Dear Tom and Ray:

OK. I have two sons of opposite disposition, but who are great friends anyway. We do as much work on cars as we can to save money and maintain some sense that we haven’t been made entirely useless by today’s technology. Alexis (No. 1 son) reads manuals carefully. Tad (No. 2 son) uses them as flat surfaces for tools. Recently, we replaced a water pump on Alexis’ 1998 Saturn SW. We successfully replaced the water pump after only several hours of struggling with bolts at high torque in small places. But while Alexis was reading the manual, Tad and I punctured his right front CV boot with a screwdriver. A little grease oozed out. The car has 240,000 miles on it. Do we need to replace the entire joint, as some repair shops suggest? How about a little glue, as some websites recommend? By the way, who is correct when it comes to reading manuals? Tad and Alexis would like to know.
— Larry (more…)

Dear Tom and Ray:

I recently drove about a thousand miles without my oil cap. It’s a 2005 Toyota Sequoia, and I was off-road for about 10 days at the same time. When I got home, no oil cap! (Human error all the way.) I checked the oil, and it was good all the way to the “full” mark, and there’s no oil on top of the engine, or even on the underside of the hood. As I drove, I didn’t see any drop in oil pressure or hear any weird mechanical sounds, so I’m wondering what damage (if any) I might have done to the engine, driving all that way without a cap. I am changing the oil and filter today. Thanks for your answer, and yes, it is the first time I’ve ever done that, and the last! — Steve (more…)

Dear Tom and Ray:

Our 2001 Subaru Forester (93,000 miles, we’re the only owner) has been an excellent, essentially maintenance-free vehicle. Recently, when a front axle was replaced for a torn CV joint boot, the garage owner recommended a pre-emptive replacement of the timing belt. He says we’re entering a period of likely failure, which can be problematic when on the road (especially in remote places). He also may have been suggesting that this failure can cause attendant engine damage. I am of the “if it ain’t broke, donfix it” school, especially on car repairs that will run several hundred dollars. Predictably, my wife took the mechanic’s word as gospel. What do you think? — Terry (more…)

Dear Tom and Ray:

I have a 2009 VW Passat with about 6,500 miles. I called to set up an appointment to get the oil changed, and the dealership said it only changes the oil at 10,000 miles. My late husband took excellent care of all of our cars, and never would let a car go 10,000 miles before an oil change. Maybe I’m cheap, but if I wait until 10,000 miles, the oil change is free, since I have free scheduled maintenance. If I do it before then, it will cost $80 (!) and I’ll have waived my free oil change. To complicate matters, I’m driving to the mountains soon. I’ll still be under 10,000 miles when I get back, but I don’t want to mess up my engine. What do you think I should do? Thanks, Ray and Tom. I appreciate the advice and the laughter. — Bonnie (more…)

Dear Tom and Ray:

My husband, a dear, loving Englishman, drives with one foot on the brake and one foot on the gas. At a red light, the poor car is trying desperately to move forward, as told by the right foot, but is being held prisoner by the left foot. It’s a terrible thing to experience, and takes every ounce of my being to stay silent (the last time I tried to explain the damaging factor of this type of driving, he started with the societal differences between the U.S. and England, his father blah blah and then something about the queen). So I gave up. I am just asking/begging you guys to declare that two-footed driving is bad. Really bad. So bad that a person might be deported back to his motherland if he continues to kill an innocent Volvo V40 and psychologically abuse his loving, supportive wife with such behavior. Thanks for your time, guys. I do hope you have a lovely, one-footed day.

— Nikki (more…)

Dear Tom and Ray:

A few years ago, our 1998 Camry started to leak water inside. This is a problem in Oregon, so we took it in for repair, and $500 later, they told us that they cleared the “weep channels” in the sunroof. Evidently, debris from parking under various trees gets into the weep channels and clogs it up, thus creating some kind of backflow that then pours and drips onto the floor of the car. Now, five years later, it’s leaking again (even though we’ve been covering the car with a cover in leafy weather). I have this idea that we can clear the channels ourselves, but am unsure of exactly how to do it. We tried opening the hood, clearing out the debris and spraying water full-force into the holes near the outside edges of the hood. It helped for a few days, but then, of course, it rained again (and again and again — this is Oregon), and it began leaking again. Is there some other access to the weep channels? Can I get to it with an air compressor or a hose to clear it? In the meantime, I am air-drying the car, trying to keep mold from forming. Help! — Annah (more…)

Dear Tom and Ray:

We have a 2006 Chrysler Town and Country van. Is it OK to buy and replace the original battery ourselves? Or is this a job for the professionals? We just bought and replaced the battery in our 5-year-old John Deere lawn tractor with no problem, so I am thinking we could do this ourselves, too. My husband says no — that things have to be reset on a vehicle. Is he right? We plan to replace the battery before winter either way; it was sluggish on cold days last winter. We both read and learn from your column. Thank you. — Jan (more…)