TOM: Well, that was awfully nice of him to do your brakes for you, Denise. Do you think he’ll be as nice when you ask him to do them again?
RAY: No, that’s unnecessary. He did a perfectly good job. We often use ceramic brake pads, too; they’re supposed to last longer. But if you don’t change the rotors at the same time, you take a risk that there will be some noise, and that’s all that happened here.
TOM: Yeah. The noise is just a slight rubbing because your old rotors have been worn in the shape of your old pads, and the new pads don’t match them exactly. But they’re perfectly safe, and your brakes will stop the car just the way they’re supposed to.
RAY: If it’s really driving you nuts, then tell your son-in-law that you’re really grateful for his help, but, unfortunately, your brakes started making noise right after he did the brake job. In other words, take the car back to the mechanic and complain. That’s what our customers do!
TOM: And if he’s willing to change the rotors for you (soon — before the new pads conform to the old rotors), he can make the noise go away. Changing the rotors is an easy job on this car.
RAY: If he claims he doesn’t hear the noise (which is what we do when our customers come back and complain), then you need to change your taste in music and start listening to that head-banging stuff while you’re driving.
TOM: But rest assured, your car’s safe, Denise, even if you do nothing.
Key-fob warning is only an urban legend
Dear Tom and Ray:
I got an e-mail this morning from our company’s internal security department about locking your car with the remote key fob. The memo cites the story of a woman in a shopping center who noticed two guys in a car watching her, and then, after she locked her car and walked away, she heard her car unlock. It says that car thieves have a device that can capture the frequency of your key fob, and then use it to unlock your car while you’re in a store. The woman claims that this was explained to her by the police. Is this true or an urban legend? Thanks. — Mike
RAY: It’s an urban legend, Mike. When locking key fobs were new, back in the 1980s, they would be set to a single, permanent frequency. And I suppose, in those days, if a thief had the right equipment, he potentially could capture the frequency and gain access to the car.
TOM: But there are two reasons why that’s extremely unlikely today. First, key fobs now jumble their codes. So each time you use the fob to lock your door, it generates a unique code that it uses only that one time. While there might be equipment capable of breaking through that system, it’s more likely to be owned by the “Ocean’s Eleven” crew than by a burglar.
RAY: That’s the second reason why this story is unlikely to be true: Most people who break into your car to steal something off the seat are opportunists, not master planners. These guys go looking for a car that’s been left open, or they’ll see a computer on a seat and break a window to grab it.
TOM: Keep in mind, also, that they can’t steal your car with the key fob frequency, even if they could obtain it, since the ignition system has its own immobilizer.
RAY: So rather than worry about this, you’d be better off following the more basic rules to avoid car break-ins: Don’t leave valuables in plain sight. Remember to lock your car. Park in well-lit, populated areas. And don’t ever leave your car in my brother’s neighborhood.
Send your comments or questions for Tom and Ray to: Car Talk Plaza, P.O. Box 3500 Harvard Square, Cambridge, MA 02238. Listen to them Saturdays at 10 a.m. on 91.3 FM or 88.5 FM. Visit them on the Internet at www.cartalk.com.
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