Total Kar; Cars, Trucks and Mechanics

Q: I have a 2000 Toyota truck with a full sized spare underneath the bed of the truck. I have never taken this tire off or had it checked.

Would you think the tire is still usable after 10 years? And I cannot imagine how hard it may be to get it
off after so many years.
What should I have done maybe years ago and what should I do at this point, since I may experience a flat some time?

A: A good question! This event plays out over and over.

Try to remove the spare, if successful, inspect the tire for any signs of cracks or dry rot. Inspect the valve core in the same manner. Inspect the tread, looking for any deviations. If you do not feel comfortable inspecting your tire yourself, take it to a reputable tire facility for professional inspection.

In the future if you find yourself with a new truck, opt for the full size spare option. Start a 5 tire rotation schedule, rotating your spare into normal use. This way you will wear down all the tires equally, get overall worn mileage on all of them. You get more mileage out of your tires (since you use one extra) and you won’t have to throw out a never used, dry rotted spare tire after a few years (which is a waste).

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Q:When a mechanic tells me I need to replace a part, how can I be sure
they are not over charging me for the part? Can I purchase the part
myself and take it to the mechanic to install?

A: There are a few things you can do;

To make sure the part they want to replace needs fixing, you can request to be shown the bad part, and you can take pictures or even video it, most cell phones will record a few seconds. With this you could get a second opinion from me through our ‘Ask Tk’ form.

You can certainly buy your own part; I advise calling several different part stores before purchasing. Understand that different brands of parts come in different quality, with different prices and different warranties.

After you have the repairs done you can request the old parts as well.

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Q: I drive a 2008 Acura turbo RDX. Acura recommends the higher octane grade gas. Can I go to the lower octane too? Does Turbo make a difference in gas selection?

A: I have to agree with Acura here… minimum octane rating for your engine (2.3 liter 4 cylinder with 240 horsepower) is 91.

Premium fuel is part of a turbocharged gasoline engine. Understand this; it is not that your engine won’t run on lower grade fuel, it will, however you won’t get proper performance from your engine with a lower grade gas. You will have less power and you will not be able to gain RPM as easily. This will make the engine actually use more gas to get the same performance as with a higher grade gas.

The biggest problem however will be the fact that you may also get unwanted noise from your engine (knocking or clattering). Your engine has a “Knock Sensor” that will sense this and it will attempt to adjust ignition timing to eliminate or reduce the knock. Long term knock can be damaging to your engine.

So though you might think you save money by buying lower grade gas, you in fact will do the opposite, you will end up spending more on gas and on possible engine repairs.

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Q: Should I replace my timing belt in my car? It is a standard drive… I have owned this car for 10 years, it has 190,000 miles on it and I have never replaced anything on it except for an exhaust pipe.

A: A big yes, you should replace your timing belt. You should replace the timing belt somewhere between 60,000 and 100,000 miles, manual transmission or automatic. The owner’s manual normally has the timing belt change intervals mentioned. Severe engine damage could occur if belt breaks, so changing the belt in time is crucial.

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