Auto Repair and Maintenance

Auto Repair - Questions and Answers with Bob Hagin

• Week 1 The paint is coming off a Dodge in Richmond, CA. In Eugene, OR, a pulley fell off of a Toyota, "What is blueprinting," asks a neophyte hot-rodder in Portsmouth, VA.
• Week 2 A Ford in Concord, CA ran without oil for two miles. An 11-year old Chevy is going under in Virginia Beach, VA. "Can a device platinum-plate combustion chamber?" asks a reader in Melton, WA.
• Week 3 A Focus owner in Sacramento, CA, finds there's no way to troubleshoot it at home. In Virginia Beach, VA, a Ford has complex brake noises. The cruise control doesn't work on a VW in Las Vegas, NV.
• Week 4 Chrysler brakes "rumble" downhill in Greenfield, NY. "Will my Honda quit again?" asks an owner in Antioch, CA. A reader in Seattle, WA, made a mistake rebuilding his Toyota.
• Week 5 A Lincoln in Virginia Beach, VA, received a snap judgment on a costly repair. A Ford owner drove into a shop and had to have his car towed out in San bernardino, CA. "Why do the car makers send out cars that fail?" asks an irate buyer in San Antonio, TX.
• Week 6 A Mercury in Kalamazoo, MI needs a new motor. A reader in Springfield, OR came across four mystery cars. A Cadillac in Wendell, ID runs out of gas with six gallons in its tank.
• Week 7 The suspension in an Olds groans in Eugene, OR. A Dodge in Yucaipa, CA has a dead battery daily. In Norfolk, VA a Pontiac roars in the rain.
• Week 8 A Toyota needs rings at 50K miles in Brooks, CA.. In Charleston, SC, an old Austin Healey had rings installed but it didn't work. An oiled belt is disintegrating in Cleveland, OH.
• Week 9 The steering fell off a Honda in Sacramento, CA. A Chrysler in Chesapeake, VA, has a droning noise. A dad in Portland, OR, has a question about sending his son the mechanic's school.
• Week 10 In Federal Way, WA, a Nissan smells like gas. An irate owner can't find parts for her Buick in Virginia Beach, VA. An owner in Palm Spring, CA, questions his bill that lists "shop supplies."
• Week 11 A Toyota in Issaquah, WA, smells like rotten eggs. A new Buick makes a grinding noise and the company can't fix it. A reader in Portland, OR, thinks his wheel alignment was a rip-off.
• Week 12 A Mitsubishi owner in Sacramento, CA wonders how long her engine will last. A Lincoln in Virginia Beach, VA has frothy oil. In Lubbock, TX, an auto history buff wants contacts.
• Week 13 A Lincoln rides hard in Norfolk, VA. In Lakewood, WA, a Ford won't climb hills. "How does water get into my trunk?" asks a Neon owner in San Francisco, CA.
• Week 14 A young driver wants to keep his old car nice in Tucson, AZ. A Ford in Yucaipa, CA overheats after lots of work. A reader in Chesapeake, VA says it sounds like there's a body in the trunk.
• Week 15 A Dodge in Bellingham, WA has a frosty windshield. A student in Lubbock, TX wants to do an engine swap. A Nissan truck in Eureka, CA vibrates after an engine rebuild.
• Week 16 A Toyota V6 gets hot and then the a/c doesn't work in Virginia Beach, VA. A reader in Duvall, WA notices that new cars don't "track." "What's carbon buildup?" asks a new driver in Denver, CO.
• Week 17 An Isuzu truck vibrates in Oakland, CA. The heater motor doesn't work on a Ford in Portland, OR. In Hampton, VA, a Buick won't run until it's thoroughly warmed up.
• Week 18 A Ford in Post Falls, ID, rides like a truck. In Aurora, IL, a rear end "clunks." A Lexus owner in Sacramento, CA, wonders why her low-mileage Lexus needs expensive repairs so soon.
• Week 19 A reader in Norfolk, VA, wants information on timing belts. Another in Seattle, WA, is frightened by drivers she rides with. An owner in Fontana, CA, want to know about "classic cars."
• Week 20 A Honda in Seattle, WA, leaks water into the rear seat. In Berkeley, CA, a Saab eats brakes. An old Olds owner in Mokena, IL, needs a source of trim parts for his restoration.
• Week 21 Two cars overheat in Sacramento, CA. A Ford leaks oil in Auburn, WA. "How good is reclaimed oil?", asks a reader in Virginia Beach, VA.
• Week 22 A Ford in Sacramento, CA, has clicking brakes. A father-and-son team in Portland, OR, tackle an ailing Honda. "Why are new bumpers made of plastic?," queries a reader in Bellevue, WA.
• Week 23 A Ford Explorer has a hard time starting on a hill in San Bernardino, CA. A Honda whines in Milton, WA. A mechanic in Virginia Beach, VA tell a reader that all mini-pickups vibrate.
