make a profit? Does this mean that those who bought before the offers were really being ripped off? Buyer beware! Keep up the good work Larry from Kitchener.
ANSWER
You would not believe the people that still want five to six hundred horsepower cars and trucks with hemies and whatever other add-ons that can boost the power in their vehicles. People sometimes email me for advice on whether or not you can get a Mini Cooper with a supped up v8 and others want a two-ton truck with a four-cylinder engine. Car companies are not the only ones that have great incentive deals. Go to any mall and see twenty, sixty and up to ninety per cent off. That kind of advertising works, just ask any retailer.
QUESTION
Hello Dennis, I brought my 1988 Supra into my local mechanic over a month ago to have several seals replaced. He keeps telling me he is going to do the work but never does! He knows what to do and has had all the required parts for three weeks. He is leaving on vacation this Friday. This is my summer car and his extreme procrastination is now causing great mental strain and anguish. He used to do things quickly and properly. I am at my wits end and feel powerless. Do I have any recourse here? Thank you in advance for any assistance you may be able to offer in this matter. Respectfully, Jeff
ANSWER
It is not unreasonable to ask any garage to give you a time limit on when the work will begin and when it is expected to be finished. There are circumstances however, where some foreign make car parts are harder to get and that has to be taken into consideration. Waiting a month to have a repair done is certainly unreasonable and a deadline should have been given to the mechanic and if it was not kept, the car should have been removed from the garage.
QUESTION
Hi Dennis and team. I was wondering what you think of Stop Leak products for oil leaks? I have read some reviews and there are those who say it works but I would rather get your thoughts on this since I trust your expertise. Thank you, Dom from?
ANSWER
I am not a great fan of any product that is advertised to stop leaks whether it is an oil leak or a leak in the coolant system. A radiator stop leak product could be used in an emergency situation but then I would have the leak repaired and the coolant flushed out. Most stop oil leak products just thicken the oil, which you can do yourself by putting thicker oil in the crankcase but this can be problematic in the wintertime and I would not recommend that you do that. Some oil stop leak products do suggest that their product does not thicken the oil but does put flexibility back to the rubber seals. I am sure that I will hear from the manufacturers of their stop leak products and I will keep you informed. In the meantime, have the leak properly repaired.
QUESTION
Can you please help me with a problem that I am having with tires on a car that I just purchased? I purchased a used 2013 Dodge van as a family car. I am a widow with three children. Four days after I took possession of the van, I was stopped by the Ministry of Transportation and told that both my front tires were unsafe and that I would have to have them replaced. I was just one street over from where I lived and they told me not to drive the van until the tires were replaced. I called the used car dealer and they told me that the tires were okay and that they would not do anything for me. I need the van for when school starts and at this time, I cannot afford to buy two new tires. Is there anything that you can do for me? Isaa from Brantford
ANSWER
When I called the dealer, they told me that they had previously offered to replace both front tires for you with two new tires and were going to charge you for half of the cost. You told the used car dealer that you could not afford any more money so that is where it was left. The Ministry says that the tires are unsafe and the dealer says that they are okay. The dealer has decided not to get into a tire measurement situation with the Ministry especially since they just put a mechanical safety on the vehicle, so here is what the used car dealer is going to do for you. They are going to exchange your tires with another van’s tires that are on their premises with the exact size of tires that will fit your vehicle. They have told me to tell you not to drive the vehicle but they will come to pick it up and deliver it back to you. Let me know how you make out.