SalemNews.com, Salem, MA

Business

Discussion

The Salem News has a real-name policy for commenting. Users may sign in using the Facebook Connect tool above the comments field. Once your first comment is posted by a moderator, all future comments will post automatically. If you prefer not to use Facebook, send an e-mail with your comments user name (which must be the same as your real name), city or town, street address and daytime phone number to comments@salemnews.com. A staff member will contact you directly to confirm your identity. It may take a day or two before you can post comments. Only your user name will be public. All users are required to follow our rules for commenting, which can be found here.

comments powered by Disqus
December 2, 2008

Put pricey Corvette rims in for winter

Auto Scanner

Q: My daughter's boyfriend has a 1974 Corvette. It has very expensive chrome wheels. This winter, as usual, he will be putting it away for the season. This time, the car will be stored and covered outside. Do you recommend anything that can be applied to the wheels to protect them from rust?

A: I can recommend any number of polishes that will protect the area you can cover, however, I have a little different twist on this problem. The wheel-bolt pattern on the full-size Chevys of 1974 is the same as your Corvette. If it were me, I would call around to some of the recycling yards and buy some old rims (around $10 each), and maybe they will even have some tires on them, as well. Put these junkers on the car over the winter and store the precious Corvette equipment in the basement with a coat of polish on it, as well, to protect the finish from pitting.

Q: My 1999 Honda has 120,000 miles and runs well. The problem is that it will just die while driving down the road at a normal speed. This is not a good thing. The check engine light does not come on and the car will usually start up and run fine until the next time. Any thoughts would be appreciated.

A: With the short description you have given, I can go with what we commonly see for a problem on your particular car. In a great number of cases, the distributor needs to be replaced. To prove this problem, you should carefully tap on the distributor while the car is idling in park with the emergency brake set. If the car stalls when you tap on the distributor, you can be pretty darn sure you have isolated the problem.

Q: I have a 2002 Sebring convertible that developed a noise over the past six weeks. It is in the left front top and can best be described as the same sound as rain hitting my convertible top. We have tried to have it diagnosed by the Chrysler dealer and two different shops that deal with convertible tops and no one can diagnose it. We had everything greased and new grommets installed at the point where the top closes, and the noise only got louder. The noise appears to lessen on the days that we have cool, dry weather and seems to increase in the rain. Any suggestions?

A: There are up stops and down stops on your convertible top. The fact that after you replaced the grommets and the noise got louder tells us you are on the right track. One way that I have used to find air leaks is to close all the windows on the car and have the HVAC blower on high speed. I go around to all the seams and spray soapy water. Where the soapy water bubbles is where the air leak is. This sounds simple, doesn't it?

Car care Tip: You have the right to have your old parts returned to you, after having car repairs performed. You only need to ask.

¢¢¢

Larry Rubenstein is a master technician who owns a North Shore service station. His column appears Tuesday in the Biz North section. Write to Larry at Salem News, c/o Auto Scanner, 32 Dunham Road, Beverly, MA 01915, or send e-mail to scanauto@aol.com.

Text Only | Photo Reprints
Business

AP Video
Facebook Expands Campus As Stock Shrinks CEO Salaries Become Sore Issue in Labor Disputes Facebook Sued by Investors Over Disclosures HP to Cut 27,000 Jobs, Save Up to $3.5B Investors Slap Facebook 11 Percent Lower Yahoo to Reap $7.1B From Alibaba Stake Facebook Shares Close Up Just .23 at $38.23 Future Uncertain for Post-IPO Facebook Facebook Shares Spike 10% Higher at Open Mark Zuckerberg Rings Nasdaq Opening Bell Verizon to End Unlimited Data Plans Facebook IPO: What You Need to Know GM Says It Will Stop Paying for Ads on Facebook On Zuckerberg's Mind: People, Not Shareholders Dimon Survives Votes on Pay, Chairmanship Raw Video: Protesters Target JP Morgan Meeting Poll: Half of Americans Call Facebook a Fad Could JP Morgan Losses Have Been Prevented? Fuzzy Resumes: A Look at Leaders Undone More Questions After Yahoo Leadership Fiasco
NDN Video
Police: Seattle Cafe Gunman May Have Shot Self Fans Riot at Justin Bieber Concert Cows crash house party Kim K.'s New Gig as Love Guru Syria Massacre: US Student Killed Oprah's Aha! Moment with NPH & David Burtka Billionaire Zuckerberg no tipping waiters White House Regrets Death Camps 'Misstatement' Leaked Video of Madonna Performing Lady Gaga Sparks Feud Rumors Victim Identified in Fla. Face-chewing Attack DWTS Pros Caught Kissing Father Arrested for Chasing Son Onto Soccer Field During Game Ill. lawmaker goes on tirade over pension bill Raw video: Man falls from SMU crane after standoff Jessica Simpson Debuts Baby An OMFG 'ABDC' LMFAO Performance Tori Bares Baby Bump in Monokini Video reignites mystery around cruise ship death Letterman on Family Life Post-Scandal Al-Qaida Hid Messages in Porn
Comments Trcker