Answers to your car questions
QI have a two-part tire question for you if you would indulge me. What is your opinion about the optimum timing for swapping out snows when driving is essential for your work? I presently drive a 2014 Subaru Forrester. I don’t know if it is just a co-incidence that it happens to be snowing every time that I am able to book an appointment and should I plan for later to change the tires? The second question is a curiosity question of mine. My previous vehicle was a 2006 Mazda 3 sport. It came with low profile tires. When driving around the city and country with these tires, I went through a number of summer tires running over objects like nails. The tires weren’t patchable because of the distance of the hole to the side-rims. Any moisture or leaves on the road had the car skidding easily especially when starting at intersections when the light turns green. Perhaps, I had a bit of a lead foot and a zoom zoom car but I did not have problems with the winter tires that I used for this car because I opted to not use low profiles in the winter. The situation improved a bit when I switched to low profile “touring” tires for summer use. I have not had any of these problems with my present car, mind you it is a four-wheel drive car and is heavier. I am curious about your general opinion about low profile tires.
THANKS AGAIN FOR YOUR COLUMN. MICHELLE FROM KITCHENER
AI usually like to wait until the temperature is steadily over 8°C to 10°C before I change to summer tires because even with the daytime temperature around 4°C to 7°C, the nights can still produce inclement weather. Winter tires are made of much softer rubber and will tend to wear much faster in the warmer weather. Both types of tires have their advantages over the other under certain conditions. The thinner sidewalls on low profile tires will give your vehicle better cornering and tend to hold the road better in normal conditions such as a summer day but their ride over rough roads tends not to be as soft as the regular tires. Under severe rain conditions however, the low profile tires tend to hydroplane (skid) faster than normal tires, which cut through the water, rather than ride over the water. Both types of tires will give you certain aspects of driving stability but good driving habits will be required by you to maintain driving skills on all types of road conditions. PS: Many people believe that low profile tires can give any car a sportier look over the regular type tires if that is what you like.
QIs it mandatory to have a safety check done when I want to purchase a car that I had leased after the lease is up? The dealer wants $200.00 to $400.00 plus any repairs. The car will have less than 18,000 kilometres on it and has been maintained by them and is perfect in every way.
THANK YOU. LLOYD FROM KITCHENER.
AYes, it is mandatory to have a mechanical safety done whenever the vehicle is changing names. The cost for that safety is generally around $125.00 to $150.00 and that will generally depend on the door rate of the garage. That cost is for the garages overhead, such as the initial cost of the certificates and the front-end service people plus the mechanic’s time to do the safety, which can take over an hour to complete. The safety is much more detailed today than it was a few years ago when all you had to do was visually look at the vehicle’s components. Today, the wheels actually have to be removed and parts measured and recorded regardless of the mileage or year of the vehicle. You are also getting a documented signed assurance from a licensed technician that the car is safe for the road.
QI am an avid reader of your column so I was hoping you could help me with regard to my 2007 Mazda 3, with less than 100 kilometres. Just recently, while applying the brakes, I can hear a ‘rotation’ noise which lasts during the length of the brake application. It sounds like the noise is coming from the rear, RH side, but who knows for sure. I am residing in a retirement village and we are currently ‘locked down’ due to the current virus situation. I tried phoning my regular garage, but have not received any reply. Am I safe in driving the car at all? I do not want to cause serious problems later.
JACK FROM BURLINGTON.
ADo not drive the vehicle until you have it looked at. From your description of the noise, I would suspect that it is your car’s brake shoes that have worn to the point that you are getting metal on metal. You most likely have not done any further damage to the braking system at this time because you are going to need to replace the brake rotors anyway. When you can, contact your garage or have the CAA tow it to them or your garage can make arrangements to pick up the vehicle.
To my readers: Please indicate the town, city or village that you live in. Be advised that not all emails can be answered. Send your questions (including address) by email to: dennis.osullivan@cogeco.ca