Ask MetaFilter questions tagged with car and resolved

drain on Ford F150's new battery?

Elsa — Sat, 19 Dec 2009 11:27:29 -0800

Help us diagnose our Ford F150: what could be draining down the (new) battery overnight? We're suddenly seeing apparent battery drainage in our pickup truck, a 1994 Ford F150. Though the truck starts up fine, the dashboard battery gauge reads low immediately upon ignition, the windshield wipers are sluggish, and the dashboard lights are dim. We thought the old battery was likely dying, so we had it replaced with a new battery... but that hasn't solved the problem. (I'm posting this for my husband, who drives the truck. Here is the problem in his words.)

It's a 1994 Ford F150 pickup. Two days ago, the battery light came on and the battery gauge on the dash was at the low end of the meter when I started the truck after work (it had been sitting for about 9 hours). I assumed it was a bad battery, so I had the battery replaced at a chain auto place.

Everything seemed fine until I got out of work that night (after the truck had been sitting for about 9 hours) and the problem was exactly the same. The alternator seems to be working, as the battery gauge goes up to where it belongs if I let the truck run for about 20 minutes. There are no lights left on (glovebox, dome light, etc). It seems that, when the truck is off, something is drawing power from the battery.

When the gauge is low, the dash lights dim, and the windshield wipers are slow and sluggish. When it's charged back up, everything is normal again.

While I'm letting the truck idle to charge up the battery, the gauge will go up slightly if I rev the engine, but goes back down when I take my foot off the gas. Once it's fully charged again, revving the engine has no effect.

Both before and after getting the battery replaced, the truck started up just fine (no problem at all), even though the battery light came on and the battery gauge was low.

Once the battery is charged up again, turning the truck off for ten minutes-a half hour has no effect; the battery is still charged normally after that length of time.

We'll be taking it in to the mechanic on Monday, but with holiday errands and visits pressing, we'd love to get a headstart on the diagnostics over the weekend.

Some specific questions

1. Aside from the things we've checked (dome light, glovebox light, ashtray light, radio), what could be draining down the battery while the truck is off? Especially, do you know of any idiosyncratic drainage problems with the Ford F150? (We're also checking the forums on a Ford-specific board, but any hints would be helpful.)

2. Are there any simple home diagnostic tests we could make? Again, anything specific to the Ford F150 would be useful, but not necessary.

The fact that the truck starts normally (that is, readily and vigorously) seems to make this a different question than previous AskMe questions (which all seem to include a car that won't turn over) about a drained battery or dying alternator... or am I wrong? If the alternator is faulty, would the car be starting normally?

Driving in Brazil (RJ)

tss — Mon, 14 Dec 2009 13:31:02 -0800

We are considering renting a car and driving from Rio de Janeiro to Paraty and back. Advice? My S.O. and I will be in Brazil for the next week or so. We are staying in Rio, but for the last few days of our trip, we plan to spend time in Paraty. We've been thinking that we might rent a car and drive there from Rio, then drive back to Rio before catching our flight home. Does anyone have any experience with this, or pointers? More specific questions (answers to any one of them would be most welcome):

1. When is the best time of day to leave Rio de Janeiro, and when is the best time to return? We imagine that broad daylight is the best time to be driving in Rio, but are there any more specific times? (Luckily there will be a lot of broad daylight this week in Rio.)

2. What's the best way to leave Rio from the Zona Sul?

3. What should we expect from the BR-101 road along the coast?

4. What should we watch out for (e.g. traffic jams) when planning our trip back---to an airline flight we really would rather not miss?

5. Is there a particular kind of insurance we should get here, before we leave, or there, when we get the car?

6. We are confident, patient drivers in the US and wouldn't bat an eye at Manhattan or downtown Philly, say, but have not driven outside of USA/Canada or western Europe before. Is this car trip advisable or should we just take the bus?

I should add that we don't speak Portuguese, although we've had some luck reading webpages and such through triangulation from French, Italian, and Spanish. Naturally, we would plan to limit the need for conversations along the road by driving conservatively, during off-peak hours, at the speed limit.

