Repair and Maintenance

1996 Questions and Answers with Bob Hagin

• Week 1
• Week 2
• Week 3
• Week 4
• Week 5
• Week 6
• Week 11
• Week 12
• Week 13
• Week 14
• Week 15
• Week 16
• Week 17 A Toyota battery goes dead when the car sits for long in Boise, ID. A Ford truck owner in Florence, OR is looking for a replacement. "Is an '88 Camaro a collectible car?" asks an owner in Aurora, IL.
• Week 18 A high-mileage Toyota Van has transmission troubles in Concord, NH. A Chevrolet in El Paso, TX vibrates under acceleration. "Who made my fiberglass sports car body," queries an owner in Paw Paw, MI.
• Week 19 A reader in Sacramento, CA wants to take his "Americanized" Nissan to Southeast Asia. "Are sports/utility vehicles as dangerous as they are portrayed on TV?" asks another in Tacoma, WA. In New Orleans, LA the parking lights come on when the key is inserted in the ignition lock of a Nissan pickup.
• Week 20 In West Covina, CA the owner of a new Lexus says the factory can't fix his whining ES 300. An Isuzu in South Burlington VT also has a noise that can be fixed but is expensive. What to do with Grandma's '57 Plymouth perplexes a reader in Phoenix, AZ
• Week 21 A Toyota pickup owner in Florence, OR can't keep it running. In Rialto, CA a Ford owner is plagued by low oil pressure. Another parent (this one in Tampa, FL) is concerned because his son wants to be a mechanic.
• Week 22 A rebuilt Ford engine now vibrates badly in Merced, CA. A Dodge van is hard to start and keep running in Santa Fe, NM. "Should I buy an elderly Mazda RX-7 sports car?" asks a reader in New Orleans, LA.
• Week 23 A high-mileage Mercedes uses oil in Boise, ID. In Battle Creek, MI, a Ford loses its brakes overnight. Can a minivan owner in Pittsburg, CA get a dealer to pay for a transmission three years later?
• Week 24 "Is it cool to fake a Chevy muscle car?" asks a reader in Dallas, TX. A Chevy Cavalier has high oil pressure in Fontana, CA. A Dodge Spirit in Fairborn, OH has a similar problem but in this case, it's the voltage that's too high.
• Week 25 In Dumont, NJ, the paint fell off an eight year old Ford. The original owner of a vintage Mustang wonders why it overheats in Quincy, CA. Bob Hagin recommends that a son in Eugene, OR service and exercise his elderly mother's Oldsmobile more frequently.
• Week 26 A Plymouth Acclaim has a noisy motor in Rialto, CA. Are new shock absorbers really necessary on a low mileage Mercury in Tacoma, WA? A vintage Rambler is for sale in Toledo, OH and a prospective buyer wants an opinion.
• Week 27 Will Honda pick up the tab on a repair after 100,000 asks an owner in Danville, CA? A Nissan 300ZX overheats - but only slightly - in Tucson, AZ. "Where can my son learn to drive right?" asks a parent in Puyallup, WA.
• Week 28 A gray market Mercedes owner in Plainsfield, IL can't get it licensed there. A reader in Sacramento, CA is confused about gasohol. The daughter of a reader in Boise, ID wants to get into the business but not as a mechanic.
• Week 29 A widow in Concord, CA has to make a tough decision about her aging Chevrolet. In Springfield, OR, a reader wants to put his cold-storage Mercury back on the road after 10 years. "Why are the air pressures shown on my tires higher that the auto maker recommends?" asks a Mitsubishi owner in Ramsey, NJ.
• Week 30 Where can the owner of a vintage Mercury find parts in Flagstaff, AZ? A Buick owner in Roseville, CA paid $2100 for a small job on his automatic transmission. What does it take to stop pulsating brakes in Wolf Creek, OR?
• Week 31 An almost new Mitsubishi smells like rotten eggs in Redlands, CA. A second-hand Chrysler in Baldwin, NY has a slight rattle in the rear end. A college student want to buy an ailing rotory-powered Mazda in Portland, OR.
• Week 32 What's an old Swinger worth, asks a Dodge owner in Oswego, IL. There's a Mercury Cougar missing in Bakersfield, CA. "How can a shop charge so much for a lube and oil change?" is the question in Westbury, NY.
• Week 33 A vintage swamp box is hard to find for a grandmother in Martinez, CA. The intermittent window mechanism on a Plymouth in Ogden, UT is driving the owner batty. Should a father in San Antonio, TX undertake a big auto project with his 13 year old son?
