Q. I have a 2003 Toyota Corolla. It was garaged until 2018, but has now been parked on the street for the past four years. We live on an island in the ocean and the paint on the roof of the car is starting to wear off. I’m getting conflicting advice on how to preserve the paint job. The car runs great, and I’m retired, so I only use it to get around, but I’m willing to do whatever it takes to stop/slow down this process, whether I do it myself or take it to a pro. Some idea?
A. The primer underneath the paint is likely to oxidize due to UV sunlight causing the color and clear coat to lift. This condition occurs on horizontal surfaces that receive more light. The professional way to fix it is to sand the surface, re-prime it and paint it. So, to get professional results, you need a professional body shop. I’ve seen some people scratch the paint with an abrasive pad, then sand and buff what’s left of the paint. In the cars I’ve seen this technique done, from 30 feet down the road it looks fine.
Q. I have a 2018 Subaru Outback with a 3.6L engine with 30,200 miles. Around 26,900 miles the low oil light came on (about 3000 miles since the last oil change). I had the oil changed at that time (by the dealer) and had driven another 3100 miles when the low oil light came back on; both times i checked the oil level and it was about a quart low. The vehicle has been serviced (oil changed) at the dealership since it was new. I mentioned this to the dealer at the first incident (thought they possibly didn’t put the right amount of oil in it) so the dealer suggested I go back at 1200 miles to check the oil level – it was fine – now I worried this will be the norm (uses a quart of oil every 3000 +/- miles) I certainly didn’t expect this with a new car. So the question is, with your experience over the years, is this common with the Subaru 3.6L engine?
A. Having an engine that uses a quart of oil in 3000 miles is certainly reasonable, but is this normal for a Subaru? Many owners of Subaru models comment on the use of oil. Years ago, Subaru considered a quart of oil used in 2000 miles to be normal. Maybe something to look at, with the four cylinder engine Subaru recommends 0W-20 fully synthetic oil, with the six cylinder engine the recommended oil is 5W-30 oil. If the dealer out of habit (four cylinder engine is more common) uses 0W-20 oil, it might burn a little faster during normal combustion. Also, the four-cylinder engine uses 4.8 quarts and the six-cylinder engine uses 6.5 quarts. If the technician isn’t paying attention, you could be leaving the dealership with less than the required oil fill.
Q. I have experienced a vibration in my 2012 Toyota Highlander since I bought it used about 2 years ago. The vibration has started to get a little worse and now there is a bit of shifting when I turn. About a year ago the car was in service and the tires were rotated and the vibration felt better. Now I’ve just had my oil changed and the tires are spinning again, the vibration and noise is terrible. Do you know of any issues with the 2012 model that I can resolve with my dealer?
A. I checked AllData, the technical database I use, and could not find any bulletins that addressed a vibration. Since the vibration changed when the tires were rotated, I would suspect the problem is still tire/wheel related. The easiest solution is to see if the dealer can test drive a set of wheels and tires from another vehicle. If the vibration and noise improve the problem is related to the tires. Then, at this point, a technician will need to carefully inspect each tire and wheel for a problem.
Q. I have a Ford Explorer that makes a noise that seems to come from under the car on the driver’s side. It has been serviced twice in the last month and both times the shop jacked the car up and looked around but saw nothing. It’s just a noise, not a vibration, but it seems to be getting worse. Any idea what I should do?
A. There are many parts that can wear out on your vehicle from coil spring isolators, sway bar links, steering gear intermediate shaft and lower ball joints. Some of these parts are easy to check, others require a trained eye to spot a problem. The best method to check for a problem after a road test is to put the vehicle on a car-style lift. In this way, all the pressure and weight of the vehicle remains on the tires and suspension, just as it would on the road. On a frame contact lift, the suspension hangs and can mask worn parts.
Q. I consider myself a pretty competent backyard mechanic, but I have a problem that I can’t seem to figure out. I have a Chevy truck and it has an oil leak and I have flushed the engine to look for the leak but I can’t seem to identify it. I have checked the oil sender, valve covers and intake manifold and can’t seem to find the source of the leak. It is definitely motor oil and not transmission or power steering fluid. Do you have any suggestions?
A. In a shop you could add a dye to the oil and then run the engine for a bit and turn off the lights and with an ultraviolet light look for traces of dye. Years ago, before these time savers, we would clean and dry the engine and sprinkle some talcum powder (foot powder seems to work best and I don’t know why) around the suspect area. Then run the engine and if there is a leak, you can easily trace it to the dust.
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