Yankee Express February 12 2021

The Yankee Xpress, February 12, 2021 21
Q & A with The Car Doctor
John Paul is AAA Northeast’s Car
Doctor. He has over 40 years’ experience
in the automotive business
and is an ASE certified master
technician. He will answer reader’s
questions each week You can find
the Car Doctor podcast at www.
johnfpaul.podbean.com or other
popular podcast sites. Email your
car questions to jpaul@aaanortheast.com
Follow John on Twitter @
johnfpaul and friend him on facebook
mrjohnfpaul
Q.
I am always doing projects around the house and
I have a small SUV but sometimes I need to carry
sheetrock or plywood and was considering a trailer.
I don’t really want to buy a pickup truck because the SUV
although hardly new runs great. What do you think?
A.
Certainly, a five-by-eight open trailer could work.
Even a enclosed cargo trailer is a possibility and it
could be used for storage. The problem with trailers
is they also require maintenance, as well as having some
place to keep them. I made a trailer once and it ended up being
used so infrequently the wheel bearings seized up. Years
ago, someone gave me this suggestion. As long as what you
are carrying is not too heavy, the roof makes a great place to
carry items. Use an eggcrate style mattress pad on the roof,
this will protect the paint and cushion and hold what you are
carrying. Use ratchet style straps run around the objects and
roof. Tighten everything up and close the doors and off you
go. This has worked for me for years.
Q.
I think you answered this question before and hoping
you will answer it again. I have a 2014 Honda
CR-V and sometimes the hatch won’t unlatch. Now
this only happens when it is cold out (inconvenient for me
and hard for a shop to check). Do you have any idea what
the problem is?
A.
Once you have checked the switch and wiring, the
common problem is the latch. The latch/actuator
combination costs about $70 and it takes about an hour to
install it.
Q.
My car is due for state inspection soon and the horn
doesn’t work. The car is an older Toyota Corolla, and
I don’t want to put too much money into it. Can I wire
a horn button to the dash and would that pass the inspection?
I have checked the horn and fuse and they look fine.
A.
The problem is most likely a faulty ground circuit to
the horn. The horn uses the airbag clock spring as
a ground. Generally, when this happens the airbag
warning light will also flash intermittently or flash multiple
times when the car is started. The ground circuit can be
tested by grounding the wire just before the clock-spring and
see if the horn works. Although you could wire a horn button
I suspect you will have or already have an airbag issue and
replacing the clock-spring would be the correct repair. Plan
to the spend about $500 to get the problem solved.
Q.
I have a Subaru Legacy and the release for the trunk
doesn’t work. I can open it with the key but it is
handy to open the trunk from the inside of the car.
I have looked at it and know the cable is broken. Is there an
easy way to fix this or does the cable need replacement? Can
I do it myself?
A.
Unless the cable simply jumped off its perch on the
button or latch, the cable will need replacing. It isn’t
difficult work but does require a certain amount
of disassembly of the interior and trunk to “fish” the cable
though the car. If the cable moves with the interior lever, it
may be the cable has stretched. You could try adding a couple
of rubber grommets to the cable at the latch to take up
the slack. If you decide you want to tackle the repair, budget
out a half a day and the part can be purchased online for
$30-$40.
Q.
A few years ago, I had a front window replaced due
to a crack in the window during the winter. While replacing
the glass, the person from the company said
he would give me a tip for winter defrosting. He said put it on
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partial window defrost and warming the inside to be sure the
heat on a cold window wouldn’t cause possible cracking. He
said it takes a little longer but is safer. Is that correct?
A.
I would agree if the heat in the car was instantaneous,
but it isn’t. As the engine runs it warms the
water in the heater and the air temperature of the
defroster goes from cold to warm to hot and warms the glass
slowly. One area that I have seen something like this happen
is at a car wash on a cold day. The car is hot, the windshield
is warm, and the car wash water is cold, and the glass has a
defect/tiny chip. The interesting thing about glass is it has a
memory, if there is a small chip or crack and the temperature
changed quickly it could cause that crack or chip to spread.
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