The A/C drain is the path that carries condensed water out of the cabin area and onto the ground. If the drain is blocked, water can overflow and leak into the passenger compartment instead of dripping outside.
If the passenger floor is wet, it often means water from the A/C system isn’t draining correctly. Leaving it wet can lead to mold, so it should be checked.
Your cabin air filter helps keep the air inside the car clean by filtering what comes through the vents. If it gets clogged, less air can move through, so the A/C or heater won’t feel as strong.
Refrigerant is the substance that makes your A/C actually cool. If it leaks out over time, the system can’t cool properly, so a shop may need to add the right amount back.
Before refilling an A/C, a technician pulls out the old refrigerant and any unwanted air/moisture. That way the system can be charged correctly and work the way it should.
Tracer dye is a special additive that helps find where the A/C refrigerant is leaking. After the system runs, the dye shows the leak location so it can be fixed.
Some A/C “recharge cans” include sealant, which is supposed to plug leaks. But if it doesn’t work as intended, it can block the A/C passages. That can make the air conditioner perform worse and cost more to fix.
Undercharging means there isn’t enough refrigerant in the A/C system. When that happens, the air conditioner may not cool properly, and it can strain parts of the system. Again, it’s about getting the correct amount.
Overcharging means you put in more refrigerant than the system is designed for. That can make the A/C act weird and not cool well, and it can even lead to bigger issues. The system needs the correct amount, not just “a can.”
Concept
weighing it and refilling it with the proper amount
Instead of using a one-size-fits-all can, a proper A/C repair measures how much refrigerant the system actually needs. That helps the A/C work correctly and prevents adding too much or too little. It’s the more reliable way to recharge.
The evaporator is the part inside the car that cools the air. Refrigerant passes through it and absorbs heat from the cabin. If flow is blocked, the A/C can’t cool as well.
The A/C condenser is the heat-exchanger that releases heat from the refrigerant to the outside air. The refrigerant flows through it, and if passages get restricted, the system can’t reject heat effectively. That leads to weak cooling.
Wheel bearings help the wheel spin smoothly. “Repacking” them means taking them apart and putting in fresh grease so they keep working well instead of running dry or contaminated.
Some wheel bearings are built as sealed units, like a little grease-filled cartridge. Since they’re sealed, you typically don’t take them apart to add grease during normal maintenance.
A “shake down” here means the mechanic checks the car for looseness by inspecting and moving key parts. It helps find problems early, like worn wheel bearings.
These are the parts that help the car steer and keep the wheels planted on the road. If something is loose or worn, the car can feel shaky or noisy, and the mechanic will check for that.
Free play means there’s extra looseness you can feel or measure. If wheel bearings have too much free play, they’re likely worn and may need attention.
A service interval is how often you’re supposed to do certain maintenance. For older cars, the schedule can change based on how much you drive and how you store it.
Concept
letting that exhaust breathe
The host is basically saying that if a car sits too long, the exhaust area can get stale or damp. Taking it out now and then helps keep things from getting worse while it’s parked.
A hybrid uses two ways to move the car: a gas engine and an electric motor. The car decides when to use the battery and when to use gas to keep performance and efficiency balanced.
When you slow down, the car can use the motion to make electricity instead of just using the brakes to create heat. That electricity helps recharge the battery.
Drive cycles are just how you drive day to day—stop-and-go versus highway cruising. Your hybrid’s computer reacts to that and chooses when to use gas or electricity.
A plug-in hybrid is a hybrid you can charge by plugging it in. That lets it run on electricity for the first part of your trip, then it uses gas more later.
The Ford Edge is a popular family crossover. At around 100,000 miles, people often debate how to service the transmission fluid—either a simple drain-and-fill or a more aggressive flush.
A transmission flush is when the shop tries to replace more of the old transmission fluid than just draining the pan. The goal is to get fresher fluid throughout the transmission.
Powertrain fluids are the fluids that help the car’s drivetrain parts work smoothly. In this case, the discussion quickly narrows to transmission fluid service.
