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Does my older pickup truck have a cabin air filter?
John Paul, AAA Northeast's Car Doctor, answers a question from a reader who was gifted a 14-year-old truck.
Q. I have a 2010 Ford Ranger XLT that was gifted to me after my father passed. I have been trying to locate the cabin air filter, and I cannot find it. I have read conflicting statements online that there is no cabin air filter, or that there is. I looked behind the glove compartment, nothing there. Does this vehicle in fact have a cabin air filter?
A. I looked in AllData, the professional database I use as well as looking at parts catalogs, and did not find a cabin air filter listed. The Ford Ranger, with a little bit of preventative maintenance, can be a great little truck, and it is great to have something that belonged to your dad.
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Q. I have a 2015 Volvo S60 with 60,000 miles. I bought it as it came off lease (approximately six years ago, with 17,000 miles), and I have had it regularly maintained at a Volvo dealership ever since. Although it looks great, runs well, feels solid and safe, and – except for getting into and out of the driver’s seat – is still comfortable to drive, I am considering getting a new car. Owing to my age (just turned 82), my next car will probably be the last car I will buy, and I am considering a mid-size SUV (primarily due to the entry/exit issue I mentioned earlier) – a hybrid with the latest safety features and driving technologies. While my focus has been on the Volvo XC40 and XC60, my research – from both online and print sources – suggests that Volvos are not as dependable, reliable, or driver-friendly as other makes (e.g., Honda CR-V, Toyota RAV4, etc.) My experience has been that the CR-V and RAV4 are not as solid and quiet (perhaps not as safe?) as either the XC40 or the XC60. Am I being too judgmental, or am I shortchanging myself by not considering alternatives?
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A. Volvo has had its ups and downs with various ownership. When Volvo was sold to Ford, the quality and reliability as well as design creativity, in my opinion, suffered. The Geely group that owns Volvo now, I think has helped the brand. Still in some cases reliability is not as good as some other makes. The XC60 is a nice, easy vehicle to drive with great seats, decent MPG, and a not-overly-complicated infotainment system. The safety equipment is outstanding and the testing we have done with automatic emergency braking has Volvo at the top of the list. I agree that the Toyota RAV4 and Honda CR-V are a little noisy, but Volvo is a luxury brand and Toyota and Honda are not. The Toyota RAV4 in top trim level is quite good and dependable. Looking at crash tests, the RAV4 and Volvo perform similarly. My suggestion is to drive both and buy the car you like. Either car will be an excellent choice.
Q. Recently on social media, I have seen lots of portable car air pumps. Do you have a recommendation for any of them?
A. Honestly, they are all pretty good these days. I have one made by Slime Products (maybe $25), which plugs into a 12-volt outlet or direct to the battery. Another is made by WORX (it is rechargeable) and uses the same battery as my weed trimmer, so usually I always have a charged battery. The WORX one is small and powerful and the one I use most often. Recently I was sent one by WOLFBOX. It is rechargeable or can be plugged in. It works well and has different settings for different tires (bikes, cars, trucks). Like any device with a non-replaceable battery, when the battery no longer takes a charge, the device becomes useless.
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Q. My son owns a 2017 used Honda Accord, purchased in 2019 at 12,000 miles. In the intervening years, he has put on an additional 60,000 miles, mostly highway miles commuting to and from work. On Friday, he noticed the check engine light came on, and he brought it to his local garage. He was told he needed a new catalytic converter. My questions are as follows: How long are catalytic converters meant to last and would it be under warranty? He was quoted $1,100 (presumably for both the labor and the catalytic converter). He was told he could get it for less, but it would be an inferior converter. I have no idea, as of this writing, what brand he is getting. Is this a reasonable price?
A. If your car has California emissions as most cars in the northeast do, the warranty is eight years or 80,000 miles, whichever comes first. Most catalytic converters last well over 100,000 miles, so it’s a bit odd on a seven-year-old car unless it has very high mileage. It is best to stay with a factory or premium original equipment replacement converter. As for a price, $1,100 is quite reasonable.
Q. I enjoy reading your weekly articles in my paper and online. I have a 2002 Honda Civic LX and the driver side sun visor does not stay in the up position and droops down. Presumably, an internal spring clip is malfunctioning. I checked some online videos for makeshift fixes, but I do not think they will be very effective. I will probably purchase a replacement visor, but in view of the car’s age I would not want to buy the high-cost factory visor. I checked a couple of auto supply web sites to no avail. Do you have any suggestions where I could purchase a reasonably priced visor?
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A. Doing a quick check online looks like you could buy a pair of matching visors with all the hardware on eBay or Amazon. For $50 it looks like you could cure your droopy visor issue.
Q. Have you had a chance to drive the 2025 Toyota Camry hybrid? Would you buy the all-wheel drive or front-wheel drive version and why?
I have only driven the Camry for quick road tests and not a full evaluation. My first and second impressions were that this is a well-designed car. All-wheel vs. front-wheel really depends on when and how you drive. All-wheel is always better in the winter. The all-wheel drive system uses an on-demand electric motor on the rear wheels, similar to the all-wheel-drive Prius. So, if you need to be out before the plows, all-wheel drive would be my choice. If not, the front wheel drive should be fine.
John Paul is AAA Northeast’s Car Doctor. He has over 40 years of experience in the automotive business and is an ASE-certified master technician. E-mail your Car Doctor question to [email protected]. Listen to the Car Doctor podcast at johnfpaul.podbean.com.
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