Q. I see conflicting reports about how often I should change my car’s engine oil. How long is oil good to last? — E.H. (via Internet)
 
A. Oil doesn’t wear out. However, keeping it in its original “pure” state in an engine will be difficult because it eventually gets contaminated with such things as dust, engine coolant, etc. and thus loses some of its effectiveness. Regular driving in stop-go traffic and motoring on dirty roads thus cuts oil’s effectiveness. Automakers refer to such driving conditions as “severe” and thus many recommend changing engine oil more often than if a car or truck is driven mostly on fairly open regular roads with the engine brought up to operating temperature to give it a chance to burn off some oil contaminants. 



A. I often wonder if costlier synthetic oil is better than regular oil. — D.M. (via Internet)

A. Producers of synthetic oil claim it’s superior to regular oil, but synthetic oil is best used in high-performance engines such as those found in a Chevrolet Corvette and other very fast cars—or cars or trucks used for towing heavy objects. Otherwise, save your money because regular oil is fine. 



Q. Is there such a thing as a flying taxi? — G.R. (via Internet)

A. Yeah, Boeing has developed what looks to be a pretty good one! 



Q. Do you think Ford Motor is wise to drop virtually all its cars and just build trucks and SUVs?  — J.C. (via Internet)

A. Ford is phasing out all its Ford car models except for its iconic Mustang and is introducing an all-new Focus active crossover vehicle. In short, it’s going where most of the money is now—to trucks and SUVs. It doesn’t seem to care if future customers will be interested in cars again.




Q. Does a car dealer make more money selling new or used cars? — P.S. (via Internet)

A. They generally make more money with used cars, which constitute a huge market that is growing larger. Another major source of revenue for a dealer is a well-run service department.

Q. Should I take my car to a dealer or to an independent garage? — A.P. (via Internet)

A. I generally recommend a new car dealer if work on the new highly computerized vehicles, besides something like an oil change, needs to be done. A dealer has trained technicians familiar with your car, service records, the latest factory repair bulletins, parts, etc. That said, a good, established  independent repair facility you’re familiar with is also a decent choice if major work need not be done. Actually, modern vehicles are built a lot better than the old ones, so you need not visit any service facility as often as you once did.



Q. Is Bugatti, which builds fabulous fast expensive cars, going to build an SUV?  — M.H. (via Internet)

A. Bugatti says “no.” Although ultra luxury outfits including Lamborghini, Bentley, Ferrari and even Rolls-Royce are building SUVs. Good for Lamborghini. Enough is enough with this SUV craze.



Q. Does Cadillac have a chance to regain its old Top Dog position that it held for many years? — J.M. (via Internet)

A. Cadillac builds some fine cars, but it still isn’t in the same league as Mercedes-Benz, BMW or even Audi, to name a few top rivals. It plans to build more competitive models, but it remains to be seen how well it does.



Q. How is Mini doing? — S.S. (via Internet)

A. Not very well. Mini went from 45 percent of its dealers being unprofitable in 2016 to 54 percent in 2017, according to the trade publication Automotive News. It said dealers are looking forward to the new battery-electric Mini E, expected to reach American dealerships in late 2019 or early 2010.



Q. How is General Motors doing? — E.N. (via Internet)

A. Incredibly, GM sold nearly half the cars bought in America in the 1960s. Now, it’s counting on redesigned pickup trucks and SUVS to increase earnings. But it’s got problems: Weakness in China and foreign-exchange pressures in South America are hurting it. But higher prices for its pickup trucks here helped GM beat Wall Street profit forecasts in its fourth quarter. Still, Ford outsold it in the pickup truck area last year.




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