A Jeep Wrangler is a type of SUV that’s built for off-road driving. The coolant overflow container is part of the cooling system that holds extra coolant when the engine gets hot. If it’s discussed on a 2018 Wrangler, it’s usually because it helps keep the engine from running too hot.
The coolant overflow container (also called the expansion tank) stores extra coolant as the engine heats up and expands. When the system cools down, it pulls coolant back in to maintain proper coolant level and pressure.
This is a 2018 Jeep Wrangler (JL generation) with a 3.6-liter V6 engine. The question is about the cooling system—specifically the coolant overflow container—and why coolant might not drain normally when you open the radiator.
The radiator cap controls the cooling system’s pressure and provides the sealed opening used for draining and refilling. If the cap is opened incorrectly or while the system is pressurized, you can get confusing results—like coolant not draining as expected.
In a cooling system, a “vacuum” can form when coolant is drained or when caps/valves are opened in a way that traps air. That vacuum can prevent coolant from flowing out until air can enter through the correct openings.
“Bleeding it out” is the process of removing trapped air from the cooling system after draining/refilling. Air pockets reduce coolant circulation, which can lead to poor cabin heat and uneven engine cooling.
An “air pocket” is a trapped bubble of air inside the cooling system that disrupts coolant flow. The host explains that it can create a blockage, preventing coolant from reaching parts of the system.
Term
bleed all the air out of the system
Bleeding means getting trapped air out of the cooling system. If air is trapped, coolant can’t circulate well, and the car may not cool properly.
An electronic key is the wireless fob you use to lock/unlock the car and open the trunk. If it fails, it might just need a battery—or it might need repair or reprogramming.
This is a 2017 Honda Accord, and the caller’s issue is with the electronic key/key fob. The discussion is about whether a dealer replacement price is reasonable and what you can try before replacing the whole fob.
Key fobs are the handheld transmitters used for keyless entry. They can fail due to battery depletion, water intrusion, corrosion, or internal electronic wear, and replacement costs often include programming to match the vehicle’s security system.
The security process is the car’s anti-theft system that checks whether a key is allowed. That’s why replacement keys often need special setup to work.
Aftermarket key fobs are cheaper third-party replacements. They might work, but quality and compatibility can be hit-or-miss, and you may still need setup.
A 2011 Rogue is a Nissan SUV. The caller says it made a whistling sound while driving and then the car would quit when they pressed the brake at a stoplight, then start again later.
An oil change is when the shop replaces the engine oil. It keeps the engine lubricated, and in this call it’s mentioned because it happened around the same time as the problem.
Tire rotation moves tires to different positions on the vehicle to promote even tread wear. Tire balancing ensures the wheel/tire assembly spins smoothly by correcting weight imbalances—both are common service items the caller had done before the symptom appeared.
A whistling sound usually points to air moving where it shouldn’t or air flowing through a restriction. The important part is noticing when it happens (speed, temperature, driving situation) so the mechanic can find the cause faster.
The air intake is how the car pulls air in to feed the engine. If something blocks it or lets air leak in the wrong way, the car can make strange noises and may run differently.
A diagnostic charge is what you pay when the mechanic spends time testing to figure out what’s wrong. The caller is asking whether that fee gets credited if you later do the repair.
A scan tool is a device a mechanic plugs into your car to see what the computer is reporting. It can show error codes and real-time sensor readings so they can diagnose the problem instead of guessing.
Trouble codes are standardized diagnostic messages stored by the vehicle’s computer when it detects a fault. They help technicians narrow down the system (engine, emissions, hybrid systems, etc.) and then confirm the cause with additional tests.
Voltages are electrical measurements that can indicate whether sensors, actuators, and wiring are operating within expected ranges. Diagnostic scan data often includes voltage readings to confirm power/ground and signal integrity.
Temperatures in scan data are sensor readings used to verify thermal conditions like coolant or intake temperatures. If a temperature sensor is wrong—or if a system isn’t reaching expected temps—it can point to the underlying fault.
