Q: My husband has changed three punctured tires in the last few months. There’s no mystery about the flats. We live five miles in on a dirt road and there are several houses under construction. I’m sure debris bounces out of the trucks and we drive over nails or screws. I worry. My husband is 70 and I don’t like him crawling around and pumping up a jack. Is there a power pump or at least one that requires less work on the part of the jack handler?
A: Great question. I never thought to look into this before, although the concept of a power jack makes perfect sense.
There are, in fact, such things. A few auto stores have them or you can locate them online by using key words “power jack” or “automatic jack.”
Place the jack under one of your car’s lift points — learn where those are from your owner’s manual — and the car’s off the ground in no time. They run about $70 to $85.
Q: Our daughter just called from college to say her heater hose is bad and has to be replaced. We’re wondering if she’s being taken for a ride by the service department since the car has only about 65,000 miles on it.
A: Average life expectancy for hoses is about 60,000 miles (or five years). So the likelihood is very strong, if it was not already replaced as part of a previous service, that a new one is due.
Q: I don’t pretend to understand all the terms that exist in the world today. But the car salesman used one phrase several times recently at the dealership and we couldn’t figure out what it might have referred to: “Range anxiety.” Does that mean anything to you?
A: Sure does. It’s used to describe the feeling that many would-be owners of plug-in electric cars have. They worry that the limited distance such vehicles can travel on a charge will leave them power-depleted and stranded.
© CTW Features
What’s your question? Sharon Peters would like to hear about what’s on your mind when it comes to caring for, driving and repairing your vehicle. Email [email protected].