Plates, Tires, Cleaners: Questions Answered

A fellow employee recently asked me whether it is very difficult to put license plates on a car.

The question served as a good dose of reality for me, because it reminded me that many motorists struggle with basic mechanical problems.

Many car owners had enough trouble in the 1960s when cars didn’t have computer-controlled engines, fuel-injection systems and anti-lock brakes.

As automobile systems become ever more complex, so do diagnoses and repairs. Unless you are sufficiently knowledgeable to identify and describe a problem to a mechanic, you are asking to pay for repairs you don’t need.

Sometimes, even simple maintenance chores seem tough. So, in this week’s column, I will address three questions that are representative of those I regularly receive in the mail.

Question: I am told to maintain a certain tire pressure when the tires are cold. But after I drive five or 10 miles to the service station, the tires are no longer cold. Is there any way to translate the cold-temperature pressure to a hot pressure?

--J. J. B.

Answer: You might come up with a formula to convert cold-tire pressure to hot-tire pressure if you were an engineer, but there is a much simpler solution.

Take the car to the service station, put a few extra pounds of pressure in the tires and then drive home. The next morning, check the pressure with your tire gauge and let out excess air, if any, to reach the correct cold-temperature pressure.

Q: I have a 1979 Ford Taurus wagon, and I was charged $22.50 for an air cleaner, crankcase breather and smog valve at a checkup. My owners’ manual does not mention this service, and I am wondering whether the dealer just padded the bill?

--F. A.

A: You should cut your dealer some slack. Ford recommends that service every 30,000 miles, but that is far too infrequent for the air cleaner, particularly in a big, smoggy city.

I think $22.50 is a real bargain for the three parts and the installation. It is easy to ignore an air filter or crankcase breather, but they are every bit as important as an oil filter. A dirty air filter allows excess dust to enter the oil, which will wear out your engine prematurely.

If you change your oil twice as frequently as recommended in your owners’ manual, you should do the same with your air filter.

Q: Is it hard to put on a license plate?

--C. B.

A: Who hasn’t struggled with a license plate? If the screws are very old and rusted, it can be quite difficult to loosen them. But most new cars have nylon nuts and bolts that don’t rust.

You will need a screwdriver and possibly a pair of pliers. You simply turn the screw counterclockwise. Remember to press hard on the screwdriver so you don’t strip the head.

And you don’t need to feel incompetent. A high-level employee of one car manufacturer recently confessed to me that she mistakenly put two plates on the rear bumper, thinking that she never received the front plate.

I can think of a lot of trained mechanics who have done much worse. Taking care of a car doesn’t have to be a headache and big expense. It can be a fun challenge.