Q: I'm in a long line of cars at a stop light. The car at the front of the line creeps forward a few inches. The next car does the same, and then the third car. I'm next in line, and now there's a gap between me and everyone else. And the guy behind me is beeping his horn, trying to nudge me forward.
My concern is the brakes. My thought is that by inching forward, I'm using brakes unnecessarily, adding wear and tear to them and shortening their life. My husband, on the other hand, feels that creeping forward is not hurting the brakes at all. What say you?
A: I say that this is a monumental day. It's been ages since we've gotten a letter from a wife in which a husband is actually right.
The wear on the brake pads and rotors is directly related to how hard they have to work. And that depends on the speed of the car. When you're trying to stop a 4,000-pound mass that is moving 55 miles per hour, it takes a lot of friction. And that friction is what wears away the pads and rotors.
It takes very little friction to stop a car that's barely moving. It's like worrying about tiring out your arm muscle by picking up a paper clip. Granted, the guy honking at you is overreacting — scooching up 18 inches isn't going to help make up for the fact that he's 10 minutes late for work. But that being said, consider me pro-creep.
Map apps
Q: I received a letter saying I can update the factory GPS in my 2015 Ford Explorer for $150. I was under the impression that a factory-installed GPS would automatically update itself. Should I pay for the update, or am I being scammed?
A: We're starting to see more over-the-air updating of navigation systems now, but it wasn't around when you bought your 2015 Explorer. You can do the update yourself, but it's not always user-friendly. If your Ford dealer is willing to install the update for $150, that's not a bad price. We've seen much worse (hello, Honda!).
The underlying question is: Do you need an update? Not a lot changes in terms of roads. Sometimes they get rerouted or a new bridge is built, but those projects take years. If you don't drive in unfamiliar places, you probably can skip an update. On the other hand, if you rely on the navigation system a lot to get you places you usually don't go, then it's probably worth updating every four or five years.