Pressures are measured quantities from sensors (like fuel, boost, or HVAC-related pressures) that indicate whether a system is operating correctly. Diagnostic readings of pressure help confirm whether the fault is mechanical, electrical, or control-related.
"Throwing parts at it" is a troubleshooting approach where a shop replaces components without confirming the root cause. It often wastes money because multiple parts can cause similar symptoms, and the real failure may be elsewhere.
LIVE
And we are back at 707 on WCCO radio. Good morning. I'm Laura Oaks. We're heading for
a high of 90 today. Hot, sunny day. It's going to be like this. Even hotter over the next
56 days or so. So make sure you're taking precautions and also make sure you're
having fun taking advantage of the height of summer here in beautiful Minnesota in the
summertime. I was just in the kitchen at seven o'clock. This is kind of when I like to eat
my breakfast and I brought my breakfast. It was in the fridge. I'll tell you what it is.
It's Greek yogurt mixed with steel cut oats, chia seeds, blueberries, and walnuts. Very
healthy, full of antioxidants, gives me energy. It's great. It's a great breakfast. I have
it every morning and I prepare it the night before. Oh, I also throw a little milk in there
because when I make it the night before by the morning, the chia seeds have soaked up all the
milk. So it's just kind of like this, like a chia pudding kind of with yogurt, fruit, nuts,
healthy stuff, oats. And I went to looking forward to eating my little breakfast this
morning and I got it out of the fridge while Elle was doing the news and I went to grab a
spoon and there's no spoons. And this is not really the kind of breakfast you can try to eat
with a plastic fork or a knife. And that's all we seem to have in the kitchen. So I remembered
at the very last minute, I brought a spoon from home a long time ago and it's up in my little
hiding spot just for these occasions. Yes. So here I am with my my metal spoon, not a plastic
spoon that I hide away in the kitchen just for times like this. So good for me. It's a good
start to the day. 709 on CCO. It is time for car care with Nick Staupel from Lloyd's Automotive
in St. Paul. Good morning, Nick. How's it going? Good morning. My breakfast isn't nearly as
exciting as yours. What are you having? A glass of orange juice. Well, you need more than
that, my friend. We'll see. We'll see when the kids wake up what they want. But for now, I'll be
OJ follow some coffee and we'll see. Yes. Now is your household one where maybe on a weekend mom or
dad might make pancakes or eggs or something a little more than the usual during the week? I
enjoy doing that. I need to get the teenagers to wake up to eat it. So if I can get them up
before noon, maybe we'll do that. But we'll see what the day holds. Well, teenagers need their
sleep as you know. So let them sleep. Those body clocks are going bonkers when they're teens.
When mom and dad need peace and quiet, too. So it's nice when you have your weekend morning
to ourselves. Yes. And you have that beautiful setting in the woods. You can just sit on your
deck and look at the trees and listen to the birds and enjoy it. Absolutely. Good. All right. So I
don't really have anything on the agenda today, Nick. And maybe there's something that you wanted
to bring up. But listeners, if you have a car question for Nick Stoffel, please call us or
text us. That's what he's here for. We have him for about 30 minutes. And the number is 651-461.
9226. Nick, I can hear those birds right now. I love it. And I can picture it. So what's on your
agenda? What should people be thinking about at this point in the summer? Well, looking at the
forecast, one thing I'll say, common things that we hear, people call them, all people stop by that
they think the car has a leak. And what it is, it's the condensation from us running the air
conditioning to having a steady drip on the passenger side near the front wheel on the passenger
side is normal. Because when you're running the air conditioning, what it's doing is pulling the
moisture out of the air inside the vehicle. And that moisture has to go somewhere. There's a drain.
