Longtime TTAC Commentator Golden2husky writes:

Dear Sajeev:

I have a problem with my old ’92 Sable. About a year ago the ABS started to lightly engage while the wheel was turned hard left or right as you pulled into a parking spot. The parking was not at “turtle” speeds but was well below the need to engage ABS. This issue began to get worse after a few months; the unwanted ABS engagement would occur with less of a steering wheel angle. No longer did you need the wheel fully turned to cause the problem.

For the last two months the car sat unused, but now with the potential for snow and the need to haul building materials on the roof rack I’ve begun using the car again. Now, with the wheel pointed straight, the car will occasionally engage the ABS when stopping at a red light. Usually the engagement is light, but a few times it was pretty severe. I’m concerned about rear-ending somebody. I do not consider disengaging the ABS to be an answer. The ABS idiot light comes on at startup and extinguishes after a few seconds.

You have a lot of experience with old Fords so perhaps this has happened to you. The car is nearing 200K and has spent its entire life outside. Salt use in these parts is pretty moderate. Tires and struts are fairly recent and are in excellent condition. Read More >

Naseem writes:

Sajeev,

I read TTAC every day but have never commented. I’m not as witty as most of your readers. (Don’t sell yourself short! – SM)

Here’s my problem: I have my head screwed on too tight. I have always loved cars and am always shopping for my next car, but I rarely pull the trigger. My wife has a ‘12 Sienna with 40K miles that serves our family (three young kids) well. I drive an ‘04 MDX with 171K miles and I honestly love it. I really want a new car, maybe another MDX, maybe an F-150, but my MDX keeps going and going with little more than routine maintenance. I’m 41, have a good job, am on track for solid retirement savings, college savings and could afford whatever I want but I’m too financially responsible. Why buy a new car if the one I have is just fine — I should just continue to save, right?

So, I need a reason to be irresponsible and buy a new(er) car. Should I get rid of the MDX before it requires a major repair? What other reasons do you have to justify buying a newer vehicle? Read More >

TTAC commentator Towncar writes:

I just recently had a dead battery on the Town Car, so learning how to properly jump start a car battery has been on my mind. I’m telling you, there’s a lot to say on this subject once you get into it! Read More >

Steven writes:

Hi Sajeev,

I have a 2016 Hyundai Tucson 1.6T with 90K and I have an intermittent issue of a rough idle with the A/C on — it feels very jumpy and did not have this issue before. When you turn it back off the idle becomes smooth again. I’ve cleaned the MAP and boost pressure sensors as well as removed the throttle body to clean it — it had a little gunk at the bottom of it but it looked really clean. That seemed to clear up the problem, but the issue came back again. I know it’s due for another spark plug change (as Hyundai says every 45K) so I’ll get that done soon. but I’d like to trace this down while I’m doing the work under there.

Any ideas?

PS: And no, it’s not under warranty — as countless others have claimed. Read More >

Casey writes:

Hey Sajeev,

You once answered one of my questions regarding my Fusion of Malcontent, a car which NEVER stopped giving us issues even after we sold it: the new owner refused to put it into his name and we got many tickets from red light cameras.

Anyway, last month I purchased a beautiful Panther-platform Grand Marquis. I got a good deal on it and it’s in pristine condition with less than 50,000 miles. There are no issues with the car mechanically, but it was previously owned by someone who lived down a long red dirt road. There is dirt EVERYWHERE in the car. It’s in the light assemblies, the dash, pretty much every crevasse that one can think of. 

I’ve begun the long and tiring job of cleaning it, but wondering if you have any tips, suggestions, or ideas about how I should proceed?  

Currently, I’ve cleaned the entire outside of the car, the engine bay, and generally the driver’s area…but every time I look up I swear I find something else that’s covered in red dust.

How do I clean this car so that I can stop obsessing and start enjoying the Panther body that I’ve always dreamed of? Read More >

The prolonged journey of TTAC’s Ford Sierra is partly because of my prolonged recovery from Stevens-Johnson Syndrome. While other projects never help matters, the excuses end now.

Because, even during the depths of my recovery, my vision never faltered; thanks to prednisone’s side effects during treatment, said vision became a C4 Corvette-like laser-infused slalom but with Young the Giant screeching in the background.

