Can you recommend a good upholstery cleaner? | Car Doctor
Q: Can you recommend a good upholstery cleaner? I have some tough stains that I cannot get out. The car is old, and I don’t want to take it to a detail shop.
A: Depending on the interior material, a spray foam product called Tuff Stuff is inexpensive and works well when used with a soft scrub brush.
Meguiar's Carpet & Upholstery Cleaner has always been a go-to product for car interiors.
If you have a Dollar Tree nearby, there is an all-purpose cleaner called Awesome. This cleaner seems to work quite well and is only $1.25, but there are a couple of things to be aware of. First, Awesome is a strong product; follow the directions and try it in an inconspicuous area to make sure that it doesn’t remove any color. Second, it is also stinky, so use it with adequate ventilation.
Will installing LED backup lights burn out Laredo's electronics?
Q: I have a 2020 Ram 1500 Laredo with very dim backup lights. My dealer told me changing to LED lights would potentially mess up the electronics on my dash and somehow negate my warranty. Your thoughts? How much should I expect to pay for this?
A: I recently read an article about a 2023 Toyota Tacoma owner who swapped out conventional backup light bulbs for LEDs and the body control module burned out.
Looking online, I can find LED bulbs that claim to be plug-and-play, but it also says you need to add a resistor kit.
I agree with the dealer and would pass on the LED bulbs. A safer option may be to add an auxiliary light bar on a separate circuit and use it when you need it.
What is causing intermittent 'check rear park aid' error message?
Q: I am the original owner of a 2012 Lincoln MKZ that has been great to me and my wife. For the last three months, the "check rear park aid" has been shown every time we put the car into reverse. I have not brought the car to the dealer, since it shows for about two weeks then starts to work for maybe five days, then off again. I have tried resetting with no luck. Any ideas?
A: The typical issue is not the sensors but corrosion at the connections that cause an intermittent problem resulting in the error message. Depending on what is found, sometimes cleaning the connections is all it takes to fix the problem.
Can I return to conventional oil after switching to synthetic?
Q: I recently switched my oil changes from regular oil to synthetic. My car is a 2009 Camry LE with about 145,000 miles on it. The shop where I had the work done said that once I switch to synthetic, I cannot go back to using regular oil. Is the shop correct? Why would they say this?
A: This is one of those tales that has been around since synthetic oil first came out. There is no reason you cannot switch back and forth between synthetic and conventional oil. In fact, many shops are only stocking and using synthetic or synthetic blend oil these days. Synthetic oil is highly refined conventional oil. One thing you may find is that, due to the age of the vehicle, you might get some very slight seepage from seals and gaskets. This is due to the fact the synthetic oil flows better and may wash away some sludge and may seep through the gaskets/seals. If that’s the case, you can always switch back.
Acura MDX is on its third battery in five years. Why?
Q: I have a 2019 Acura MDX that needed a jump start twice in the last couple of months. I brought it to the dealer, which advised me that I need a new battery. It will be the third battery in five years. The dealer looked for a parasitic drain and held the car for four days and could not find anything. They said the battery is testing low. They want $325 plus $70 labor to install a new AGM battery. Do you think they overlooked something? Is $400 reasonable for a battery?
A: Over four days of testing for parasitic drain, if something was wrong, they should have found it. Any chance that you keep the key fob near the car when it is parked? Some key fobs need to be 20 or 30 feet away for the car’s electronics to fully go to sleep.
As far as the price, at AAA a A65-48/H6-AGM battery for that vehicle is rated at 760 cold cranking amps, and the AAA member price is about $240, plus taxes, installed at your home.
John Paul is the AAA Northeast Car Doctor. He has more than 40 years of experience in the automobile industry and is an ASE-Certified Master Technician. Write to John Paul, The Car Doctor, at 110 Royal Little Drive, Providence, RI 02904. Or email jpaul@aaanortheast.com and put “Car Doctor” in the subject field. Follow him on Twitter @johnfpaul or on Facebook.
This article originally appeared on The Providence Journal: Can you recommend a good upholstery cleaner? | Car Doctor
