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Click & Clack: Power-brake booster may need replacing
Dear Tom and Ray: I love your show, and I desperately need your help. I am presently the “keeper” of my 25-year-old daughter’s 2004 Nissan Maxima. It has a serious problem, which she also has mentioned. On any cold (34 degrees or below) winter morning, …
Letters: Heat could cause Jeep to stall
Q: I have been having problems with my 1998 Jeep Wrangler (six-cylinder). At first it would run only for five minutes. Then it wouldn’t start back up until it sat for five to 10 minutes. I have fixed multiple parts including the spark plugs, spark …
Diatribe: Allow me to introduce you to my car
When I was growing up in Indiana there were only so many times you could tip over a cow, make out at Bartz’ Woods or eat a “pig’s dinner” at Brownie’s Drive-In. So creative juices flowed and out came the trend of naming one’s car. …
Letters: Scan Mercury for stored codes
Q: Our 2001 Mercury runs great, but lately it has developed an intermittent starting problem. It doesn’t seem to matter whether it’s hot or cold. I thought maybe the engine was getting flooded with fuel so I sniffed the tailpipe. There was no smell at …
Diatribe: Car industry bears brunt of government ‘interventions’
Pardon the redundancy, but I absolutely abhor bureaucrats who have no more idea than the man (or woman) in the moon what’s good for our country’s economy. I’m not talking about the rank-and-file government worker who goes to work each day and does what he’s …
Click & Clack: Induction service a waste of money?
Dear Tom and Ray: The local Honda dealer charges $120 for a fuel-induction service every 30,000 miles. I can buy a can of BG 44K injector cleaner as a gas additive for $20. If the gas additive is sufficient, how often should it be done? …
Diatribe: Four-speed transmission once were rites of passage
I’ve written previously of my disdain for those who have a high-performance car like a Corvette or a Mustang GT and equip it with an automatic transmission. A performance car without a manual transmission is like a buffet without Jell-O. What a waste! People wax …
Click & Clack: Time to bribe - Offer an equally cool, but safer, option to old Bug
Dear Tom and Ray: I’m hoping you can assuage my fears. My 24-year-old daughter told me today that she is buying an old VW Bug. She spoke with her father, my ex-husband, and he was very supportive. He also advised her to not let her …
Letters: Will shutting off engine to coast damage starter?
Q: Most of my driving is in the city. I have started turning off my engine when I see a red stop light. I glide to the light and turn my engine on when the light turns green. Usually, the engine is off for 20 …
Click & Clack: Don’t fall for this song and dance
Dear Tom and Ray: I had a heater core on a 1999 Dakota Sport replaced, and I now have heat all the time without it being turned on. I was told that I was feeling heat from the engine because there is no insulation on …
Click & Clack: Check charging system of battery-eating Buick
Dear Tom and Ray: My 88-year-old mother has a 2005 Buick LaCrosse with 15,000 miles on it. It only gets driven to the grocery store, hair salon and church. But that has been the case for all six years she’s owned it. Now, in the …
Letters: Accent’s ‘racing’ engine concerns owner
Q: My 2011 Hyundai Accent is a driving and traffic hazard. The problem is that the engine will jump from an idling phase and begin revving up to a very high rpm. It happens intermittently. I brought it to the dealer last month. They said …
Diatribe: Winter’s here – break out the tire chains
With the bad economic times the world has faced for the past too many years it seems there’s a nostalgic yearning for traditions, rituals, habits, what have you. When it comes to auto-related traditions, few examples carry more nostalgia than tire chains. No, I’m not …
Click & Clack: Leaky strut isn’t an emergency
Dear Tom and Ray: We have a 2009 Toyota Camry. When our local mechanic was checking the brakes, he noted that the left rear strut was leaking fluid. He informed us of the issue, and since the car was still under warranty, I took it …
Click & Clack: Trailer is not best option for moving
Dear Tom and Ray: My son is taking a new job in Sioux Falls, S.D., about 850 miles away from our home near Detroit. The old man promised to help him move, even if it wrecks his 56-year-old back. Here’s the issue. He has a …
Diatribe: Optimism drives the auto industry
As an auto writer I’m invited to many programs that highlight future products. Some involve technology and some involve design. But the common thread is the excitement generated by the manufacturers over their new “things.” It doesn’t matter if the industry just came off its …