Q. My very dependable 1995 Buick Roadmaster went in for a tune-up. When I got the car back, I was shocked at the cost of the repairs. It cost nearly $800 for a distributor cap and spark plug wires. I trust this shop, but this price is ridiculous! Did I get ripped off?

A. You didn’t get ripped off at all. The distributor cap on this car is buried behind the water pump. The cost of the cap is nearly $330, and the wire set is $150. Add in the three plus hours of labor, and it is easy to see how this can total $800.

Q. What do you think of diesels? I don’t drive often, but when I do, it is hundreds of miles at a time. I’m looking at the Volkswagen (the only affordable choice) and am intrigued.

A. I recently drove the VW Golf diesel and found it to be very nice. The diesel engine started immediately without hesitation and performed flawlessly. The ride, handling and interior were typical VW—very good. The test car that I drove had the manual/automatic DSG transmission. Call me old fashioned, but I would prefer a true standard shift or an actual automatic transmission. During my time with the car, my worst mileage was 37 mpg, and the best was 44 mpg. My complaint was that I never found a comfortable seating position, although my wife thought the seats were fine. The other issue was the car warmed up slowly when not in motion. Frosty mornings required plenty of ice scrapper use.

Q. My Town and Country has 49,000 miles with the original tires. The tread still looks good but the sidewalls have some minor cracks. My driving consists of some highway driving, but most is around town. Now that the tires are six years old and have almost 50,000 miles on them, should I buy new tires?

A. Several car manufactures recommend that tires are replaced if they have been in service for six or more years. The Rubber Manufactures Association doesn’t look at age, but more of how the tire was stored or used. Tirerack, one of the largest mail order tire centers, believes that tires have a life of between six and ten years. Considering how much I hate to change a flat tire, I would replace the tires.

Q. I recently put a new set of tires on a 1999 Passat. When I drove the car at 60-65 miles per hour, I felt a vibration in the steering wheel. As a result, I went back to the garage and asked that the balance be rechecked. This was done, and I was told that it was "right on."  However, when I test drove the car, the vibration was still present. I then decided to switch the front tires to the rear. This seemed to correct the problem.  Is there an explanation for this?

A. The problem could be a result of one of several issues. One of the tires that is now on the rear may be "out of round." A tire can be in balance but out of round and cause a vibration. Have the tire shop measure the wheel and tire run-out. You may find that one of the tires has more than its share of run-out. This can usually be corrected by match-mounting the low spot of the tire with the high spot on the wheel. The other possibility is the front hub where the wheel mounts is rusted causing the wheel not to sit flat resulting in a similar run-out issue.

Q. During one of our cold spells, I attempted to open the power windows on my 2001 Buick LeSabre, after which one of the windows wouldn't close. My local dealer said the motor in that window was the problem, and it would cost $458 to repair. I had no choice but to have him do the work. I would like to know if I was cheated or if this is a fair price for this type of job.

A. The labor to replace a window motor is about two hours. The cost of the window motor at a dealership is about $240. Add in the two hours of labor (at an average of $100 hour), and its easy to see how the bill could total $458.