Q. Our 2000 Toyota Camry’s brake sign has been coming on. The first time the light came on for a few seconds while I was driving and then disappeared. The same week, the light came on and off while I was driving. This happened for a couple of minutes, and then it went out. So far, this has been happening only when I first start the car. What is going on?

A. The first step is to have all the brakes inspected. It is entirely possible the brake warning light is coming on because the brake fluid is low. Your car, like many, has a brake fluid sensor and when the fluid is low the brake warning light will illuminate. The fluid can be low due to a leak in the system or if the brake pads are worn.

Work with dealer on Nissan woes

Q. I bought a 2007 Nissan Sentra in January, and in February the “check engine” light came on. The dealer told me they have seen this problem, but Nissan does not yet have a fix for it. In November, the light came back on and now the dealer tells me they are going to need the car for at least two days. I am so frustrated because I bought the car brand new, and aside from buying a home, a car investment is one of the biggest and most important purchases one would make. I also had to take my car in because the steering wheel was pulsating and they put it on a machine to balance it. I personally feel that this car is a lemon or the dealership did something wrong. What do you make of this? Personally, I feel that my car should be replaced. What rights do I have?

A. Owning a new car with problems can be frustrating. In Rhode Island, there is a lemon law. As a general rule, a new vehicle qualifies under this law if it has been serviced four times for the same defect within one year or 15,000 miles. Since your car has not been in four times for the same problem, it wouldn’t qualify. At this point, I would continue to work with the dealer and ask them if they can get some technical assistance from Nissan’s field technical staff.

Plowing depends on transmission, tires

Q. We just bought a large tract of land in the country, and it looks like a pickup truck or SUV is in order. We’re hoping to get by with a compact pickup, but do you think these 6-cylinder trucks are up to the task of snow plowing our 300-foot driveway? If so, do you have any specific recommendations?

A. Concerning vehicle choice, Jeeps have been plowing snow for years with 4- and 6-cylinder engines and doing it well. The key is the transmission and tires. You need a transmission system with low-range four-wheel-drive and aggressive snow tires. Even powerful, full-sized trucks will slip without snow tires. It also depends on how often you plow. If it is a weekend retreat and you get out there to find three feet of snow, a 6-cylinder truck may not be able to handle it. If you are plowing six to 10 inches of snow at a time, it shouldn’t be much of a problem. Fisher, one of the largest snowplow companies, makes a lightweight “homeowner” version of their plow designed for compact trucks. Check out their Web site for more information: www.homesteaderplows.com

GPS systems do have differences

Q. With the holidays approaching I’m thinking of buying my directionally challenged husband a portable GPS navigation system. I have looked online and see prices from $200 to $700. What is the difference and is it worth the money to go with a more expensive unit? Also is there a particular brand you can recommend?

A. I have found two major differences when comparing navigation units. The cheaper brands don’t have the map detail and they are much slower to recalculate when you go off-course than the more expensive units. Almost four years ago I bought a Magellan GPS (nicknamed Maggie) and have been quite happy with its performance. Although recently I have been “road-testing” a Magellan Maestro, this unit is smaller, lighter and has many more features than mine. Some of the new features are “real-time” traffic, AAA TourBook information and voice command and control.

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