And that drain lets it exit the vehicle onto the ground, like I said, by the passenger front right
tire. Now, people will also come and say, my passenger floor is wet. What's going on here? Well,
a lot of times those drains are part of the heating and cooling HVAC system. And that box
can also collect some debris over years of use and time and age. And sometimes that that debris
can create a plug in that drain. So that box will fill with water up to a seam where it can leak
out and leaks into the passenger side of the vehicle. Typically not a huge repair. But you do
need to have that dealt with because the lesson you want is a wet carpeting, wet insulation, which
can create mold. So this next week, you're running your air conditioning, you're noticing that it's
not dripping on the ground, you notice that there's some wetness on the floor on the passenger side
typically bring that in, have something clear that drain and then get the shop back and vacuum
that out. Because like I said, the lesson you want is have mold and other contaminants inside the
vehicle. Right. So one of the things I was reading about, like you mentioned, now is a good time
also to test the AC. If the AC isn't keeping up, it might need a recharge or a new cabin air filter.
Do you see a lot of that this time of year? When the cabin air filter, which is part of our regular
maintenance, if that's neglected, that will get filled with stuff, cottonwood, stuff from the air,
this filth, right? No different than your furnace at home. You know, as these things are, as the
fans are running through the air, it's cleaning that air. But if the cabin filter does not replace
it on a regular basis, it can become restricted preventing the air to flow. So you won't have
very good air flow, whether it's a summer or winter with heat or air conditioning. And then
as you mentioned, the refrigerant recharge know by design, the air conditioning system is sealed,
like your refrigerator. You plug it in and you let it go. It runs cold forever. The difference is
your refrigerator is stationary inside your kitchen where your air conditioning is attached to a
moving vehicle outside. So over time, bumps and bruises and such have a lot of times we give
about a weakness, a fatigued and o-ring, a component that can fail to the point where it
starts to leak a little bit. Now, when that happens, we lose the recharge of the refrigerant,
and then therefore the system doesn't work. It cycles faster. It works for a moment. Then it
stops. A lot of inconsistent operation. Those situations, what we'd like to do is perform a
series of tests. And what we're really trying to do is evacuate the system, determine the level
of refrigerant that was in there. It's a gas. It's not a dipstick. You can't measure it by looking at
it. You know, evacuate it, measure it by weight, recharge it with the correct amount. And the trick
here is that we add a little bit of dye, a little tracer dye. So in the event that there is a leak,
we can run the system, let that leak work its way around, find that dye, and then you can pinpoint
the source of the leak. Wow. That's a lot going on there. I never realized you guys just dig in
as deeply as you do to these situations. Well, the hard part is, do it yourself is a great
people that take the time to understand how things work. The thing that frustrates me is that people
just assume or just have the quick response. If you go to a store and you buy one of those
cans of that refrigerant with the sealant in it, my opinion, which is all this is, is that's a
horrible idea. A couple reasons is it's a set amount of refrigerant with the 12 ounce can, we'll
say, and you don't know the level that's in your vehicle or the amount to get it to the correct
level. And so if you overcharge it or undercharge it, it creates a whole different series of problems.
So without removing what's in there, weighing it and refilling it with the proper amount,
you're not going to get proper operation. The second point on that, those sealants can be
extremely dangerous in the sense that a lot of these areas are very tight spaces, you know, when
that refrigerant is running through the condenser or the evaporator, and that's where we get in the
hot and the cold happening, it can plug up those those ports or those little passages,
restrict and flow, which means we restrict the amount that it will work or how well it will work.
So I understand a lot of times they don't have the means to go out and do it all at once,
but to at least stop, have the professionals take a look, tell you exactly what's going on,
give you some advice, then you have an educated decision to make.
And don't buy the canned refrigerant. Do what I'm hearing.
Yeah, you know, I know they sell a lot of them, people do it,
but I would think I would tell you that they find out that that didn't work like I was supposed to.
