Q I recently plugged an expired parking meter for a stranger's car in Minneapolis just as the traffic cop was approaching. He told me that was illegal. How can that be? I thought I was doing a good deed.

A It is against the law in Minneapolis to plug a parking meter beyond the time limit that it's designated for. It could get you a $42 fine (including fees). But it's perfectly legal for the car's driver or a stranger to plug a meter within its time limit.

In the downtown business district, most meters have a one-hour time limit; elsewhere, generally two hours. Some are only 15 minutes; others, four hours.

"The reason most meters have time limits is because businesses rely on those meters to provide short-term parking for customers," city spokesman Matt Laible said. "Keeping those spaces turning over is important so more people have access to that parking."

Under the ordinance, if you're parked at a two-hour meter and pay for an hour, it's fine for you or anyone else to add one hour to the meter, he said. But it's illegal if you park and pay for two hours but go out later and plug the meter beyond the two hours.

St. Paul has a similar ordinance but takes it a step further by making it illegal to return to a metered spot until two hours after the meter for that car has expired. Minneapolis requires a car to move more than two blocks from where it was parked at a meter.

Laible said the city has issued 165 citations so far this year for parking at a metered space beyond the time limit.

The city's fine is $30, but a $12 surcharge is added for the $42 total -- or 168 quarters.

SUZANNE ZIEGLER

Q I have many pairs of old jeans that are worn out. Is there anyone in the Twin Cities who would recycle them for the fiber, or should I just throw them away?

A Wipers Recycling (1255 E. Cope Av., Maplewood, 651-222-7247, www.wipersrecycling. com) has green dropoff boxes on site where textiles can be dropped off to be made into cleaning rags for janitorial supplies, composting fertilizer and dog toys. Worn-out shoes and old feather and down pillows, as well as down coats and jackets, also can be dropped off.

JOHN EWOLDT

Q Can a bidet be installed in lieu of a toilet? Is it an attachment to a toilet? How much do they cost?

A Bidets are not toilets. They don't replace toilets. You can buy a bidet attachment for your toilet, however. They cost about $60.

The word in French means "pony," which describes how one would use it and, by extension, the reason. I will go no further, recommending a dictionary or Google.

PHILADELPHIA INQUIRER

Send your questions to Fixit in care of the Star Tribune, 425 Portland Av., Minneapolis, MN 55488, or call 612-673-7032, or e-mail fixit@startribune.com. Sorry, Fixit cannot supply individual replies. Fixit appears Sunday on Page B3.