My car won’t start when it’s cold out
Q. My car doesn’t start when it’s cold without a jump, other than that the battery works fine. It did this last year and was fine all summer. The first cold day it wouldn’t start again, should I replace the battery? They tested it last year and said it was fine.
A. The first place to start would be with a test of the battery, charging and starting system. A weak battery could get by in warm weather but as the temperature gets to 32 degrees starting power drops 35 percent. When replacing the battery in your car always replace it with a battery of equal or greater performance.
Q. I recently test drove a used 2015 Honda CRV with 11, 000 miles on it and an asking price of $21, 999. It seemed fine to me but when I checked it out on line I found out that some 2015 CR-Vs have a vibration problem. Of course the problem varies in intensity and Honda has admitted it is a problem but they don’t know how to fix it. So my mechanic told me not to pursue it. Have you had any concerns expressed by other people about this?
A. Similar to what you have found on line I have heard from readers who think the problem is terrible and others who barely notice it. I did drive a CR-V when they first came out and didn’t notice any issues with the vehicle. Honda builds some of the best vehicles on the planet; I wouldn’t hesitate to buy one.
Q. I recently inherited my granddad’s 2003 Mazda Protégé, the mileage is only 20,000. According to the owner’s manual, the timing belt should be inspected at 60,000 miles and replaced every 105,000 miles. I am only halfway (by mileage) to the recommended inspection and less than one-third (by mileage) to the recommended replacement. Nevertheless, should I have the recommended inspection and/or replacement done sooner than called for by the mileage because of the age (12 years) of the car?
A. Although it is true that the timing belt should be replaced at 105,000 miles, age does play a factor. If the average driver travels 12,000 miles per year at 12 years old they would have 144,000 miles on their car (well past the mileage limit). If this were my car I would replace the timing belt and other necessary components just so I didn’t need to worry about the belt breaking and damaging the engine.
Q. Recently my car’s wipers came on intermittently while in the off position. After a couple of weeks of this I had a new switch installed and there were no problems for a week. But this morning the wipers came on and cycled for a few minutes and stopped. I guess the problem is may not be the wiper switch. What do you think?
A. The problem could be a wiring issue or one with the wiper motor itself. A good technician will start by looking at all the electrical connections including the wiper motor ground. Depending on the car, if this model has wipers that sense rain, these cars can periodically perform a phantom sweep-which is normal.
Q. I am getting a smell from engine or somewhere underside my 2011 Subaru Outback. It doesn’t happen all the time but seems to be a difficult thing to fix by the dealer. They told me the power steering hose was leaking and fixed it twice, but it still smells. Based on what I have read online I’m worried that it may be a head-gasket issue. Any thoughts?
A. The smell could be from residual power steering fluid burning off and over time this will eventually subside. A head gasket issue is always possible but pretty simple to check. What you could suggest to the dealer is they add a ultra-violet dye to all the fluids and recheck it after 100 miles or so of driving. If there is a leak, it will show up under an ultra violet light.
Q. I have a 2003 Nissan Maxima and recently had new front brakes installed. This included pads, rotors and calipers. My question is concerning the calipers; is it normal to replace calipers when replacing pads and rotors and what causes and under what circumstances are calipers replaced?
A. Calipers, the part of the braking system that provides the clamping force when stopping can fail due to rust. This rust is generally caused from moisture contamination of the brake fluid. Considering your Maxima is 12 years old replacing the calipers was most likely money well spent. If a brake caliper replacement is needed they should be replaced in pairs to provide equal braking performance.
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