Dear Tom and Ray:

Is there an 800 number one could call to find out about auto recalls? I have a 1989 Dodge Dynasty which leaks oil quite badly. George

Tom: You bet there is, George. It's called The "Auto Safety Hotline," and it's operated by NHTSA (the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration--pronounced NIT-za). Those are the guys who put dummies into brand new cars and crash them into walls to see how safe they are. My brother worked for them for a while. He was one of the dummies.

Ray: The Auto Safety Hotline number is 1-800-424-9393. If you call it, you can find out if your Dynasty has been recalled for any reason.

Tom: You can also ask for all kinds of safety-related information, including new car crash test results.

Ray: By the way George, when our pal Andre Codrescu, the Romanian poet, first heard about this car, he said he couldn't understand why anyone would buy a car called "die-nasty" in the first place.

Changing your oil is the cheapest insurance you can buy for your car, but how often should you change it? Find out by ordering Tom and Ray's pamphlet Ten Ways You May Be Ruining Your Car Without Even Knowing It! To order, send (check or money order) to Ruin, P.O. Box 536475, Orlando, FL 32853-6475. You can also order online.

© 1993 by Tom and Ray Magliozzi and Doug Berman Distributed by King Features Syndicate, Inc.

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