Now I have a bigger repair than I intended on. That's frustrating. I wish somebody would have
told me that beforehand is what we usually hear. So that's my my two cents, you know,
everybody's got their own opinion and they had that right. But I just hate to see people waste
money when there's an easier path. All righty. You are listening to CarCare with Nick Stoppel
from Lloyd's Automotive in St. Paul. If you have a question for Nick, give us a text or give us a
call even better 651461 9226. It is 716 on CCO. We'll be back in a moment. I love those liners,
but I can't stand that one. Who wants to think about gas station sushi turning on you at 720
in the morning on a Saturday? Not me. I get it. Yeah, we love our voice. Yeah,
in the first place. Who's doing that? Don't do it. Okay, we are joined by Nick Stoppel from
Lloyd's Automotive in St. Paul. We're taking your CarCare questions either by text or by phone.
We'd love to hear from you. The number to call or text is 651461 9226. Couple of
textors on the line. Nick, the first one says how important is it to have wheel bearings
repacked in an old vehicle? Well, you don't hear that very often. It kind of goes hand in hand
like a utility trailer. And here's what the difference is on automobiles here, a dozen,
20 years ago ish, we'll call it. They started to make a sealed assembly wheel bearing,
meaning that it didn't require maintenance. It was designed and built the last
the life of the vehicle. Unfortunately, we have potholes in Minnesota. So those can be kind of
hard and wear and tear on those wheel bearings. But the answer to their question is
an advantage vehicle, or I mentioned it's certainly utility trailers, you have to remove
the wheel, take the hub apart, and the wheel bearings you actually take and pack new grease.
And there's a little piece, a little tool that you can use that'll squeeze and force grease
through that bearing to get the old grease out, good, fresh bearing grease into that.
And then you kind of have to reassemble like the sandwich will call it because the wheel
bearings kind of sandwich around the hub, then we place the washer in the nut and kind of preload
to get the right tension on it. It's something we don't see very much. If at all, to be honest
anymore, because you know, vehicles in these last, you know, couple decades have been fully equipped
or designed as such, and frequency, you know, advantage vehicle, I suppose it depends on how
much is being driven, the condition, usually when we service those vehicles or when we use
the service those vehicles, we do what we call like a shake down mean we're checking for loose
steering and suspension components, including the wheel bearings, if we notice excessive
free play in those, we might recommend taking that apart doing as I described with new grease
and reassembling and snugging things up. It's also a good time to get a visual inspection of this
condition of those bearings. Like I mentioned, they're going down the road with us every bump
and pothole that we hit that wheel bearings also feeling that so that can cause wear,
a little nick or burring where those bearings can cause excessive wear and potential failure.
So I would say I can't remember that. I want to say you should at 30,000 miles, but that seems
almost like it was too long. If it's a vintage vehicle, you're driving it in the summer only,
maybe it's every couple years when your service and they kind of take it apart and clean them up,
but I just honestly don't recall the service interval that would have been.
Okay, Nick, I know we have a lot of classic car lovers and classic car owners who listen to this
show. And so you mentioned, you know, when you have a vintage vehicle, not letting it just sit
undriven for too long, like how often should you be taken it out?
Well, you know, it depends on the vehicle and your needs, you know, a lot of these classic car
guys go to a lot of car shows. And so that their cars, you know, they're getting cleaned up and
tuned up and washed up and get ready to display it and be proud of their life's work.
But if it's one of those scenes where it's a car that I got from my parent or my uncle and it's
been sitting in my garage all summer, you know, it's going to be warm out today, but this morning
is not so bad. This is the type of day you go out and take it for a spin, maybe run to get coffee
or groceries. You know, I'd like to see those vehicles with weather permitting, obviously,
you know, a couple of times a month at a minimum would be great because like we've talked in the
past, you know, letting that exercise, letting that exhaust breathe, let those brakes warm up,
let that steering suspension kind of stretch its legs a little bit. It's really important to
longevity of a car, those components staying lubricated and clean and operational. And if
you have a classic car, you should enjoy it, right? It's a beautiful day and go for a beautiful ride.
Yep, perfect day for it. 725 on CCO. If you have a question about your car or a car issue,
let's have Nick see if he can help you force or 6514619226. You can either call us on that number
or text us. And we do have another texture on the line here, Nick. Let's see. Can you explain how a
hybrid engine works? When does the battery kick in and when is gas used? I was told that the battery
kicks in in the first 30 miles or minutes and thereafter it uses gas are all hybrids similar
and they are specifically talking about a Hyundai. What do you think? Well, I guess in concept,
they're similar. I guess the best way to answer it is it depends on the charge level of the battery.