My speeding citation has turned into a shit snowball.

desjardins — Mon, 30 Nov 2009 12:19:22 -0800

Please help me navigate a mess involving an expired car registration, a speeding ticket, a lost insurance card, a license held as bond and a omg I can't even think. This involves Illinois and Wisconsin. 1. My car is registered in Illinois and I have an Illinois driver's license. The registration expires today; the license is good for awhile.

2. However, I'm (technically?) a Wisconsin resident, in that I have a lease on an apartment there, but I work in Illinois and sleep half the week in Illinois and the other half in WI. This is meant to be as temporary as humanly possible until I can stay permanently in WI.

3. I did not renew the registration yet because I was planning to get my Wisconsin license & registration this coming Friday, and hopefully avoid getting caught for the next 3 days while it's expired. Before I can register it in IL I have to get an emissions test. Of course, there will now be a late fee.

4. I got stopped for speeding today in a suburb of Chicago, I could not find my insurance card, and so I received another citation for that & my license was taken as bond. My court date is at the end of December. My driving record is otherwise clean.

5. So, I can't register my car in WI or get my WI license until I have my IL license back, correct? It's my understanding that if you have a valid license in another state, you have to forfeit it to get a WI license. I don't know about registering the car.

6. What's the ABSOLUTE CHEAPEST yet legal way to handle this? I am broke, like really broke, and the thought of having to pay to register my car in Illinois and then re-register it in WI when I get my license back is really disheartening.

7. I am freaking out and not thinking clearly, see above about being broke.

how to get rid of a car quick

paultopia — Sun, 29 Nov 2009 03:23:42 -0800

How do I get rid of a car in the SF bay area? Slightly above junk level... Simple question. I'd like to quickly and easily sell my car, ideally in the next week or so. I have the title sitting around somewhere, and there are no liens on it. The car needs a few grand of work, and it's not worth much even before work, so it's not something I could take to the private party market. At the same time, I think I could do better than just sending it to a junkyard for parts.

This would be a perfect moment for Carmax. Except: I live in Palo Alto, CA, and the closest Carmax is 60-some miles away in Modesto. I'd really like to take it somewhere accessible by public transportation so I can just drive it over there, sell it, and take the train home.

Does anyone know anywhere Carmax-like but actually in the bay area? Or have any other bright ideas? Should I just craigslist it?

Traffic accident incorrectly without fault?

anti social order — Wed, 18 Nov 2009 09:12:00 -0800

Maryland Accident, car totaled. Cops incorrectly say both drivers are at fault. Can anything be done? My wife was in an accident yesterday while driving her fathers's car. Some very old lady (OL) in a 80's crown vic pulled directly into her head on. The Mrs is fine, but the since there were no witnesses at the scene the cops claimed both parties were at fault in their report.

This is bad because there's only liability on that car and it's totaled.

It's also completely false. The OL was in my wifes lane and hit her head on. The OL claimed she had a 'solid green light' and was cleared to go. One cop mentioned to my wife offhand that wasn't possible as her lane only has arrows (no solid lights at all). How this means she wasn't at fault is beyond me.

So no one was cited and the cops told my wife the insurance companies would figure it all out. I don't trust that for a second.

Some older questions about fault on Ask.Mefi say to ask the judge, but no one was cited so there's no court date. From my cynical POV, lazy cops throw up their hands to avoid paperwork and leave it to the insurance companies that will try very hard to screw my inlaws.

So my question is: How can I help my wife and her dad through this nonsense without them being screwed? Is there anything we should/shouldn't do? Bonus: if anyone knows about police procedure in MD can answer if this is typical procedure up here or something that should be reported?

How to drive home a car bought in another state?

HopperFan — Sun, 15 Nov 2009 19:01:41 -0800

So I bought a car from out of state...please help me with the logistics! I bought a Volvo on eBay for a good price, yay. It's about 6 hours away, though. (Ohio to Virginia)

I've read this question, and this, this, and several others - but I still have questions, because there seems to be some conflicting information.

Step 1 : Insure vehicle. I'll be doing that tomorrow, I have the VIN.

Step 2 : Go to Virginia, meet seller with car. Make sure VIN on car and title matches with what was posted on eBay.

Step 3-4-.... : ?

