CAR DOCTOR Q&A
Q. My 21-year- old son who is a bit of an adventurer is hoping that this summer things will be different than they are now and wants to drive cross country-providing it is safe. The problem that I see is he wants to do it in his grandfather’s 16-year- old Cadillac. What do you think of this idea?
A. The three most common reasons people call AAA are keys locked in the car, dead batteries and flat tires. If I was to do this trip, I would bring the car to a good garage for an overall checkup focusing on parts that age. This would be drive belts, cooling system, tires, and the electrical system. I would also look at brakes, steering and suspension components and fuel and brake lines. I would also carry an emergency kit of premixed coolant, extra oil and transmission fluid, first aid kit, portable air compressor and jump-pack, If everything is repaired or looks okay the trip is certainly is possible. Although keep in mind that AAA surveys show that cars 10 years and older are twice as likely to break- down and four times as likely to need a tow than newer vehicles.
Q. I have a GMC 2500HD pickup that is used in for work (I’m a carpenter) and the door sticker states the front tires should be at 65 PSI and the rear tires should be inflated to 75PSI. I just had an oil change and tire rotation at my dealer, at about 11,000 miles. I checked my tires, and they are all at around 63PSI. Should I set the tires at different levels?
A. I believe in setting vehicle tires at the pressure recommended by the vehicle manufacturer. The only time I would vary the pressure is if you were carrying a heavy load for a long distance.
Q. Recently, while driving at 35mph in my 2015 Mini Cooper the windshield just cracked. I didn’t see anything hit the window, but the crack ran across the entire windshield. I have only owned this car for a couple of years so I don’t know if the windshield was original or not. When I had the wind shield replaced the glass guy said this is fairly common with these cars. If it is why
A. Glass can shatter from stress, (the body flexes) poor installation, defective product and of course impact. A quick search online shows the incident of cracked windshields in Mini- Coppers to be pretty common at least in older models. If the windshield is installed properly and the car driven reasonably there is no reason to think the replacement windshield shouldn’t last a long time.
Q. I have a 2015 Nissan Rogue with 56,000 miles on it. This car ran great until I was involved in a car wreck. Now frequently, when shifting into park, engine will jump up to as high as 4,000 rpm - as though I floored the accelerator - then engine settles down to normal. This does not happen every time I shift into park but very unnerving when it happens. Is this a major concern? The body shop took the car to the dealer and they replaced the accelerator pedal and performed throttle learn. The problem is the same thing still happens but now accompanied with vibrating noise coming from engine when accelerating up to 40 mph. What can I do?
A. I have checked for possible technical service bulletins and none were found. At this point more diagnostic time is going to be needed. I suspect the issue may be due to the previous body repair. It is possible that a wiring harness was poorly installed or poor chassis ground could be the problem. The vibration you hear could be that the exhaust heat shield has started to loosen up and vibrated and rattles due to the engine revving. At this point a good technician is going to need to take time with additional testing. Depending on long it has been since the body repair, the insurance companymay be able to open up and additional claim based on the first repair.