The Car Doc on oil changes, Subaru batteries and more

John Paul, aka “the Car Doctor,’’ answers readers’ car-related questions.

By John Paul @johnfpaul

August 2, 2016

3 minutes to read

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Q. I don’t put a lot of mileage on my 2014 Toyota Camry-hybrid. When do I get it serviced (oil changes)? One mechanic tells me every three months or so. Another tells me that I can wait to close to the mileage it normally requires for servicing. That could be a pretty long time since I drive only about 10 miles per day. What is best for my car?

A. Follow the suggestion in the car’s owner’s manual. In the case of your Camry-hybrid the oil should be changed every 10,000 miles or yearly whichever comes first. Certainly you can have the car serviced more often but it is not necessary. One thing that you should never do is exceed the recommendation in the owner’s manual.

Q. I see some hybrid cars but very few electric cars on the road. Do you think hybrids and electric cars are a fad, especially since I just paid $1.99 for gas or are they here to stay? The other thing is some of these hybrids look pretty boring, even the redesigned Prius is a bit boring. When will we see really “sexy’’ hybrids?

A. Electric cars even with the lower cost Tesla and Chevrolet Bolt coming soon will likely be a small percentage of the total amount of cars on the road. I believe we will continue to see hybrid drivetrains in many more models in the near future. I don’t know if we will ever see gasoline, hybrid and electric versions of a sports car like the Corvette, but there are some pretty great hybrids. Ferrari, Porsche and BMW all have hybrids, last year I drove the BMW i8 (plug-in hybrid) and it was great, fast, quiet and fuel efficient.

Q. I have read in your column and online about issues with Subaru batteries. I want to buy a new Subaru this year but I’m not sure if I want one that is the vehicle sits for a couple of days the battery needs to be jumpstarted. Is there still a problem?

A. In the past couple of weeks’ two Subaru owners (one in Alaska and one in Massachusetts) have emailed me with battery issues, this is added to the dozen or so in the past year. Anecdotally it seems as if 2015 Subaru models have a higher incident of battery failures, although I did a bit of research here at AAA and it doesn’t appear that we jumpstart Subaru vehicles percentagewise any more than similar cars.

Q. I have a 2016 Mazda 6 Grand Touring. The driver and passenger seat ride quite low when set in the back position. I’m 6’-2’’ and very comfortable in that position; however my wife is shorter than I and would be comfortable using a pillow. In our 2006 Toyota Avalon and 2008 Honda Civic pillows were a solution. In the Mazda, the passenger “air bag off’’ light stays on if a pillow is used. When I took the car in for service I asked the service manager if there is a solution for this problem. It appears there is no fix or adjustment. As the seat is moved forward the seat gets higher, but it moves you closer to the air bag which I believe is not recommended. The driver’s seat light is unaffected by using a pillow. Is there any fix for this or am I stuck with it?

A. The system may be operating as intended. I have checked for technical service bulletins and recalls and found none that would indicate a problem with the vehicle. Regarding airbag safety, you should sit 10-12 inches away from an active airbag. Regarding the use of a pillow, the pillow you are using may be dispersing your wife’s weight tricking the airbag computer into thinking there is a child in the front seat. Have you tried a pillow specifically for a car (firm and wedge shaped)? This type of pillow may fit the contour of the seat better, allowing the airbag sensor to know there is an adult in the front seat and turn the airbag on.