Answers to your car questions
QUESTION
I was in getting my oil changed last week and was told that I had small cracks in the sidewall of my tires. I explained to them that I just purchased those tires and they are less than two years old and have less than eighteen thousand kilometers on them. He then told me that the tires were going into their seventh year according to the tire date on the side of the tires, which means that the dealer sold me six year old tires. The tires should not be older than two years because that is when I purchased them. I went back to the garage which sells all makes of tires, to ask why sevenyear-old tires were put on my car. The tire outlet told me that they wanted to see the bill for the tires but unfortunately, I did not keep the receipt for the tires. They told me that without the receipt, they could not do anything for me even when they see that the tires are defective. Would you check to see if they could do anything for me? I now have to purchase two new tires when my older tires look almost new with very little kilometers.
Donna from St Jacob
ANSWER
I spoke to the garage for you and found out that they had not recorded the manufacturers date on the tires when they sold them to you. You have had them on your car for two years, which makes them approximately four years old when they were put on your car, not six years old. It is not against the law in Ontario to sell tires as new that are four or more years old according to the factory date. Some experts however, claim that sitting on a shelf does not cause new tires to deteriorate but some experts do not agree and want to change the law that states a tire sold as new should not be older than one to two years old. I am not quite sure that I would agree with that but I would not call myself a tire expert. It does however, make the case for one to ask the dealer to check the factory date on the tires before you purchase them. Who knows, you might get a better deal.
It is common knowledge in the industry that most tires should be inspected and/or replaced around six to eight years old once mounted on a vehicle. Tires mounted on a vehicle that are older than ten years should not be on an axle of a vehicle regardless of the remaining tread wear. I want you to go back to the garage and they will replace your two tires on a pro-rated basis. The garage has the documents affirming that you purchased the tires in 2021.
QUESTION
I just moved to Waterloo about four weeks ago. Some people that I knew recommended a garage to me so I took their word that they were honest and fair. My car had about one hundred and forty thousand kilometres and the garage recommended that I renew my transmission oil when I went in for a tire changeover. I agreed to this and about two weeks after the transmission was serviced, it started to vibrate and erratically shift on take off and my car’s engine light came on but went off after a couple of days. I went back to the garage and they checked the oil and took the car for a testdrive but found nothing wrong. I went with him for the test drive and I have to admit that it did not shudder when the mechanic was road testing the car. On the way home, after about four stops however, it started to shudder and shift erratically again on take off. I then went to another garage and they told me that the garage might not have put the transmission filter on correctly. I declined to have them remove the pan. I again went back to the first garage who changed the transmission oil and questioned them as to what they might have done wrong. They scoffed me off and told me that they did not do anything wrong and that my transmission problems were internal and had nothing to do with the changing of the transmission oil. I left the garage with the feeling that the garage was looking for a job and that I looked like an easy mark. I stopped by a transmission shop and they told me that I would need to replace the transmission or have mine rebuilt. I would appreciate your opinion.
L from Waterloo
ANSWER
To start with, the changing of the transmission oil will not cause internal problems for a transmission that is in good working order. The second shop that looked at your car was not an actual transmission shop but they do work on transmissions on the side. Do you recall the first shop telling you that the transmission oil in your car was very dirty and very thick? They also asked you at the time if anyone had put an additive in your transmission and you said NO. I asked the garage to check the last oil change sticker that was on your car and found that you had changed the engine oil about nine hundred kilometres ago. I called the garage in Milton who had changed the engine oil in your car and you and I both know what was added to your car’s transmission to try and stop the erratic shifting, so I will leave the story there.
I think that you have had some unknowledgeable advice as to the problem with your transmission. I want you to go to a qualified transmission shop for them to do a proper diagnosis. I know of quality transmissions shops in and around Hamilton but I am not familiar with any actual transmission shops in Waterloo, so you will have to do your own due diligence.
Some things directly related to your car’s transmission that will cause erratic shifting are a faulty throttle position sensor or a turbine speed censor, which will also trigger a yellow check engine light to illuminate. I think that you will find that one of these sensors are faulty and had you gone to a proper transmission shop for a proper diagnosis in the first place, you would not have had any need to sent me this email.
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