Unfortunately the only way to fix this is to refinish the hood. a lot of times we see hoods peel more than the rest of the car from already being refinished in its lifetime from a fender bender. Is it critical? No, but it will only get worse. If you would like an estimate on refinishing the hood you can stop out to our collision center here at Karl's and see Dave Greif!

Beth,
Yes I do recommend these types of protective coatings! They are liquid waxes that are not quite as good as a hand wax, but are a lot better than nothing at all. I use the tri-color wax in our drive through car wash myself a lot! It is worth the dollar or two more!

what are you driving? oil change intervals vary from 3,000 miles all the way to 20,000 miles depending on the manufacturer. your cars maintenance schedule can be found in your owners manual

Stephen,
I would start by getting any maintenance that is due or will be due during your trip done now. With that you'll get a multi point inspection that will let you know if your vehicle is in need of any other services. Other than that make sure all fluids are full and tire pressures are to the proper level. I'd also check fluids and tires during the trip as well. Correct tire pressure will help tire wear and fuel mileage! A good hand washing wouldn't hurt either.

proper maintenance can help prevent costly breakdowns. A poorly maintained vehicle can cost alot more at the pump! taking care of simple things like wheel alignment, dirty filters,low tire pressures and worn spark plugs can increase your miles per gallon by as much as 20% a vehicle check up by your trusted repair shop is always a good idea

get ready for the funeral

I would beg to differ with Steve's opinion. My dad, who is a car mechanic, swore by Plymouth Acclaims and Dodge Spirits (both Chrysler) when my sisters and I reached driving age. He started seeking out used ones, too, for himself to use for the commute to work. I think in all we had at least six or seven of those cars pass through our family. They will run for a very long time if you treat them right!

Pros, care to back me up? Or is this just my biased opinion?

I also disagree with Steve's comment! If you're taking care of it there is no way of knowing how long your car is going to last. I see a lot of cars in our shop that are 15 + years old! Keep taking care of it and let us know how long you make it!

sounds like you take good care of your car! If you take good care of your car it will take good care of you.I have multi cars and trucks with over 200,000 and there are great wouldn't trade for any new car!

ABOUT ALL YOU CAN DO IS HAVE IT REPAIRED AND REFINISHED BY A GOOD BODY SHOP. HOPEFULLY THEY CAN PATCH WHERE THE RUST IS OR SOMETIMES THEY MIGHT HAVE TO REPLACE THE PANEL THAT IT IS ON. THERE ISN'T MUCH YOU CAN DO TO PREVENT IT FROM GROWING EITHER! IT WILL ONLY GET WORSE UNLESS YOU REPAIR IT.

A patch repair will only last around 1-2 years depending upon driving conditions. A full panel and adjacent rusty bracket replacement will solve the problem for that panel for quite awhile, but other areas of rust will begin to show on the car. Once you see the rust, it is an occurrence that never really goes away without extensive repair work.

That is a good question Jessica! There is no answer for this! It all depends on how well the vehicle is taken care of and the conditions that the vehicle sees everyday. It also gets to a point of whether it is worth it to spend money on the car to fix it or use that money for a down payment for a newer vehicle. There are cars out there with 500k miles + on them, but probably not without spending a pretty good amount on repairs and maintenance!

200,000 mile vehicles are seen daily at our shop. we do see a few 3-400,000 mile vehicles proper maintenance and reasonable driving habits can make a huge difference

At some point this becomes an economical question. With proper care and maintenance today's vehicles can certainly reach 200k and beyond and still provide relatively reliable service. A good relationship with your repair facility is vital for high mileage vehicles (and their owners). The facility should be familiar with your needs and expectations and be able to provide you with appropriate advise as to when it is time to replace ole Betsy.

What kind of car are you driving Megan? Most likely the only type of repair would be to replace the radio or send your radio in to be refurbished! another option would be aftermarket radios.

I drive a 2005 Pontiac Vibe. Which would be the most economical option?

How do I go about getting one and installing one, though? This is where I'm kind of dumb, haha!

See, John, that's kind of what I was thinking. If it was one thing I learned growing up with a car mechanic for a father, a fuse is the first place to look for ANY electrical problem. :)

If it is an intermittent problem it would not be a fuse, it is most likely the display itself! Aftermarket radios would be the most cost effective repair! We actually have a mobile stereo store on sight here at Karl's! You could swing in to see me and I would be more than happy to introduce you to our car audio specialists.

It IS intermittent. Sometimes it works, sometimes not so much. I just noticed yesterday the display wasn't "bouncing back" like it normally does after I either shut it off and turn it back on or shut the car off altogether.

That is a bummer Megan! There are some good prices on aftermarket radios and also some cool features that you can get that you might not have had on your Vibe before! Some of the radios even have blue tooth built into them so you can talk on your phone while driving safely!

Are there ones I could hook my iPhone up to so I could play music through the stereo??? If so, you might have just sold me on principle alone...... :)

There sure is Megan! Come on in and check them out some time!

I’m assuming the code that was retrieved that turned on your check engine light was for catalytic convertor efficiency . If this is the case your vehicles power train control module monitors as to how clean the air is after passing through the convertors. When this happens the vehicle will run normal without any performance issues but would not pass an emission test. Iowa does not require vehicles to be inspected or tested but a state such as California that does the vehicle would not pass and require replacement. The second part of your question, no, normally the second convertor doesn’t fail just because the other convertor did.

The 2012 Ford Focus is a car great on gas mileage, and has many different variations of trim levels you can choose from. The ride and feel are superior, definitely you will not sacrifice comfort and equipment for economy. They start around $15,000, and can go up to $25,000.

Todd, take a look at and research the KIA Optima. I have a 2004 with 79,000 miles on it, and it's the best car I've ever had. The May "Car and Driver" (I think it is) gives the Optima very high marks--even higher than the Toyota Camry.