Your car care questions answered by repair expert Larry Rubenstein.

Q: My name is Barbara and I listen to your show on WBZ with Dan Rea. Was dying to call in but have a terrible cold and didn't want to cough over the phone.

I take wonderful care of my 2000 Jeep Cherokee Sport six-cylinder. I just had a head gasket and cracked cylinder head replacement this summer. My jeep now has a teapot whistle that's driving me crazy! It's not every day, though. It happens when I let up on the gas pedal coasting down a hill. At speeds 40 mph and under it’s a quiet whistle, but at highway speeds it can be deafening when I let up on the gas pedal.

My mechanic has checked for vacuum leak and found no problem. He said if it was the vacuum it would happen every day. Do you have any advice? It's torture! -- Barbara

A: A whistling noise does not have to be caused by a vacuum leak at all. A whistling noise could very easily be caused by an exhaust leak as well.

If the whistling is occurring during coasting, that is when the vehicle engine is at its highest vacuum. Your Jeep has a PCV system that uses a lot of hard plastic piping; it would not be surprising to find one of the pipes has a crack and is whistling during a high vacuum situation.

Your mechanic may want to spray the PCV lines while the engine is running and listen for engine flareup as the spray hits the crack in the piping. Also, check the gasket on the oil fill cap.

Q: I am concerned about any warranty or recall on the intake manifold on the Buick 3.8 V6 intake manifold. What information do you have?

A: Once again a scan through my professional information system shows no recalls at this time. You didn’t mention the year of your car so it’s hard for me to say if you have warranty coverage. Your best bet would be to speak to the service department at your local GM dealer. When you call them, have your registration handy with the vehicle ID number; also have your current mileage written down.

In Canada, GM customers with this problem were able to take a class-action suit to court. Since it is not a safety issue, the NHTSA is not going to get involved in a recall.

Q: I am a WBZ listener and have a few questions I was hoping you could troubleshoot with me. My car is a 2008 Black Mercury Milan.

1. What is a good way to take out scratches? My dealer recommended buffing. The side mirror has some white on it from a garage pole that came too close to my car. The hood has a loopy scratch; I don't know if it's from shoveling, or someone was naughty and keyed my pretty car.

2. OK -- this is a kicker. Is it possible to get under the emergency brake area? A credit card slipped in the small space beside the lever. I tried shaking it out, but the card may be lying flat. Is that worth disassembling the console to get at it? -- Cara

A: I have to agree with the dealership in part. If you are capable of using a buffer without burning the paint, then buffing is the way to go. If you don’t have that kind of experience, then the car is best brought to the dealership, or an auto body shop.

In concern to your lost credit card, you could use a bore scope to look down inside the console and possibly with a long pair of needle-nose pliers grab on to the credit card. Or the screws would have to be removed from the console assembly to lift it. Note: some of the screws are hidden.

Or the least-intrusive way of doing this is rather simple. Call the bank, cancel the card and leave it there, if it’s not interfering with the operation of the emergency brake or shifter.

Car Care Tip: This winter looks like it could be worse than last. I would recommend a bag of kitty litter in the trunk in a double plastic bag which is tightly sealed to avoid leaks and moisture intrusion. When stuck in the snow, kitty litter works amazingly. You may not get stuck, but you may be equipped to help others.
