Columns
Click & Clack: Tractor carburetor may need replacing
Dear Tom and Ray: Do you ever address questions about old farm tractors? Our 1945 Farmall-A starts well and runs well for about 10 to 20 minutes, but then it starts to miss and then stalls out, typically while going up a slope — even …
Letters: Door actuator likely culprit in heat woes
Q: I own a 2006 Pontiac Grand Prix with 75,000 miles. The cabin won’t heat up. The engine temperature, after running a while, is normal. I’ve checked both hoses to the heater core and they are hot. I was told that they should not both …
Diatribe: Let there be lights we can read
If there’s one thing I’m sure of it’s that as one gets older, one’s eyesight gets worse. And there’s nothing that taxes the ability to see more than red instrumentation on an automobile’s gauge cluster. While red lighting might help submarine crew members retain their …
Click & Clack: Scary situation was dealer’s fault
Dear Tom and Ray: I never would have imagined that my automotive life would be interesting enough to merit communicating with you guys, but 20 or so years after first discovering you, I think I have an experience worth sharing. Actually, it’s my wife’s experience, …
Click & Clack: Gift suggestions for trusted mechanics
Dear Tom and Ray: When your auto mechanic offers to help sell your 1997 Subaru, what percentage of the sale is appropriate to give him as a thank you? If I ask him, I think he will decline because he sees it as a favor …
Letters: Transmission woes frustrate Sonata owner
Q: The transmission in my 2010 Hyundai Sonata shifts roughly when going from first to second gear and from second to third gear. I don’t feel any slippage, just harsh shifts. I’ve had it back to the dealer four times and they have found nothing …
Diatribe: So where’s the gearshift?
I know what you’re thinking; you’ve read the headline and now you’re wondering what I’ve been smoking to cause me to write that. Of course, the gearshift lever is either on the steering column or on the floor (or even the dashboard). Truth be told, …
Click & Clack: It’s time to let go of this car
Dear Tom and Ray: My boyfriend drives a 2000 Ford Taurus station wagon with 112,000 miles. He’s an MD and specializes in palliative care medicine, which is to say he helps patients, families and other doctors navigate the scary time around the end of life. …
Click & Clack: A burning clutch question
Dear Tom and Ray: I purchased a Kia Forte Koup in March of 2010. After receiving the car, it blew three clutches in an eight-month period. I have been driving a stick my entire life, and I know how to use a clutch. The problem …
Letters: Ignition switch could cause car to shut off
Q: I’m having an issue with my 1995 Oldsmobile 88. After driving it for about 20 miles it will completely shut off. I can start it right up without any problems. This will occur around three times during my drive. What could be wrong? Please …
Click & Clack: Engine can be used to cook
Dear Tom and Ray: When I pick up my teenage son from school, he is so ravenous that I worry he’ll eat one of his younger siblings when I’m not looking. So we’re forced to stop and get him a jumbo quesadilla, which is the …
Diatribe: Dream convertible created midlife nightmares
When I was growing up and began thinking of what kind of car I’d like to have, the No. 1 possibility always seemed to be a convertible. After all, isn’t a convertible the height of coolness? With a convertible you get all the hot babes …
Click & Clack: Converter replacement makes sense in this case
Dear Tom and Ray: I love your show. I recently got a 2001 Audi A8L that now has 130,000 miles on it. The only other owner was my dad, and he took extremely great care of the car. Recently, the check engine light has been …
Diatribe: It’s all a matter of placement
Car manufacturers throughout the world often develop great innovations to keep their customers happy. I’m not talking about massaging seats or even glove boxes with a cooling function to keep your pop cold (or “soda,” if you are an Eastern elite snob). I’m referring to …
Click & Clack: Digital stick-on clock will solve the problem
Dear Tom and Ray: My car time travels into the future. I have a 2004 Volvo XC70 station wagon (I know it’s dowdy, but it’s better than a minivan, right?) that for some reason does not keep proper time. I can set the clock to …
Letters: Caravan has morethan one fuse box
Q: The interior lights and power mirror in my 2000 Dodge Grand Caravan (120,000 miles) have stopped working. I have checked the fuses and they are good. What do you think the problem could be? — Wendell, Miller Beach, Ind. A: Your vehicle has more …