"Subris," and other auto-related words.
Becky Ryan Dallas, Texas - 2003 Lexus RX 300
A suspension question. Took it in because she was told front struts are shot, replaced them. Her mechanics are twins; twin #1 heard it, said tread on tires caused it. Got four new tires but still had noise. Twin #2 says it's bearings. The guys said she probably needed all three things so get the new bearings and avoid trying to diagnose things herself!
Craig Hunt Gaithersburg, Maryland - 1995 Chevrolet Camaro
A dump/keep question. He thinks car is a classic, wife wants him to dump it. Needs a bunch of work...has a hole ole in convertible top, rear defrost doesn't work, windows won't go down, engine backfires, will cost about 10k to fix everything. Tommy says by all means keep it, Ray thinks he should dump it but realizes Craig is a lost cause--suggests he get a Hyundai as a daily car and relegate this to weekends.
Stephanie Molinari Norwell, Massachusetts - 2002 GMC Yukon
A 4WD question. When put it in 4wd, left wheel makes wah-wah-wah noise. Can still drive with it in 4wd but they don't, because they assume the noise is bad. Guys think it's the locking hub mechanism on the left front wheel, might just be stuck so drive it around to see if it will free itself up. If that doesn't loosen it, get it fixed before next Winter--it'd be nice to be able to use the 4WD.
Cory Trusty San Diego, California - 2002 Honda Accord
An engine/maintenance question. Just had some maintenance done (new belts, spark plugs), now it's making a whining noise. The mechanic said it had an auto tensioner, needs to drive it 1,000 miles so it tightens itdself. Guys say that's boooogus. Car is also making a knocking noise, so guys think he overtightened the belt or put something on wrong. Have someone else check it out, could cost him his engine if belt jumps.
Teresa Lewis St. Paul, Minnesota - 1998 Ford Escort
A question about brakes/heat shield. Her car sounds like she's being followed by a helicopter. Only when moving--had tires replaced, but sound didn't go away. Ray said it was a loose piece of sheet metal underneath--heat shield or baffle. Turns out it was stuck brake calipers--brakes were always on. Wrong answer.
Sharon Chung Normal, Illinois - 2002 Subaru Impreza
An engine question. At idle, with foot on brake, makes sound like a fan or motor trying to turn. RAH ... RAH ... ... RAH. Can't hear it about 40 mph, had timing belt changed recently. Guys say it could be bad water pump or starter drive isn't disengaging. Either way, she needs to get it fixed.
Wade Balmer , Pennsylvania - 2006 Honda Element
A question about autobody and pranks. As a prank, campers covered his car in post-its and it rained. Left pink stains, campers felt bad about it so they used bleach and water with a scouring pad to get it off, leaving giant swirl marks all over. What to do? The guys say not to try any other solutions, because kids scratched it. Body shop might be able to buff it out or refinish the clear coat.