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Dear Doctor: I am an avid fan of your column. For the first time I need your advice. I own a 2008 Subaru Forester with 137,000 miles. All maintenance and servicing has been performed as recommended. I occasionally get a smell of antifreeze inside the passenger compartment. A local mechanic concluded it’s a small head gasket leak in that the antifreeze drips onto the exhaust where it gets burned off. Since the head gasket repair on this car is very expensive he recommended a “wait and see what happens” in hopes the problem does not worsen. He also of course recommended making frequent fluid checks which is not a burden. Is “wait and see” realistic or is it just delaying the inevitable repair?
Bob
Dear Bob: Head gasket failures are not uncommon on older Subaru vehicles. Cylinder head removal and head gasket replacement is not a big job. I suggest you have the technician drain the coolant and add a can of Bars head gasket stop leak. This brand does not require removal of the all the antifreeze. I have used it on many vehicles with great success.
Dear Doctor: I purchased replacement wiper blades at my local auto parts store recently for $3 and not long afterward the blades started to chatter when wiping across the windshield. The store also had $15 wiper blades available. Is the problem the cheaper blade?
Mary
Dear Mary: I see this problem every week with inexpensive wiper blades. The more expensive wiper blades have a better quality rubber on the wipe edge on the blade, the flex, and in most cases eliminate the chatter. If chatter is still present, then the wiper arm needs a slight bend in the opposite direction of the chatter. The chatter can also be caused from the angle the wiper edge is moving, which is why the wiper arm needs to be bent slightly.
Dear Doctor: I was surprised to read your reply to a reader’s question that premium gas is better than regular gas, regardless of the vehicle or engine. Everything I’ve ever read is that premium gas is only needed for vehicles that require premium gas and it has zero benefit for engines that do not. Do you have any factual basis for this recommendation, other than anecdotal observations that your wife thinks her car runs better and gets better mileage? I’ve tried premium in various cars that do not require premium gas and never noticed any difference.
John
Dear John: Premium, higher octane gasoline burns hotter, slower, cleaner, and in most cases leaves fewer carbon deposits. I use premium gasoline on all of my small engines for yard service. I can also tell you that there is a mileage increase on my wife’s four-cylinder Camry. I have also recommended the use of premium gasoline on many vehicles that have had a catalytic converter fault code. In many of those cases, the higher octane brought the converters back to life.
Dear Doctor: Cruise control is great when traveling long distances on flat roads, however, if used on hilly roads it accelerates the vehicle as if it were on a drag strip. It is scary when it accelerates just prior to the road curves. I have found this in all car brands. Is it possible to reprogram the cruise control for a more gentle acceleration?
Raymond
Dear Raymond: I have also found that when cruise control is deactivated and then requested to resume, the system responds in a quick way. It is programmed to have a quick response in order to bring the vehicle back to the pre-set speed. To my knowledge there is no reprogramming available. I recommend you speak with the dealer and also contact the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration on your safety concern.
Junior Damato is an ASE-certified Master Technician.
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