• Week 34 "How long will my '89 Pontiac last?" asks an owner in Santa Clara, CA. Another in Drain, OR wants Chrysler to repaint her second-hand Voyager. A potential Ford buyer wants to know about the factory-installed compressed natural gas system on a new Crown Victoria in Cleveland, OH.
• Week 35 An old timer in Oakland wonders what happened to gala new car presentations at dealerships. In Boise, ID, the owner of a 12 year old Chevy is baffled when trying to repair his water pump. The owner of a late-model Camaro wants to install a hot-rod computer chip in Washington, DC.
• Week 36 A reader in Salinas, CA, questions the authenticity of the cars in a prestigious auto show. An Oldsmobile owner in Tucson, AZ wants her money back on a two year old battery. A Honda Accord owner wants th fix his own radiator leak in Hollywood, FL.
• Week 37 In Monterey, CA, a Toyota Corolla is " Cincinnati, OH. An inherited Chrysler won't start if left sitting for a few days in Boston, MA. A vintage VW camper has a mysterious misfire in Eugene, OR.
• Week 38 A Honda has "jerky" steering in Cincinnati, OH. An uphill pull is tough on a rusted '76 Chevrolet in Baldwin, NY. In Denver, CO a flea market shopper has an unusual St. Christopher's medal.
• Week 39 In Concord, CA, a Mitsubishi owner needs instruction on downshifting. A 26 year old Pontiac overheats in Owings, MD. Poor fuel mileage plagues a GMC truck owner in Ft. Wayne, IN.
• Week 40 Is a tiny Geo Metro capable of towing a trailer in Sacramento, CA? A reader in Springfield, OR wants to identify a '30s foreign sedan he found in a scrap yard. A Dodge Omni clutch makes noise after a college student buys it from an elderly couple in Flagstaff, AZ.
• Week 41 A Mazda van has trouble wearing out front tires in Boise, ID. A Nissan Stanza in Monterey Park, CA make a tin-can noise at slow speeds. A neophyte investment car buyer needs information in Delray Beach, FL.
• Week 42 A mail order parts house can't supply spark plug wires to an RV owner in Reno, NV. An enthusiast in Eugene, OR wonders about an ancient Subaru. A Dodge Caravan owner in Sacramento, CA is worried about her automatic transmission.
• Week 43 A Walnut Creek, CA owner wants to restore a plebeian vintage Chevrolet. A Dodge motorhome in Harrisburg, OR has a wanderlust. "Are noisy lifters in my Ford a problem?" asks a reader in LaGrange, IN.
• Week 44 The temperature gauge in a '94 Honda is erratic in Tampa, FL. A Ford Taurus had a sluggish automatic transmission in Boise, ID. A Chrysler owner in Grass Valley, CA want to know how often to change the fluid in his automatic transmission.
• Week 45 "Should I have my brake system flushed at 30,000 miles?" asks a Honda owner in Sacramento, CA. In Toledo, OH, an Acura starts hard after sitting for half an hour. The owner of a 37 year old MG needs a fuel pump in Chicago, IL.
• Week 46 QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS - A Toronado owner in Pittsburg, CA wonders why his car is not considered a Muscle Car. A Ford Bronco owner in Tacoma, WA has a stumble that's hard to find. "Is tire rotation necessary?" asks a Toyota van owner in Santa Fe, NM.
• Week 47 A Lincoln Continental vibrates after a transmission repair in Huntingdon, PA. The heater in a Toyota in Redlands, CA drives the passengers out of the car. A 21 year old Ford pickup does just the opposite in Boise, ID.
• Week 48 "Do cars keep their headlights on in the daytime for a mechanical reason?" asks a "mature" driver in Chowchilla, CA. A Mitsubishi in Tucson, AZ is smooth when warm but slow. A Toyota van keeps running down its battery in Salt Lake City, UT
• Week 49 A reader in Milton, WA wonders at the sagacity of using a 32 year old Plymouth for daily transportation. A Chevy in Sandwich, IL uses up alternators. "Does a jet valve in a Mitsubishi make the car burn oil?" asks an owner in Pittsburg, CA.
• Week 51 A Hyundai shimmies at highway speeds in St. Charles, IL. The owner of an underpowered Ford Bronco II in Sacramento, CA wants to get more power. A reader in Savannah, GA wants an answer to a question about a "mystery car."
• Week 52 In Kenilworth, NJ, a Mercury owner had expensive problems at only 18,000 miles. A Ford Thunderbird has a noisy gearbox in Dallas, TX. The emergency brake light shines during hard cornering in a college girl's Toyota and her mother is worried in San Francisco, CA.