Q: We own a 2007 Honda Civic. Recently while I was driving on dry pavement, I heard an extremely loud metal on metal banging noise that I thought was coming from under the car. I pulled over and checked under the car and in the wheel wells and found nothing. No warning lights came on the dashboard and the car was running and idling fine. When I stopped, so did the noise. When accelerating, the noise would get louder. I managed to get the car near our home and the noise stopped. It has not made noise since. My husband and the repair shop checked the car out and have found nothing wrong. They believe I may have picked up something from the road and it finally let go. I know what I heard and I am afraid to drive the car very far as I'm worried this will happen again. I would have sworn someone was banging a hammer on the underside of the car. Do you have any ideas? I was told it could be the ABS brakes "misfiring." The repair shop checked the brakes and said they are fine. I did notice, though, that my gas mileage has dropped significantly since all of this. What do you think?  -- Judy, Plainfield

A: Judy, I would recommend you get a second opinion. You probably should take it to your local Honda dealer and have them perform a complete inspection. The drop in gas mileage might be related, or it could be a coincidence. At any rate, the dealer will be able to tell you if there's any damage underneath your vehicle and whether this event has any bearing on the drop in gas mileage. Something may have gotten caught in one of the wheels or around the drive axle. Apparently, it's not there anymore, but evidence of such an occurrence should be fairly easy to detect by a trained technician. The technician should thoroughly inspect the brake assemblies to make sure they are not binding causing excessive rolling resistance. The technician should also look at the exhaust system and fuel supply system to make sure there are no restrictions.

Q: I own a 2007 Chrysler Town & Country. I have two questions. First, the holes at the bottom of my door are taped shut. A friend of mine told me they should be open to drain water out. The dealer told me that they should be sealed to keep dirt out. Which answer is correct? Also, the right side power sliding door powers open only a small amount and needs to be completely opened manually. It also won't power close all the way and requires closing manually. What could be causing this? -- D.S., Merrillville, IN

A: D.S., the holes at the bottom of your door may appear to be taped shut, but if there's no water sloshing around inside the door when you open and close it, leave the drains alone. The door drains might have rubber pieces that allow water to drain while keeping dirt/debris out. If, however, you've got water inside the door, the drains could be clogged. As for your power sliding door, it might need adjusting. Take it back to the dealer and have them inspect it. If the adjustment is good, it might need a new power sliding door motor.

Questions for Ira Siegel? Call the Auto Adviser Hotline at 708/633-6839 or e-mailAutoadvisr@aol.comAutoAdviser: Ira Siegel is an Automotive Instructor and ASE Certified Master Auto Technician