You know, there's regenerative braking, which means that we're slowing down. It's charging the
battery. It's trying to find ways to keep the battery charged. Now, usually under a heavier
acceleration, a lot of times the combustion engine will kick in. We're going along. A lot of times that
is the same speed. The hybrid or electric motor is kind of maintaining that. But it's going to depend
on your drive cycles. If you're a lot more of an in-town driver, you know, last week, I think we
were talking about different types of hybrids in like a plug-in hybrid or the plug-in hybrid,
typically that short charge, that, you know, six or eight mile charge you get on the overnight
plug-in is, you know, the first few miles that we drive, depending if you hit the highway if you're
in town, it's going to manage it a little bit differently. But the car is designed to keep
that battery charge. So if it sees an issue where that battery is not up to capacity,
it's going to switch over. It's going to utilize the combustion engine more so to keep that going.
And then like I said, situations where cruising down the highway, headed to the cabin,
you may find that it's using the electric system a lot more.
All right, next texture. I have a 2016 Ford Edge that just turned 100,000 miles. I'm going to have
the powertrain fluids changed out. The shop is recommending a transmission flush. Most online
opinions say a drain and fill is sufficient. What is your opinion?
Well, I think they're both fine. I think if it has not been done and you're at 100,000 miles,
maybe the flush might be a little more thorough. The difference of the two services are
with the drain and fill, it's just that you pull the drain plug, whatever fluid is in that area is
going to drain out. We put the plug back in, you go to the fill plug, and usually it's like a five
or four quart service. Now, a lot of times the capacity of a transmission is 10 or 12 quarts.
So when you do a flush, you're exchanging all of the fluid out of the system. Now, if you go back
to your service manual or maintenance manual, it's going to say a certain interval to do a drain
and fill possibly that might be maybe 40, 50, 60,000 miles. So you would have done two of those
at this point. And I think refreshing the fluid on a regular basis with a drain and fill is just
fine. I also think if you went into a longer period of time, 100,000, 120,000 miles, and the
flush is recommended, because it's a more thorough job, you're getting all the fluid and all the
three out of the system. So that at the higher mileage might be a better service.
All right. Very good. Thanks for the advice, Nick. It is 728 on WCCO. You're listening to car care
with Nick Stoffel from Lloyd's Automotive on Grand Avenue in St. Paul. If you have a question
for Nick, the number to text or call is 6514619226. Coming up, we have a question about a coolant
overflow container on a 2018 Jeep Wrangler. Those questions and more coming up after the break.
And good morning. It is 733 on WCCO radio. My name is Laura Oaks, and we are in the middle of car
talk with Nick Stoffel from Lloyd's Automotive in St. Paul, taking your car-related questions,
either by text or by phone. The number is the same 6514619226. We'd love to hear from you.
All right, Nick. We have a texter who says they have a 2018 Jeep Wrangler JL 3.6. The coolant
overflow container had to be replaced. Now I need to replace the coolant, but when I open the
radiator Peccock, nothing drains out. What's going on? Well, that doesn't seem right. Try removing the
overflow cap with the radiator Peccock open. I'm thinking maybe there's a little bit of a
vacuum there. It's created having the one drain open at the bottom and the one source at the top
open allow the air to work its way in, allow the coolant to work its way out. Just keep in mind,
when you drain the radiator, you may not be getting all the coolant out of the engine and the
heater core in those hoses, but a vast majority of it makes you collect it and save it, recycle it,
and then when you refill it, look online, find the procedure for bleeding it out. The hardest thing
people have, and what I mean by that is you get an air pocket somewhere, and that air pocket can
create a blockage, we'll call it, from the coolant working its way through. Therefore, come winter
months, we don't have very good heat. On the summer months, the car seems to be running harder than
it should. It's because you get a pocket of air in there, kind of preventing that coolant from
circulating. So, make sure you look online or find a resource to follow the procedure to bleed
all the air out of the system. There's a series of steps possibly with running the vehicle,
there might be a check valve that you can open to let some air out. So, just do a little research
before you get that far into it and follow that procedure. And with little patience,
you have some good success and hopefully you have a good running vehicle. Yeah, for sure.
