Saturday, December 28, 2013 ads.yoursun.net E/N/C/V The Sun Classified-Section A Page 3 Car Lovers' Corner December Saturday, 9 a.m.-1 p.m. Towles Plaza Cruise-in, Punta Gorda, at 2705 Tamiami Trail. Hosted by Lance's "Cruizin to the Hop" show, $10 includes trophies, door prizes, D.J. Lance. Breakfast or lunch available at The Coffee Restaurant. Info, Lance at 941-371-1061, or email lance@ collectorcarstv.com. Saturday, 4 p.m.-8 p.m. Fort Myers River District Cruise-In, First Street and Hendry. Free, open to all. Door prizes, games, prizes, lots of restaurants, Tom's Traveling Tunes. Streets are blocked off for cruise- in. Rain decision noon, 239-332-4443. Info, Tom Brooks, 941-815-6204. Sunday, 7 a.m.-1 p.m. Muscle Car City Auto Flea Market, Punta Gorda. Free to public, vendors $10 per double space. If you are looking for a part or accessory check out the many aisles of great bargains. Breakfast/lunch are available in Rick's Filling Station. Call Dina Modesto, 941-575- 5959 or visit dina@musclecarcity.net. Monday, 5 p.m.-8 p.m. Merchants Crossing Cruise-in, North Fort Myers, U.S. 41 and Pine Island Road. Free, open to all, food discounts, drawings, door prizes, music. Sponsored by the NCA (No club affiliation), all volunteer. Info, Larry Day 239-772-9941 or lwnkday@aol.com. January Jan. 3, 9 a.m.-1 p.m. Lance's Cruizin LOCAL CAR CLUBS For newcomers to our area, and those interested in the car hobby, United Car Clubs of Charlotte County offer a listing of area car clubs and weekly events. Should you wish to be included in our events calendar or club listing please contact Craig Henry, President UCCCC, and Peace River Car Club @ 941-637-0709,662-0383 or email loafen@centurylink.net. Antique Automobile Club of America, Venice Region meets 7 p.m. the second Monday of each month at Venice Gardens Civic Center, 406 Shamrock Blvd. Club is open to all years, models and makes over 30 years old. Dues are $30 for local and $35 for national membership. Their shows raise money for scholarships for local students. For info, contact Gary Felker, president 941-493-3780. Charlotte Classics & Cruisers meets 7 p.m. the first Wednesday of each month at the Perkins restaurant, 6001 S. Salford Blvd., North Port. Club is open to all years, models and makes. Their signature event is the Cruise-In at the McDonald's in Murdock on the second Friday of the month, plus many other events. For info, contact President Randy Wright, or Jennifer 941-637-1539. I341 to the Hop, Venice, Denny's, 1681 U.S. 41 Bypass S. Trophies, door prizes, raffle, drawings, discount of food for registered participants, music, $10 entrance fee. Info, Lance 941-371-1061. Jan. 4, 4 p.m.-8 p.m. Dearborn Street Cruise-In, Englewood. Music, cars, restaurants, shopping, drawings, gift certificates, door prizes, Tom's Traveling Tunes. Free, open to all. Info, Tom at 941-815-6204. Jan. 4, 5 p.m.-9 p.m. Historical Downtown Arcadia Car Show, Oak and Polk Streets blocked off for show. Food, trophies, door prizes, drawings, poker walk. Info, Lance at 941-371-1061. Jan. 5, 2-5 p.m. Cruise-In, Tomatillo's Fresh Mex, Venice. 339 Commercial Court. Free, open to all. Music by Cadillac Jimmy, food discounts, chips and salsa for participants. Supporting the Wounded Warrior Project. Info, 941-412-4832. Jan. 10, 4 p.m.-8:30 p.m. McDonald's Cruise-In, Murdock, hosted by Charlotte Classics & Cruisers. Free, open to all. Tom's Traveling Tunes, drawings, door prizes, contests, tro- phies. Funds raised support Ronald McDonald House Charities. Info, Tom at 941-815-6204 or President Randy Wright 941-380-0650. PHOTO PROVIDED Larry and Mary Greenwood of Englewood entertain their Canadian friends Patsy and Dick Gordley while enjoying the monthly Cruise-In on Dearborn Street in Englewood, held the first Saturday of each month. Corvettes of Charlotte County meets 6:30 p.m. first Wednesday of each month at Muscle Car City. Open to all Corvette owners, new or classic. We put on shows, travel and have local events. Info, President Vito D'Amico. Email info@corvettesofcharlottecounty.com. Mercedes Benz Club of America S.W. Region meets 8:30 a.m. second Saturday of each month at Mimi's Cafe, 13499 S. Cleveland Ave., Bell Tower shops, Fort Myers. Open to all. Tom Harruff 239-591-8049 or tharruffi 813@comcast.net. Miata Club of S.W. Florida meets 6 p.m. first Thursday of each month of each month at Victory Lane Cafe, dinner at 5 p.m. 4120 Hancock Bridge Pkwy. Open to all Miata owners or enthusiast. Dues are $24. Info, President Jesse Dunham 239-995-0340. Mopar Club of S.W. Florida meets 6 p.m. first Tuesday of each month at Rick Treworgy's Muscle Car City. Light dinner at 5:30 p.m. in '50s-style diner. Open to all MOPAR owners. President Jim Harrower, Vice President Al Chamberlain, Secretary Offer Nadel, Treasurer Carol Young, 941-639-0010. Mustang Club meets the second Wednesday of each month 7 p.m. at Don Gasgarth's Charlotte County Ford, 3156 Tamiami Tr. Port Charlotte. Open to all Mustang owners and enthusiast of any year. Short trips/long trips. President is Chuck White. Info, mustangchuck94@gmail.net. Peace River Car Club meets the first Thursday of each month at the Moose Lodge 2121 on Loveland Blvd., Port Charlotte, and has 39 years of serving the car hobbyist. Dinner at 6 p.m., meeting at 7 p.m. Open to lovers of cars and trucks, all years and models. No car necessary to join. $15 dues includes club name tag and laminated windshield placard. Fully insured. Club subsidized social events. Call Craig Henry, president, @ 941-662-0383, or visit www.peaceriver carclub.com. Punta Gorda Isles Car Club meets the first Tuesday of each month, 7 p.m. at the PGI Civic Center, 2001 