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  • Headlights on during daylight hours? See what Tom and Ray say.

     Dear Tom and Ray: I enjoy your column every week. In our cars, the headlights turn off automatically when we exit the vehicle, so there's no danger of leaving the lights on and draining the battery. So my wife and I just leave the headlights on all the time when we're driving. I think if anything, this is safer, as does she. Is there any reason not to drive with the headlights on all the time? What about the fog lights? Unless you have a reason not to, we'll continue to do it. Thanks. -- Rob

  • Is jump-starting a lawnmower a wise idea? Find out.

     Dear Tom and Ray: This question isn't about a specific car, but is a general equipment question. Of course, during the winter, my riding lawn mower has gotten no driving time, and thus the battery has died. I was wondering if it is safe to jump-start the lawn mower with my car, and if you have any tips on how to do it. Thanks! -- Cameron

  • Today: why engine oil has gotten lighter in recent years.

     Dear Tom and Ray: I recently was advised to use a much lighter weight of oil than I am used to using. I was told I should use 5-20 weight oil in my 2007 Pontiac Solstice convertible. I grew up in Minnesota, where this was considered "winter weight" oil. For summer, we all went up to 20-40 or 30-50 weight. Now I live in northern Georgia, and 5-20 weight just sounds awfully thin -- especially in summer. So, is the mechanic trying to ruin my engine? Or have things changed since I was 16? Thank you! -- Richard

  • Is a dream car from high school a good idea today?

     Dear Tom and Ray: I graduated from high school in 1963, and my dream car was the 1963 Studebaker Avanti. Well, life got in the way, and I never realized my dream of owning an Avanti. I recently have been going on eBay to find Avantis that have survived these past 47 years. I have located several that are rated from museum quality to daily drivers. This car did not achieve star status, as Studebaker went out of business in 1966, and a Canadian company produced replicas for several years. But the '63 and '64 models, in average condition, seem to be going for between 6,000 and 13,000 dollars. My questions are: (1) Do you think a 47-year-old vehicle could be a dependable car for everyday use? I do not want a trailer queen or a covered dust collector in the garage. And (2) the Avanti was known as a muscle car in its day, so could I expect it to still be as strong today? I know I'm not. Finally, (3) in the vast experience you both have with automobiles, do you think I would have to drive this kind of car with kid gloves and always be fearful of old-age-related problems? I really don't want to own a money pit. -- Gary

  • Can driving be good exercise? Jack thinks so.

     Dear Tom and Ray: I wonder if you can settle an ongoing dispute that I have with my wife. She is an avid walker and an exercise freak. She wants me to join her on these power walks and different exercise activities. I constantly tell her that I get plenty of exercise by driving. I drive to work and back, about 20 miles each way, and frequently am driving on shopping excursions, sometimes 50 miles at a crack. I tell my wife that driving engages all the muscles around the arms, neck, shoulders and head. Additionally, it is beneficial to brain, hand, leg-and-eye coordination, and developing the whole body, as well as the mind. After a good bout of driving, I feel as healthy and refreshed as my wife does after one of her power walks. She insists that I am being delusional about the whole thing and need to put on my walking shoes. What do you think? -- Jack

  • Is that nagging brake light a big deal for Emma?

     Dear Click and Clack: I remember listening to your radio show, "Car Talk," with my parents when I was a little kid, and hearing my mom say about a billion times that one of you had the same kind of car she had. That car was a Colt Vista, and now I drive one. And that's the reason I'm writing to you. Sookie is my 1987 Plymouth Colt Vista station wagon, and her brake warning light is ALWAYS on. The woman I bought the car from said she had someone check it out, and (at that point, anyway) there was nothing wrong. This is my first car, and I don't know if it's a big deal. I've been ignoring it since I bought the car a few months ago, but because I'm moving from California to Colorado in the car soon, I thought it's time to figure it out. What should I do? Thanks! -- Emma.

  • What to do when the washer fluid goes astray?

     Dear Tom and Ray: My aunt called me the other day and said she had trouble trying to find the place where you put more windshield-washer fluid. She told me the only cover she found was one that said "Coolant." You guessed it -- she put the windshield-washer fluid in the coolant reservoir. She then told me that she used a bottle of Windex instead of the diluted blue stuff you buy for car windshields. What should I do to help her, and what possible damage did she do? -- Adam

  • Tom and Ray help Kara with an interesting business proposition.

