CLICK & CLACK'S CAR TALK

LITTLE ROCK — Click & Clack (Tom and Ray Magliozzi) dispense advice about cars in Car Talk every Saturday. E-mail Click & Clack by visiting the Car Talk section of

cartalk.com

DEAR TOM AND RAY:

I thought I would offer to be the butt of your jokes by asking about my Fiat Spider. I know one of you guys owns one. I was towing the car a long distance, and as night fell, I stopped and turned on the Spider's parking lights so drivers behind me would see it. The parking lights were on for about three hours while the car was being towed. The day after the trip, I noticed that the headlights would not come on. Since then, the windshield wipers and the heater fan have stopped working. When I try to turn on these items, all I get is a loud click from the area where the relays live, and the battery light comes on.

- SamTOM:

And what seems to be the problem here, Sam?

RAY:

As you can now tell, Sam, my brother is the one who owns a Fiat.

TOM:

We're assuming that the car still starts and runs normally. For a Fiat. So that eliminates the battery or a bad battery connection.

RAY:

And, obviously, you should check the fuses - not only for blown fuses, but also for bad connections. These fuse boxes sometimes get rusty (especially if, like my brother, you leave the top down when it rains), and rust (or jostling from the tow) could be preventing a couple of fuses from making clean connections.

TOM:

If the problem is not in the fuse box, the next logical culprit would be the ignition switch. We checked the Spider's wiring diagram in our Mitchell Vintage Car database, and this vehicle has no fusible links. It's a pretty basic electrical setup- still pretty much the way it was originally designed.

RAY:

So our guess would be that your ignition switch is failing. What happened to it? Well, on a car that's 30-plus years old, anything can break.

TOM:

And if you're towing it for hours, and it's bouncing along the highway, it's not outside the realm of possibility that some stuff got shaken up. I mean, I lose a part a day that way!

RAY:

Here's something you can try: Turn on the stuff that isn't working, and then try jiggling the key in the ignition. It's possible you'll re-establish contact long enough to confirm that the switch is where the problem lies.

TOM:

Then you can sign up for one of Alitalia's Fiat Dealership Tours of Italy this summer, and pick up a new switch.

DEAR TOM AND RAY:

My friend has a fancy-shmancy 2007 BMW 3 Series. Recently, one of his tires blew out through the sidewall and left a gaping, scary-looking hole. That tire and the other three all have plenty of tread, so the blowout seems troubling to me. He took it to the dealer, who told him: (1) All of his tires need to be replaced as soon as possible, because the same thing probably will happen to them soon; (2) he shouldn't have Goodyear tires of any kind because they're no good for this particular car; and (3) the only tires he ever should put on it are the model and brand they have at the dealership, which cost about $160 each, plus installation. He doesn't do any racing or any crazy driving - he justdrives normally. I'm convinced they're trying to pressure him into buying four of the most expensive tires possible. What do you think?

- Ernie

RAY:

I don't think they're trying to pressure him into buying the most expensive tires possible, Ernie. They're just trying to get him to buy the most expensive tires they have in stock.

TOM:

I'd have to disagree with the dealer on all counts here. First of all, Goodyear makes some excellent tires. The only thing that's wrong with Goodyear tires in this case is that this dealer doesn't happen to sell them.

RAY:

We don't know why your friend's sidewall blew out. It could have been a defect in the tire. Or he could have banged the tire against a curb and created a weak spot or a bubble that eventually blew.

TOM:

We can't see the tires. So, to be fair to the BMW dealer, it's also possible that all four tires are in worse shape than you think they are. Or they could have the wrong load or speed rating for your friend's car.

RAY:

But I would suggest going back to the Goodyear dealer where he bought the tires. First of all, he can get a second opinion on the condition of the other three tires. And if the one that blew out failed due to a defect, they might replace the tire for free under warranty.

TOM:

Or, if the tires are older but still good, they may be able to sell your friend a used one that's a close-enough match in tread life to its axle-mate that he'd have to buy only one tire.

RAY:

I'm sure the tires that the dealer is recommending would work very well on the car, but they're hardly the only ones that will work well. And as long as the tires meet the specifications set by the manufacturer (check the owner's manual), your friend can buy any brand of replacement tires he likes.