Tom and Ray share the difference between male and female movie reviewers.
Gregory Cameron San Francisco, California -
Gregory's car starts fine, but if he's parked uphill it will stall. On level surface, it sputters and almost stalls. Lives in SF, so it's a real problem. When car warms up, it can still stall, but less likely. Tom and Ray think he needs a tune-up, could have a bad spark plug wire, or cracked spark plug.
Cynthia Neu-Mclusky , Virginia - 1989 Acura Legend
A question about driving and wagers. Cynthia needs Tom and Ray to settle a bet with her boss. She's convinced that her gas mileage improves when she gets an oil change--she goes from needing gas every four days to once a week. Her boss says she's crazy--the two things are completely unrelated. Who wins? Her boss--the two are unrelated. It's possible that when she gets an oil change, they're also inflating her tires, which would help her gas mileage--but the simple changing of oil wouldn't do it.
Scott Burton , Alaska - Toyota Tacoma
Wiper fluid/environment question. Scott is looking for an eco-friendly windshield wiper fluid--concerned that fluid with alcohol will run into streams and kill salmon, etc. Alcohol mostly used to keep fluid from freezing, so Tom and Ray suggest Scott fashion a container he can remove from the car overnight during Winter. But, they realize this is overly complicated, so they say they'll post his question on the site.
Laurie , Hawaii - 1997 Nissan Pathfinder
A suspension question. Suspension. Laurie calls her call 'Wobblebutt', because it feels like the rear is driving over the wake of a boat--it rocks, and rolls, feels like fishtailing. Tom and Ray thought it was a bent axle or seized universal joint. Wound up being worn out trailing arm bushings.
Andy Green San Francisco, California - 1995 Toyota Corolla
An engine question. Andy's Check Engine light is coming on. He can disconnect the battery so it it goes off for a while, but then it comes back on. He thinks Check Engine light is a scam, but is it something he needs to get checked? Yes, he needs to get it scanned--it's telling him something is wrong, and he's likely spewing pollution. Could just be a bad sensor.
Cami Sawyer , Texas - Subaru
A question about car seats and safety. Cami loves her Subaru, but it only has lapbelts in the rear, and she's concerned this is not safe for her 6-year old. Can she get car retrro-fitted with shoulder belts, or does she need a new car? She needs a newer car--nobody will put shoulder belts in the old one because of liability concerns.
Peterson Gloucester, Massachusetts - Saab 900
A suspension question. It feels like its jerking in back when he hits potholes, and on turns it feels like the rear lurches--needs to catch up with steering. Ray thinks it's a broken stsbilizer link, but it could be ball joints, tie rod ends--take it to a mechanic and have him put it up in the air.
Linda Lipscomb , California - 1997 Chevrolet Monte Carlo
A driving and marital question. Linda's husband uses the gas pedal like a 'wah-wah' pedal--accelerates up to 60, then coasts, accelerates again. He says this improves gas mileage, but it drives Linda crazy. Does it improve mileage? Tom and Ray think not--he may use less gas while coasting, but quick accelerating likely cancels that out. But they think physicists will write in and tell them they're wrong.