Question: I own a 2000 Honda Odyssey with 146,000 miles. Recently a Honda dealer told me that I needed $3500 in repairs (suspension & steering) plus $1000.00 to repair a check engine problem. I took the van to another repair Continue Reading

I just listened to your radio show… I was hooked for the very good information your provide. I have an 03 Camry and I have a problem when it starts it has it smokes for about a second. My first thought Continue Reading

Question – I enjoy your show when I have a chance to catch it on Saturday mornings. It is very informative and somewhat entertaining. I have a 2006 Chevy 2500 HD with 90,000 miles with an intermittent problem. Occasionally it Continue Reading

Mark –  we have a question regarding our 1998 Toyota Camry. We use it as a second car and it only has 77,000 miles. However, we noticed recently that the gas gauge was not working. We called a dealer who said it Continue Reading

“How do I find an honest auto repair shop?” To find a good, honest auto repair shop, check with your neighbors, your co-workers, the BBB and local Consumer Protection Agency for recommendations. See if pride shows in the shop’s front Continue Reading

Question -  Can you explain to me the difference between all wheel drive, four wheel drive and rear wheel drive? What difference does it make in gas mileage and wear and tear on the vehicle. Answer – AWD or all Continue Reading

I have a 2002 pickup on its third set of tires and a collector car that is used for ‘Sunday drives”. I have had both vehicles in a local tire shop to check tire pressure but was told that their Continue Reading

Question – Our 1999 QX4 with about 140K miles recently failed the emissions test due to the gas cap. I replaced it with an after market from an auto store, had it re-tested and it passed. About a month later, Continue Reading

Getting your car ready for the summer Many folks will end up along side the road with broken cars this summer. Flat tires, overheats caused by broken belts, plugged radiators, weak hoses, bad fan clutches and old batteries will typically Continue Reading

Question : I have a 05 Ford Expedition with 80,000 miles on it. Last spring, the a/c was not very cold, so I took the vehicle to a local garage where I have had service work done for several years. Continue Reading

Question – I have a 1996 Camry V6, 72,000 miles. Recently when turning on the heater in cooler temperatures (with vent set to bring in outside air), ALL the windows heavily fog up. The repair shop checked for heater core Continue Reading

Very nice, well meaning lady comes into the shop, Sales lady – Can I give you information about a new oil? Sure but I am very happy with the oil I pour now. How is yours different? Sales lady – Continue Reading

My car stalled while I waited at a stop light 3 or 4 times. I took it to the dealer. They had the car for over 5 hours and could not repeat the problem. So, I could not get the Continue Reading

I have a 2002 pickup on its third set of tires and a collector car that is used for ‘Sunday drives”. I have had both vehicles in a local tire shop to check tire pressure but was told that their Continue Reading

Question – I enjoy your show when I have a chance to catch it on Saturday mornings. It is very informative and somewhat entertaining. I have a 2006 Chevy 2500 HD with 90,000 miles with an intermittent problem. Occasionally it Continue Reading

RK — After my last visit to the dealership I was given an inspection report “Recommended Services” that my Front engine mount and Right engine mount “FAILED” (….”found engine mount cracked and/or broken…”) Cost of Front engine mount $554.88 and Continue Reading

“How do I find a honest auto repair shop?” To find a good, honest auto repair shop, check with your neighbors, your co-workers, the local Consumer Protection Agency and google the name of the company with the wrord “reviews”, Like this         Continue Reading

When you buy a new car, you may get free oil changes for the first year or two, BUT this is only if you take it back to the dealer. This is a fair and obvious marketing strategy to gain Continue Reading

Question — Hi Mark. I have a ’71 Mercury Comet, still with the original 250 straight six motor. I’ve had an issue with “blue smoke” for a while now. We’ve replaced the valve guides and it still smoked. We put Continue Reading

“I used to go to xxxxxxxx Auto until they began charging $100 – $200 for ALL diagnostics. (AKA last visit they wanted $200 just to look at my car) I confronted them on the $200 charge JUST to look at Continue Reading

Question – My wife and I are snowbirds. This year we bought a nice 2003 Buick LeSabre and will be leaving it here in AZ when head back to N.H. for the summer. I have seen vehicles left here for Continue Reading

Michelle writes, I’m in need of a new car and am thinking about a hybrid. My concern is that I only live in AZ about half the year, spending the summers in Chicago. How will that expensive car battery fair when Continue Reading

Question : I have a 05 Ford Expedition with 80,000 miles on it. Last spring, the a/c was not very cold, so I took the vehicle to a local garage where I have had service work done for several years. Continue Reading

A typical conversation about car repair: Hi Mark, I have a 2000 Mercury Grand Marque with 197,000. It had a leaking intake manifold which got fixed. I had the check engine light come on stating a P0430 code. I replaced Continue Reading

Q – Hi I remember one of your shows, you said that brake fluid can be used as a stop leak for power steering leaks. Does this mean that I can just carry brake fluid in my car so I don’t Continue Reading

ONLY if you know a complete description of all of the parts and all of the labor that was included in your estimate. That is why it is so important to get the estimate in writing, all parts described, all Continue Reading

Question – I have a 2001 Saturn station wagon, about 109K miles. It was “chugging” so bad we couldn’t drive it and had it towed to a shop. They said there was a #1cylinder misfire and replaced $430.00 of spark Continue Reading

If you add new trans fluid to a transmission that has very old fluid, it will ruin the trans. New fluid will wash away the varnish that is holding the trans together and cause it to fail, so you are Continue Reading

I recently threw the serpentine belt on my 2002 Tundra 4.7. I took the car in to have a new belt put on and was told the water pump froze up causing the belt to break. He also said the Continue Reading

Mark,I have a 2009 Toyota Corolla and I stopped at a  lube shop for a quick oil change and to take advantage of their $26 coupon. I left with a bill for $101.72 and with synthetic oil in my engine. Continue Reading