Featured Readers Questions

Dear Auto Repair Guide,

The problem I'm having with my cars is the blinkers. Over the last year I have noticed that they have been blinking slower and slower and last week they stopped working all together. Do you have any idea what has happened?

Blinkless in Biloxi

Dear Blinkless,

I'm willing to bet that you have run out of blinker fluid. Not too many people know that the blinker fluid should be changed every 30,000 blinks or once a year, whichever comes first. I would check the blinker fluid reservoir and top it off with some fresh blinker fluid and that should get you blinking again.

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Hey Auto Guy!!!

I have a 1972 Chevy Impala and I want to turn it into a low-rider. I put in all the hydraulics and I can get it to bounce six feet into the air, but I need to lower the whole car about four inches. What's the best way for me to do this?

Bouncing in Brooklyn

Dear Bouncing,

You can buy a kit especially designed to lower any car by about four inches. It costs about $20.00 and you can get it almost anywhere. The kit consists of four, 10-penny nails and a claw hammer. You install one nail in the side of each tire with the hammer and it will immediately lower the car. It is a very simple kit to install and will only take about 15 minutes to install.

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Hello Vince,

I'm having a problem with the muffler on my car. It's been getting louder and louder and recently it has started to rattle really bad. Is there something I can do to fix it myself?

Rumbling in Roanoke

Dear Rumbling,

It sounds to me like you have a bad muffler bearing. This is a very common thing to go bad and will give you the symptoms you describe. They are not hard to replace at all and I would suggest getting a heavy-duty muffler bearing to replace it with. They will last you about 200,000 miles.

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Oh Great Auto Repair Guru,

I have traveled long and far to seek your great wisdom and advice. A friend and I are starting a small repair shop and we need to know what kind of tools we should buy to fix any car on the road. We don't have a lot of money, so we need tools that will service as many cars as possible. What would you suggest?

Strapped in Scarsdale

Dear Strapped,

There is one tool I would highly recommend for you. It will work on just about any car made and is not at all expensive. It is an adjustable wrench. There are four basic models, Left Hand, Right Hand, English and Metric. These four wrenches are a must have for anyone's tool box. I would also recommend getting a Pilot wrench. They come in handy for tightening that loose nut behind the wheel.

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Dear Guide,

I have a problem starting my car. It takes a long time to start and when it does, it runs real bad. What can I do to make it start easier?

Hard Starter in Cincinnati

Dear Hard,

The problem is in your ignition wires. Modern ignition wires have a special carbon or, worse yet, copper wire inside them. This is great for making the wires nice and stiff, but it does impede the flow of the ignition molecules. Ignition molecules are very weak to begin with and for them to travel through a wire that's plugged up with carbon or copper is very difficult. What you need to do is replace the ignition wires with a hollow core wire. This will let the ignition molecules flow to the spark plugs much better.