The questions I've thought of so far are:

1. Does the seller need to have access to a notary? Otherwise, how would signing the back of the title and the bill of sale be valid?

2. Is it true that with a signed over title and a bill of sale, I could drive this vehicle back to Ohio and placate any police officers that happen to stop me?

3. It seems like a very bad idea to fedex payment down without a title in hand, trusting he'll send me the title in exchange, just so that I could obtain temp tags here before driving down. He hasn't asked me to do that, anyway.

The car does not currently have plates. I checked auto shipping companies, but the cheapest quote is around $300. This may or may not be worth it, depending on what I learn about this registration process.

Buying an used car in Ontario

tksh — Tue, 10 Nov 2009 10:57:23 -0800

What's the process to buying an used car in Ontario? I am about to buy an used car from a private seller and so far, I am just using this page from the Ministry of Transportation as my guide. It's a bit overwhelming though compared to buying brand new from the dealer. For example, which party takes care of the safety standards certificate?

Has anyone bought an used car in Ontario recently and can give an overview?

Mazda3 won't start, don't think it's the battery. What could be wrong?

misskaz — Sun, 01 Nov 2009 10:46:30 -0800

My 2004 Mazda3 hatchback with about 20,000 miles on it won't start. It was last driven across the street to move for street cleaning on Wednesday with no problems. We just got in the car to go somewhere and it won't start. As you can tell by the mileage, we don't drive it a ton - mostly once or twice a week to get groceries or go to Target or something.

Symptoms:
1. Battery appears to be ok - all lights and accessories come on, remote entry works, etc.
2. When I first turned the key it made several strange clunks and clicks. All the dash lights flashed. Did NOT ever turn over. Subsequent attempts just make a loud click. Personally I think it sounds like more than just the battery clicking but maybe it's just really loud in this car. (To me, when the battery doesn't have enough juice to turn the starter, it makes a light "tick" sound, but this sounds more like a louder "clack" or "clunk" sound to me. Or I could be crazy.)

It has been really rainy for a few weeks now and the car is parked on the street. The tank is about half-full. I made sure it was in Park (automatic transmission).

Any thoughts about what this could be or things we can try to get it to start so we don't have to tow it to a mechanic? Are we missing something obvious to check? We live in an apartment and do not have a garage so getting under the car is difficult, but we do have some tools and are willing to poke around if there are simple things to try.

R Kelly is trapped in my trunk!

zerobyproxy — Thu, 29 Oct 2009 12:23:27 -0800

I cannot unlock the trunk on my car! I have a 2004 Honda Accord. This morning, I put some stuff in the trunk and, in closing it, must have forced the locking mechanism to mis-align. I have used the latch (inside the car), the key fob, and the key in the lock itself. None work. I tried lifting the trunk while pressing the fob. I tried sitting on the trunk while pressing the fob. Nothing.

My backseat lowers, so I got my stuff out of the trunk and was able to watch the locking mechanism move when I pressed the fob. I just don't know what I should be looking for or trying when I crawl into the trunk to try to fix it.

Any ideas of where to start?

Why isn't it illegal to stand on the bus?

Mwongozi — Wed, 14 Oct 2009 03:34:57 -0800

Why (in the UK, or anywhere else where this applies) is it illegal to drive without wearing a seatbelt, but legal for bus passengers to sit, or even stand without one? At least in the UK, if a passenger in a car isn't wearing a seatbelt, the driver is breaking the law.

VW Jetta: Dreck or no?

dunkadunc — Wed, 07 Oct 2009 22:43:16 -0800

VolkswagenFilter: I'm going to be looking at a '99 VW Jetta (A4 body) in the next couple days and am wondering what, specifically, I should look for when I'm there. Specifically, the car's a Jetta GLE 2.0l with 130k miles, the owner is asking $2500, and apparently there's nothing wrong with it.
However, in my experience buying cars, there can be no end of problems that aren't readily apparent. Are Jettas of this vintage any good, and is there anything I should check out or look for?