Shreve St., Punta Gorda. Open to all cars, all years. Limited to residents of Punta Gorda Isles. Socializing with cars, not sit in parking lots. President Bill Leach 941-575-5685, or Fred Counter 505-1290 or Jeff Barlow 916-9343. Thunderbird Club meetings are held monthly at various car shows. Limited to owners of 1955-1957 Thunderbirds. Very active group. Travel Florida to Thunderbird events. President David Tulowitsky @ 941-764-0312 or email tulobird@aol.com. Is Honda un-'Fit' to park in garage? Dear Tom and Ray: I have a 2007 Honda Fit. A couple of years ago, I got a recall notice that said there was a defect in a part in the door and that the Fit might catch fire because of it. A fix was in the works, but Honda suggested that Fit owners not park their vehicles inside the garage until after the part was replaced. Interestingly, the fires were caused by water getting into the door when it rains ... outdoors ... where Honda wanted us to park our Fits. Ignoring the fact that the fires are caused by rain, I parked my Fit outside until I got the warranty work done to fix the problem. Last week, I got another letter from Honda stating ahemm) that the first fix didn't work quite as planned, and that a new fix will be rolled out soon. In the meantime, they suggested that 2007 Fit owners not park their vehicles in the garage, since they might catch fire. They said to park them outside, where, presumably, the rain can get in and cause them to CLICK and CLACK TALK CARS by Tom & Ray Magiozzi Because anyone who owns a car needs a laugh. ... catch fire. My question is, even after this second fix for the same issue, should I ever park this vehicle inside my garage again, ever? What if the second fix doesn't work either? Nervous TOM: Yeah, that is a conundrum, isn't it? Honda did, in fact, recall some 140,000 2007 and 2008 Fits because water, or a spilled Starbucks Venti Frappuccino, could get inside the door when the window is open, work its way down and corrode the master window switch. RAY: Window motors require a lot of electricity in order to lift that heavy piece of glass ... and do it in less time than, say, it takes my brother to get to work in the morning (which usually doesn't happen 'til around noon). And since that master switch controls all of the car's window motors, there's a ton of juice coming into it. So if the switch corrodes and shorts out, it could potentially lead to an unplanned and unwant- ed marshmallow roast. TOM: When Honda first recalled the cars for this problem, they fixed it by putting some plastic material around the mas- ter switch, which they then sealed up with tape. What they discovered later was that the tape wasn't doing the job and could still let water in, leading to corrosion and the above-mentioned marshmallows. RAY: So now they've decided to just replace the switch itself with an upgraded and redesigned switch presumably the one they started using af- ter 2008, about which we know of no complaints. TOM: Of course, they didn't have 140,000 of these new switches on the shelf, so what they want to do is inspect your Fit and look for signs of corrosion on your switch. If they see any, they'll replace the switch right away. But if there's no sign of corrosion, they'll ask you to wait until they can make more switches, which probably will be a matter of months. RAY: So until you get the new switch, your Fit is still technically vulner- able to this corrosion and fire syndrome. So if they ask you to wait, I would continue parking the car outside. TOM: Yeah, I definitely would not park it in your garage, Nervous, unless three other conditions exist: (1) The garage is de- tached from your house, (2) you have replacement cost insurance coverage on it, and (3) you've been wanting to redo the garage anyway. RAY: Actually, Honda says that rain or other liquids can get inside the door only when the win- dow is open. So your car should not get any worse if it's parked outside with the windows rolled up. TOM: But if the switch has begun to corrode, obviously you don't want to risk parking it in a structure that's attached to where people sleep. RAY: And I wouldn't leave any priceless Renaissance paintings in the car until you get it fixed, either. Good luck, Nervous. Lint is no threat to engine Dear Tom and Ray: Can I check my oil with a paper towel or an old towel, or is it best to use a shop towel? I'm won- dering if the lint from paper towels affects the oil's protective qualities. -Joan TOM: No. I mean, if you throw the whole roll of paper towels into the engine, you might have a problem. RAY: Or if you were wiping off the dipstick by dipping it in a box of cat litter. TOM: But a tiny bit of lint from a paper towel or a cloth towel won't hurt anything. RAY: The engine has an oil filter, and anything large enough to cause any trouble is quickly trapped by that filter and taken out of the system. TOM: And anything small enough to get through the filter is either (A) oil, or (B) small enough to be "absorbed" by the oil and held in suspension, where it can't do any damage while the oil circulates. RAY: So you can check your oil with a pure heart, Joan. And with the Quicker Picker-Upper, if you like. What's the best way to warm up your engine in the morning? Find out by ordering Tom and Ray's pamphlet "Ten Ways You May Be Ruining Your Car Without Even Knowing It!" Send $4.75 (check or money order) to Ruin, PO. Box 536475, Orlando, FL 32853-6475. Get more Click and Clack in their new book, "Ask Click and Clack: Answers from Car Talk." Got a question about cars? Write to Click and Clack in care of this newspaper, or email them by visiting the Car Talk website at www.cartalk. com.