So it’s about time I drove to my friend Brian’s shop and made it happen. Read More >

Sajeev writes:

Apparently the ears of noted lighting consultant Daniel Stern begin to burn whenever Piston Slap discusses lighting upgrades. While I gave an analysis of the current LED-landscape to the best of my knowledge, I am honored to publish his insights on Jeep JK headlight upgrades.

And those of us with old-school halogen reflectors get a little feedback, too. Stick around for that.   Read More >

TTAC commentator Volvo writes:

Hi Sajeev,

Why is there so much enthusiast hate on electronic driver’s assistance aids such as lane departure warning, blind spot warning, adaptive cruise, front and side cameras, etc?

It reminds me of arguments against seat belts that arose in the ’70s. As a package, these are not that expensive to incorporate into a vehicle (I can retrofit a decent backup camera for less than $50) and perhaps should also be mandated rather than remaining expensive options. Read More >

Elliot writes:

I have a 2002 GMC Yukon with 165k and a 2003 Grand Marquis with 150k. The plan is to keep them running forever. Any thoughts regarding products or services to accomplish this goal?

Your loyal reader,
Elliot Read More >

TTAC Commentator Halftruth writes:

Can we talk about the absolute incompetence at dealerships?

• Mild issue: Bought new SUV for wife back in 2010. Wife complains that “something not quite right.” I drive it and notice something slightly off. Take it to dealer, no trouble found. On a whim, I check the tire pressures: 40 psi, 37 psi, 45 psi and 35 psi. I called the dealer on this as they missed it TWICE. Once during prep and once when brought in for the original complaint. I asked how could they miss this and was told “well, it is a new machine and some of the guys are having trouble with it.” To which I replied, “I don’t have a machine and I was still able to troubleshoot this and DO YOUR JOB!” Service manager was not happy with me.
• More severe issue: I went for a late-model used sedan and picked a local dealership that I had bought cars from 3 times before. I test drive a car, like it, come back with the wife and decide this is it. I backed the car in and by mistake popped the trunk; the young salesman was all too eager to show my wife the trunk and how clean it was. I saw a pushpin sitting in the spare tire area. I asked the salesman, “you know what this is, right?” He said no. I explained this is one of the pushpins that attaches the bumper underneath. He turned white and I got right under the car and, sure enough, the bumper was not attached well and was flopping around. At that point I asked for sales manager and asked about their 172 point inspection and if there were any accidents on record. They had no answers. We ended up agreeing to them fixing the bumper and replacing the battery, as it had shown some signs of weakness after sitting a couple of days on the lot. I was trading in a truck and the trade deal was very favorable, so I went with it. I come to pick it up and bumper is not fixed, battery not replaced, and the tire pressures were all low. I left and bought elsewhere.

Kindly shine some light on this.

Read More >

Bob writes:

Hello Sajeev,

My wife’s 2012 Grand Caravan has a quirk: an intermittent no start condition when the key is inserted into the ignition and turned. Dash lights come on, but engine doesn’t crank. Doesn’t seem to matter if I cover the brake or not. Doesn’t seem to matter if the row the gear selector a couple times. After 3 or 4 attempts of turning the key it suddenly starts and drives.

I researched fuse boxes, but the symptoms don’t quite match. I researched the neutral switch device, but once again symptoms don’t quite match. Ignition switch might be the culprit? My red herrings:

1. The car has stalled, intermittently, a half-dozen times while driving to work at roughly 35 mph. Pull over, and it restarts.
2. My best friend’s wife has a 2013 Town & Country with the same problem. We were both shocked.
3. When we first bought the car, we lost the one and only original key. So not wanting to pay the dealership fee of $500+, the internet found a guy who could do it from the back of his car for $200. The keys are Dodge keys, but not Grand Caravan specific. They have worked fine, but I wonder if once in a blue moon the ignition switch decides it doesn’t like the impostor keys? And my friend, who has the same problem, has their original keys?