How can I drive a car in CA before my license plates arrive in the mail?

twblalock — Tue, 22 Sep 2009 21:09:25 -0800

I am in California and I am about to buy a car last registered in Michigan. The car is here. In Michigan, the plates follow the owner and therefore the car won't come with any plates. Once I take it to the DMV and register it, will they give me some kind of window sticker or something so I can drive the car around before my CA plates arrive in the mail?

Do new car tires go on the front or the back when you only need two?

Opposite George — Tue, 15 Sep 2009 20:03:40 -0800

Front-wheel drive car. Back tires worn and will be replaced. Front tires okay for now. Where should the new tires go? My dad just asked me to get the back tires replaced on his 1995 Hyundai Elantra. It's front-wheel drive, no ABS or traction control.

The back tires are worn evenly, but there's not much tread left. The front tires are worn evenly and still have plenty of meat. I don't know if he regularly rotates the tires, and can't ask him as he's away and hard to reach. I want to get this done before he gets back.

So, I'll ask the shop to replace the bad tires -- I have that much figured out. What I don't know is whether to ask them to put the wheels with the new, meatier tires on the front and move the current fronts back, or just to replace the tires on the back and be done with it. He lives in southeastern NY state, which means he gets ice and snow in the winter, if that makes a difference.

What do you all think?

Is it worth a claim?

lizjohn — Sat, 12 Sep 2009 14:45:50 -0800

Sometime last night someone severely scraped the side of my car while is was parked at my apartment complex. They left no note. What are my options? I'm afraid I'm just going to have to grin and bear it, but I'm hoping there's some recourse I'm not thinking of. I didn't notice the damage until I got to work just a few minutes ago and I remember there was no one parked next to me when I left. It's a long, low scrape starting from the drivers door to the back of the back wheelwell. The bottom panels are pushed in and there is paint residue. It seems to be cosmetic, both doors open and the tire seems fine. Should I make an insurance claim? Do I need a police report for that? Is it not with my premiums going up?

This whole thing miffs me. My husband and I only have one car and we try to keep it nice. I've never had anything like this happen, outside of a few door dings. Sorry if this is rambly.

Mythbust supermarket petrol for me, please.

Lorc — Sun, 30 Aug 2009 12:18:19 -0800

Is supermarket petrol bad for my car? It seems to be common knowledge that supermarket petrol from Tesco, Asda or what have you stations is inferior to the stuff from a "proper" petrol station. That it damages the engine in the long run for any of a variety of vague and poorly explained reasons.

Is there any substance to this idea, or is it just superstition? Googling gave me lots of conjecture but nothing authoritative.

UK-centric in case it matters. Thanks.

Can I get my money back?

3dd — Mon, 24 Aug 2009 09:27:51 -0800

The AC of my Mercedes Benz 2002 stopped working so we took it to a well known Used Car Dealership for a check up. They charge me $150.00 just for the check up and gave me an estimate of about $3,000 to fix it (basically they said all the system had to be replace it). I didn’t want to spend that kind of money so we took it one of those ‘basic repair shop’ chains and they fixed it by changing a $25.00 sensor. I want my $150.00 back, I live in Florida and don't know if I am entitled to a refund? If I am, what is the best way to ask for it? I’m pissed at them but I want to behave civilized and effective.

What went wrong when I tried to replace my car battery?

jacobm — Wed, 19 Aug 2009 11:28:41 -0800

I just changed my car's old dead battery with a new, just purchased one following the directions here. Even though I clamped the connectors down hard enough that I can't move either of them, the car seems to be completely dead --- it doesn't appear to be getting any power whatsoever. Any ideas what could be wrong? Long extended explanation, just in case people are interested / think there's a larger problem:

We have two cars, and one of them hardly ever gets used. Last time I used it was in May, after it had been sitting unused for probably several months. When I left home, it had trouble starting up (but ran fine once it started); and I needed a jump to get it started coming back. I tried to start it again the next day, and it wouldn't start.

So I ignored the problem until today. Tried to start it up again, and got some lights to turn on, but the engine wouldn't go. I jumped it with the good car, and it ran fine; I let it run for about 40 minutes (with the engine running above idle for at least 15 minutes that time). Then I turned the car off and immediately on again, but it still didn't start --- if anything, it seemed more dead than before.

