Why are other countries adopting EVs faster than US?

Q. Why is the US not adopting electric vehicles like other countries? It is my understanding that half of the new cars sold in China are electric and almost 40 percent in Finland. Why is that?

A. The fully battery-electric numbers are actually lower. Your numbers are closer to plug-in hybrid sales. Fully battery-electric cars are about 33 percent of sales in China. In the United States, those numbers are in the 8-10 percent range. Finland and China, from what I have read, have a much more robust charging network. Also, in China, there are some electric cars that sell for less than $12,000. In the United States, the average electric car price is approximately $56,000. Although the charging network is getting better and more standardized, once you get to more rural areas, commercial charging stations are pretty sparse.

Q. I recently took my car to an automatic car wash, and when it emerged there was a large crack in the windshield. No crack had been there before. We have to replace the windshield now. Is this a common occurrence? It seems like the car wash should be responsible. Do you know of any track record of whether car washes pay for damage done?

A. Generally, unless the car wash equipment was broken or defective, it is very unlikely the car wash would be responsible. I have seen this happen before and even had it happen to me while hand-washing a car. If the A/C or heat is on and then cold wash water hits the windshield, the glass can crack if there is a minor defect or chip. There can also be microscopic chips that spread when the brushes hit the windshield. Again, some car washes voluntarily pay for damage when there is clear evidence their equipment caused it. If there is no evidence of defective equipment, payment or reimbursement is very unlikely.

Q. We bought a 2011 Dodge Durango new with the remote starter already installed. It worked perfectly until last year when it suddenly stopped working. We brought it to a business that installs remote starters, and they couldn’t find the problem and couldn’t get it to work. Any ideas?

A. You may find it cheaper and more efficient to remove the remote starter (if it was aftermarket or dealer installed) and have a new one installed. If the remotes are transmitting and the technician did not see an obvious wiring issue, the control module for the unit has likely failed. Trying to replace that part on a 15-year-old vehicle is not practical. Also, the newer units have better overall performance and security. If you really miss your vehicle’s remote starter, I would replace it with a new unit.

Q. How much does it cost to repair a cracked side window on a 1998 four-door Toyota Camry?

A. The price will vary depending on where the replacement glass comes from. Aftermarket glass could run $100 to $150. Original Toyota glass could be double that price, and a used window could run about $50. I would estimate the time to replace the window at about two hours. We see labor rates vary greatly. I made a few phone calls in my area, and labor rates at glass shops seem to run in the $75 to $150 per hour range.

Q. How do you feel about shops that send videos of work needed on a car?

A. I have a bit of a mixed feeling on the subject. I was talking with a technician at a dealership, and they require video inspections of customers’ cars, but the technician doesn’t get paid for their camera work. To me, that does not seem fair. Although I do like it when a reader sends me a video for my opinion of possible work needed. In the past, I have seen some cars that needed serious work and others that I found very questionable, and I suggested a second opinion.

Q. We had a new catalytic converter and new oxygen sensor put on our Honda Accord. The mechanic was trying to save us some money by getting the catalytic converter from the local parts store. I had the car for about a week, and the check engine light went on again afterward. Now the mechanic is ordering an actual Honda catalytic converter. Your thoughts on this?

A. There are times when after-market parts can save serious money, but other times the parts are simply not of original-equipment quality and can cause fault codes even though the car runs fine. Recently, a reader with a Hyundai had a charging system problem, and his local shop put two different brands of alternators on the car and still had issues. The shop suggested it might be a computer problem and told him to take it to a dealer. The dealer removed the aftermarket alternator and replaced it with a Hyundai alternator, and the problem was solved.

John Paul is AAA Northeast’s Car Doctor. He has over 40 years of experience in the automotive business and is an ASE-certified master technician. E-mail your Car Doctor question to [email protected]. Listen to the Car Doctor Podcast on Apple Podcasts or other popular podcast sites.