     Dear Tom and Ray: I am interested in purchasing a vintage/classic ice-cream truck such as the Divco for a new, gourmet-ice-cream truck venture. I have found rusted, inoperable trucks for 2,000 dollars and restored trucks for as much as 25,000 dollars. My first question is, Is this a reasonable truck to actually put back into service, and at what price? My second question is if you have a better recommendation for a "cool" commercial vehicle. Or just tell me I'm crazy, like my mother, brother and husband do, and maybe -- maybe -- I'll let this business idea go back into the file. -- Kara

  • Why do manufacturers still use drum brakes? Find out.

     Dear Tom and Ray: All of the cheapest cars these days seem to have drum brakes on the rear instead of disc brakes. But drum brakes have more parts than disc brakes, and are much harder to assemble (I know from experience). You'd think that would add assembly-line costs and that it would be cheaper to put the better disc brakes on the cheapo econo-cars. What's up with that, guys? What am I not understanding? -- Barnaby

Dear Tom and Ray - Cartalk Newspaper Column 

Diesel Cards - Diesel Cards
...t took on projects all around the country. We were issued with company vans that ran on diesel and we could clock up 40,000 miles a year with ease. Regular trips to service stations to fill up with f...
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Van Roof Bars - Van Roof Bars
... decades by workers such as couriers and craftsmen, police and postal workers, florists and fence erectors, sales and security men. Vehicles such as these can give numerous years of reliable service ...
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Thule Roof Racks - Thule Roof Racks
...h you had a van. Every time you go camping it`s the same old story and each time you chastise yourself for not investing in a roof rack. In the bad old days roof racks tended to be pretty basic but ...
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Car Alarms - Car Alarms
...p any harm from coming to them. People lavish large amounts of money making their cars look stunning so they`ll need to protect them with car alarms. Vehicles that have car alarms fitted to them are...
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Electric Moped - Electric Moped
... but does it meet with your green credentials? Having looked at various types of transport for the daily commute you thought the moped would be the best option. Yet, even mopeds can still pump out h...
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Vinyl Lettering - Vinyl Lettering
...oads of the UK with vinyl lettering upon them. It used to be just vans that had lettering upon them but company cars now have graphics upon them as well. You can`t blame companies for trying to prom...
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Luxury Coach Hire - Luxury Coach Hire
...me between different venues? If you have to drive yourself and your team from one venue to another you`ll be wasting valuable time that could be put to better use. Business travelers could benefit b...
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Used Catering Trailers - Used Catering Trailers
... trailers does not mean you have to compromise on style ,quality or finish .All used catering trailers are serviced in fine detail to a high standard and can be presented to suit your individual need...
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Rhino Roof Bars - Rhino Roof Bars
...our job, rhino roof bars might be of benefit that will attach to the van`s roof. A versatile set of rhino roof bars can happily facilitate ladders as well as other longer pieces of equipment. They`l...
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Airport Transfers Aylesbury - Airport Transfers Aylesbury
... difficult for a well respected client as they jet into an airport on company business. They should be met at the airport by an experienced chauffeur who can escort their passenger to a luxury vehicl...
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Bmw Car Service - Bmw Car Service
... a service and the labour costs alone will leave your eyes watering. Book a bmw car service through a mobile car mechanic and you`ll find their prices are far cheaper. The parts used by the mobile m...
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Roof Bars - Roof Bars
...ently and it came with roof bars for free. The car wasn`t new, we can`t stretch our finances that far, but it`s a decent second hand number. With one owner from new and free roof bars included what ...
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Zafira Parts - Zafira Parts
...lways been a really good car for me and totally reliable. In the last couple of months, however, more and more things have started to go wrong and I began to think that it was time that I looked for ...
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Car Valeting Brighton - Car Valeting Brighton
...y to keep our car as clean as I can but it`s not always that easy over the winter months. The salt and grit that`s left on the road makes it impossible for the car to be kept clean all of the time, p...
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Vauxhall Spare - Vauxhall Spare
...mbeth. Founded by Alexander Wilson in 1857, Vauxhall motors is a UK car company and is a subsidiary of General Motors. Having a partnership with Opel in Germany it manufactures a wide variety of cars ...
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Wedding Cars Aylesbury - Wedding Cars Aylesbury
...A number of key elements go into making a wedding day a highly memorable occasion. The bride will have been preparing for this day for months and she`ll want every element to be just perfect for her ...
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Towbars - Towbars
... use during the summer holidays or on bank holiday weekends. The motorways and A and B roads are packed with caravans that are being taken to seaside camp sites. Speed boats or jet skis might require ...
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Muck Away - Muck Away
...panies, road construction crews and local authorities can all be in need of a muck away service at some point. They don`t` always have the facilities or the machinery to shift large mounds of dirt a...
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Van Roof Rack - Van Roof Rack
... roof rack for the new Mercedes Sprinter van I have recently bought for work. Since setting up my own business three years ago I have had a Renault van, it was a lot smaller then the one I have now an...