I concluded the battery couldn't hold a charge, so I went and bought a new one. I followed the directions, but the car is now completely unresponsive; I see no evidence that it's drawing any power whatsoever.

I'm assuming I installed the battery incorrectly. Does that sound plausible, and if so what should I do about it? If not, what should I try instead?

Car Rebate, Part Deux

Elsie — Thu, 13 Aug 2009 14:51:58 -0800

What Next on Not Receiving Customer Cash-Back Car Rebate? To recap a bit. A car salesman drew up a Bill of Sale with no reference to a customer cash-back rebate running the month I bought my new car. He did not give me any other paperwork regarding any rebate. The word "rebate" never came up in the negotiations for buying the car for cash. I signed the Bill of Sale, drove the car away, registered it using that Bill of Sale, and put on 1000 miles on the car. Two weeks later, got an unexpected cell call from the sales guy saying I needed to sign new paperwork "that wouldn't affect me in any way."

A backdated Bill of Sale arrived showing the same bottom line as the first Bill of Sale. However, the backdated one now showed the rebate and a rejiggering of figures to account for the rebate. Also included was a document they want me to sign with a highlight next to a signature line saying I would turn over the rebate to the dealer. I sent the backdated unsigned second Bill of Sale to the manufacturer. I signed the rebate document asking that the rebated come to me and X-ed out the yellow highlighted other signature line. In a cover letter, I explained what I explained here.

Today I get an e-mail from the manufacturer trying to convince me the rebate was "accounted for" in the original Bill of Sale (the no-rebate-mentioned version) that I had signed the day I bought the car. The Customer Relations person tried to tell me that the second Bill of Sale was essentially "the same." (even though that version clearly shows the rebate).

Am I correct in assuming my original, signed Bill of Sale is legally binding and that I am entitled to this Customer Cash-back Rebate? And, if so, how do I get it?

Out of state used car headache

zvs — Wed, 12 Aug 2009 18:44:26 -0800

I'm looking into buying a used car, and found a pretty good looking one from a colleague in New Jersey. I live in Brooklyn. How the heck does this work? Parking and title questions follow... I've never bought a car before, so it's all new to me. If I buy this car, the original owner has to take the plates off -- then I guess I'll need a NY in-state temporary plate to get it to my house.

Problem 1: Do I just leave it in NJ until I manage to get NY plates? Do I have to get title to get a transfer plate, or does that include title? The website is less than clear.

Problem 2: Where the heck do I keep it? Will I get ticketed if it's on the street? Will I get ticketed for moving an unplated car during street cleaning?

Problem 3: Where do I pay sales tax?

Anybody done this before?

Was it inappropriate for a highway patrolman to ask me to sit in his car?

selavy — Wed, 12 Aug 2009 14:41:45 -0800

As a female 22 year old citizen, was it out of line for the male highway patrol officer to ask me to sit in the front seat of his vehicle with him while he filled out an official warning? I live in Oklahoma City, which may or may not be relevant. A couple weeks ago I was driving down the interstate on a Friday night at about 10PM and I was too close to the person in front of me and got pulled over. I was driving my dad's V10 Dodge truck and I am a 22 year old female, which may also be relevant. The Oklahoma Highway Patrolman pulled me over onto the area between the exit and the highway because I was originally in the left lane. He asked for my driver's license and insurance which I complied with, but I couldn't find current insurance in the truck in a timely manner and he said the expired proof of insurance would be fine. He went to his car for a minute then came back and asked me to step out of the truck and go to his car. So, I sat in his front seat while he asked me questions and filled out an official warning for following too closely. I had never been asked to get out of my car before when pulled over, but my first thought was that he was going to test me for alcohol, which I would have complied with since I hadn't been drinking. But he never asked me anything about whether I'd been drinking at all, gave me the ticket, told me not to drink and drive, and went on his way. I told my boyfriend and my mom about the occurrence and they were very concerned and thought that the highway patrolman's actions were borderline sexual harassment. What do you think? Should I have gotten in his car? If not, how would I refuse that to a police officer in the future? Answers from people with actual experience in law enforcement would be greatly appreciated.

