QuestionHi Roland. Andee here, not very knowledgable about cars. Have a 2000 Plymouth Neon with 95,000 miles on it. Have never had any problems with it
but have never had new brakes put on it either, and now they squeek a little
when I come to a stop. My husband used to maintain the cars but he's gone now and I don't know what to do - he told me something about keeping engine coolant to a certain level, but I don't see anything in that clear plastic
container under the hood. I know dealers sometimes take advantage of women, so I'm asking your advice about what I should have done. How much can I expect to pay for brakes (is this two or four brakes?) and what goes in that engine coolant container anyway? Thank you!
AnswerHi Andee.
The coolant container should be filled about half full (look for indicator bulges on the side of the container which show High and Low level between which it should be sitting. The fluid should be a 50-50 mixture of antifreeze and water. So buy a gallon of antifreeze and mix up some with water and add it to the container until you get it to the mark.
There are two types of anti-freeze, green and orange in color. So remove the radiator cap to see what color of coolant is that you have and buy that same color.
On the brakes, it would be good to check the front brake pads as those wear faster and need replacement sooner than the rear. If the level of brake fluid in the master cylinder is showing to be full then the only thing that would be needed is to replace the front brake pads. That is an easy/quick job for a mechanic to do. The pad should be 8 mm thick or more. If not, then replace the pads. Let me know if they try to sell you on more work than replacing the pads. I would think a brake shop would be the place to go rather than a dealer.
Roland
