Ray Magliozzi, syndicated columnist

Dear Car Talk: I have a 2002 Volkswagen Passat. I am wondering if there are any tricks to keep the automatic windows from freezing shut after I use the car wash in the winter. — Thaddeus

Yes. A condo in San Diego.

This is a difficult problem to solve, Thaddeus. Some cars seem more prone to this than others, probably due to geometry, the age of the surrounding seals, and perhaps an older, weakened window motor that isn’t strong enough to break the seal.

Our customers have had the best luck by spraying some silicone lubricant along the edges of the window that fit into the door frame.

It’s actually less messy if you spray the silicone onto a paper towel and then wipe all the exposed edges of the window, inside and out.

If you’re careful, you can also spray some inside the frame, where the window fits. That might help. If it still freezes shut, you can gently bang on the window near the top and sides. That might be enough to jar it loose.

And if it doesn’t, I’d recommend a dirty car until the weather improves.

Dear Car Talk: About Steve’s oil-burning 2012 Chevy Equinox (he added fresh oil so often, he felt he could skip his oil changes, and you said no).

You said it’s like a frying pan you keep heating and adding oil to, because the dirt never gets drained out. But here’s my question: Unlike your frying pan, the Chevy has a changeable oil filter.

Doesn’t the filter, if replaced regularly, work to take the nasties out of the dirty oil? — Larry

It does, but I don’t think it’s sufficient, Larry.

Changing the filter regularly would help. But it doesn’t prevent the oil itself from degrading. Over time, through use and heat, the slippery, long chain molecules in motor oil break down and become less effective at lubricating crucial parts.

If you’re burning oil — you’re making the remaining oil work harder and hotter. For instance, if your car takes 5 quarts and you burn off a quart before topping it up, each of those four remaining quarts is doing 25% more work. So that remaining oil will break down even faster.

I’m sticking with my position, Larry. In my experience, good lubrication is one of the keys to making an engine last. And for the price of an oil change — compared to an engine — it seems silly to me to skimp there.

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