Dear Car Talk: My husband and I are doomsday preppers. We’re moving to Florida and want to buy a vehicle that will give us the most flexibility in the event of various possible disasters (e.g., EMP, lack of available conventional gasoline, worthless money, etc.). Assuming for a moment that we’re right about future disaster scenarios, …
Dear Car Talk: I have a V-10 engine in an RV that has not been started in four years. Can I start it, and what type of oil would I use to put on top of the pistons to overcome any rust that might have formed in the cylinder walls? — Jack Dear Jack: I’ve …
Dear Car Talk: My husband and I grew up in “Ford People” families. We personally have been Ford customers for over 20 years, buying nine different Ford vehicles in that time. My husband took care of each of these vehicles meticulously, including our current vehicle, the 2012 Platinum Expedition, following the instruction manual explicitly and …
Dear Car Talk: On Friday, I heard a horrible grinding coming from the right rear wheel of my 2000 Subaru Impreza, along with a feeling of a flat tire. At the time, I was going 65 mph on the New Jersey Turnpike. It wasn’t a flat; it appeared as if the top of the wheel …
Dear Car Talk: Is it possible to drive with a parking brake on? I was driving, and then all of a sudden my brakes failed (I was going about 50 mph). I swerved off the road and went into a ditch. If I had accidentally left the parking brake on, would it have messed up …
Dear Car Talk: My husband always talks about how taking a long vacation by car puts too much wear and tear on a car. He thinks renting a car (at least $25 per day in our area) makes better financial sense. I think that is crazy. What are cars for if not to drive and …
Dear Car Talk: I have a 2003 Chevy S-10 V-6. I go out on my lunch break, and the truck starts, no problem. I get some food and go to restart the truck, and I can’t get it to start. I call my boss, and he heads over to give me a jump. In the …
Dear Car Talk: My nephew lives in Spain. Last Friday night, his girlfriend went into labor, so they jumped into their 12-year-old Citroen Xsara and headed down from their remote mountaintop house toward the local hospital. They got only a couple of kilometers down the hill when little Rose couldn’t wait a moment longer, so …
Dear Car Talk: My husband insists that he does not have to use turn signals if he is in a designated turn lane. I disagree, and we argue about this whenever it happens. Under other circumstances, he gets mad when other drivers don’t use their directionals, and he is vocal about it. What do you …
Dear Car Talk: I had my 2002 Lexus’s tires rotated at the dealer. They inspected my brakes and told me that the front left was only a 2, but all the other pads/brakes (right front, both rear) were fine, at 7. So I took my car to another garage to see if I could get …
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