CAR DOCTOR Q&A
Q. I have a 2019 Mercedes Benz S560, it is a great car, but it has a problem. There is a slight vibration at certain speeds. The dealer at first thought it was a tire issue and rebalanced the tires but that didn’t make a difference. The last time in the dealership serviced the transmission, thinking it was a problem with the fluid. The technician then road tested my car and compared it to another S560 and determined they both have similar vibrations. Based on this comparison they dealer is call this normal. What do you think?
A. Replacing the fluid tells me the technician felt there may have been an issue with the torque convertor, sometimes referred to as “chuggle”. The torque convertor is the fluid coupling between the engine and the transmission. The torque convertor locks and unlocks at different points in the shifting process to maximize fuel economy. How smoothly this happens is based on the friction quality of the transmission fluid. Based on the comparison with the other vehicle, this may in fact be a characteristic of the vehicle, not a desirable characteristic but still a characteristic of this vehicle.
Q. I just purchased a new to my Honda CR-V and I like everything about the car except of one certain bumpy road there is a rattle. I took it back to the car dealer (not Honda) and they checked the car all over and said everything looked as good as new. I know it is minor, but it bothers me, any ideas?
A. On top of the front shock mounts are rubber caps, remove the caps and go for a ride. If the noise goes away Honda came out with an updated rubber cap that should solve the problem and cure the rattle.
Q. I have heard you talk about soy-based materials in cars and how these attract rodents. I recently purchased a Ford Bronco Sport and park outside is this something I need to worry about?
A. I had the opportunity to talk with Dr Debbie Mielewski of Ford. Dr Mielewski is basically the head of the sustainability police for Ford, and I happened to ask her about this very question. At this point Ford doesn’t use soybased insulation on wiring in their vehicles, although the seat foam is soy based. The soy-based foam has zero “food” value and is not the reason that rodents would be attracted to a Ford vehicle. Dr Mielewski feels that the increase in the rodent population is due to climate change and more building and construction and less open space. Keep your new Bronco clean and remove any food products and if parking in a garage, remove or cover any pet food, bird seed and block any openings to outdoors.
Q. I just recently inherited my granddad’s 1986 Volvo 240 and I have two questions. Considering its age should I be concerned about the airbag-there is a warning sticker? The second question is since this is a rear-wheel-drive car should I get snow tires, and should I buy two or four snow tires? The car is in pristine condition and based on how it looks and runs I expect to get another 10 years out of it.
A. Volvo did at one time think that the average life of the airbag system was ten years. Since then, based on testing and experience since the 1980’s, Volvo has extended the lifetime of the Supplemental Restraint System (SRS) components to be the same as the lifetime of the car. Regarding winter tires, there was a time on rear drive vehicles that you would only install winter/snow tires on the rear wheels. Today winter tires perform so much better than older “snow tires” due to rubber compounds and tread design the benefit of four winter tires on all four wheel in my opinion offset the additional cost.
Q. I have a 2003 Porsche 911 it is a great car, and I got a good price on it. After owning it and reading up on these cars the one glaring issue is the IMS bearing. From looking at service records it doesn’t look like this bearing has been replaced. The car is in great shape and has only 60,000 miles on it. What should I do?
A. I was told recently there is a one out of 10 chance that on certain model Porsche vehicle the intermediate shaft bearing will fail. The bearing fails due to poor lubrication and a less than robust design. If the bearing fails, the damage will be catastrophic. You can gamble that your car won’t be the one in ten, but it where me I would replace the bearing and never look back.
Q. I have a 2018 Volkswagen Tiguan that I purchased new when I lived in Orlando Florida. Recently I moved back here where it is already much colder than I remember. Since I have moved here, when the temperature is really cold the driver’s door doesn’t always close. I have lubricated it with WD-40 and that seems to work for a day or two, any ideas?
A. Volkswagen did update the lock design in these vehicles and came up with a weather sealing procedure to remedy the problem. The Volkswagen dealer or a technician with access to the VW technical service bulletin should be able to remedy the problem.
— John Paul, Senior Manager, Public Affairs and Traffic Safety, AAA Northeast