Reverse 1999 Chapter 1 Questions & Answers | All Stages Puzzles & Q&A, Listed

Questions and answers from the ‘Car Doctor’

Q. I am a pretty serious DIY mechanic who is thinking of moving to auto repair as a full-time job. I have seen you mention Harbor Freight tools in your column. When I am in a shop/dealership I see Snap-On and other big toolboxes and wonder how Harbor Freight hand tools and boxes stack up.

A. Snap-On tools are great, but unfortunately some entry technicians get financially over extended and end up paying $100 a week or more to the tool truck for the rest of their lives. Expensive tools do not make a good technician, and do not buy tools to show off, buy tools to do the job. You can buy different levels of professionals tool boxes, hand tools at Harbor Freight that can give you years of service. Also look for used tools. On of my co-worker’s dad shut down his shop and was selling his tools, boxes and more. I would have guessed about $10,000 worth of tools. He sold them for $2500. This was a great deal for both the experienced technician and someone getting into the business. There is a YouTuber, the Humble Mechanic and he put out a video about putting together a good starter tool set for $2500. It is worth watching. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v1sJsCKAJew

Q. I went in for a routine oil and rotation, the mechanic at my dealer suggested a fuel injector cleaning for $200. I own a 2019 Forester with 25,500 miles. He said they normally do it at 40,000 miles but figured I do short drives, might be wise. I typically drive one or two days per week and usually short and quick stops with maybe one long drive per week. Would you say wait? How could one know if this service is truly needed (gas mileage has not changed nor has how the car drives). And would you do it at a dealer or independent shop?

A. Fuel injector cleaning cannot hurt but may not be necessary. Although the dealer may recommend it, I have never seen Subaru corporate recommend it as a preventative measure. You are better off using quality fuel (www.toptiergas.com) and if you are still concerned add a bottle of fuel injector cleaner once or twice per year.

Q. My car handles worse and bounces more after I had installed new struts. What could be wrong?

A. Since it is worse now, I would want to recheck the work, you could have a defective strut. Also, the wheel alignment may not have been corrected after the repair. New struts should have given you a more controlled ride, with less bounce. When performing the repair hopefully the shop checked the top bearing and springs to make sure they were in good shape before installing the new struts. Many shops also use complete strut assemblies that include the springs and bearings which make for a complete repair. If this was the case, it is even possible the struts were not the proper part for your car.

Q. So, if you had a choice would you buy a Honda Civic R, Subaru WRX, Volkswagen Golf R or Hyundai Elantra N? I am looking for something small, quick, and stylish.

A. I have not driven a Volkswagen product in years, based on past experiences the Golf R was the most mature choice of these cars. The Civic R which I just evaluated, handled great, the engine was fun to run up to the “redline” the brakes were as good as the engine. The Subaru WRX, like the Golf R, has the advantage of all-wheel drive. The Hyundai Elantra N is down on power compared to some of the competitors but still performs quite well. They are all great cars, for me, the Civic R as good as it was geared to a younger driver. I feel I am too old to drive a car with a big spoiler on the rear deck. So, If I had to pick based on cars, I have evaluated the Elantra N would be my choice.

Q. Several weeks ago, my 17-year-old son, using his own money purchased a car for $4500. The car, an Audi A 4 seemed to be a good deal, but he then returned to the same seller, because it had a bad vibration. The second car, this time a BMW, turned out to have a fraudulent title as well as an odometer that had been turned back. We discovered this through a Carfax report. I was informed by both my son and his best friend that they attempted to get even some of their money back and return the car, but the seller refused. Now the seller will not even take his calls. Do you have any suggestions as to how we might proceed to rectify this issue/problem?

A. The first thing that needs to be determined is if the seller was a legitimate car dealer or someone who just buys and sells cars without a license. The seller may be someone who just “jumps” titles selling a car they purchased without re-titling it in their name. Depending on where you live, state agencies rarely get involved in private party sales. If they are a legitimate car dealer you may be able to get some help through a dealer organization or the Attorney General in your state. Odometer and title fraud are subject to both state and federal laws and can carry serious fines. At this point you may need to contact an attorney that specializes in automobile fraud.

Got a car question, email the Car Doctor for a personal reply. jpaul@aaanortheast.com

Boyfriends face new TikTok 'name a woman' challenge where there’s only one right answer

The latest viral trend on TikTok, dubbed the "name a woman" challenge, involves asking unsuspecting boyfriends a single question. 

TikTok users are encouraged to ask their boyfriend to name a woman and if he responds with his girlfriend's name, they have given the right answer, but if they don't, users are told to "start a fight" or pretend to get mad if he says another woman's name. 

The hashtag #nameawomen has over 100 million views and while thousands of women have asked their boyfriends the simple question, very few have answered the question "correctly," with many responding with the names of prominent celebrities, politicians, athletes or even random women's names. 

TikTok user @taniatotanesmartinez first posted the video that prompted the challenge on November 29, telling users to "ask your man to name a woman" and "if that guy says any other name than yours, you should start a fight." As of December 8, the video had 7 million, views, over 780,000 likes, almost 10,000 comments and over 60,000 shares. 

The hashtag #nameawomen has over 100 million views on TikTok (TikTok)

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The day before, she asked her own significant other to answer the question, and he passed the test when he said her name. 

"This guy wins this trend," she wrote. "If your man doesn't say your name when asked if he can name a woman, dump his a$$."

Many TikTok users have commented on @taniatotanesmartinez's video applauding her for the idea, and thousands of users and social media influencers have filmed themselves asking their boyfriends the now infamous question. 

Years ago, comedian and actor Billy Eichner asked a similar question on his comedy game show "Billy on the Street," where he would walk the streets of New York City, asking unsuspecting pedestrians questions about popular culture in exchange for prizes if they answered the questions correctly. Several passersby of all genders had trouble instantly responding to his prompt, "For a dollar, name a woman."

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For the TikTok challenge, many men often seemed skeptical of the vague question, cautiously providing an answer.

After pondering the question for some time, one man finally came to the answer "Kamala Harris."

"[A]ll that thinking and that's the best he could come up with," the user wrote. 

User @angelac0123 asked her significant other to name a woman. Before answering "Madison," he asked if the question was some sort of trick. 

User @carroe__cate asked her significant other to name a woman, to which he responded Susan B. Anthony, which garnered over 2 million views and 22,000 comments. 

"When you don't understand the assignment but pass with flying colors anyway," she wrote. 

"can't start a fight with Susan B Anthony," one woman commented. 

"I love how every one of these I've seen has the guy looking completely surprised by the name that he says," another commented. 

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Kendall Tietz is a Production Assistant with Fox News Digital.