Q. I usually change the oil on my personal cars. Recently I bought a 2001 Ford Escape. When I crawled under the truck with my grease gun to lube the front end, I didn’t see one grease fitting. Why is this?

A. Many vehicles today don’t use grease fittings and there are two trains of thought on why. The first is simply cost saving. As inexpensive as a grease fitting is, when you multiply that cost over hundreds of thousands of cars, the price is significant. The second reason is that without grease fittings the cost of maintenance is reduced, slightly.

Fla. car won’t start in R.I.

Q. We moved from Florida and found out it gets pretty cold overnight here in Rhode Island. The problem is the car (2002 Chevy Cavalier) will not start –– it turns, but won’t start. In the afternoon when it warms up, it will start right up. Any suggestions?

A. There are a couple of items that should be checked out, since it is only going to get colder. The coolant temperature sensor may not be reading correctly. If this sensor is signaling the computer that the engine is warm, it won’t start. Two other items are the crankshaft sensor and the ignition switch. Both of these items can be affected by cold temperatures.

Jump start with caution

Q. I was told by my car repair shop that I should never jump start a modern car because it will destroy certain expensive electronic parts. Should I listen to his advice or it is another sales tactic?

A. I’m not sure if it is a sales tactic, but it is possible to damage any car by improper jump starting. The most common cause of damage is from crossing the booster cables, from one car to the other. In other cases a vehicle’s computer can be damaged when removing the booster cables and causing a voltage surge. Before your car is jump started, you should review the vehicle’s owners manual for any cautionary advice.

Leased-car longevity

Q. How important is the break-in period in today’s cars? I am thinking of buying an off-lease Toyota Camry (say, three years old), but I am concerned that the leased car would not have been properly broken in. How much would the car’s longevity suffer in your opinion in this case?

A. Years ago is was critical to break in a car by not going over 60 miles per hour and varying the engine speed. It was also recommended to change the oil after the first 1,000 miles to remove any possible contaminants (metal, dirt or other debris). That isn’t the case today. The machining tolerances are much better and the oil and filter systems have certainly approved. That doesn’t mean that a three year-old leased car couldn’t have been abused. Before buying, I would ask to see any service records to make sure that at least the routine maintenance was performed.

Mixing antifreezes

Q. I was told by a mechanic that it was not a good idea to mix one color antifreeze withanother. I’d never heard of that; would I be causing any harm to the system if I do? I always find that over the time I have a car, I end up topping off the coolant reservoir. I have two cars; do I need two kinds of antifreeze?

A. Years ago there was one basic type of engine coolant (antifreeze). Today there are at least five different mixtures. In many cars today, there are long-life mixtures that can last up to five years. Mixing conventional coolant with these long-life coolants will minimally reduce its operating life. If possible I prefer not to mix brands. At home both my car and my wife’s car use different types of coolant and I keep a gallon of each. In the last year, however, Prestone has come out with a coolant, Extended Life Antifreeze, that they say is compatible with any antifreeze, regardless of color.