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Dear Doctor: My 2009 Jeep Grand Cherokee (5.7 Hemi V-8) has 43,000 miles and runs great. I have never had it tuned-up or had the spark plugs replaced. I understand that this engine does not call for platinum plugs and it requires two plugs per cylinder. What do you advise – is it time for a tune-up?
Vincent
Dear Vincent: Your Jeep is seven-years old – and though it is low in mileage my advice is to replace all 16 spark plugs. Make sure the technician uses a small amount of anti-seize compound on the plug treads and Dielectric grease on the coil and wire plug ends.
Dear Doctor: I have a 2007 Chevy 2500 HD 4×4 truck. The heater comes on by itself when the air conditioner is on. The only way to turn it off is to turn the ignition off. When I restart the truck it is fine, until the next time, which might be one minute, one hour or one week later. Any solutions?
Greg
Dear Greg: The climate control system is internally operated electronically. There are electronic temperature blend doors that can fail. These blend doors need electronic information to control the opening and closing functions. There is also a body control module that has a memory, which will store trouble fault codes from all sensor inputs. A technician’s scan tool will be required in order to go in and look at all of the body control module data.
Dear Doctor: I have a 1994 Mitsubishi Galant, which I love. I get a terrible film on the inside windows that exacerbates the sun glare. I clean it with a Windex-type of product, but after a day or two the film comes right back. Do you have any idea what is causing the problem? What is the best product to remove the film?
Jonathan
Dear Jonathan: The film is from the vehicle’s interior vinyl and plastic gases emitting. If you have plastic or vinyl floor mats, then I would advise disposing of them. You can clean and seal the dashboard panel with a non-shining cleaner and protectant, which will slow down the gases.
Dear Doctor: I notice when I leave my cellphone charging on the passenger seat of my 2014 Mini Countryman, the seat belt warning will activate, as if there’s a passenger in the seat without the seat belt on. Is this common to other cars?
Thea
Dear Thea: You should go back to the dealer and check to see if the SRS airbag system and seat sensor have to be re-calibrated. Perhaps the seat is picking up the cellphone weight and charging vibrations.
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