Servicing the tire mobility kit
Q: I have a 2 0 1 7 Lincoln MKZ Hybrid with about 2 4 ,0 0 0 miles. About three years after we purchased it, a warning message appeared: Service Tire Mobility Kit. I took my car to the dealer service department and they, $7 5 later, replaced the air canister in the kit. Now, three years later, that message has appeared again. How long can I go without replacing the air canister and how do I turn off or reset the continual appearance of that tire kit message? — D.S., Las Vegas A:
New canisters are rated to last four years. It is easy to replace, and the instructions should be in your owner’s manual. You reset the warning using the vehicle’s infoscreen settings and scroll until you find “Reset Tire Mobility Kit.” Next, select the “four years” button and you will get another reminded in four years. The canister is a dealer part.
Q: We have a 2 0 1 1 Accord
where both sun visors droop. In 2 0 1 8 , I had the dealer repair the driver’s side visor (for $1 2 0 ) but within two years, it was drooping again. The dealer said that this was a problem with the 2 0 1 1 Accord but I find this hard to believe. Is this a fixable issue?
— D.K., Deerfield, Illinois A: The only solution to the floppy visor is to replace it. That’s probably what the dealer did. But you can buy a new sun visor and have any independent shop or handy do-it-yourselfer replace it in a few minutes.
Q: My husband moves the driver’s seat way back. I like it up close. If the car airbags go off, which one of us would be impacted more? He says it would be me, I say it would be him. Who is right? — S.J., Batavia, Illinois A:
The 10-inch minimum rule between the human and the airbag still applies. From 1987 to 2017, frontal air bags saved 50,457 lives. That’s enough people to fill a major league ballpark, says the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.
Reader response
I appreciate your answer to backing into a parking spot. I get a better idea of my surroundings, other vehicles, shopping carts and pedestrians when I back in. And it’s easier to go forward when I leave.
— G.K., Evergreen Park, Illinois
Love your column, but I think your answer about backing into parking spots might be due for an update. I used to religiously look for spots that I could drive through in the double row so that I could just pull out forward. Same for spots up against the building. Now that I drive a car with a backup camera, I have switched to pulling into a spot and then back out because the camera provides me with a 180-degree-plus view as well as warning indicators if a pedestrian or car is coming toward me.
Bob Weber is a writer and mechanic who became an Ase-certified Master Automobile Technician in 1976. He maintains this status by seeking certification every five years. Weber’s work appears in professional trade magazines and other consumer publications. Send questions along with name and town to motor mouth.tribune@gmail.com.