Q: I have a Jeep Cherokee that has an annoying issue. The electronic parking brake is set to automatically engage if the car is running, even in neutral, and the driver's side door is opened. This is a problem when going through an automated car wash and the attendant opens the driver's side door to dry the door frame. The brake will engage while I am still on the car wash track, and I have to hurry to disable the park brake, which requires me to press the brake pedal. I have checked the owner's manual for my vehicle and cannot find a way to disable the auto park brake feature. Is this something that cannot be disabled, or am I missing something?
J.G., Eden Prairie, Minnesota
A: Your Jeep has a feature called SafeHold. Dig into your owner’s manual and you will find that the parking brake “will engage automatically if the vehicle is left unsecured. If the automatic transmission is not in PARK, the seat belt is unbuckled, the driver door is open, the vehicle is at a standstill, and there is no attempt to depress the brake pedal or accelerator pedal, the park brake will automatically engage to prevent the vehicle from rolling. The manual also states that “SafeHold can be temporarily bypassed by pushing the Electric Park Brake Switch while the driver door is open and brake pedal is pressed. Once manually bypassed, SafeHold will be enabled again once the vehicle reaches 12 mph (20 km/h) or the ignition is cycled to the OFF position and back to ON again.”
Q: I need to replace the battery in my BMW and I have been told that it can only be done at a BMW dealership. Is this true? What if I live in Austin, Nevada, and my battery dies but the only place to replace it is either in Las Vegas (5 hours) or Reno (3 hours)? I have been told that this is due to the reprogramming of the computer. My AAA Service Center has told me this along with some friends who own a Mini Cooper and a Mercedes-Benz. The car right now has an aftermarket battery and worked fine. I bought this car used five years ago from a BMW dealer and this is the battery that was installed at the time.
D.C., Henderson, Nevada
A: There’s some very sophisticated technology in these cars and it requires that the replacement battery be registered to the vehicle. If it isn’t done, the computer may assume that the old battery is still in the vehicle. And if computer memories are not kept alive, functions such as power window operation may be lost.
Q: I live in the Chicago area and prefer to drive a sedan rather than an SUV. However, I have concerns about winter driving but have been told that placing a good set of winter tires on my car during the winter months would alleviate those concerns and could be just as effective when driving my 2019 Honda Accord around town. I am retired so I usually drive fewer than 8,000 miles per year. Your opinion?
W.T., Chicago
A: Winter tires are a great idea for your sedan. I suggest putting them on both the front and rear, not only the drive wheels. You may switch back to summer tires or all-season tires if you wish when the weather improves.
