Car Doctor Q&A

Q I have a car I want to donate but I’m not sure what is a charity and what is a car dealer or car auction site. My other concern is, if it is a charity what percentage of the sale of the proceeds goes to the charity? A

When ever I donate to anything, I try to have my donation match my personal values. For me if I can donate to an organization that feeds kids or gets people back on their feet and working that is where I try to donate. When it comes to vehicle donations, years back I met the folks from (ARS) Advanced Remarketing Services and use their website www.cardonationwizard.com. ARS charity car donation programs return the highest percentage of the gross dollar from each vehicle donation to your charity.

Q I own a 1985 corvette with the 4+3 transmission. It has 46,000 original miles. Due to a knee injury, I couldn’t drive the car for months. When turning off the car the transmission must be in reverse to get the key out. It runs great. I cannot get the transmission out of reverse and I must keep my foot on the brake or the car will move. It feels like the clutch is partially engaged. Any idea what the problem could be? I want to get it to a mechanic.

A Sounds as if the clutch master cylinder or clutch slave cylinder may have an internal leak causing the clutch not to release. At this point the best course would be just what you are doing have the car towed to a garage to be inspected.

Q Within a two-year period, my 2019 Honda CR-V had to be jump started six times and three batteries replaced. Honda said charging system was fine but added a software update to the car last year to solve problem but evidently, they were wrong, at least for my car, the battery still dies.

A One popular fix is to replace the Honda battery with one with more reserve capacity-it doesn’t fix the problem, but it makes up for some of the parasitic electrical draw. The other issue is when the battery dies it only comes back about 80% so each time shortens the battery life. Also, unless charged with a battery charger-not just driving, the battery never fully recharges 100 percent. With Covid I’m not driving much and keep a Battery Tender brand- battery charger on my cars to keep the battery charged.

Q I have a 2002 Honda Civic LX. It’s has 84,000 miles and very well maintained. My check engine light came on and when I ran the code it is says my catalytic converter is bad. Several people have told me this is unusual for this car. Just wondering if this is normal for this vehicle.

A At 19 years old it is certainly possible that the catalytic convertor has failed. At this point I would get a second opinion and if it is determined the convertor needs replacement my suggestion would be to only use a Honda original convertor. As good as aftermarket products can be, some aftermarket convertors can be prone to problems.

Q I drive a 2014 Honda Accord EX and have been wondering if it is time to replace my engine coolant. My car has 79,000 miles on it and the coolant reservoir looks to be at the minimum line. Also does it matter if I use OEM vs aftermarket coolant? The aftermarket coolant from the store states that it is compatible with my car.

A Honda uses an indicator-based system when maintenance needs to be performed. The display will indicate a number 5 when the coolant needs replacement. The All--

Data database that I use converts that number into approximately 120,000 miles. The mileage-based schedules are estimated to resemble Honda’s indicator based maintenance schedules as closely as possible. When it comes to coolant, I prefer to use original equipment coolant or aftermarket vehicle specific coolant. There are universal coolants, but I prefer a vehicle specific coolant.

— John Paul, Senior Manager, Public Affairs and Traffic Safety, AAA

Northeast