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Westfalia - Westfalia
...makes of tow bars ,to give you a wide choice. Having a good choice under one roof will make sure you get the correct one for your car or van and it will be reliable for the load you need to pull. Good...
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Electric Bike - Electric Bike
...enty of folks are thinking about the impact their carbon footprint is having on the planet. What steps can we take as nation to reduce harmful emissions whilst being a little kinder to the environmen...
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Car Repair Watford - Car Repair Watford
...the them one thing you can`t disagree with is the majority of us need our cars to travel around in. Some folks might rely on their cars to get to work in whilst others need them to transport the kids...
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Cheap Car Servicing - Cheap Car Servicing
...ve shot up in the past few years. I`m going to sound like my dad now but I can remember the days when you could get a full service for 60 quid. My goodness, if only those days were still with us beca...
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Airport Taxi Wiltshire - Airport Taxi Wiltshire
.... It feels to me as though I haven`t seen the sun al year but that is all behind me now. I am going to Egypt where the weather is lovely at all times of year. I have just finished packing for the t...
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Parking Enforcement - Parking Enforcement
...in the bays outside of your store should use the spaces because they plan on visiting your business. It`d be pretty cheeky if people parked their cars outside your business and then headed off into t...
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Parking Solutions - Parking Solutions
...I can remember the day that I got my car clamped clearly. I was due to meet a mate for a coffee at a place in town and I decided to use this little outdoor car park that I tend to use from time to ti...
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Grab Hire Lorry - Grab Hire Lorry
...new works under way near our local railway station and each day I pass a fleet of tipper grab trucks that are hard at work. It seems that the work is being carried out in preparation for the extensio...
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Clifford Car Alarms - Clifford Car Alarms
... recognized company that has maintained its position for the last 20 years as a leader in innovation when it comes to security systems for vehicles. The company knows the value of security measures in...
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Cheap Diesel - Cheap Diesel
...el and petrol? Especially in today`s times when we are constantly seeing fuel prices increase before our very eyes with some of the changes being daily! You can now make diesel and petrol purchasing m...
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Chip Tuning - Chip Tuning
...ngines tuned to the manufacturer`s specification but that doesn`t mean to say they have to stay like that for long. Each engine can undergo a process called chip tuning which changes the engine`s cha...
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Snow Chains - Snow Chains
...is year will be a decent set of snow chains. The chains are intended to use on roads that are covered in snow and should not be used on roads are snow free. The purpose of the chains is to provide th...
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Selling My Car For Scrap - Selling My Car For Scrap
...cars start to cost their owners serious amounts of money and it could be wiser to invest in a newer vehicle. Old and dilapidated vehicles might not be road worthy anymore and their last trip will be ...
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Airport Transfer Somerset - Airport Transfer Somerset
...looking for someone who can do airport transfer somerset as I have a friend coming from Canada in the next couple of weeks who I have not seen for many years. I am so looking forward to seeing her, I...
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Coach Hire - Coach Hire
...ferent types of events and people. She really enjoys her job as she says that there is a lot more to coach hire than one would initially expect. For example, she said she had a call the other day wh...
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Car Valeting Newhaven - Car Valeting Newhaven
... there are a lot of firms offering the service of valeting. car valeting Newhavenseems to do very well but there is specialist equipment involved in the process. Everyone who wants car valeting Newh...
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Ecu Remapping - Ecu Remapping
...the increase in power can be seen. You might love your Lamborghini but want to boost the power of the engine slightly. That beautiful Bentley might look the part but it could leave you desiring more...
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Car Recovery Watford - Car Recovery Watford
...covery company as it can be used as a phrase when searching on line. I believe it is essential that every driver should be registered with a car recovery company and this does not mean that you have t...
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Mobile Catering Units - Mobile Catering Units
...ing units can be built for a wide range of clientele. Everybody wants a well built unit to suit their individual needs. Whether you`re catering for schools, industrial sites or fayres and carnivals.Al...
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Scrap My Car - Scrap My Car
...st you a fortune to have the work carried out on the car if you want to get it throughout its test this year. Is it worth it? No it`s not when you consider the value of the car. Therefore you`ll hav...
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Vehicle Signs - Vehicle Signs
...se your services at every given opportunity. If people don`t know who you are and what services you provide how are you going to conjure up repeat business in the future? Word of mouth is ok but thi...
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Audi Roof Boxes - Audi Roof Boxes
...imedia Interface`. This comes essentially with a rotating control knob designed to control radio, satellite navigation, TV, heating and car controls with a screen. Most of the modern Audi cars have Au...
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