Answers to your car questions
READERS COMMENT
Hi Dennis! In your column dated 04/19/24, Lorrie from Dunnville was inquiring about her GPS. It might be a good idea to let your readers know that they should never have their home address in their phone or GPS - perhaps one could use a local business address close to home. I use the nearest beer store myself.
Tim Mahoney
MY COMMENT
Great point Tim! My company has, for the past thirty years, dealt with the prevention and detection of automotive insurance fraud. The point that you have made, about not listing your home address on the GPS, was one of my main points that I stressed in fraud seminars that I gave to insurance companies and to local authorities. Thanks again for pointing this out to my readers.
QUESTION
Hi Dennis, I love your column and look forward to reading it every Friday! I bought a 2010 Toyota Rav4 a couple of years ago with almost 300,000 kms on it. It runs great and I love the vehicle. The only issue that I have is the hard ride. I can feel every depression or bump on the road. I haven’t driven any other Ravs, so I’m not sure if this is a common issue with them.
Would replacing the front struts and rear shocks improve the ride for me, considering the high mileage?
Ben from Hamilton
ANSWER
Hi Ben! Check the parts in question to see if sometime during service, someone put heavy duty aftermarket shocks and struts on the vehicle. Also check the tires for their ply rating. If the ply rating is higher than 2ply/4ply rating then that will also give you a rougher ride and replacing shocks will not decrease the hard ride. If the struts and shocks are original then you may get a better ride by replacing the parts with standard parts but you may also get a better ride much cheaper by decreasing your tire pressure (about 2 to 3 PSI) which might also slightly increase your fuel usage.
QUESTION
Hi Dennis, I look forward to your articles every week. We moved from Hamilton to Airdrie, Alberta five years ago. I subscribe to the online Hamilton Spectator just to read your articles. I bought a new 2021 Ford Edge and the rear liftgate sometimes closes unexpectedly on my head. I took it into the Ford dealership for repair and they said that this is normal and cannot be fixed. I will send an attachment of the printout that they gave me. I had a 2016 Edge before this one and the liftgate worked perfectly every time. The owner’s manual says to turn off the hands free liftgate in settings. I tried that and the key fob or dash button will not operate it and you have to manually lift and close it . My 2016 manual said not to do that because it could cause damage. I googled it and it stated that some people have been injured from this problem. This problem also happens in the Escape. I hope that you can help me. My warranty runs out in December. Thank you so much.
James Titian, Alberta.
ANSWER
Hi James! I was in touch with a couple of dealerships in my area and the problem that you are having with your vehicle’s liftgate is not normal and should be fixed. The dealership that sent you away without doing a diagnostic test; reprogramming and upgrading the (RGTM) rear gate trunk module, was not in the best interest of their customer. Weak liftgate shock struts and a faulty rear close button will also cause a malfunction of the liftgate. I would also have them check the foot sensor under the rear bumper. I recommend that you try another Ford dealership.
A READER’S COMMENT
Hi Dennis! I greatly enjoy your column and solid advice that you give to your readers. With regards to the person with the Ford Ranger and a 6,800 lb trailer, I would like to expand a bit. You need to pay close attention to the truck’s loading, especially when towing near the rating. You also need to look at the truck’s GVWR especially adding in the tongue weight of the trailer. It can be quite easy to exceed that rating by having four passengers in the truck and by how much stuff that you’ll be putting in the bed. I recommend loading the truck as you would for towing and the trailer loaded as you plan. Then find a weigh scale to see where you are.
1. Weigh the truck loaded without the trailer.
2. Weigh again with the trailer.
3. Weigh again just the trailer.
If you can, weigh the tongue weight as well. If you subtract the loaded trailer weight from the combo weight, you’ll have a good idea of the GVW of the loaded truck and the weight that the trailer is transferring to the truck. Make sure that doesn’t exceed the GVWR of the truck and of course, do not overload the trailer. If you can find a scale that is segmented (try a real truck stop), you can get even better info!
Regards, Mike Szeller
MY COMMENT
Hi Mike! The facts that you have given are without a doubt the proper procedures to make sure that your trailer weight, along with the truck’s loaded weight are within the truck’s GVW(gross vehicle weight). If an accident is going to happen when one is pulling a trailer, it is going to happen faster when the weight of the truck and trailer exceed the towing capacity of the vehicle. If you want to be safe, Mike’s recommendations are a good start.
To my readers: Please indicate the town, city or village that you live in. Be advised that unfortunately not all emails can be answered. Send your questions (including address) by email to: dennis.osullivan665@gmail.com