• Week 24 In Phoenix, AZ, a Ford whines. A pickup wanders on the highway in Lubbock, TX. A reader in Benicia, CA wants to sell her cousin's collection of old auto magazines.
• Week 25 In Portland, OR, a Jeep needs alignment. A boy in Los Angeles, CA want to make his Honda "cool." A dog-wagon in Tucson, AZ, needs brakes and the owner wants to try it herself.
• Week 26 A Toyota smokes in Fair Oaks, CA. in Norfolk, VA, a Chrysler needs tires. "Is jacking up the MSRP legal?" asks a prospective new car buyer in Edmonds, WA.
• Week 27 Coolant flush was put into a brake system in Sacramento, CA. A Dodge lost its water pump after a repair in Virginia Beach, VA. "why can't they build a car like my old Ford?" asks a reader in Adventura, FL.
• Week 28 An owner in Folsom, CA questions the need for Premium in his supercharged Buick. A Lincoln sometimes "clicks" instead of starting in Portsmouth, VA. "How about gas-savers that strap on fuel lines?" asks a reader Portland, OR.
• Week 29 In Chico, CA a Cadillac gets poor mileage. A driver in Schenectady, NY wonders about winter storage. Three Oldsmobiles in a row have had leaks in Joliet, IL.
• Week 30 A reader in Virginia Beach, VA wonders about a valve adjustment. Another in Sacramento, CA has a smelly air conditioner. "My Ford Windstar squeaks," states an owner in Tampa, FL.
• Week 31 A Ford uses oil in Norfolk, VA. A reader in Rancho Cordova, CA, wonders about changing oil in her new car. A Suzuki has a noisy rear end in Seattle, WA.
• Week 32 An Escort shimmies on the highway in San Bernardino, CA. A new car buyer suspects major damage occured before he received it in Portsmouth, VA. A long-time Kaiser owner is looking for parts in Garden Grove, OR.
• Week 33 A reader in Virginia Beach, VA needs information on a vibration. An old Chevrolet idles too fast for too long in Paradise, CA. A Mercury in Waldorf, MD is smelly.
• Week 34 A home-done clutch job went bad in Lubbock, TX. a Ford owner in Norfolk, VA is afraid she'll get cheated when she has car serviced. A Dodge truck vibrates in Cameron Park, CA.
• Week 35 In Boise, ID, a family wants to restore Dad's old Ford. A Honda owner in Schenectady, NY, questions the need for brake fluid change. A big motor home in San Bernardino, CA lost fuel mileage.
• Week 36 An old Mercedes overheats in Rancho Cordova, CA. A Ford lease car has been abused in Portland, OR. In Tucson, AZ, a neophyte historian wants to know where to go next.
• Week 37 A spark plug breaks off in a van in Roseville, CA. "Is my non-running old BMW worth anything?" asks a reader in Accomac, VA. "What are wheel bearings?" asks another in Norfolk, VA.
• Week 38 Nuts keep falling off a pickup in Sutter, CA An old car owner in Aurora, IL, is looking for a part. Toyotas are failing in the heat in Sacramento, CA
• Week 39 A Ford in Oakley, CA, uses lots of alternators. An owner in Seattle, WA, calls an Audi ad "nincopoopery." A Toyota owner in Amsterdam, NY wonders about timing belts.
• Week 40 "How often should radiator hoses be changed?" asks a reader in Virginia Beach, VA. "Should I keep shifting my automatic?" asks another in Livermore, CA. A potato in an exhaust pipe precipitates a question in Eugene, OR.
• Week 41 A dash light come on in a Mercury in Millbrook, IL. An Eagle driver in Big Bear City, CA wants to know about towing. A Honda shifts "hard" in San Antonio, TX.
• Week 42 A Buick in Walnut Creek, CA, has a burned-oil smell. A low-mileage Honda doesn't start quickly in Redmond, WA. A Suffolk, VA, reader needs information on changing an ancient timing chain.
• Week 43 A reader in Yuma, AZ, asks about a hybrid, all-wheel-drive minivan. The engine in a new Chevrolet knocks in Seattle, WA. At 50 <MPH, a Nissan pings in Winton, CA.
• Week 44 A VW overheats going uphill in Big Bear, CA. "Should I change my ATF?" asks a reader in Pungoteague, VA. A vintage truck needs a brake part in Seattle, WA.
• Week 45 In Everett, WA, a VW has piston slap. "Why don't they put gages in new cars?" asks a reader in Pleasant Hill, CA. A reader in Chesapeake, VA, asks about tire rotation.
• Week 46 A Plymouth engine has a pinhole in Concord, CA. A cam lifter gets noisy in Norfolk, VA. 'Can toilet paper filter oil?' asks a reader in Denver, CO.