Business

Ethanol in gasoline may lower mileage slightly

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Larry Rubenstein
Published: December 30, 2008

Q: I have questions about ethanol on the North Shore. What percent of ethanol do we get in our gasoline? Is it the same for all brands? Does it vary by octane grade? Does the percent vary from time to time? Are EPA ratings of mileage done with 100 percent gasoline? In racing machines, mileage with ethanol is much worse than with gasoline. Does 10 to 15 percent ethanol substantially reduce everyday mileage?

A: We get 10 percent ethanol in our gas in all brands sold in this area. Despite the grade — regular, mid or super — 10 percent is the formula. Ten percent has been pretty much a constant. I would expect with the 10 percent ethanol formula you are losing a potential 2 to 3 percent.

Q: I have a 2004 Saturn Ion 3 SDN. I bought the car in March 2004, with an extended warranty until 2010. I am having a lot of trouble with the ignition switch as shown on the repair papers I have included. At 11,000 miles, the ignition switch was replaced under warranty. At 19,000 miles, which was 19 months later, the switch had to be replaced again at an out-of-pocket expense of $100. The Saturn service department knew exactly what the problem was as soon as I called them. I start the car 24 to 26 times a week. I can never tell when the car will fail to start again. I am hearing other people are experiencing the same problem with the Ions. Saturn has never come out and admitted to the ignition switch problem.

A: The repairs Saturn of Danvers made were exactly right. Saturn has indeed recognized the problem, and technical service bulletin 04-08-45-005D does describe the problem and the fix procedure. I do think, however, Saturn's choice to charge you for the second time may have been a poor choice in today's tough economy; you don't want to lose a new car customer over a simple job of $100 for parts and labor. I would scrutinize my warranty very carefully to see if the ignition switch is a covered item. If it is indeed a covered item, you may apply for a refund.

Q: I have a 1996 Toyota Camry with 86,000 miles on it. The timing belt broke after the camshaft froze up. It was found that a large buildup of sludge under the camshaft cover and in the crankcase caused the problem. For the past eight years, the car has been used for seven months a year. I drive 4,000 to 5,000 miles and change the oil filter once. Most of the driving is five miles or less. I have a similar car and usage for the other five months in Florida. What caused the problem, and what recommendations can you give to prevent this from occurring?

A: Well, I've got bad news and worse news. The bad news is you missed the class action settlement by Toyota as shown at the Web site consumeraffairs.com. They covered the Camry models of 1997 to 2001. You may want to write to them after determining the month and year of the production of your car. Some consideration may be given.

Now, the worse news is you basically caused the problem by your driving style, and you will do this to almost any car. You are not giving the oil a chance to get hot and burn off the condensation. When you mix oil and water, which shouldn't mix but it does, you will get frothy, peanut-butter-consistency oil. This mixture will cause oil starvation and result in exactly what happened to you. So, my friends, take that car for a 30-minute ride every so often and let the car reach its operating temperature. It will help your car's engine work much better and last much longer. Also, if you cannot run the mileage I am talking about, than you need to change the oil and filter every three months.

Car Care Tip: When parking your vehicle for the night, make sure your windshield wipers are turned off and parked before you turn off the key. Some people will even flip the wipers off the windshield when the vehicle is parked. Starting a car with the wipers turned on with the frozen windshield will end in expensive repairs.

¢¢¢

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