The van has been a godsend for our three kids and dogs, so the idea of going to a SUV or Mega-truck sounds like a lot of money for less space, but I can’t have her driving around wondering if she will stall in traffic, or — more annoying — just can’t start after loading up to go somewhere with the kids. The dealership is useless unless they can replicate it. And it never does it when you want to show someone.

Perhaps the car is possessed by the ghost of passenger from its prior rental life? Read More >

TTAC Commentator Anchorman33 writes:

Sajeev,

I’ve read with great interest your columns on aftermarket HID conversions for various cars that have composite headlights. I have a similar, related question that hopefully has enough daylight (pun intended) between those responses and this question that it’s worth your time to answer.

I’ve recently married into a Jeep family. It’s a 2016 Wrangler Unlimited Sport that’s basically stock… for now. Eventually it will be getting the typical steps, wheels and tires and some cosmetic alterations. For now, it’s used as a daily driver and rarely sees terrain much rougher than a poorly maintained dirt road. It’s fine and my new wife loves it. The biggest problem is the headlights. When we go out, I typically drive and it’s getting to the point I dread taking her vehicle if there’s a chance the sun will set before we go home. As noted basically everywhere, the headlights are atrocious and border on dangerous. Read More >

Christopher writes:

Sajeev,

I have a ’96 BMW Z3 (1.9, manual) that I bought several years ago from a friend who was moving away. This is my “weekend car,” but I haven’t been driving it much lately since my two young kids require a back seat. This means our Highlander now sees more weekend action than the Bimmer. I love the car, but am thinking of selling it and getting something fun that can hold more passengers (E30?).

My problem is that the car now has 191k miles on it and needs some work done to “make it right” before selling it. Mechanically, it needs new rear struts, sway bar bushings, ABS sensors (only about $3 each on eBay), an AC recharge, new tires (old ones have lots of tread but are getting really old) and a noisy tensioner pulley that needs replacement. Oh, and the aftermarket radio/CD player is awful.

Cosmetically, it looks good but the leather upholstery on the seats bottoms is shot (have covers on now) and a broken fog light from hitting a branch in the road.

It still runs and drives great and I feel there’s a lot of life left in it for someone looking for a cheap and fun ride. And aside from reupholstering the seats, I can do all the work myself, saving on the shop labor. But it will be a giant, time-consuming pain in the ass and those parts aren’t going to be cheap. Normally, it wouldn’t be a big deal, but free time has been in short supply lately.

Now that these cars are now fully depreciated and not worth much (especially with close to 200k miles), I’m wondering if it’s worth putting the time and money into it OR if I should just sell it dirt cheap and with full disclosure of the issues to someone looking for a weekend project car?

What would you do? I appreciate that feedback!

Read More >

Patrick writes:

Sajeev,

Thanks for the column and the sage advice, but mostly for the generosity as lemons perp. (FYI Piston Slap queries don’t count as bribes – SM)

Recently purchased a Focus ST, and though I have rebuilt/broken in conventional engines in the past, new car recommendations of oil changes at 5,000 miles plus and no mention of an engine break-in procedure leave me nervous. Especially with the new breed of HO turbo motors. I know better than to push the motor for the initial 500 – 1,000 miles. Reading forums and interwebs, a number recommend an initial oil change at 1,000 to clear out the initial break in filings, then adhere to a 5k oil change schedule with synthetic fluids.

What say you? Running the initial fluids to 10k sounds like an introduction to premature wear to me. Read More >

Sam writes:

I have a 2015 Hyundai Elantra SE. It has 25,000 miles and serves its purpose of a street parked commuter car that is comfortable enough for the occasional 600-mile round trip on weekends. The only real issue I have with the car is the cheap-car torsion beam rear suspension. Over large bumps on one side of the car the rear of the car feels like it oscillates extremely in each direction.

In a straight line it is controllable but I worry that in a off ramp taken a little too fast that a unseen bump could actually upset the car enough to lose control (or surprise a fiancé who is used to the handling of a 200S). The 2007 Honda Fit and 2015 Chevy Volt I drove I believe have similar setups but didn’t feel at all like this, and neither did the 2011 Crown Victoria I drove. I’ve read online that some aftermarket replacement shocks would help with this.

Is this really the case? Would a lighter set of wheels also help?

Read More >