CLICK & CLACK : Foreign vs. Domestic

RAY: And the larger cars, like your Grand Marquis, have an inherent safety advantage due to their size and weight. So those are all positives.

TOM: And there are some fantastic American cars out there. The Cadillac STS, the Chrysler 300C and the Ford Freestyle are just a few we've driven.

RAY: We do our best to call 'em as we see 'em, Peter. I'm sure we're not perfectly neutral.

TOM: But we do our best to be fair, and we base our opinions on our real-world experience testing the cars and fixing them in our shop. But we're happy you love your roomy, reliable Grand Marquis, and I'm sure you're not alone.

Dear Tom and Ray:

I have a 1994 Volvo Wagon that is drinking all of its coolant. I can't drive more than a few miles before all the coolant is gone. Then the heater gives out and the car overheats. I haven't noticed any leaks anywhere from the engine. I think it is all coming out of the exhaust. What is the problem? -- Keith

TOM: You may want to just close the newspaper right now, Keith, and pretend you never saw your letter in it.

RAY: Well, if you're still reading, the coolant is definitely coming out of the exhaust. That means the church-and-state-style separation that is supposed to be enforced between combustion chamber and coolant has been breached in your engine.

TOM: You're probably not losing all of your coolant every few miles; if you were, your engine would seize. But you may be losing all of the coolant in the overflow container. And even that's enough for us to conclude that your problem is serious.

RAY: If it's just a blown head gasket, you should expect to pay somewhere in the $1,500 range to get it fixed.

TOM: If it's worse than that, and you've cracked the head or the block, then you're into home-equity-loan territory.

Got a question about cars? Write to Click & Clack in care of The Post or e-mail them by visiting the Car Talk Web site athttp://www.cartalk.com.

2005by Tom and Ray Magliozzi and Doug Berman