Motormouth: The ‘sunshine treatment'
Q: In a previous column, you told C.W. that their car may have received the "sunshine treatment." I have never heard that expression and tried looking it up. No luck.
M.L., Evanston, Illinois
A: Allow me to shed some light. It's an industry euphemism for doing nothing but letting the car sit on the lot. (It also works on cloudy or rainy days.) The sunshine treatment is often used for cars whose owners complain of squeaks and rattles. For techs chasing it down, it is a time-sink. The industry term is NVH: noise, vibration or harshness. Ask your tech if the sunshine treatment is right for you.
Q: Really depressed. I am having trouble getting heat or air conditioning inside my 2014 Camaro. My mechanic said it was the actuator. He said it is a complicated and expensive fix requiring the windshield, dashboard and console to be removed and reinstalled. The Chevy service guy I called quoted about $5,500! That's a lot to replace a plastic part! Does this make sense?
J.B., Chicago
A: It does not make sense, but it is the truth. Building a car is complicated so carmakers rely on suppliers to provide complete assemblies. The entire HVAC assembly -- a single unit -- is then installed prior to the other stuff like the dashboard (which the industry calls the instrument panel) and windshield. By the way, there are two bolts that can't be removed because the windshield doesn't provide clearance. Find a mechanic who will trim a little off the bottoms of the bolts to avoid removing the windshield. It won't save much, but every nickel counts.
Q: I just read the question and response from T.D. regarding a digital rear-view mirror and wanted to add some thoughts. I recently test drove a vehicle that had the option of using a digital mirror with a rear-facing camera, or the standard mirror. When I flipped the switch to digital, the image was fuzzy, and it hurt to read it. When I flipped to the regular mirror, it was clear as day. I wear reading glasses. When "reading" a digital mirror, the eyes have to focus on something close. But with a standard mirror, the focal point is farther away, which makes it clear for those of us who need help seeing things that are close. If carmakers ever switch to permanent digital mirrors, this will cause issues for a lot of people. Hope this helps.
J.G., Hinsdale, Illinois
A: Gee. I would not have believed it until I saw it myself.
Q: I have a 2022 Toyota Corolla with 5,750 miles on it. I bought it second-hand from a Toyota dealer, in February 2024. I do not drive it much at all, probably put on 300-plus miles since then. The Toyota dealer changed oil before I bought it. It uses SAE OW-20. Since I did not drive this car a lot, should I get the oil changed?
M.L, Westmont, Illinois
A: Most oil change intervals are based on normal or severe driving. Believe it or not, short trips fall in the severe category and as such the oil needs to be changed often. When the engine doesn't reach operating temperature, and if it isn't run long enough to cook off any moisture in the crank case, engine wear is likely. Follow the owner's manual. Even an expensive oil change isn't as expensive as an engine change.
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