735 on CCO, we have a caller on the line, Nick. Joe, what's your question for Nick Stoffel?
I have a 2017 Honda Accord and it has an electronic key that allows you to lock and unlock the door
and open the trunk and so on. And I took it into the dealer because the key was no longer working
and he told me that the electronics were getting worn out because of the age of the
vehicle and the key. And he said it would cost about $400 to get a replacement for it,
which seems kind of high for what's essentially a tiny radio transmitter and a battery.
Any thoughts on whether that's a reasonable price for a replacement for that key?
Well, there's a couple thoughts that I have. If I had a second, if you get the vehicle,
a lot of times I can go with two keys or two fobs, if you have the second one, is it working?
Replacing the battery in the first one, obviously, something might have happened,
it might have gotten wet at some point in time in history and it could have done some corrosion,
some damage. I know those fobs can be very expensive. A lot of times, a lot of the costs,
if you look at the breakdown, might be to do with programming and initializing it to get it
made it up to your vehicle. Obviously, there's a security process there so that might have some
added cost. There are some aftermarket ones that you can get. I would caution there because you
can save some money, but you might not have the same quality or durability. So if you're getting
two new keys, they're getting programs, $400 is a lot of money, but that might be the cost of
doing business. I would go back though, I would try a battery. I would see if I have a second key,
see if those items can work or if there's a worker around there to save yourself a little time and
money. Thanks for the call, Joe. Nick, we have another caller on the line. Nancy, what's your question?
On Friday, my car, when I was driving it, it started whistling and if I stepped on the brake
like at a stoplight, then it would quit when I'd start out again and then it would start up again.
Is that I had the oil changed and I've had my tires rotated and balanced. It's a 2011 Rogue.
I don't know what it was. It hasn't happened again, but what caused that or is it an issue?
Well, here's what I'd like to say. People have like the one-off situation. You said Friday was
doing this. It hasn't happened since. For the best of your ability, try to remember, you mentioned
some good keys here anyway. Applied the brakes or stopped the vehicle at stop when accelerated
happened again. Make those notes. The condition, the car was warm. It was hot out and then you
don't notice it and then also a couple of weeks later, something happened similar again. Compare
those notes. Therefore, you've had maybe a multiple situations, maybe experiences. You can call your
shop or your mechanic and say, here's what happened. Here's the details of it because that really helps
to them trying to narrow it down. You get the vehicle into them. They can try to do the same
drive cycles and then they can experience it. If they can hear it, they likely can fix it.
Now, a whistling noise is a lot of times, if it's whistling itself, it's air. As we whistle
ourselves, we're blowing through our mouths and creating a whistling sound. Something to do with
the air intake, something with air working its way through the vehicle can make a whistling noise.
Not uncommon. There can be a blockage or something might have shifted or moved. That
isn't necessarily a big deal, but please do pay attention to the noise. If you notice that at
certain speeds or certain conditions, that's very good information for your mechanic to get
to the bottom of things. Please write that down. Make note of it happens again. Make the phone
call and see where you end up from there. Thanks for the call, Nancy. Nick, back to the text line.
I would like to hear about what the cost is for having a problem diagnosed. Is it charged by the
hour and is the diagnostic charge deducted from a repair when it is done? This is a hot button
for me. We go to the doctor and they run some tests and they say, okay, we don't know what's
wrong. We're going to run some more tests and you're thinking, well, do I still pay for the
test that didn't give me the answer? Everybody says, well, you have health insurance. It'll cover.
