Show Rundown

Howard Yellen San Francisco, California - 2000 Chevrolet Tracker

Tires/heat. Leaves the car in Palm Springs for the Summer, temps around 115 degrees. When they went back last month, found tires had all deflated and after putting air in, it's like driving over a washboard. Did heat deform them? Tires are fairly new. Guys think it's unlikely heat did it--more likely tires are defective, with bad stems. Go back to the tire dealer and complain. In the future, he can buy a floor jack and stands, and let the tires 'hang' for the summer.

Lisa Kumar , Michigan - 1999 Volvo V70

A dump/keep/maintenance/cleaning question. Spending about $1000 a year on repairs, getting tired of it, considering dumping. Her mechanic suggested that she'll feel better about the car if she gets the outside detailed--dents smoothed and painted. It would cost $800 to $1000. Worth doing it? Guys say it would be cheaper and look better to just get the whole car painted at Maaco.

Kimmy Mills Riverside, California - 2001 Infiniti G20

engine/transmission/clutch... Standard, when gets to 70 mph, car feels like it stops working for 5 seconds. Drops to about 65 mph, and she can't accelerate, even though pedal moves. Check engine light was on, mechanic said bad oxygen sensor, they just had the light turned off. Check engine light back on. Probably the oxygen sensor again, and now car is out of warranty, so she'll have to pay to fix it. Could also be plugged catalytic converter.

Jason Walls , South Carolina - Chevrolet Tahoe

A fuel/transmission question. Replaced fuel pump, fuel gauge went crazy and he started hearing a thumping sound from inside the tank. Tried another replacement, same problem. He's using aftermarket pump, not OEM--may not fit properly. Go to Chevy dealer, and try an OEM pump. If that doesn't work, take it to someone.

Champagne Girten Miami, Florida - Toyota Corolla

Following an oil change, she noticed that the car made a rumbling noise when in reverse. The noise was worse when the a/c is on. Guys said it was a loose heat shield--wrong answer. Wound up being tensioner on timing chain. Also, mechanic discovered oil change place had left her two quarts low.

Roxy Day Amherst, New Hampshire - Toyota Avalon

A question about body and seats. She doen't know if they are getting to be like Daniel Pinkwater, or if their cars are just getting older, but driver's seats are getting less comfortable. They feel the springs underneath. Husband wants to put a beaded cabby seat cover on. Is there a more elegant cheap way to make seats comfortable? Guys suggest getting Tempurpedic foam and cutting it to fit the seats.

Colin Andrew , Oregon - 2000 Subaru Outback

A maintenance/oil/transmission/differential question. His wife and her friend decided they would change the oil in their cars together. However, after they completed the job, they drove around a bit and discovered they had drained the transmission fluid instead of the oil. Tried to fix the problem, but they put the tranny fluid into the differential. Situation has been rectified, but did they do long-term damage? It's been a few weeks, car is running okay. Probably okay, but to be on the safe side, take it to a shop, have them check-and change the transmission fluid one more time, adding factory fluid.

Kelsey Grow Sacramento, California - 2002 Chevrolet Blazer

An engine question. Since temps got cooler, when she starts it first thing in the morning, gets a rattling sound when she steps on the accelerator--louder if she's moving, quieter when she idles. Goes away when car warms up, not there when outside temps are higher. Guys think it's a cracked exhaust manifold, as the car warms up, metal expands to make the crack smaller. Expensive fix, Kelsey thinks it's time to dump. Guys suggest a Prius, she says Mom has one and, 'it's kind of dorky'. She wants an Accord.