Paul Brand

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Paul Brand

Columnist | Cars

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Email: paulbrand@startribune.com

Paul Brand writes about autos for the Star Tribune.

Paul Brand: A clunker before its time, but it's not the shocks' fault

Q I accidentally backed my 2004 Buick LeSabre into a concrete curb on the passenger side. While driving home, I...

Updated: April 22, 2011, - 09:34 PM

Timing belt at 22K? You can hold off on that one

QI have a 2004 Toyota Highlander with 22,700 miles on it. I took it in for service and was told the water pump is cracked and I should think about replacing the timing belt at the same time.

Updated: April 08, 2011, - 12:35 AM

Today, simple fuel gauge isn’t quite as simple

Q The fuel gauge on my '05 TrailBlazer is not working properly. I fill the tank, but the "low fuel" light comes on and the gauge reads empty for the first 20 miles. Then the light goes out, the gauge reads empty to one-quarter and "low fuel" chimes whenever it wants to. What's going on?

Updated: April 03, 2011, - 03:29 PM

Residue in oil fill cap likely caused by moisture

QI hope you can give me some advice. When I took my 2005 Ford F-150 (a 5.4-liter Supercab with 74,000 miles on it) in for an oil change, the mechanic asked if I put a stop-leak additive in it because he found cream-colored moisture in the oil fill cap. We have not put stop-leak or anything else in it. He suggested doing a radiator and compression check. Should I?

Updated: March 27, 2011, - 01:47 PM

Paul Brand: When steering wheel gets the shakes, it's scary

Q I have a 2000 Mitsubishi Galant with about 140,000 miles on it. While my nephew was driving at normal...

Updated: March 18, 2011, - 09:39 PM

U.S. drivers still haven't embraced diesel cars

QSome years ago I traveled to England and saw many small, diesel-powered cars. I have read that most of the new cars sold in Europe are diesel. Considering that diesels get significantly better fuel mileage than gasoline-powered cars, why haven't the car manufacturers offered the diesel option over here?

Updated: March 13, 2011, - 03:27 PM

Town Car owner unable to get cruise under control

QI have a 1990 Lincoln Town Car with a 302-cubic-inch V8 engine. The car is in near-showroom condition and well-maintained. When I hit the brake to disengage the cruise control, 50 to 70 percent of the time it reengages when I take my foot off the brake pedal. If I brake until I'm under 35 mph, I know it can't reengage. Often, I don't want to brake that much, especially if cars are behind me, so I've gotten in the habit of hitting the "off" button on the steering wheel each time it happens. Any ideas?

Updated: March 06, 2011, - 04:01 PM

A balky cooling fan can land you in hot water

QMy brother has 1995 Corvette he is restoring in Florida. He recently rebuilt the engine and transmission. During his last test drive, it seemed that the car was overheating. He opened the hood and did not see the fans working. He was able to drive it home without overheating, but the temperature gauge was much higher than normal. We have cleaned the fuses to make sure that they are making good contact, and replaced the temperature sensor in the water pump. It looks like the fans are controlled by the ECM. Is there anything else that might be causing the problem?

Updated: February 19, 2011, - 03:44 PM

Engine oil consumption: How much is too much?

Q My daughter shopped, purchased and financed her first vehicle on her own. It's a 2000 Nissan Pathfinder. She bought a warranty through the dealer. No complaints, except this rig goes through a quart of oil every 500 miles. The warranty folks don't want to spend any money because nothing is broken. Is there any way to resolve this short of just letting the engine run out of oil and seize up? I'm not sure they would honor the warranty in that case anyway, and it would be pretty irresponsible.

Updated: February 06, 2011, - 04:38 PM

Jeep's shift button is reluctant to get moving in wintry weather

Q Since it's been cold, I've had difficulty pushing in the button on the shift lever on my 1996 Jeep Grand Cherokee. The Jeep starts fine, but I have to sit for at least four minutes before I can get that button pushed in. I'm concerned that someday I won't be able to get it pushed in at all -- and I'll be stuck somewhere. Any thoughts?

Updated: January 23, 2011, - 03:57 PM