QUESTION: I have a 2004 Kia Rio that has served me very well and normally runs flawlessly, but this weekend I had a very unusual experience. I was on a ferry, and when it was time to drive off, I had difficulty getting the engine started and it idled roughly. I …
October 5, 2012
Power steering, once an option, is now standard equipment on almost all vehicles, evolving from a simple control valve and external hydraulic ram on the regular steering mechanism to integrated rack-and-pinion systems with variable assist under different driving conditions. Now, electric power steering is making major inroads into the marketplace, offering …
September 28, 2012
QUESTION: I had a new 2005 Ford 500 LTD with all-wheel drive. The owner's manual recommends changing "transaxle fluid and high-pressure filter on vehicles equipped with CVT transmissions" at 100,000 km. The Ford dealer did this job on another Ford 500 and told me that they had a very hard …
September 21, 2012
While most of us have a general sense of what a hybrid/electric vehicle is and how it gets power either from an internal combustion engine or electric motors and a battery pack, there's a lot more technology that contributes to the operation of a hybrid vehicle. Let's see what it really …
September 14, 2012
QUESTION: I have a 2004 Prius with 300,000 km on it and the problem is with the rear tires. Both tires have flat spots on them in a pattern all around the tread. The car rides and drives fine and the front tires are good, but if I switch a …
September 14, 2012
Atomic Force Microscopes. Nano-particles. It sounds like science-fiction adventure instead of paint technology, but nano-technology has been utilized in paint clearcoats on several models of Mercedes-Benz cars since 2003. Other carmakers have tried nano-technology paint as well. Nissan used it to provide scratch-healing clearcoat paint on the 2008 Infiniti EX35. While …
September 7, 2012
QUESTION: My question concerns the timing belt. I've been told that if it breaks it will be very expensive to repair. The opinions that I have gotten so far are if you change it at 144,000 km, the installation will be $600. If you wait until it breaks, it will …
August 24, 2012
QUESTION: I have a 2001 Honda Civic with an automatic transmission. The automatic transmission fluid was due to be changed. The owner's manual said to only use official Honda fluid, so I picked up three litres and took it to my local oil-change shop. He said what I needed was …
August 10, 2012
QUESTION: I have a couple questions. What is the difference between an all-wheel and a four-wheel drive? Also, what is the difference between these two - safety-wise? Thanks.ANSWER: While both all-wheel drive (AWD) and four-wheel drive (4WD) can power all four tires, there are some important differences. All-wheel drive is …
August 3, 2012
Just like the new math taught in our school systems, there is new math used when selecting a vehicle. It goes like this: four equals six and six equals eight. Fortunately this automotive math makes more sense than school math. There are two things pushing this new automotive math -- driver …
July 27, 2012
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