COVERITLIVE.COM

11:45

Boston.com producer - Post your questions now and John Paul will answer them at noon.

12:07

John Paul - Sorry for the delay lets talk about cars. It is October and Car Care Month, Car problems anyone

12:08

[Comment From paul]
Hi- I have a 2001 ford escape, recently i have noticed a squeaking, squealing noise in the steering column. I checked the steering fluid and that was ok. any suggestions, by the way the steering seems to wok fine, it's just a very annoying sound.

12:10

John Paul - Depending where the noise is coming from. If it makes a noise with the engine on and the car stopped it could be a belt. If it makes a noise underway it could be a brake problem. I would bring it into a garage and let them hear the noise with you

12:11

[Comment From paul]
the noise only occurs when I'm turning the wheel.

12:13

John Paul - Could be a problem with the power steering belt. But still the best thing you can do is show your mechnaic when and how the noise happens to get it repaired properly

12:14

[Comment From paul]
thanks

12:15

John Paul - Most batteries only have a 3-5 year life, with cold weather on its way have the battery tested before you have a problem

12:15

[Comment From John]
What do you think of the CX-9 and the Traverse, and do you recommend FWD or AWD ?

12:19

John Paul - AWD will get you up a slippery hill better than FWD. Although keep in mind they all stop about the same. I spent a week in both cars and like the Chevy. It road well was comfortable and was a good value. The CX-9, although a good vehicle just didn't do it for me. The HID lights were constantly aiming to the point of being annoying. The ride was a little firm.

12:22

[Comment From Charlie]
I have a 15 year old Dodge Pick Up that I haven't used in about 4 years. I'd like to see if I could get rid of it by donating it to a charity. The car is more useful to the charity if it runs. It was about a year ago when I last tried to start the engine. At that time it sounded as if gas wasn't getting to the engine as it made noise but wouldn't turn over. What easy things should I do to try to get it to turn over?

12:25

John Paul - Most charities don't take vehicles this old. If you are in the Boston area try the Lars Anderson Auto Museum, they have a group that fixes and sells car to help with the museum costs. You could also try the Good News Garage in VT they take donation of just about any year and have a shop they work with. It you are going to try to fix it yourself start looking at fuel quality, who knows what the fuel looks like and if it fire up.

12:25

[Comment From RobinSss]
I have an 04 Jeep Grand Cherokee. The check engine light goes on every few months. It makes me nervous bc I have a long commute, but I have a shop that looks at it for free (thankfully) and they always say its from poor fuel quality. I only fill the car with well known gas. Is there anything else I can do?

12:28

John Paul -

robinSss, fuel quality maybe but unlikely. If the Check engine light is coming on there is a code (fault). The faulty could be related to one of the sensors. On Jeeps the problem has been lazy oxygen sensors. Next time the light comes on ask what the code is. Once you have the code at least you should be able to look fro the problem

12:28

[Comment From Guest]
My car seems to have a pretty big leak, can you purchase a new seal for the door and do-it-yourself fix, or do I need to bring to a mechanic?

12:30

John Paul - You can fix the seal by purchasing a door gasket. But unless the gasket it torn or broken, it may not be the problem. All door have drains built into them if the drains are clooged the water will come into the car. But all in all most water leaks are related to leaky windshields

12:30

[Comment From Guest]
by leak I mean water pooling on the floor in the front driver side

12:33

John Paul - The other posbility is the climate control system is part of the problem. You could do a ittle detective work with a garden hose. With the hose of low pressure spray, start at the doors and check the car. If no leak go to the windshild. if still no leaks try around the defroster air intake.

12:33

[Comment From K.G. Regan]
Hi John, I have had a problem with my 2000 caravan, one machanic told me I had a bad trans. I then had it brought to another place (because the first one told me it would cost $2000 to fix it) and the other machanic told me that it's probably the rear torch converter, my question is could it be two seperate issues? Are both of these kind of the same thing? Should I not bother with putting $$ into this van as it's almost 10 years old?

12:37

John Paul - there are so many Cyrysler product with transmission problems it is possible that the transmission in your caravan is a problem. They may mean the torque convertor which is part of the transmssion. Spending 2K on a 10 year old car can be a gamble. Before you do it have a complete check up of the car. If the rest of the car looks good it may be money weel spent. If the engine is leaking oil, the brakes are worn and suspension shot don't spend the money

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