Show Rundown

Jeannie Montgomery, Alabama - 1992 Oldsmobile Achieva

Jeannie took her car in for brake work--while there, the Service Manager chided her for not using her emergency brake every day, to keep brakes up to specs. She lives on flat ground, so she doesn’t use the e-brake, and thinks the guy is an idiot--she’s looking for validation of his idiocy from Tom and Ray. Alas, they can’t really help. On some cars, using the e-brake activates the adjusting mechanism for the rear brakes, which is a good thing.

Jonathan Faw , North Carolina - 1990 Honda Civic

Jonathan’s car pulls to the left all the time. He’s had the car aligned, and other things checked, but it still pulls. His wife says it’s because he goes over speed bumps just using the driver’s side wheels. Is she’s right? No, Tom and Ray think the alignment guys screwed up, or he has a bad spring--but his driving style is unlikely to cause this, unless he’s taking speed bumps really, really fast.

Tina Wiecek Las Vegas, Nevada - 1990 Honda Civic

Tina just re-located to Vegas from Oregon. Since making the trip, her brakes have begun acting funny. When its warm and she comes to a stop, the pedal tends to sink to the floor. Tom and Ray thinks she’s either losing brake fluid, or needs a new master cylinder. She should get it looked at right away, as it could be dangerous.

Amy Ozentrouss Naperville, Illinois - 1985 Nissan Maxima

Amy’s husband bought the car for $500, and decided to fix the rack and pinion himself. He got a used one from a junkyard, a Chilton’s manual, and a hammer, and did it for about $500. A mechanic said the job would cost $1,500 to $2,000. Amy’s scared that the car is unsafe, because of the price difference. Tom and Ray tell her not to to worry--price difference can be attributed to labor costs, which her husband didn’t pay, and that he got his rack more cheaply than mechanic would have.

Kevin Ramos Glew , New Hampshire - 2005 Saab 9-5

Kevin is a teacher at a private school. His headmaster’s daughter jammed a quarter into a seat-belt buckle, and Kevin said, “Watch and learn!” In trying to remove the quarter, he jammed it further in. How can he get it out and save his job? He can take out part of the belt where its bolted to the floor and try to get it out that way, but his best bet may be to take it to the Shop class and make it a project for the students.

Anna Hope Portland, Maine - 1998 Ford Ranger

Anna hears a “cooing," whirring noise from her engine only when it rains. Once the car dries out, the noise goes away. It’s been doing this for the last six months. Could be simple--just the belt or tensioner. Next time it rains and the noise starts, she can open the hood and probably tell easily where the noise is coming from. It’s likely not dangerous.

Josefa Anchorage, Alaska - Subaru

Josefa’s car started making a sound like a toilet flushing, coming from behind the dash. Then the heater stopped working. Her mechanic said she has a hole in her #4 cylinder, and needs to put a new engine in. She loves the car, but this would cost more than it's worth, and the car has a good deal of rust. Tom and Ray say it’s time to dump the car--she may be able to get a cheaper re-built engine from a junkyard, but the rust means its probably structurally unsafe.