Dave Redinger's The Neigborhood Mechanic - 3/19/07

ASK THE NEIGHBOURHOOD MECHANIC

How far will big cities go in the fight to turn green? London England has gone to extreme of banning the private car from an over congested downtown area. To enter the city's core drivers are subjected to an 8 pound levy (approximately 20 Dollars). The charge must be paid by 10 am the next day or fines are levied. These guy's aren't fooling around. The controlled area is in effect from 8:30am to 6:30pm Monday to Saturday. London's lord mayor feels this solution so successful that he has just announced the expansion of the controlled area last month. The result? The city's core is free of private vehicles save the many delivery trucks that ply their trade. The rest of the traffic is made up of Buses and Taxi cabs. The real victims here are the shops and merchants that need the private traffic and the associated business. Only time will tell if this draconian solution will work. The people of London get to voice their opinion soon. There is an election for lord mayor in the near future. One has to wonder, is there is a ban on cars in North American cities in our future?

I purchased a new Honda Odyssey in Feb.2005. There has been a problem with the passenger side electric sliding door not being tight. It has been adjusted 5 different times but it still rattles & bangs on rough roads. Why can this problem not be fixed? The last time Honda Canada gave advice but the problem is still there. Thanks for any advice you may have.

I haven't heard of any problems with the power sliding door other than a minor freezing issue. If the unit has been adjusted so many time and is still not satisfactory is there a possibility that the noise is not the door but may be an other component. Get the tech to ride in the back when you take the car in for service. Honda builds a good product and should be tight when driven

I have a problem with my minivan's heater recently. It seems that it takes more or less 30 minutes before hot air comes out. I know there is a problem because it used to heat up within 5 minutes. I researched on this problem on the internet and it looks like that the HEATER CORE is the culprit. There is a leak on the floor under the passenger's seat. Is this really the problem?

Your problem does sound as if the heater system is leaking. However I can't remember when I have replaced one recently. Have a technician pressure test the system and diagnose the lack of heat. Possibility of a cracked hose or faulty "o" ring. Some reasons for lack of heat? plugged heater core, faulty water valve, low coolant level, faulty water pump, leaking heat gasket, faulty radiator etc..... As you can see you need to see a pro. Cooling system failures will eventually lead to engine failure.