Q. The engine blew in our 2001 Kia Optima on Route 95 south while my husband was driving the car. Oil leaked from the car causing a small fire that was attended to by the Warwick Fire Department.

After the firefighters left, a state trooper, who was also at the scene, stayed and called AAA. The car was towed to our mechanic and then towed to the local Kia dealership. We realized at that point that the engine was 600 miles from being out of warranty.

The service station removed the valve cover and told us there wasn’t a sufficient amount of oil in the engine. The lack of oil caused the piston to break and form a hole in the engine block.

I was told Kia would not cover the warranty and we would have to pay the cost of the inspection.

I am hoping you can explain why the piston broke and why any oil would be left after it leaked from the car under these conditions?

Finally, is the Kia dealership the final word; do we have any recourse?

A. In these cases, it is always difficult to determine if the engine failed because it was low on oil, or if it was low on oil because the engine failed. If the technician saw a build-up of sludge when the engine valve cover was removed, this would indicate lack of regular servicing.

In this instance, you don’t have much of a case.

If you have any documentation showing you followed the manufacturer’s maintenance schedule; that would certainly help.

A car that is maintained on a regular schedule should not have a catastrophic engine failure unless there was a defective part.

If this was the case, the engine repairs should be covered under warranty.

If you can provide this additional documentation, then get in touch with Kia customer assistance and ask for a supervisor to re-evaluate your claim.

After this, your next step would be small claims court.

Tire-pressure problem

Q. I own a 2005 Cadillac that has a tire pressure monitoring system.

While driving in South Carolina, a warning appeared on my dash information screen telling me to “check tire pressure.” Several times since, the tire pressure light has come on; sometimes for overpressure, but lately for low pressure.

My dealer suggested that corrosion on the wheels was causing a leak so the wheels were cleaned.

The dealer has since told me one wheel is damaged and quoted $1,100 for a new wheel. Since that last trip to the dealer, I haven’t had to add any air. The warmer weather seems to have fixed the problem, at least temporarily. I’m wondering if you are aware of any recalls regarding this.

In my opinion, even though the warranty has expired, the dealer should stand behind the product given the fact that the problem existed prior to that expiration. I have not been back to the dealer, nor have I made any warranty demands. You’ve been quite helpful in the past and I’d appreciate any thoughts you might have.

A. As you have experienced, tire pressure will vary considerably with both temperature as well as altitude. As we see more cars with aluminum style wheels, we are seeing more tire-pressure issues than ever. Over the years we have seen many more problems with corrosion of aluminum alloy wheels.

General Motors has come up with a specific repair procedure to remedy the problem. Have the dealer reference technical service bulletin number 08-03-10-006. This procedure involves a thorough cleaning and polishing of the wheels and then coating the wheels with a tire bead sealant. If the air is leaking between the rim and the tire’s bead, this should fix the problem.

How much for a clutch?

Q. I have a Subaru Outback and the clutch is starting to give me a little problem. The car is a 2003 and has more than 100,000 miles on it.

What do you think it would cost to replace the clutch?

A. Using factory parts, the total cost without running into additional problems would be approximately $750 to $850, depending. of course, on the labor costs.

The parts would cost $350 and the labor is just under five hours.

projocars@projo.com