A while back you mentioned a problem in getting just the rubber blade refills for a 1991-1992 Ford Taurus and said that, based on a change in design, customers now have to get the entire wiper assembly replaced. I searched everywhere and finally and found replacements at a Giant Auto store, a Trico narrow refill blade (45-200), 20 inches long marked ”for late model import cars.” D.L., Chicago
Thanks for passing along the info.
I recently drove a Plymouth Voyager with manual transmission. The parking brake required the use of the left foot both for application and release. There were no instructions as to how one initiates forward motion when stopped on a hill. Requiring the use of the left foot for release of the parking brake has got to be one of the worst tricks played on the public in recent years. R.S., Glen Ellyn
If you are parked pointing uphill you no doubt already are in a forward gear. Perhaps you could first put your right foot on the brake pedal, release the parking brake with your left foot, then move the left foot over and engage the clutch with it as you start the car. With fuel injection you don`t need to have your right foot on the gas pedal anyway. Once the engine is started, release the clutch a bit as you move your right foot over to the gas pedal to hold it in the forward gear and you should be in good shape and not rolling backwards. If this doesn`t work and you roll down hill, totally disregard everything we said.
Help. I admire the Chevrolet Corsica now that it has anti-lock brakes and a driver-side air bag as standard. I wanted to buy a 1992 hatchback; however, production has been stopped. Will Chevy ever bring the Corsica hatchback back into production? When? G.J., Des Plaines
Sorry. Chevy halted hatchback production midway through the 1991 model year and has no plans to bring that vehicle back. One reason is that the hatchback didn`t sell very well. Must be that the safety-conscious public wants a trunk to store and hide things rather than an exposed hatch compartment. The other reason is that the L-body Corsica and Beretta and the N-body Pontiac Grand Am, Buick Skylark, and Olds Achieva are being married into one platform and there were no plans for a hatchback for that platform.
Do you advise removing the car battery at night, keeping it warm inside the house, and then installing it back in the car in the morning to ensure cold weather starts all winter? P.B., Brookfield
Well, you`d have to allow yourself some added time in the morning. Also, if you haven`t lifted one lately, batteries are not light by any means. And if it`s so cold that you fear the battery won`t start the car, that means it would be mighty cold having to lift hood, put in battery, tighten clamps, etc. And there is no guarantee that a warm battery will start a car with another electrical problem. Better to check the battery and the electrical system in the fall and repair or replace whatever necessary before the winter. Then you can sleep in and the battery can stay where it was designed to be-under the hood.
By the way, the Chicago Motor Club points out that you could be asking for trouble if you adhere to another common ”old wives tale” about winter care-turning on the lights before you start the car to get the juice warm in the battery. If you do, you`ll drain your battery, not build up power.
Have you ever seen a bumper sticker on a foreign car saying: ”Buy American, the job you save may be your own”? D.D., Villa Park
Not lately. Those who aren`t involved in the industry don`t seem to really consider jobs that are or could be lost by buying imports.
The Chicago Auto Show charity preview night you wrote about is dumb. Only those who can afford $100 will be able to get in-and only with a tux. The poor consumer gets stuck again. L.R., Waukegan
The charities that will benefit from the Chicago Automobile Trade Association`s decision to make the normal freebie preview night on Friday a $100-a-ticket affair would probably dispute the dumbness of the idea. It`s not only a thoughtful gesture, it`s long overdue. By the way, the CATA says if you want to be real generous, you can become an Auto Show charity night benefactor for $10,000, which gets you 100 Friday night preview tickets, 100 show tickets for the other days of the show, a parking pass, a discount on your tux, and an Auto Show program.
Is it true Saturn will get an air bag in the spring? B.Y., Chicago
Yes, as an option.
I just bought a 1986 Buick Electra from a private party. I have the owner`s manual, but want to find out all I can about the car because I intend to keep it a long time. Any help would be appreciated. I.D., Downers Grove
We`re not sure what information you are looking for. We suggest you call the Buick customer service hotline at 1-800-521-7300 and they can tell you what publications might be available and what the charge is for each. If you are talking strictly a service manual for that car, it would be rather technical and run you about $100.
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Send your questions about cars and trucks to Jim Mateja, Chicago Tribune, 435 N. Michigan Ave., Chicago, Ill. 60611.
