Doug McAllister

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Doug McAllister of Douglas Automotive in Barrington writes a weekly Under the Hood column.

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items 1-10 out of 77


Irksome dome light hard to diagnose

May 10 2013 | 3:16 pm - Q. My overhead interior dome lights do not turn off after turning the car off. I have to manually turn them on and off. Also, my left rear passenger door does not open with the remote. Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated.

Dashboard radio screen brightness on the blink

Apr 26 2013 | 1:30 pm - Q. I own a 2007 Chevy Malibu LE 4 cylinder with 46,000 miles. I love the car except for one thing: the information located in the radio area cannot be read on a bright day. This displays the time, temp, radio station, etc.

Know the difference between red, yellow and flashing lights

Apr 19 2013 | 12:00 pm - You should pay attention to dashboard lights. If one of your warning lights illuminates, do you know what to do? If it is one of the red lights that turns on, this generally means you need to find a place to safely pull over and stop the vehicle.

Traction control powers down the engine

Apr 12 2013 | 4:28 pm - Occasionally when I make a left turn, just after starting my turn, there is a 100-percent loss of engine power. This is on dry pavement without any slipping of the tires occurring. I am 65 and don't do jack rabbit starts.

Early tire pressure sensors beginning to fail

Apr 05 2013 | 11:40 am - Q. What is the deal with this low tire pressure light that keeps coming on in my car? It is so annoying and I can't seem to get it to stay off. The tire pressure seems fine. Help!

Driver looks for more support from auto seats

Mar 21 2013 | 2:23 pm - Q. We have a 1994 Cadillac Fleetwood Brougham in pristine condition with less than 70,000 miles. We've been in other cars (Lincoln van, Chrysler sedan) that fail to match the comfort of the Fleetwood's seating. Can you tell us which cars have super...

Synthetic oil needs less frequent changes

Mar 08 2013 | 11:45 pm - Q. I have a follow-up question to your response about rarely driven cars still requiring regular oil changes. I only drive 2,000 to 4,000 miles a year.

Rarely driven cars still require regular oil changes

Feb 22 2013 | 4:31 pm - Q. I have a 2006 Equinox with about 35,000 miles. I only drive about 4,000 to 5,000 miles a year and am wondering about oil changes. Should I still be changing the oil every three or four months -- even if I've only driven 1,200 to 1,500 miles? Or...

Nearly all oil is replaced when changed

Jan 25 2013 | 11:15 am - Q. My question is about engine oil capacity. The owner's manual states when changing the oil and filter it takes 7.7 quarts. I had my first oil change done by my Ford dealer. They replaced the filter and six quarts of oil.

Buy correct fuel for optimal performance

Jan 18 2013 | 11:25 am - Q. The owner's manual for my Jaguar says to use a minimum of 91 octane gasoline. The top gasoline at most stations is 93 octane, and 89 octane is also available. Would it hurt anything if I filled up with 93 octane and top it off with the 89 octane...

items 1-10 out of 77