Don't worry about it. In our particular business, it feels like we get one shot at this. Here's
what I mean by it. When people ask, is the cost of the diagnosis deducted if I do the repair?
What I would say is individual testing is based on time. That time costs something, the technician,
the knowledge, the information, all that costs something. Now, if we're disassembling something
in the process and that same disassembly has to happen to do the repair, you're not being charged
twice. But if there are different processes, there's different charges. So it's based on time.
We're not going to double dip you. That's dishonest. I'm not going to do that. But to have the know-how,
the tooling, the equipment, to do the test and figure out what's going on does cost something.
People have this notion that you just plug it in and it tells you what's wrong with the car.
That's not factual. What's factual is we plug our scan tool or our computer into the vehicle.
It gives us data. It gives you a code. It can give you readings of voltages, temperatures,
pressures, all kinds of things. You got to take that data, process it, critical thinking, okay,
if this is the cause and effect, what do I need to check? What do I need to do? And in that time,
that half hour, one hour, hour and a half, two hours is just that. And then once you get done
doing your testing and confirming, you've proven the faulty component, the faulty situation,
you have a remedy to fix it. And like I mentioned before, if we're taking something apart as a
process of proving it out, we're not going to charge you a second time to do something we've
already done. However, you run these tests and you find you need to do this repair, which involves
removing or replacing something, that's a different process and different charge.
So hopefully, I explain that easy enough, but it's one of those scenes where I don't think we
always see the value in the research to figure out what's going on with the car, because it does
cost something that I can promise you one thing, and I can guarantee you this, you spend a little
extra money properly diagnosing the vehicle versus doing what we call throwing parts at it,
will save you a tremendous amount of money in the long run. If you just throw parts at it,
234 repairs are much more costly than one repair with a little extra time to figure
out what's going on. For sure. Thank you for that. Thanks, Nancy. And thank you, Nick. Car care with
Nick Stalpel from Lloyd's Automotive in St. Paul here on WCCO Radio. Nick, where can people find
you if they have a problem and want to have it diagnosed or at least want to hire you for some
sort of service? Well, not even that. If you just have a question, we've, you know, for years and
years with Danny, we'd always say, we're just here to give you advice. You know, I don't expect
anybody to drive across town. We have listeners all across the state. But if you're like, I just
don't know what to say, what to do, feel free to call us, ask the question, we'll give you the
advice, you take that to your mechanic, your shop, and hopefully you'll get the solution you need.
To reach us, you can call us at 651-228-1316. If you're in St. Paul, stop and say hi. We're at
982 Grand Avenue, which is the corner of Grand and Chatsworth. If you need more information,
you can check on our website, which is LloydsAutomotive.net. Very good. Thank you for all
of the great advice, Nick. We appreciate it. See you next week. Yep. Thank you. You're welcome.
It is 742 on WCCO Radio. I'm Laura Oaks. We are just moments away from our weekly wine chat with
Ted Ferrell from Haskell's. If you have any questions for Ted, we also have an email where
you can send in any kind of question, and that email is winechat at wccoradio.com,
winechat at wccoradio.com. Or, of course, the text line is always open. Or the phone,
651-461-9226. We'll be back with Ted Ferrell in just a moment.
About this episode
Nick Stoppel from Lloyd’s Automotive walks through common summer A/C complaints and what’s actually normal. He explains why a steady drip near the passenger front wheel can be condensation from the HVAC drain, while wet passenger-side carpeting can signal a clogged drain box that may lead to mold. He also breaks down how A/C systems lose refrigerant over time, why proper diagnosis involves evacuating, weighing, and using dye to find leaks, and why “canned” refrigerant with sealant is often a bad idea. The show also touches on wheel bearing repacking on older vehicles.
We have another hot, humid week ahead which means your car’s cooling ability is key and we dive into what to look for when it comes to leaks and other fluids beneath that car! We also get into wheel bearing issues, hybrid engines, transmission flushes, unknown noises underneath and more! If you have a car care question for Nick and his team be sure to visit lloydsautomotive.net or call them at 651-228-1316.