Car fuse poor man rig up

Eiwalker — Mon, 10 Aug 2009 17:29:26 -0800

How to turn my car's dome light off w/out pulling out the fuse. I've got a car -- a van, actually -- whose interior lights won't turn off unless I pull the fuse out. If I pull the fuse out, my power windows don't work either. But it's a hassle to keep putting the fuse in and out. Furthermore, I cant afford to fix it right!

For under $5 or so, I'd like to rig something up where I can have a switch -- say, in the ashtray compartment -- such that flipping the switch on is equivalent to putting the fuse in, and flipping the switch off is equivalent to pulling the fuse out.

I need five things:

1. switch
2. wire
3. fuse (to hook up SOMEWHERE along the wiring)
4. MYSTERY DEVICE to hook the fuse up with the wiring
5. MYSTERY DEVICE that plugs in where the fuse used to plug in

I'd like help with (5) and (4) for sure, and possibly (3) if you think a different kind of fuse would be easier to install.

Thank you!!

My brakes make a weird noise. What's the deal?

spaltavian — Sun, 09 Aug 2009 13:44:55 -0800

[Autofilter] My brakes make a grinding sound when I first start driving. After I use the brakes several times, usually after 5-10 minutes of driving (sometimes more), they're back to normal. In addition to the grinding sound, it's much harder to push down on the brake- this also disappears after using my brakes enough. What's up? Almost two months ago, I had my brakes serviced and looked at. I got new brake pads, replaced (some, not all) rotors, etc. I got all the work they recommended done. My brakes were better than ever, until this problem started (probably two weeks ago). Once my brakes stop grinding, they are just as good as when I first got the work done. I have no idea if that has anything to do with it.

I'm of course going to have my car looked at, (I'm sure I'm killing my car or something) but I want to know what to expect. I was guessing something regarding my brake fluid being the issue, but I know nothing about cars so that's probably stupid.

The car is a 2000 Mercury Sable with about 78,000 on it.

Shall we grab our ankles now?

6:1 — Sat, 08 Aug 2009 21:25:45 -0800

New car buying hell. Are we the only ones being told that the Toyota Prius price is MSRP PLUS expensive add-on premiums to cover their gouging? We have been told that not only do we have to pay MSRP (at one dealership, for example), as well as (they) demanding, no, FORCING us to buy Lo-Jack and Finishing Touch (a paint and fabric/leather conditioning/protectant) for an extra $1800+ bing. Is this happening everywhere? And is it Toyota or the dealers/ dealer co-ops that are controlling the supply, to keep prices artificially inflated? Pardon me, but is this another government boondoggle? Every place we go they seem to say they are out, but then suddenly they have 1 or two that appear a hour or two later or next day. Are there more of us out there, or are we just the mark?

FWIW-looking at a 2010 Prius IV in So. CAL. and do not have a "clunker".

It's cheaper in LA.

SLC Mom — Sun, 02 Aug 2009 16:32:20 -0800

Is there a cheaper way to rent a car at JFK? I will be in the New York area Aug. 27-30, and need a car for the 4 days: Thursday Morning to Sunday evening. The cheapest car I can find on line is $72 a day!!! I am more accustomed to paying $20-30 a day (plus gas) in my local airport zone. Is this rate typical for New York? Are there cheaper car-rental options?

Quibbler-filter: 1. I already bought tickets. So it will be JFK.
2. I do need a car, as I will be driving out of the city with huge amounts of luggage.

Give me my money back

scrutiny — Fri, 31 Jul 2009 07:10:58 -0800

I just got my car from the impound, but I want to figure out a way to get my money back from the city (Jersey City,NJ). I don't think it should have been towed. Emergency No Parking signs were put up Wednesday night, saying that cars parked on the street had to be moved Thursday night. I had parked my car Wednesday morning, and did not come back to my house until Thursday evening, where I found my car had been towed.

Those signs were put up one other time since I've been here, but in that instance they were put up a week in advance. Do you know if the signs are supposed to be put up further in advance? Has anyone fought a charge like this and won? I plan on fighting it anyway, but I figured I'd get all the information I could.

I should note that I did have to pay cash to get my car out of the impound, but I did not sign anything saying I was guilty of such-and-such.