Q. I am thinking about an old vehicle, specifically an early 1960’s Dodge Power Wagon. I found a few that are in decent to good shape, what do you think of buying this truck as an investment?
A. The Dodge Power Wagons according to Hagerty Collector Car insurance are going up in value. That being said, I would buy a Power Wagon, because it is good looking, capable and can be practical for trips to the home improvement store. Buying almost any vehicle as an investment can be disappointing. Even very collectable cars like the Chevrolet Corvette and Plymouth Superbird have lost money according to auction reports. Buy something you like, use it and enjoy it. When the time comes to sell it, if it has gone up in value, great if it has not, well at least you were able to enjoy it.
Q. We spend winters in Florida, and I purchased a very nice 2014 Toyota Corolla to leave there for a spare car. The Corolla only has 45,000 miles on it. A friend starts once a week and lets it run for about 10-15 minutes. He does not drive it anywhere because I’m cheap and cancel the insurance. He said the ‘check engine light’ now goes on when he starts the car. Any thoughts why it would go on when it hasn’t been driven for a while.
A. The check engine light could be on for any number of reasons, from a loose gas cap to a faulty sensor. The other issue is that a rodent (quite common in Florida) could have damaged a hose or wiring. At this point, the best thing to do would be bring the car to a good repair shop for a checkup. Also you actually may be doing more harm than good starting the car and letting it run every week without driving it. It would be better to drive the car every three weeks or so for 30 minutes. If this is impossible then I would fill the fuel tank and add a fuel stabilizer, fully inflate the tires, top off all the vital fluids and disconnect the battery. When you return to Florida expect the battery will need recharging and bring the car to a good repair shop for a check-up before any long-distance trips.
Q. I had four new tires installed and the wheels aligned on my six-year-old car with all the work performed at the dealer. During the road test, the mechanic noted a shuttering suggested replacing the transmission fluid. I have never noticed anything and wonder if the work really needs to be performed or if they were trying to sell me a “bill of goods”?
A. The technician could have noticed a bit of a “chuggle” when the transmission was shifting. This can happen when the transmission fluid loses its friction additives. Certainly, at this point and age with your car it can’t hurt to change the fluid.
Q. It seems Subaru “finds” things when I come in for routine and scheduled service. Last time was fuel injection cleaning, today, it is a thermo coupler, though they said it is fully covered by Subaru, and it will take three to four hours to repair. It seems like this is something they should send out a notice and considering the time needed, to plan accordingly. Not something to just “wait and see”. Your thoughts on this.
A. This is basically a silent warranty extension for thermo control valve. This is Subaru’s version of a thermostat, an expensive complex thermostat. There should be no cost to you. If you want to read more about it go to: https://static.nhtsa.gov/odi/tsbs/2024/MC-10253930-0001.pdf
Q. During my recent visit to the Chrysler dealer for a state inspection; they suggested that I replace all six of the sparkplugs for a cost of $1339.44 plus tax. The car has only 23,000 miles on it as most of the mileage has been local driving. Is this replacement necessary and is the cost fair for the work to be done? They also stated that the two rear sway bar links need replacement as they found them to be “visibly worn”. The cost for this would be $473.38 plus tax. Please let me know your feelings regarding these suggested repairs and their cost.
A. The spark plug replacement on the six-cylinder engine is recommended by Chrysler at 100,000 miles. Regarding the price, perhaps the dealer is adding ignition coils as well as spark plugs to the estimate. If the engine is running well and there is no indication of anything wrong, I am not sure why this work would be necessary. The rear links are $89 each and it takes about an hour to replace them. If it were my car I would get a second opinion. Visible wear is a pretty subjective term, everything wears as it ages.
Q. On a recent road trip to South Carolina, we came upon many different places to get gas. On a few occasions we stop at Sheetz for gas. My question is about the different octane choices at the pump. My Subaru uses 87 octane but there was 88 octane that was available and was at least 10 cents cheaper, yes cheaper, than 87 octane. I was a little hesitant to try the higher octane not knowing if it was okay to use. Any thoughts on being able to use this fuel in my Subaru?
A. The 88-octane gasoline sold at Sheetz is 15 percent ethanol rather than the 10 percent ethanol that is in most gasoline. Most cars made since 2001 can use E15 gasoline without any issues. Subaru models vary a bit. In most models you can use reformulated gasoline with up to 15% ethanol, but with the 2.5-liter engine Subaru states to use gasoline with only 10 percent ethanol. In my own car I have tried E-15 gasoline, the car ran fine, but I found fuel economy went down slightly.
Q. I replaced both wiper blades at same time. One wipes clean, the other streaks. Is there a product the rejuvenates blade quality? Good quality blades are not cheap, and I would prefer to buy another set.
A. Alcohol wipes can do a decent job of cleaning wiper blades and can restore some life. The streaks or chatter can sometimes be related to the windshield. I recently used a glass cleaner and water repellent, the glass was clean, but the wipers chattered. The issue could also be the wiper arms. The wiper blades should be perpendicular to the windshield. Sometimes a slight tweak to the wiper arms can solve blade streaking. Also keep in mind most wiper blades near the end of their useful life in about a year of use.
Do you have a car question? Email the Car Doctor for a personal reply: jpaul@aaanortheast.com.
John Paul is AAA Northeast’s Car Doctor and a nationally recognized expert in automotive technology and repair regularly answering reader questions in columns published across the region. He began his career as an automotive technician and attained ASE master technician certification more than 40 years ago.
Do you have a car question? Email the Car Doctor for a personal reply: jpaul@aaanortheast.com.
