Q. I asked you once about two-door pickups. As a Toyota owner for many years, I wanted to purchase a 2025 two-door Tacoma as I have been happy with my previous Toyota’s. For a month I have been corresponding with Toyota dealers, also Toyota Corporate with no success finding one. So, I am considering purchasing the 2025 Nissan Frontier SV King Cab. It is exactly what I am looking for. The Nissan dealers have many on their lots and they cost about the same as the Tacoma. But I have never owned a Nissan, so I do not know what their reliability is (my Toyota’s have been excellent). I am particularly concerned about the V6 engine the Frontier comes with.  

A. The Nissan Frontier is a no apologies mid-sized truck, not a truck trying to be a luxury car. The last one I evaluated was very good. The strong V-6 engine is a holdover from other Nissan models and quite reliable. Technology feels somewhat dated but it works okay. The reliability is not the same as a Toyota but all things being equal, I would buy a Nissan some other nameplates. My real issue is the company itself; Nissan is currently facing financial difficulties, experiencing significant drops in operating profits and sales. There was even a possible merger in the works with Honda, but those negotiations fell apart. 

Q. With the new synthetic brake fluids, are they still hygroscopic? Can these brake-fluid exchanges be extended?

A. All DOT 3, DOT 4, and DOT 5.1 fluids (U.S. Department of Transportation boiling point specification) are conventional, but are all are synthetic - sort of. The reason is because they blend components. But I believe the “synthetic” label (engineers let me know) is more marketing that the resistance to moisture. This is like synthetic blends of oil; there is not a percentage blend standard. Silicone brake fluid is also sometimes called synthetic because it is not traditional glycol based and is not hygroscopic. Silicone fluid is often used in vintage cars because it will not corrode internal brake parts. It is also not compatible with conventional brake fluid and is more compressible and can give the driver a feeling of a spongy pedal.

Q. Does AAA repair tires at your residence? I have a flat, will they repair the tire at my house? 

A. Over the many years I have been with AAA , we have been looking into mobile flat repair, but to do it properly, you need to inspect the tire (take it off the rim) to see if it is damaged. Some providers and DIY’ers  will put in a plug. I also carry a plug kit in my car in case of emergencies), but a plug is a temporary repair. For a tire to be repaired properly, the tire needs to be inspected for damage and repaired with a plug/patch combination. AAA will come out, air up your tire, install a spare (if your car has one) or tow the car to a tire store. 

Q. My brand-new Kia K4 just turned 1500 miles and has an 8-speed automatic transmission with Normal setting and a Sport setting. I just went on a trip driving in a normal setting. On the highway at 70 MPH the tachometer is reading 2300 RPM’s. I discovered the car is in seventh gear. I can manually paddle shift to eighth gear and the RPM’s drop to 1600. On my trip there I did this all the time and got 45 MPG. On the way home I did not touch the paddles and got 38 MPG. Any thoughts? 

A. This does sound a little strange. I can understand that in the sport setting, the computer will lock out eighth gear for better performance. In the normal setting the transmission should go into eighth speed at highway speeds. I would go back to the dealer and road test another K4 for comparison. Having an 8-speed transmission that does not shift into eighth gear automatically does not make much sense to me. 

Q. I was watching YouTube and saw a mechanic checking for parasitic electrical drain with a thermal imaging camera. Does this work and have you tried it? 

A. I think we watch the same channels. I recently have been using an Innova Infrared Inspection Camera. I did find a relay that stayed on when the car was off because of the heat signature. Although it is a versatile tool, it is not the quick answer to finding parasitic draw, it is just another tool for diagnostics and troubleshooting that can get you down the correct path.