Q: To address the recent column regarding “Car chimes over railroad tracks,“ I've noticed a chime about 20-50 yards before railroad tracks. The warning occurs only when I have Waze on. This does differ a bit from the recent article stating the chimes occur when crossing tracks, suggesting that the writer’s experience might be different from mine.

H.G., Allentown, Pennsylvania

A: Waze is one of the most helpful apps on my phone, but I never noticed a chime sound when approaching railroad tracks. But I do get an alert on the screen and a voice alert. I am going to find a railroad crossing and check it out. I’ll be right back.

Q: Love your column and look forward to it each week. Have found many of your suggestions useful, which I pass along to my husband who’s a car guy. But recently you investigated a reader’s suggestion to use the “pure kind of lemon oil” to remove “nearly all sticky substances” from surfaces and “found that it works – including (on) dashboards.”

A word to the wise: Watch out for the bleaching effects of the lemon oil on a dashboard sitting in bright sunlight. I think that if you don’t dilute the spot(s) with water after removing the sticky substance, you’re likely to wind up bleaching the material of the dashboard. It's much like women in the 1950s who used lemon juice to further bleach their blonde hair before going out in the sun.

D.S., Bethlehem, Pennsylvania

A: Gee, your hair smells terrific! Sometimes I wonder whether I’m writing an automotive advice column or household hints column. Thanks for chiming in.

Q: I took my 2003 Toyota Highlander with front-wheel drive to a shop after receiving a coupon for an oil change, filter and a free tire rotation. Prior to arriving, I marked my tires in order to tell if they were rotated; they were not. When I contacted the manager, he told me that the best tires were on the back, and that's why they didn't rotate them. That doesn't sound right to me. I always thought that all the tires should be rotated so that one set doesn't wear out before the others. What do you think?

T.T., Chicago

A: You’re right. Rotating your tires ensures that they wear evenly. Also, the best tires should not be on the back but on the wheels that steer the car -- in other words, the front. Good for you marking your tires.

Q: I have a puzzling issue with the periodic appearance of the check engine light. The car has only 9,900 miles on the odometer. The engine light signal will come on, which I have learned is generally not serious unless it is flashing. The light comes on and stays on for several days, then shuts off, only to come back perhaps a few weeks later. I have taken it back to the dealer several times, but I have been unable to get a diagnosis or a fix so far. And yes, I have checked that the gas cap is securely in place.

D.M., Hinsdale, Illinois

A: Whenever there is an issue with the car’s emissions, the check engine light illuminates and a trouble code is stored in the car’s memory. It will stay there for 40 engine restarts. A technician can interrogate the car with a scanner, look up the code and home in on the problem.

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