DEAR CAR TALK: If a front-wheel-drive car is put up on a lift, started and put into drive, will the odometer mileage increase? — James
DEAR READER: Let me guess — you took your car to a shop on a Friday, and when you picked it up Monday, it had 300 extra miles on it.
So you went to the mechanic and said, what's this? And he explained that they had the car up on the lift, put it in drive, and that's where the extra 300 miles came from. When in reality, the mechanic drove his girlfriend to the casino for the weekend.
The answer to your question is yes, James. If you put a front-wheel-drive car on a lift and put it in drive, the front wheels will turn and — since the odometer measures the movement of the front wheels — the odometer will roll forward.
But it won't move fast. Let's do the math. Say that at idle speed, the suspended wheels turn at 10 mph. That would mean the odometer would add 10 miles for every hour the car was on the lift.
So to add 300 miles, he'd have to have left it up there — in drive — for a day and a half.
So if that's why you're asking, James, I think it's an unlikely story. On the other hand, if you're the mechanic who drove your girlfriend to the casino, make sure your story for the customer accounts for the day and half you were tied up by kidnappers and were unable to free yourself to put the car in park.
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DEAR CAR TALK: I just turned 70, and I think I'll buy just one more car in my life.
My current ride is a 2010 Ford Escape Hybrid. It's the best car I've owned, but it will need a replacement hybrid battery someday, and that'll cost a few thousand bucks.
So my plan is to wait another year and then buy an all-electric 2023 Ford Mustang Mach E.
It has a lot of safety features that we geezers need. It also has about the same cargo area as my Ford Escape, which I need for my son's wheelchair.
I'm hoping that by 2023, Ford will have knocked out any problems that new models might have. Does my plan make sense? — Paul
DEAR READER: Yes. I like the Mustang Mach E. Nice car. Good room inside. Good electric range. And, most importantly, you'll look great in it, Paul.
By the way, I get letters all the time from people who say "I plan to buy one last car." Then they write again five or 10 years later asking what to buy next. So be optimistic, Paul. You may have many more years of car payments left in you. I'm sure Ford joins me in hoping so.
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DEAR CAR TALK: I have a 2018 Nissan Altima and recently hit a curb with my back tire at probably 35 mph.
It blew the tire. Since all four of my tires had low tread, I ended up buying four new tires.
But now, when I drive, I can feel a very slight vibration through the steering wheel and hear a recurring noise that matches the timing of the vibration. It's a continuous low, repeating noise, like "woomp-woomp." It's not really noticeable to a passenger, but it is to me when I'm driving.
I have had two different shops say they don't know what it is. They both said it was not an axle issue. Ideas?
Thanks. — Paul
DEAR READER: It sounds like when you were speeding away from that bank heist, Paul, and hit a curb at 35 mph, you bent that rear wheel.
Normally, a bent rear wheel doesn't send a vibration through the steering wheel, but I think I can explain why it's happening.
You went to the tire shop and they removed all four of your wheels, and rolled them over to the tire machine. They mounted the new tires, and then rolled them all back to the car. And when they put the wheels back on the car, the bent rear wheel ended up on the front.
Your symptoms are classic. So I'd go back to the shop that installed your tires. You'll have to pay them, since they didn't do anything wrong, and you're the one who hit the curb.
But they can try putting each front wheel on the balance machine and spinning it manually. And if they hold a pencil or flat surface against the rim as it turns, they might be able to see where it's bent.
If they can't figure it out that way, they can just swap the wheels — moving the front wheels to the back.
And if the noise and vibration go away once the bent wheel is at the back, you're all done, Paul.
It's not really dangerous. As long as you can't feel it, and the tire is holding air, leaving a slightly bent wheel on the rear is an acceptable solution.
But if the car continues to vibrate with the bent wheel at the back, then you'll need to find someone to straighten the wheel, or you'll have to replace it. Replacing it will hurt a bit, Paul. But, from the wheel's perspective, so did hitting that curb at 35 mph.
Ray Magliozzi dispenses advice about cars in Car Talk every Saturday. Email him by visiting cartalk.com