Today: Why buildup on you car's battery posts could be the sign of something serious.

03.01.2008
in Tom & Ray

There is a fluffy white/blue deposit at the base of the positive-terminal post of my battery. The service manager's explanation is: This is perfectly normal for a sealed battery. When a battery is charged, gas escapes from a small...

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Can Linda make it all the way to 300k in her '97 Honda Accord?

03.01.2008
in Tom & Ray

My 1997 Honda Accord has 270,000 miles. It still runs great, and doesn't use any oil. There are some problems I could take care of, like a clicking from an axle, struts that are pretty worn out and a pitted windshield. But...

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How can Dan fix an ornery Mitsubishi diesel... in Taji, Iraq?

03.01.2008
in Tom & Ray

I'm in Taji, Iraq driving a Mitsubishi diesel pickup with a turbo, intercooled engine. It's very hard to start in the morning. You have to pump the gas at least 10 times, and then, once it starts, you have to hold...

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Is car-buying the same in Portland, Maine as it is in Hilo, Hawaii? Tom and Ray help Natalia go shopping.

03.01.2008
in Tom & Ray

I'm a big fan of your show and column, and sure can use your advice. I've applied to nursing schools in both Portland, Maine, and Hilo, Hawaii. I currently live in Seattle and have been carless since 2000. I am required...

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Will an airbag still protect you, if your car is running but not moving?

03.01.2008
in Tom & Ray

Will an air bag deploy if the vehicle is running but not moving? For instance, you are waiting at a red light minding your own business, and a vehicle plows into your grill. Will the air bag deploy? What if...

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Will putting a vehicle in reverse guarantee that it won't roll down a hill?

03.01.2008
in Tom & Ray

Several years ago, my Ford Ranger coasted out of my driveway at about 2 a. m. and rammed a minivan across the road. (I parked on a very steep driveway.) I learned to drive on my grandparents' cherry farm and was...

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So... what's with the hair coming out of Linda's muffler?

03.01.2008
in Tom & Ray

Please help me. I have a 1996 Honda Accord that runs great -- no complaints. However, this morning, coming back to my car in a parking lot, I noticed some long hair or fur hanging out from my exhaust pipe. I...

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From our "arrested adolescence" department: how to make a old car fart.

03.01.2008
in Tom & Ray

Back in the 1960s, when I was an adolescent male, one of my friends told me that he could get his old car (late- 1940s- or early- 1950s-era) to "fart" whenever he liked. When I expressed skepticism about this claim...

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