Q. The windshield on both my wife’s car (Honda CRV) and my Cooper Mini have lots of little spots on the windshield. They look like chips that stones make but are much smaller and are all over the windshield. I have noticed this on some of the cars I’ve previously owned. My wife describes it as looking at the Milky Way. We only really notice them when driving into the sun. I have tried several windshield cleaners, but they do not do anything. Any idea what causes them and if there is anything you can do to repair the windshield?
A. If it is on the outside, it is probably from sand hitting the windshield and making tiny pits. Unfortunately, if you drive on the highway this is going to happen. You cannot do much about it, live with it or replace the windshield. You can try getting the windshield really clean and then go over it with a claybar (detailing tool) which will remove any grit in the chips and that may help a little, but more than likely there are new windshields in your future.
Q. Since I was a kid, I always loved the 1969-1970 Ford Mustang Mach 1. I am at a point where I can afford to buy one. Do you think the Mach1 is a good investment?
A. If you are buying this Mustang or most any car as a good investment, don’t do it. If you are buying the Mach 1 to drive and enjoy, then buy it. Collector cars go up and down in value depending on the market and collectability. According to Hagerty Insurance a 1970 428 Mustang Cobra Jet at one point was selling for as much as $81,000 and now is around $70,000. This is hardly a market trend but just something to be aware of. My other suggestion is to buy the best car you can afford and avoid partially finished projects unless you have time, talent, budget and garage space.
Q. My 2025 Toyota RAV4 has had an issue with the navigation through the Apple CarPlay, often showing the car offset to one side or the other (by small amounts to hundreds of yards) from where the car actually is. This makes using navigation virtually useless because the system doesn’t think the car is where it really is and, so, gives incorrect directions. This does not always happen, and we have not been able to find any pattern: time of day, local vs. highway, radio on or off, driving in different states, even different people’s iPhones and different versions of iPhones (from 7 to 16) with and without the latest iOS. Of course, when I took the car to the dealer’s shop, they did not see the issue and said they were unaware of this being an issue. They assured me the latest software updates were applied. I even went on a 20-minute drive with one of their mechanics one time and, of course, the system worked perfectly then. Have you heard of this problem before with other cars or the RAV4? Any thoughts about what we could do to address this?
A. As a test using another phone not hooked up to CarPlay, running the same navigation app, does it show accurate. Really all CarPlay should do is mirror the phone if it does not have factory GPS. I have seen certain areas where my Garmin GPS, and phone GPS are not on the road correctly. This has happened even on older roads. I always wondered if it is something blocking the satellite signal or a satellite aging out. I did look for technical bulletins on Toyota’s site and found nothing helpful and looked at iPhone forums and found some mentions of this happening in many vehicles with and without factory GPS https://discussions.apple.com/thread/254835532?sortBy=rank. This may be yet again an issue or incompatibility between automotive and mobile phone technology.
Q. I have a 2025 Cadillac Lyriq with 2500 miles and a chronic problem with the left turn signal. The signal will intermittently fail. I got an error message to check the taillight bulb. I’ve had the car to the dealer twice. The first time they rebooted the software with no success. They then replaced the taillight assembly, and this corrected the problem for about a month. The second time the taillight failed I brought the car in for service and the service manager saw the taillight was not working. However, when they restarted the car to bring it into the service bay the taillight was working fine. GM stated that this is not a known issue, and there are no recalls. I do know that if I turn the car off and let it sit for a while the problem does resolve itself. This is becoming a major concern and annoyance, any thoughts?
A. Since replacing the taillamp assembly fixed the issue for a while, it seems like it could be related to a wiring problem. I did see one technical service bulletin that mentioned a harness retainer clip that could allow the wiring to rub on an axle. As a side note, the all-electric Lyric has a long list of technical service bulletins (and I don’t see them all) and many are software related. At this point I would try to document the failure as much as possible and see if the dealer can get a Cadillac field engineer out to investigate the issue.
Q. I know you are a safety guy, and I believe you got an award from NHTSA for your efforts. What are your thoughts about electric scooters? I see people buzzing around on them all the time. My college student, who can’t have a car yet wants one to use in and around her campus.
A. E-Scooters are considered micromobility devices and certainly have their place. Recently I have been riding a Kaabo Urban e-scooter and although I have ridden bikes both electric and manual, gas scooters and motorcycles, at first I found the E-scooter a little terrifying. Now that I have practiced a bit, it is a fun way to get around. The Kaabo scooter is well made has decent performance, very good brakes and suspension. Required or not I would recommend a helmet and other safety gear. I would also not modify the speed, 15 miles per hour is plenty fast. And like all vehicles, never ride impaired or distracted.
Q. Walmart has full synthetic and advanced full synthetic motor oil. The advanced is 66 more cents. Is it worth it?
A. The Walmart Advance synthetic oil looks like it is designed for extended oil changes. The difference between the SuperTech Synthetic and Advanced Synthetic oil is likely the additive package which may allow longer intervals between oil changes. Although any advanced synthetic oil may offer better protection against wear, I do not believe in extended oil changes unless the oil is analyzed on a regular basis. You could certainly use this advanced synthetic oil but replace the oil and filter at the manufacturer’s recommended interval.
Do you have a car question? Email the Car Doctor for a personal reply: jpaul@aaanortheast.com.
