Motormouth: 'Suicide' doors in a new car?

Q: I parked next to what looked like a new Rolls-Royce. The sedan had four extra wide doors; the back two were suicide doors. I am 74 and love the easy in/easy out these doors offer.

Try getting in and out of regular back doors without hitting your head or knees, especially with luggage. Will the suicide doors ever return here?

T.L., Addison, Ill.

A: You're in luck, maybe. Lincoln introduced the 2019 Lincoln Continental 80th Anniversary Coach Door Edition, which pays homage to the iconic style of the Continental of the 1960s. The run was limited to 80 units. Each one was personalized with a unique badge.

All 80 automobiles have been snatched up, despite the hefty price tag of more than $100,000. But Lincoln has said it will build more coach-door Continentals. So stay tuned.

Q: I purchased a new 2011 Ford Fusion in December 2010. The car ran great (and quietly) until the weather warmed up to over 80 degrees, then it developed a series of creaks, groans, knocks and other weird sounds, mostly from the front end and in the steering. Investigating, I found many complaints of this car from others, and horror stories of people replacing suspension, brake and steering parts to no avail.

In the fall when the weather fell below 80 degrees all noises stopped. Believing it was somehow temperature-related, I did nothing. Nine years later the car continues to do this, every winter runs quietly, every summer the noises return. I still own the car, and outside of several recalls which Ford took care of, the car still runs great and is very good on gas mileage, but now summer is coming and the noises have returned.

C.J., Chicago

A: You have me stumped. The first thing to come to mind was sway bar links or bushings, or loose MacPherson struts. But these would not change with the weather. My hunch is that something metal is expanding with the heat and contacting another piece of metal somewhere.

Don't rule out the rear of the car. Noises created in the back can travel through the frame to the front. Ask your favorite technician to look carefully for shiny spots where contact may have been made.

Q: Thanks for your recent piece on the advisability of changing lights in pairs. The Friday before your column appeared in the Chicago Tribune my wife got stopped by the Chicago police for a burned-out right brake light.

She drives a 2014 Subaru Forester. I took your suggestion one step further and ordered replacements for the whole cluster. The top right bulb was burned out. It is a combo brake light and running light. It was obvious that the one next to it was ready to go, so it was a good idea to replace both. The pair just below are the back-up lights. Based on the discoloration of the glass, I would guess they would have gone out next, so I swapped them out while the light cluster was disassembled.

J.C., Chicago

A: It makes economic sense to replace all bulbs if you have to go through the trouble to remove an entire lighting module. This is especially true for some that require removing the grille, bumper, or both.

Thanks for the kudos.