Why does the headrest hit my head?

A common complaint is that a car’s head restraint nudges the driver’s head too far forward for comfort. The reason for that design? Blame tightened federal safety standards and insurance efforts aimed at reducing whiplash injuries caused by rear-end collisions. Arestraint that is closer to your head leaves less distance for your head to move back in a crash, reducing the risk of injury.

Consumer Reports has noticed that the restraints of some new cars are striking a better balance between risk and comfort than those of just four or five years ago. Adjusting the seat angle can help.

Doesmy car need a tuneup?

If your mechanic says your car needs a tuneup, bewary. That’s because carsbuilt inthepast 10 to 15 years don’t really require a tuneup anymore. The termisused torefer to periodic adjustments of underhood components, such as the distributor, ignition points and carburetor, and the regular replacement of wear items, including the spark plugs and condenser. But many of those components aren’t used in modern engines, and others last a lot longer than they used to.

Fuel injection has replaced finicky carburetors, and the electronic ignition has done away with some electrical components. So a tuneup is now essentially replacing the spark plugs, which routinely last 100,000 miles or more. To save money, stick to the maintenance schedule in the owner’s manual.

Where is my spare tire?

It wasn’t until Bob Kronberg of Carolina Shores, North Carolina, drove his new Kia Optima home fromthe dealership that he got an unpleasant surprise. Instead of finding a spare tire in the trunk, he saw a tire-inflator kit, with a small air compressor and a can of sealant to use in case of a flat.

When he called Kia USA, a representative told him that the spare had been eliminated to save weight and, therefore, gas. The rep added that he could purchase a temporary spare-tire kit from his dealer’s parts department for about $200 to $250. “Had I known that, I would have at least had the spare-tire kit included in negotiations,” he says.

Kronberg is not alone; many carmakers have eliminated spare tires to improve fuel economy. Some, like Kia, provide an inflator kit, and others have switched to run-flat tires, which can be driven for limited distances after a puncture. But run-flat tires tend to be more expensive to replace and often deliver a stiffer ride.

Because modern tires are generally reliable and flats aren’t as common as they used to be, ditching a 45-pound spare might seem like a reasonable gamble for carmakers to take to save gas. But as Kronberg points out, an inflator kit helps only if you have a small puncture in the tread. It can’t fix a tire with a sidewall puncture or more significant damage. For that, you’ll have tocall a towtruck -- and hope that a matching replacement tire is readily available.

Kronberg told Consumer Reports that he didn’t remember the salesperson mentioning the lack of a spare and that it never occurred to him to ask. When we looked at theOptima info on Kia’s website, wecouldn’tfindanymention of it, either. It seems that Kia wants to keep that potentially unpopular fact hidden from buyers. Consumer Reports urges Kia and all automakers, as well as their dealers, to be upfront about the availability of spare tires.

Bottom line: It’s up to you to make sure you know how the car you’re buying is equipped. Don’t rely on the salesperson. Read the window sticker carefully. And if you have a car with no spare, call your dealership and ask whether a temporary or full-sized sparetire kit is available for yourmodel.